Questioned is whether teacher training programs actually achieve widespread and long-lasting changes in student learning. The hands-on programs for teachers at Brookhaven and Livermore laboratories are described. The effect of these programs on teacher effectiveness in the classroom is discussed. (KR)

Described is an interpretive tour of an ecology exhibit that was integrated with lessons designed to improve Hispanic students ability to observe and make inferences. The study methods and results are presented. (CW)

Evaluation of an intensive community health project by three medical school classes (n=240) found the project was rated more favorably (1) with each succeeding class, (2) by students planning to enter primary care specialties, and (3) by students who invested more time in the project. (Author/DB)

What is needed in graduate medical education is a curriculum built around learning experiences and valued activities, not performance objectives. The example of a curriculum for an ambulatory care block rotation illustrates the development of such a curriculum and how it can be used to frame the rotation experience. (MSE)

Elementary computer teacher describes a summer program in which fifth graders cooperatively created a computer-based city planning unit. Students strengthened math, writing, technology, and problem-solving skills as they organized and used a bank, purchased property, proposed and designed buildings, and assembled the futuristic city using a…

The population of Gyrinus, the whirligig beetle, is assessed using the Lincoln mark-recapture index. This technique has the advantage of helping the student to understand simple proportion as well as other concepts. (Author)

This paper uses examples of the writing of profoundly hearing-impaired high school students and transcripts of teacher-student dialog to illustrate the evolution of thought in student writing. The development of a language arts curriculum that permitted students to explore, expand, and experience literary events is also described. (JDD)

Reports on a study of the use of museums by 541 middle and high school art education specialists. Finds that art specialists see the art museum as important to supplement classroom instruction in study work and art history. Includes four tables of data and recommendations for enhancing the use of museums by art educators. (CFR)

The Maine studies program at a rural Maine middle school begins in the sixth grade and expands through the eighth grade. Students camp out, explore Maine's geography, and learn about themselves, their state's history, and the state's diverse populations. Two multischool programs, Exchanging Maine's Cultures and the Curriculum Integration…

"The Party" is a role-playing activity used in an ethnic studies course at California State University at Fullerton to help students experience cultural stereotyping firsthand. Students responded with enthusiasm to the experience and found it effective in sensitizing them to diversity issues. Suggestions are offered for teachers using…

Through the first-hand experiences gained from out-of-school visits in which they observe and talk with adults in the workplace, and through gaining elementary rules of exchange via classroom simulations, young children can develop a rudimentary understanding of the complexities of commerce and trade. (MDM)

Describes the Living in a Changing World program, a series of half-day classes offered by the Saint Louis archdiocesan schools at a zoo, historical museum, botanical garden, archaeological center, science center, and arboretum. Through letter writing, social events, and field trips, the program pairs and provides interaction between fourth-…

Describes the use of generative curriculum in a first-grade class, whereby students pursue their own topics of interest and ways of learning as they engage in meaningful inquiry. Outlines demonstrations that teachers can use to help students develop their own topics. Areas covered include composition, visual arts, notetaking, interviews, surveys,…

Presents three hands-on, discovery geometry lessons based on the use of special pieces called Polydrons by a fifth-grade class to build and investigate special properties of polyhedra and to stimulate students to think geometrically. Includes reproducible student worksheets. (MKR)

A workshop that provides instruction about chemistry and physics concepts and about novel hands-on ways to teach the concepts using toys is described. Sample topics by discipline and related toys and a daily workshop schedule are included. The results of formative, summative, and follow-up evaluations are presented. (KR)