This chapter consists of a conversation between a third-grade teacher and a teacher educator about the advantages of the portfolio method of assessment. The advantages of portfolios are that they are a powerful learning tool as well as an assessment tool, they can make the separate subjects in a curriculum come together in an integrated way, and…

This essay--an example of narrative inquiry--draws on a fictional account of Merlyn the Magician acting as tutor to young King Arthur to illuminate the author's own experiences as a student and teacher. Those experiences are starkly contrasted in method and intent. On the one hand, stern Mr. Thompson with his white lab coat, map of the leaf, and…

This paper takes a ethnomethodological look at a typical Experiential Self-Empowerment Approach (ESA)-using speech class to see how the ESA uses 12 assumptions as background expectancies (Heritage, 1984) to accomplish personal growth in college public speaking classes. The following assumptions are addressed: (1) students deserve "something…

Pychologists, educators, and others have challenged the idea of a fixed IQ. This book uses recent research and earlier discoveries to argue that intelligence is not genetically set. Noting that the idea of learnable intelligence reflects the belief that intelligence can be taught, the book outlines a theory of learnable intelligence, including…

This book espouses service learning as an important and integral part of school for students. It stresses the positive benefits to be gained from service learning, as well as the good the activities do for the community. It notes that service learning should be used to promote a sense of civic responsibility and pride in students. It also promotes…

This study discusses the approach adopted in an inservice course, Training the Trainers in Management Skills, tutored by staff from the University of Wolverhampton (England), which took place twice in Villnius (Lithuania) in 1992 and 1994. The participants were approximately 80 Lithuanian education managers (directors and deputy directors of…

To ensure a lasting effect of the efforts made in early childhood programs, this manual provides specific, sequential curriculum-related activities for parents to use with infants and toddlers at home. Activities have been differentiated for the following three age groups: (1) 4 to 12 months; (2) 12 to 24 months; and (3) 24 to 36 months. The…

This book challenges common assumptions about the nature of education and the need for formal schooling and provides an overview of promising alternatives to compulsory education. Following a foreword by Ivan Illich, four sections cover the philosophical roots of opposition to compulsory public education, current analyses of the public school…

Despite many service-learning programs that are now in practice, the empirical assessment of their effectiveness is sparse, due in part, to the difficulty in identifying a common indicator to measure effectiveness. In order to bolster the empirical assessment of these programs, evaluation of one such service-learning program is presented here.…

Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) use computers to capture, store, and distribute knowledge in both an interactive and non-linear delivery. Using technology sources such as the Internet, Microsoft's Net Meeting, Connectix's color camera, and business software, it is possible to provide multiple site delivery and bring business…

Aimed primarily at a museum audience, this book is also a guide for school educators who want to work in partnerships with museums. Fifteen museum school projects are described, all of which received Museum Leadership Initiatives grants in 1994. Projects involve museums focusing on heritage, arts, natural history, sciences, and industry as well as…

This learning packet of hands-on activities was developed by the Duke Power State Park in North Carolina for grades 4-7 to acquaint students with the concepts of water quality, watersheds, aquatic sampling, water pollution, preservation of natural areas, and land use. The loose-leaf book is divided into these sections: (1) introduction to the…

This paper discusses the capabilities of the Internet, including the ability to combine textual with visual presentation information, that make it an especially useful learning tool for students with hearing impairments. Instructional design recommendations are made for effective computer-assisted lessons that will help to develop and expand…

This book describes and reports on a new approach to higher education that is experiential and democratic. The approach uses discussion and interaction, laboratory work and field learning, community involvement and service, democratic citizenship and skills training, and student-initiated participatory learning in courses, projects, and clinical…

This course is designed to assist adults in documenting their prior experience, gaining an understanding of the policy and practices of recognition of prior learning (RPL), and then applying for RPL in either further education or employment. The 30-hour course is designed to be delivered over a series of weeks to allow time for students to reflect…