Based on the idea that even the most barren-looking black-topped schoolyard can be used for regular, brief field trips, this curriculum package of springtime science experiences provides guidelines for conducting kindergarten learning activities outside the classroom. Goals of the field trips are to teach some pre-reading concepts, to begin the…

The presuppositions that favor firsthand experience over secondhand information, as pertaining to learning and education, are questioned. It is noted that, when education and firsthand experience are described as if equivalent, a presumption is made that a commonsense theory of knowledge and mind is valid. Research on the social psychology of…

At the University of Minnesota, Duluth, 35 students in the Department of Home Economics completed internships from 1979-82. Each internship was at least 10 weeks in length, and each student worked from 90-150 hours on the job. Prior to starting the internship, the students completed a statement of their own goals and objectives for their…

This guide is intended for use by counselors, providing them with credit recommendations and course descriptions to assist the process of granting credit to students for learning acquired in noncollegiate activity. The guide is divided into two sections. Section 1 contains course exhibits for courses which have been reviewed and recommended for…

Drawing on the author's long personal involvement in several interpersonal communication movements, this paper defines and defends sensitivity training and experiential learning. After examining some philosophical and ethical themes and theories of education, the paper recounts some difficulties of fitting alternative modes of education into the…

The importance of evaluating student interns as part of a regular performance appraisal system for all employees is discussed, along with the role of the internship coordinator or faculty sponsor. The first step is deciding what should be measured: interns' personal characteristics, job performance, and results. The most useful form of performance…

As part of the Continuing Professional Education Development Project at Pennsylvania State University, the learning styles of 148 practicing professionals (accountants, architects, clinical dietitians, and nurses) were investigated. The study objectives were: (1) to describe their learning characteristics using Kolb's Learning Style Inventory…

This project was conducted in Port Townsend, Washington, to discover whether an invisible network of learning existed and to determine its characteristics. A total of 196 respondents were interviewed in the study. They included persons knowledgeable about learning in the community, providers of learning experiences, and a random sample of 75 names…

Trap setting is a concept based on a psycholinguistic explanation of the acquisition of second language skills emphasizing cognitive and creative processes over the auditory, visual, and imitative. It proposes that opportunities for repeated attempts at solving new problems through constant testing and retesting of creative hypotheses bring the…

Case studies of study service activities (activities that adapt higher education more closely to the community) are examined. The document describes 21 such studies, one from each of 21 countries, undertaken by college students in the community. Background information is included on the origin, conditions, and need for study service in higher…

Details of an investigation into polygonal numbers are given. From a study of the tabled series, patterns are discovered both within and between the various polygonal series. From a study of these results and the corresponding figures, formulas are developed. (LS)

A program where prospective elementary school teachers spend half-days for five weeks (or some variation) assisting and teaching at a nature center is described. Objectives, activities, related course work, and the role of the supervisor are all discussed. Reported reactions of all persons involved were positive. (LS)

Elementary school teachers' perceptions of the Technology for Children Program (T4C) were the subject of this dissertation. The T4C program involved a learn-by-doing approach to language arts, science, mathematics and social studies instruction in elementary schools. The program involved the development of "Episodes" or "Unit…

The use of two units from the Unified Science and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) project is described. Activities contained in the units and students' reactions to them are recounted. (JP)