The author reflects on his first teaching experience 20 years ago at a residential outdoor and environmental education school in Ontario (Canada). He stresses the importance of documenting outdoor experiences through personal narratives as a means of bringing attention to the value of outdoor learning and connecting learners with their natural…

This third and last installment of articles examining ways to overcome various barriers to program implementation focuses on choosing appropriate curriculum materials, developing teacher and student resource materials, and choosing outdoor learning sites that offer maximum benefit to student learning. (LP)

Includes "It's Time to Stop Quibbling over the Acronym" (Cox); "Information Rich--Experience Poor" (Elliot et al.); "Supervised Agricultural Experience Selection Process" (Yokum, Boggs); "Point System" (Fraze, Vaughn); "Urban Diversity Rural Style" (Morgan, Henry); "Nonoccupational Supervised Experience" (Croom); "Reflecting Industry" (Miller);…

Hawkesbury Agricultural College (Australia) reformed their program with a student-centered curriculum and client-centered research and extension. The bases of the Systems Agriculture program are experiential learning and a systems approach. Staff and student learning projects meet the criteria of action research. (SK)

Acknowledging that students learning a second language need opportunities for extended spoken and written interactions with native speakers, this paper describes instructional computer networking that links grade 12 Anglophone students of French in Toronto with native French-speaking peers in Montreal. Focus is on writing skills. (25 references)…

Describes discovery learning, a teaching method that encourages students to use inductive reasoning. Students explore and experiment using the skill or idea being taught; they determine rules, make generalizations, and discover concepts. The teacher acts as coach, advisor, and reinforcer. A student page offers a discovery learning game on capital…

Among 238 Canadian high school seniors who took a science achievement test, 15 were interviewed afterward. Girls scored lower than boys and more frequently cited school experiences (rather than informal experiences or common knowledge) as the basis for answers. Some items elicited spontaneous negative reactions from girls but not boys. Contains 55…

The results of actual student participation, with organized group discussions, which show that laboratory teaching remains the premiere mechanism for teaching and learning organ-system physiology are discussed. Laboratories using a pithed frog, a turtle heart, an anesthetized rabbit, and noninvasive recordings from students during exercise are…

A study investigated the ability of University of Newcastle upon Tyne (England) teacher trainees to use their problem-solving skills in experiential programs in local businesses and public services. Students were grouped in teams and placed as "intelligent outsiders" with employers. Results for hosts and students are reported, and…

A teacher describes his efforts to apply the Foxfire approach in a graduate course for teachers on integrating community resources into the curriculum. In an atmosphere of cooperative learning and teamwork, the graduate students produced a guide to using ordinary people and places as learning resources. (SV)

The article discusses utilization of case studies in teaching interpersonal communication, examining case studies written in dialogue to illustrate real life situations. It describes case study methodology, experiential learning strategies, and creative ways to use cases (e.g., role play, group discussion, improvisation, case analysis, and…

Interviews with children and a review of the research identified critical factors in teaching reading comprehension to special needs learners in regular classrooms. These include (1) knowing one's students; (2) consideration of the socialization skills being taught in the classroom; (3) linking learning to the real world; and (4) using an…

Presents "C.U.B.E.: Creating Understanding of the Built Environment," a unit focusing on a community's built environment. Discusses the interdisciplinary goals of the unit. Provides four samples of activities from within the unit. (CFR)

Presents an interdisciplinary unit on flight and space designed for the fourth grade. Describes class activities and a field trip that are integral parts of the unit. Provides suggestions for teachers wishing to create similar interdisciplinary units. (CFR)

Describes a middle school program in which students create and produce an original opera. Describes the interdisciplinary learning acquired as students created music, dialog, sets, and costumes. Contends that the project was an exciting and rewarding experience for students and teachers. (CFR)