Notes the increasingly popular pedagogy of service learning. Describes an intergenerational service learning project that brought together preschoolers, elderly, and at-risk elementary school students, included both direct service and indirect service, and made valuable contributions to young children's developing literacy, social-emotional,…

Southeast Missouri State University revised its teacher education program to include field-based experiences in each of its four blocks of courses. Student teachers are placed in rural and urban schools with pupils from various socioeconomic, cultural, racial, and disability groups. A survey of 225 cooperating teachers and student teachers…

Introduces young children to the safe study of insects and promotes respect for the study specimen. Children craft insects out of marshmallows, toothpicks, and cardboard and practice using a clear plastic cup to collect and observe insects through a magnifying lens. With their new skills, they can move on to studying real insects. (PVD)

Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS), a summer program to increase minority representation in the science community, particularly atmospheric research, is described. An American Indian participant discusses the connection between modern science and traditional Native heritage, noting that observation of the natural…

Describes an interdisciplinary project that incorporated language arts, social studies, instructional technology, and science where middle school students were involved in oral history, Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, architectural research, the science of dendrochronology, and the creation of an archival school Web site. (CMK)

Optimize action learning and successful evaluation through adopting new views of IQ. IQ as developed here relates to success in life and it is among the most changeable of characteristics. However, IQ as measured in the past is one of the least malleable of factors. Had you rather measure for and teach toward something that is not changeable or…

This paper describes two innovative and linked approaches to teaching and student learning in the environmental and development geography of the Mekong region, a region remote from students' normal experiential options. The first approach is field-based learning through Field Schools carried out in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. The second approach…

This article describes the Youth Network for Healthy Communities (YNHC). YNHC is a teacher-driven project in Washington State. Through YNHC, students research environmental health issues in their communities and present their findings to other students throughout the state via videoconferencing. YNHC focuses on environmental health science in the…

In our graduate programs in early childhood education, we model constructivist practice in the belief that teachers are better able to understand and implement constructivist principles having experienced them in their work. In this practice we attempt to be explicit about constructivist practice in our program and in elementary classrooms. As we…

An interdisciplinary course centered on mathematical ideas (involving infinity and geometry) is described. The course was developed by the authors, both mathematicians, as a vehicle for engaging students in learning about mathematical ideas that are rarely found in the general undergraduate curriculum. The course was offered to honors students…

The primary objective of this paper is to apply the educational theories of Kolb's experiential learning and Bloom's educational taxonomy in restructuring the course "Renewable energy engineering". The steps of the research procedure investigate the application of learning theories to the restructuring of the course and the introduction of…

When the author began teaching as a young assistant professor at Caltech in 1966, his assignment was to take over the undergraduate biochemistry course taught for many years by Henry Borsook, who was about to retire. Students dreaded this course. Having delighted in biochemistry during his graduate training at Stanford, he was determined to put…

The presentation involves students in a hands-on analysis of artifacts to create a time line of their local area's past societies. This exercise is more of a unit rather than a one-time activity. Procedures, ideas, and background for developing your own unit are presented in this article. The purpose of this unit is to engage students in applying…

The role and numbers of teaching assistants (TAs) in English schools has grown dramatically in recent years. This is associated with professional development which could give access to Qualified Teacher Status. This part-time, school-based route is consistent with the growth of alternative routes into teaching that are based on an…

The aim of this account of practice is to share my specific experience of action learning as an approach to effective working in a networking organisation. The context is delivery of public health at a regional level as part of a national organisation, The Health Development Agency. The action learning set took place with a consistent group over a…