Addresses the national goal for U.S. students to be first in the world in mathematics and science achievement by the year 2000. Proposes an eight-point action agenda for mathematics reform for rural and small schools. Actions involve (1) educating teachers and administrators; (2) keeping parents and community informed; (3) adopting new text and…

Four teachers discuss how they help students create hands-on, multimedia reports and presentations. Ideas include using hypertext programs on classroom computers to make computerized notecards of data on study topics, using CD-ROM disks for research, creating storyboards of videotaped reports, and setting up schedules for videotaping. (SM)

Describes classroom projects in a second-grade classroom based on the Foxfire approach to instruction. Projects planned and implemented in the classroom by students included: (1) sub shop; (2) recycling; (3) Black cemetery; and (4) garden. Students engaged in brainstorming, creating webs, weekly planning, and writing about their activities. (KS)

Describes the implementation of the Foxfire approach with high school special education students. Over a two-year period, students researched and wrote a book of local career options. Discusses the process of brainstorming, interviewing, writing, compiling, and editing the book. Students presented their experiences at several professional…

Twenty-three white, female sophomores in teacher education programs participated in a remedial summer session for low-income, minority children. Compared results of student's initial expectations before the field experience with their final evaluations of what they actually saw. Found that students generally use direct experiences to selectively…

A recent study compared hands-on scientific inquiry assessment to assessments involving lab notebooks, computer simulations, short-answer paper-and-pencil problems, and multiple-choice questions. Creating high quality performance assessments is a costly, time-consuming process requiring considerable scientific and technological know-how. Improved…

This article describes challenges and solutions to the integration of children with multiple disabilities into supported regular elementary classes: (1) providing a functional curriculum in a regular class; (2) providing community-based instruction; (3) scheduling staff coverage; and (4) promoting social integration. Solutions are illustrated with…

The Executive High School Internship Program in Tampa, Florida, involves gifted and talented high school seniors working for a semester as nonpaid administrative assistants in public or private sector organizations. The program's history, recruitment policies, placement practices, and monitoring are reviewed. (DB)

This paper compares first-grade education projects in rural India and Pakistan that have attempted to shift from rote learning of texts to an active, experiential, child-centered approach to literacy learning. Examples of successful approaches and techniques, as well as implications for literacy programs in general, are discussed. (MDM)

A Boston University (Rhode Island) dental school program allows dental students to intern in dental practices while gaining paid professional work experience. The program has stimulated the dental community to participate in the training process by becoming teachers and mentors to future professionals. Practitioners and students have received it…

Drama is a way of learning through role playing and problem solving. The dramatic process calls for self-awareness, communication skills, concentration, and group cooperation. A linear drama approach enables teachers to provide drama activities in a comfortable step-by-step sequence. Incorporating drama into content instruction allows students to…

Several Maryland schools are experimenting with Roots and Wings, a collaborative project of Saint Mary's County Schools, the state education department, and Johns Hopkins University. Funded by the New American Schools Development Corporation, the pilot project's goals are to guarantee every child's successful completion of elementary school and to…

Preservice teachers worked in groups containing diverse personalities and participated in laboratory experiences that applied classroom knowledge. Surveys indicated students considered the laboratory activities more valuable and influential than field experiences in many ways. The most diverse cohorts reported stronger, more positive feelings…

Discusses the importance of experience and experiential learning in distance education. Models of prior knowledge and experiential learning are discussed, the measurement of experiential learning is described, a model of the portfolio assessment method is explained, and implications for Dutch higher education and the Open University are suggested.…

Discusses how teachers learn to teach through direct experiences and participation as students and beginning teachers. Direct experience provides cause-and-effect inferences about what works; as time goes on, teachers use the knowledge acquired to improve their teaching. Strategies for school improvement work in much the same way. (SM)