Describes Earth Force's Community Action and Problem Solving (CAPS) learning model that integrates learning across the curriculum by bringing together three experientially based activities: care for the environment, service learning, and skills of civic engagement. Discusses CAPS' six-step sequence, and teacher and student responses. (JPB)

Forty Australian physical education student teachers participated in a weekend adventure education course that placed them outside their comfort zones and made them understand how less confident, lower-skilled students feel in physical education classes. Reflective writing exercises revealed participants' awareness of supportive environment, peer…

Presents evidence against the use of standardized curricula and testing and in favor of discovery-based instruction. Describes a successful experience with a relatively new form of discovery-based instruction, the scenario educational computer software. (AEF)

The New Hampton School (New Hampshire) uses the holistic Total Human Development Model with both students and faculty to instill principles focused on relationships as central to teaching and learning; respect and responsibility; sense of community; whole person development within the community; compassion and service; and the meaningful,…

Describes a five-year plan for educational research and evaluation at the Disney Animal Kingdom. Focuses on conservation-related issues and presents some of the preliminary results from the study of visitor attitudes. (DDR)

Interviews with six academically gifted students at Antioch College (Ohio) examined how Antioch's experiential learning program, which alternates study semesters with full-time work semesters, identified three themes: recognition of the responsibility for one's own learning; unique challenges made possible by experiential learning; and learning…

Children's visual literacy can be enhanced by focusing their attention on aspects of the natural or built environment in the local community. Two activities use photographs and field trips to provide the building blocks of visual literacy: challenging activities, inquiry and problem solving, curiosity and the unexpected, and culture-based…

Presents six case studies of EARTHWATCH expeditions which provide teachers with opportunities to work with scientists, participate in scientific discovery, and employ new technology. Educators join EARTHWATCH teams to explore tropical and dry forests, monitor ecosystems and species, unearth remains, and consequently develop innovative classroom…

Presents an overview of the evolution of experiential instruction theory and practice from its popular emergence in the late 1960s through the present. Simulations, games, and other experience-based instructional methods have had a substantial impact on teaching concepts and applications during this period, and have influenced traditional…

Educational programs that teach agricultural practices, health care, or technology in developing nations can be complemented by adventure education. Adventure education can foster the social skills that enable people to cooperate, take initiative, and solve problems, and thereby contribute to their country's development. Arguments against the…

Seventh- and eighth-grade students in a small Vermont town publish a community newspaper. Students learn writing skills, organizing, meeting deadlines, computer skills, problem solving, production skills, and much about their community while meeting Vermont's academic cross-disciplinary standards. Teacher comments describe the 3-year development…

Addresses the cooperation between the Centre for Canadian Contemporary Art (CCCA) and Confederation High School in Nepean (Ontario) focusing on student involvement within the CCCA project. Highlights the students' efforts to promote the CCCA's corporate image by creating a logo for letterheads, envelopes, and business cards. (CMK)

States that strategic out-of-school learning opportunities (home assignments) can enrich social studies learning by providing for life applications of what is taught in school. Describes how to create a curricular unit, the purposes and functions of home assignments, and the parental involvement initiated because of these assignments. (CMK)

Students from Canadian University College (Alberta) take part in summer development projects overseas and gain practical education in the realities of life in underdeveloped countries. Students spend 6-8 weeks immersed in another culture; debriefing and reflection help students to process their experiences and reach greater understanding of…

Discusses the project approach in early childhood curriculum, a natural, teacher-supported companion to teacher-directed activities that develops basic skills and recognizes the child's need for hands-on experimentation to make learning meaningful. Describes the three phases of project approach: investigation, fieldwork, and display. Offers…