Describes strategies to introduce students in a first year chemistry course to the gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and provides students with hands-on experiences in its use. (ASK)

Describes a participatory exercise that will enable students to understand the socially constructed nature of racial categories. Outlines some discussion techniques for use before the exercise that challenge students' basic understandings of race. (CMK)

Based on the literature and recent research, an integrated, consistent definition of wilderness therapy is presented to differentiate it from other outdoor adventure programs and guide program design and research efforts. Trends in the outdoor industry are explored that suggest that wilderness therapy programs are searching for recognition by…

Critiques various definitions of adventure therapy, then suggests that adventure therapy is any intentional, facilitated use of adventure tools and techniques to guide personal change toward desired therapeutic goals. Reflects on the nature of adventure therapy through a discussion of the application of this definition and its implications for…

Tests the use of modeling and wait-time as guided-tour procedures and their use by docents as a strategy for increasing visitor questions. Modeling and wait-time seemed clearly important in encouraging visitors to begin to ask questions. Visitors asked an average of seven times more questions than had been asked on pre-experimental tours. (PVD)

Computer screen-based interactives can be very effective exhibits and are especially popular with children. Summarizes what museum researchers at London's Science Museum learned while testing computer-interactive exhibits. Topics include typical modes of behavior at computer exhibits, features that improve exhibit attractiveness, effective use of…

Offers reminders and tips for improving interpretive walks, including having a theme, drawing on basic teaching methods, drawing on all senses rather than just talking, being a role model to show how learning can be fun, using picture books, using tools of the trade to encourage visitors to learn for themselves, and playing games. (PVD)

Describes a unit on detergents and bubbles that establishes an interest in the properties of materials and focuses on active learning involving both hands- and minds-on learning rather than passive learning. (ASK)

Reports on a community-based science project that was coproduced with urban teenagers and elaborates on the creation of a practicing culture of science learning. Concludes that in a practicing culture of science learning, science is relevant since it was created from the participants' concerns, interests, and experiences inside and outside…

Creating effective learning environments plays an important role in supporting organizational learning, changing individual and social interpretation patterns of reality, developing knowledge and competencies, and changing the sociotechnical systems of organizations. This article describes gaming simulation and the design of simulation games as a…

The Wilderness Education Association's (WEA) 18-Point Curriculum emphasizes experiential teaching and learning and is based on a central belief that wilderness education and outdoor leadership are essential in order to elevate preservation in the minds of students and future leaders, help develop a land ethic congruent with the ideals of the…

A recent study focused on workplace learning in the UK, USA and Canada; 14 universities, two community colleges and 15 host organisations were included. Interviews were conducted with directors of professional peak associations, academic supervisors, placement officers, managers and/or field supervisors and students. This paper reports on the ways…

When a program is approved for state/federal subsidy in the field of career and technical education, there is always a record on file with information about the program in the state education department. These records are for program approval, funding, status reports, or final reports. In the big picture of programs in the field of education,…

Using contextual or applied methods of instruction when teaching is not a new notion. However, it is receiving new attention as many school districts begin restructuring their curricula to meet the needs of students preparing to take their places in the rapidly changing world of work. Contextual instruction has traditionally been used in career…

One of the most basic concepts related to force and motion is Newton's first law, which essentially states, "An object at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion in a straight line tends to remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." Judging by the time and space…