This educator's guide explains basic aeronautical concepts and provides a background in the history of aviation within the context of flight environment (atmosphere, airports, and navigation). The activities in this guide are designed to be uncomplicated and fun. They were developed by NASA Aerospace Education Services Program specialists who have…

A series of collaborative and experiential activities was designed to provide learning opportunities for students enrolled in an interdisciplinary human diversity course. Students were required to participate in a group project and were given class time to work with the group designing the presentations. Students were also asked to participate in…

This publication offers a career awareness program for middle school students that engages them in activities designed to stimulate conversation about various careers. The program attempts to provide students with information that will help them develop an interest in pursuing a career. It encourages students to observe, listen, and learn about…

For decades, camps have served as outdoor learning laboratories for leadership development. Camps provide adolescents the opportunity to practice leadership skills through activities perceived as worthwhile and in environments that differ profoundly from everyday experience. A survey examined the self-perceived development of leadership skills at…

This study examined characteristic attributes of non-formal education and the non-formal pedagogy directing its teaching and learning processes. Data were collected on organizational and pedagogical characteristics in several out-of-school organizations (youth movements, youth organizations, community centers, bypass educational systems, local…

In this activity, students look at different types of fabric and their respective individual properties. Using a magnifying glass and sandpaper, students test the weave and wear quality of sample fabrics. By comparing the qualities of different fabrics, they are able to better understand why there are so many different types of fabric and…

A study examined the impact of a Wilderness Education Association Wilderness Stewardship course on students' leadership skills development. Twelve students at Western Kentucky University completed the Leadership Skills Inventory (LSI) before and after a 2-week Wilderness Stewardship course that included ten days of field experience in camping,…

This document discusses the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and how it has become the lead agency in workforce development for Virginia as well as advancing Virginia's workforce through non-credit training, retaining courses and programs to meet the needs of business and industry. This document contains a summary of activities and…

This proceedings contains 15 conference papers and presentation summaries from the 14th annual International Conference on Outdoor Recreation and Education (ICORE). Titles are: "The Hidden Costs of Outdoor Education/Recreation Academic Training" (Christian Bisson); "The Service Learning Concept: Service Learning in the National…

This digest explores the literature related to journal writing from various disciplines, including psychology, language studies, outdoor education, and experiential education. Although journal writing has been around since ancient times, it was not until the early 1960s that it flourished as a learning tool. Instructors from a wide range of…

For faculty members who incorporate experiential or service learning pedagogies into their courses, student experiences in the field can be difficult, emotionally charged, and full of unexpected outcomes. This paper presents the findings from a qualitative study of student lived experiences in the political science course "Democracy and…

Introducing children to theater and play production in the classroom setting can give a richness and energy to the quality of teaching. Play production can also be beneficial as a curriculum tool. When students participate in a project in an experiential way, learning is taking place. "Simon and the Woo" is an original play for children…

This study hypothesized that students in a course on mental retardation (MR) who had had extended contact with retarded people would achieve more favorable attitudes toward mental retardation than students without similar contact. Students enrolled in a Psychology of Mental Retardation class were randomly assigned to a control group (n=29) or an…

This study investigated the effect of two different approaches to practical work on the procedural understanding of foundation level students at two historically similar universities in South Africa, the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), both of which run programs to improve the access of disadvantaged…

Two studies examined college students' attitudes toward people with mental retardation as a function of experiences with this population. In the first study, college students (N=107), who were enrolled in a course, "Psychology of Mental Retardation," participated in a service learning experience by working in group homes, day treatment programs,…