An instrument for assessing young students' understanding of the English orthographic system is presented. The Tile Test measures understanding of phoneme awareness, letter-sound correspondences, decoding and spelling of words, sight-word reading, and the application of decoding and spelling in sentences. Metalinguistic questions embedded within…

Presents pedagogical resources for faculty who teach service-learning courses. Stresses that the interplay of dialogue, critical inquiry, and surprises in these courses allows students to understand how they can shape and redefine their roles in society, and how society can change as a result of their involvement. (Contains 13 references.) (CAK)

Compares two studies of service learning: a case study of a beginning special education teacher who implemented service-learning, and the results of a survey of graduates of a teacher training program who were asked about the extent to which they transferred their knowledge of service-learning to their classroom practice. (Contains 11 references.)…

Examines the outcomes of a two-part service learning project in a summer practicum for English as Second Language teacher endorsement candidates. The first component was to implement a summer family literacy program for ESL students; the second was to have the students participate in a service-learning project. Responses to the projects varied.…

Describes the results of the evaluation of a service-learning project designed to facilitate delinquency prevention and to promote resiliency in at-risk youth in the community. The involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in this mentoring initiative proved instrumental in the overall success of the program. (CAK)

Describes a two-year service-learning project for undergraduate students in a physical education teacher education program. Students reported that their experience had a direct impact on their collaborative skills, ability to apply their subject matter, their leadership skills, and ability to communicate their ideas in a real-world context.…

Reviews a series of service-learning programs implemented over a four-year period by special education teachers enrolled at California Lutheran University's preservice graduate program. Finds that an increasing number of these programs involved students with special needs in the service learning projects. These "reciprocal empowerment"…

Describes a service learning project at Onekama Middle School (Michigan), that involves students from English, Computer Applications, Social Studies, and Michigan History courses. Students meet with senior citizens who share their life stories while the students teach them how to use computers. The project helps students develop pride in and a…

Explores the relationship between service-learning and the development of social capital, particularly the expansion and deepening of social networks for children. Draws on ethnographic data from seven rural schools. Concludes that service-learning opened new social networks by providing students, school staff, and adult community members with…

Abstract visual art is not for everybody. Some people find it threatening, uncomfortable, and often, inaccessible. Understandably, this can result in a lack of attention paid to nonrepresentational works of art in the visual arts curriculum. This article describes an experiential, hands-on, field trip that sought to demystify abstract sculpture,…

The Committee on Technological Literacy (CTL), a group guided by the National Academies of Science and Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council, recently concluded that "it is in the best interest of all Americans to understand more about technology." The CTL recommended that governmental agencies set education…

Instructors of sociology courses strive to teach their students how to "think sociologically" or how to apply a "sociological perspective" to the world. Many creative methods, often framed as "applied" or "active learning," have been created to pursue this goal, but these active learning projects are not perfect solutions. The natural sciences…

We studied economic choice behavior in capuchin monkeys by offering them to choose between two different foods available in variable amounts. When monkeys selected between familiar foods, their choice patterns were well-described in terms of relative value of the two foods. A leading view in economics and biology is that such behavior results from…

The ability to use methodologies is an essential ingredient in the teaching of Information System techniques and approaches. One method to achieve this is to use a practical approach where students undertake "live" projects with local client organisations. They can then reflect on the approach adopted with the aim of producing a "reflective"…

Today's experts must continuously reconstruct their expertise and be able to apply their theoretical knowledge in actual work. The development of expertise is a long process, during which theoretical, practical and metacognitive elements of expert knowledge are integrated into a coherent whole. It is important to foster student's learning and…