The curriculum is packed with so much content that teachers resort to telling students what they know and students simply commit facts to memory. The packed curriculum leaves little time for students to acquire a deep understanding of the subject or to develop life-long skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and communication. However,…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the transdisciplinary case study (TCS) as a learning framework based on what we call functional socio-cultural constructivism and project-based learning (PBL). In doing so, the paper attempts to illustrate the applicability of TCS to learn competencies and skills necessary to research problems of…

It is a long and winding road from invention to innovation. Starting from this observation, this paper presents a historical perspective on the capabilities engineers should possess to do their work. The importance of the "communicative competence" involved in creating a social base for innovation is underpinned. We will present a…

Using multiliteracies and sociocultural perspectives on language and literacy learning, this article describes three Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) students' literacy development through involvement with Japanese popular culture. As part of a larger qualitative ethnographic study, the author interviewed JFL learners who have a particular…

For the thirty-fifth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the national AECT Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…

The chapters in this book reflect the work of science and mathematics educators who have worked for many years at the international level. As members of the International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education, their work provides readers with issues, models, practices, and research results that have applicability and…

This guidebook is intended to help high school students discover the connection between themselves and the people from the past by being engaged in hands-on activities. The guidebook allows students to create artifacts or recreate a process known well to people from times past. The guide is arranged to provide historical background, materials…

To promote active student learning and improve student self-reliance, the Learning Center at Utah's Salt Lake Community College has designed several innovative training activities for peer tutors. In one activity, which seeks to demonstrate the importance of student feedback, peer tutors sit back to back while one in the role of "tutor"…

With increasing pressures being placed on early childhood teachers to provide academic programs, many are turning away from programs that foster pretend play. This study examined two contrasting approaches to teaching preschool children and considered their effects on children's linguistic and social abilities. One of the teaching approaches…

This resource book presents cooperative learning activities which relate to our world and the social studies. The book is divided into three sections: (1) "Preparation," to help make cooperative learning part of the curriculum today; (2) "Activity Units," focusing on world culture, natural history, governments and leaders, and contemporary…

This paper reviews the literature in three areas of change in college teaching--peer teaching or tutoring, individualized instruction, and cooperative learning. The focus of the paper is how knowledge is acquired, and acted upon, by students. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of teaching are explored, as well as the rates of successful…

A truly interactive approach in the classroom involves giving students the freedom to add their own "twist" to course materials and allowing them to decide to some degree how the information will be used. Two learning activities employed in a psychology course serve to illustrate how interactive techniques can encourage students to…

Supportive relationships between adults and young children are at the heart of the High/Scope educational approach. This guide assists viewers in using the videotape "Adult-Child Interactions: Forming Partnerships with Children" as a professional development tool. The guide describes Part I of the videotape, which introduces adult-child…

This document consists of two booklets, one for teachers and one for students. These booklets are part of the Middle Grades Program of Junior Achievement, Inc. The booklets are designed to help students understand the principal characteristics of the United States economic system and the role of business. The activities are designed to reinforce…

Students designed and manufactured compact, shell-and-tube heat exchangers in a project-based learning exercise integrated with our heat transfer course. The heat exchangers were constructed from common building materials available at home improvement centers. The cost of materials for a device was less than $20. The project gave students…