Two experiments confirmed the greater effectiveness of constructed-response interactive videodisc instruction when compared to a click-to-continue or passive viewing formats on posttest recall of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) information by 101 college students. The necessity of constructing answers appears to be an important factor…

Describes the design and development of a K-8 curriculum designed to encourage student respect for senior citizens through experiential and academic studies. Outlines activities conducted by students at various grade levels. Includes an annotated book list of children's literature on aging and the elderly. (CFR)

Discusses environmental education, noting that teachers' science backgrounds are not nearly as important as their showing interest in children's experiences and discoveries, respect for environment, and encouragement of close observation of the world. Suggests that to help children understand and appreciate nature, teachers can focus on having…

Reports on a study of 11 preservice teachers' beliefs and practices about secondary social studies education. Finds that the preservice teachers held positive conceptions about social studies, stressing active learning techniques and knowledge construction. (ACM)

A California high school English teacher uses, with students, a culturally sensitive process of facilitating classroom decision making through consensus. He correlates communication and language skills with consensus building, the facilitation of which is a slow process implemented in small portions over the school year. Sidebar provides a…

Describes the development and use of electronic classrooms at the University of Maryland College Park. Highlights include active individual learning; small group collaborative learning; class collaborative learning; classroom infrastructure; audio-visual support; courseware; empirical assessments; results of faculty surveys; and student feedback.…

Evaluates effectiveness of a clerkship curriculum that teaches core family-practice competencies by focusing on the process of care in a generalist practice. Organizing framework consists of five prototypic visits and their encounter tasks: new problem, checkup, chronic illness, psychosocial problem, and behavioral change. Results indicate…

Discusses ideas and observations about the development, use, and pedagogy of computer-based case scenarios. Outlines two large computer-based case scenarios written to help students develop their skills and knowledge in business information systems. Considers factors in the design of computer-based case scenarios and related activities that might…

Presents ideas for distance learning courses on the Web. Topics include students' individual characteristics; technology changes and problems; instructional design; deadlines for student assignments; monitoring student progress; giving students appropriate and timely feedback; time factors for students and teachers; active learning; and student…

Discusses the use of constructivist frameworks to develop effective and successful learning environments, including educational software. Topics include technology supporting reform; virtuality and multimedia; attributes of interactive multimedia and virtual reality; and examples of context and learner active participation. (Contains 35…

Offers guidelines for enhancing science instruction for students with disabilities by adapting, implementing, and assessing an activities-based approach. This approach features a structured learning cycle, emphasis on the relationship of science to students' lives, experiential learning, interdisciplinary themes, cooperative learning groups,…

Discusses the incorporation of a problem-based anatomy course into a traditional curriculum in the School of Medicine at the University of Zagreb. Describes the course, challenges that arose during the transition, and institutional solutions. Students showed a high preference for the active learning process experienced in tutorials over the more…

Examines the extent to which student groups working with the Chelsea Bank computer simulation were able to use school-to-work transition skills. Results show that students demonstrated substantial involvement with workplace skills and were considerably more actively engaged with learning than studies of traditional classrooms. (Author/AEF)

Discusses Boyer's proposal to incorporate the seven human commonalities into college courses so that students will become less parochial and more global individuals. Describes the application of this commonalities approach to both a general education course and an introductory course for biology majors. Commonalities are presented in a…

Introduces the Towson Transition Course (TTC) which focuses on preparing students to be scientifically literate and describes the components of the course. Focuses on problem solving, gathering traditional and electronic information, using the case study teaching method, ethical scientific behavior, and evaluation. (Contains 33 references.) (YDS)