Presents two activities from an "Idea Bank for Teaching Germany and Europe U.S. Classrooms K-12." Includes a role playing exercise involving significant individuals from European history and a student project involving cooperative learning about individual European nations. Provides an address for obtaining a free copy of the "Idea…

Contends that instruction at the primary school level should be consistent with the child's development and experiences. Describes how geography's "Five Themes" can be taught using an interdisciplinary approach. Includes three lesson plans divided among concrete, semiconcrete, and abstract levels of cognitive development. (CFR)

Describes and compares five major types of college learning-community curricular models: linked courses; learning clusters; freshman interest groups; federated learning communities; and coordinated studies. Characteristics of each model are outlined concerning institution size, basic unit of instruction, number of students involved, faculty roles,…

Examines domestic violence from a human rights perspective. Explores the antecedents, dynamics, and effects of domestic abuse in light of the historical, philosophical, cultural, social, spiritual, and political realities of Latino immigrants in the United States. Discusses levels of awareness and responsibility necessary to break the…

Research and two teaching experiences support the notion that social location influences the way students learn; therefore, a place-based, Appalachian-based curriculum in the region's colleges and universities would enhance student learning. Appalachian studies should be integrated throughout the college curriculum, but that requires a well…

Presents an interdisciplinary unit for high school students in which the students examine life in the American colonies. Focuses on "Moll Flanders" because the students find her to be a fascinating guide to the past, bringing history alive. Gives resources, a handout, and two timed writing assignments. (CMK)

A study that analyzed curricular structures of three Israeli schools found four components--basic skills subjects, separate subjects, integrative topics, and enrichment programs--each characterized by a different profile of curriculum features. Israel is moving to decentralize curriculum. Enabling conditions include adequate time and resource…

Like other parents who phoned her at work, a dedicated associate commissioner of education grew increasingly frustrated with a system that failed to challenge her children. She enrolled them in a private alternative school that stressed community and viewed education as a privilege demanding great student effort. (MLH)

Describes a one-year course to develop students' research skills at the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science. The course offers a combination of rigorous content (optics and optical instrumentation), interdisciplinary curriculum, and hands-on experiences in meaningful, nontraditional learning in real-life research settings. (Author/DB)

Describes the development of a multidisciplinary dental school course designed and taught by a pharmacy faculty member to create student awareness of the many issues and dimensions of women's health and to expand the understanding that women's health issues are not solely gynecological. Outlines course objectives, structure, resources, and…

Profiles a number of projects and activities enacted during the 1996 Summer Colloquium, "Art and Ecology: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Curriculum." Participants created ecologically sensitive structures for pond life at a nearby wetland and attended a dramatic presentation about early mound dwellers performed on the site. (MJP)

Presents four lesson plans that use paintings, illustrations, and photographs that tell a story. The lessons consider the use and characteristics of narrative. Includes work from, "The Book of Deeds of Alexander the Great," as well as the works of Georges de La Tour, Eileen Cowin, and Henry Ossawa Tanner. (MJP)

An award-winning Alaskan elementary school is designed to blend into the landscape; capture as much winter daylight as possible; and generally accommodate safety, flexibility, practicality, and whimsy. In a sidebar, the architect explains the importance of architect/educator collaboration in designing a building that supports an educational…

Presents middle school-level interdisciplinary activities for exploring medieval life. Students conduct research then create their own castles, design personal coats of arms, learn about jousting, go through a typical castle dweller's day, learn about carousels, discuss castle life from Mark Twain's perspective, and attend a medieval feast. (SM)

The evolution and design of an interdisciplinary honors course at the University of Maryland at College Park are described. The course, on knowledge and its human consequences, brings together faculty experts, "teacher-learner" faculty, and first-year honors students to explore different kinds of knowledge and their philosophical,…