The constructivist approach of the Teacher as Composer project used analog experiences that replicate thinking and social demands. Classroom constraints, inservice limitations, and teacher mindsets impeded its application. Personal narratives and principles of children's thinking helped bridge the gap between theory and practice. (SK)

Classroom teachers' perceptions of nature and the importance of providing environmental education often determine whether students are given the chance to experience natural area. Interviews of 39 urban teachers examined teachers' preferences for types of environmental education settings. Results suggest that teachers perceive distinct difference…

Assessment of career interests in 80 undergraduate students enrolled in a course and practicum on the psychology of mental retardation found no significant changes in career interest from pretest to posttest. Students with prior exposure to individuals with mental retardation (especially as volunteers) reported high levels of career interest.…

Four canoeists who had completed four or more solo canoe expeditions of two weeks or longer were interviewed to understand their solitary wilderness experiences. Discussions of their motivations and experiences illustrate the opportunities that wilderness solitude provides for connection with nature, reflection on one's life, self-exploration, and…

Includes "Relating Strategy, Structure and Performance" (Richard E. Teare, Jorge Costa, Gavin Eccles); "Interpreting and Responding to Customer Needs" (Richard E. Teare); "Developing a Curriculum for Organisational Learning" (Richard E. Teare); and "Implementing Virtual Support for Workplace Learning"…

Explores the relationship between outdoor education and environmental education by examining the broad nature of outdoor education and discussing whether outdoor education and environmental education are overlapping philosophies or separate methods of instruction. Includes analysis of a survey of outdoor educators and details a process for…

Transcribes the Leon Jackman Memorial Address to the Australasian Art Educators Conference in 1996. Discusses distinctions between the formal world of pedagogy and the informal world of experiential learning in art education. Focuses on art educators as communicators, on how they talk about the arts, and on communication as sharing knowledge. (DSK)

Describes the Contemporary World History Project (CWHP), a year-long, two-part program that integrates the study of world problems within a traditional world history curriculum. Outlines the two parts, historical background and a simulation, and the objectives fulfilled by CWHP. Notes the variety of project topics available to teachers. (DSK)

The Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers Liberal Arts and Sciences Group identifies practices for meeting four challenges faced by practitioners in career centers on liberal arts campuses. Ideas and suggestions are identified within the following categories: helping students assess job skills, involving faculty, assisting students with…

Discusses Paulo Freire and his influence on the perspective and application of literacy programming and interdisciplinary education through the arts. Argues that Freire's pedagogical philosophy and application illustrates the value he placed on education through life experiences, the arts, and cultures of the people. (DSK)

In experiential education, the ABCs of participant experience are agency (allowing students to become more powerful change agents in their lives); belonging (sharing a sense of community); and competence (developing students' cognitive, physical, and social competence). A research review discusses these and other components in a conceptual…

A survey of 23 Canadian student teachers in conventional placements or professional-development schools (PDS) found that their practica had taught them about curriculum, pupils and pupil-teacher interactions, discipline and classroom management, and the teaching profession. Compared to others, PDS student teachers relied more on weekly seminars…

Discusses lifelong learning in the perspective of individual life histories. Examines examples of learning experiences which have shaped the life-course of the subject or have changed or influenced his or her identity. Examines the nature, form, and social context of these learning experiences, focusing on empowerment and transformation. Contains…

Educators are rediscovering the benefits of using the local natural environment as an integrating context (EIC) for curriculum. Once called "nature study," this form of hands-on environmental education draws on the connectedness inherent in natural systems to forge meaningful links in student learning. Sidebars describe EIC projects at…

Describes methods to emphasize the learning content in ecotourism while retaining the entertainment value. Presents a Smithsonian Institution study trip as an example. (Author/PVD)