Discusses the social role of the computer and the use of computers to facilitate learning through language. Highlights include computer use in education; learning as a communicative, social process; social cultural theory; interaction and learning; didactic/communicative pedagogy; social interaction and higher-order learning; facilitating learning…

The Oregon International Internship Program, an initiative of the Oregon university system, is a cooperative education program aiming to equip students with international experience for entry into the global job market. This article discusses program funding, the benefits of international internships, strategies for connecting with international…

Describes application of collaborative learning in a German business school, focusing on use of self-managed learning and examining the cultural implications for student-directed pedagogies. Strategies for dealing with student resistance are offered, including not taking students' resistant behavior personally, designing many process options,…

Lists 20 basic instructional principles for increasing academic success of at-risk learners, including maintaining high expectations, administering praise, using learning technologies, teaching learning strategies, accommodating learning styles, teaching vocabulary directly, establishing an experiential base for learning, encouraging cooperative…

Offers a rationale for using cooperative learning in higher education, identifying six elements essential to its success: positive interdependence; face-to-face verbal interaction; individual accountability; social skills; group processing; appropriate grouping. Describes and compares three distinct approaches in medicine, dentistry, and…

The Health Science and Technology Academy (HSTA), a partnership between West Virginia University and primarily rural communities in West Virginia, provides after-school science clubs for financially disadvantaged and minority students and encourages their interests in science, technology, and health science careers. Science teachers participating…

Describes Team Science, a child-centered, activity-based science program for middle school students that evolved over a 25-year period. Three key components for success include educational philosophy, teaching and modeling respect, and a quality science program. Philosophy stresses maintaining natural curiosity and developing skills for lifelong…

Examines the role of the tutor in the problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at the University of Queensland (Australia) dental school, discussing changes in this role across the four years in which PBL is used. Explores different varieties of PBL, as well as group learning, tutor-free groups, the reflective role of tutors, and desirable tutor…

Israel's Educational Television Multimedia Program supports junior high school teachers in heterogeneous English-language classes. No prior knowledge of multimedia or computers is required. Mixed-ability student groups collaborate on multimedia projects. Students with diverse backgrounds and learning styles work on varying aspects of the same…

Discusses how to teach students in primary and intermediate grades to record and organize information. Highlights include developing a research question; collaborative planning between teachers and library media specialists; consistency of data entry; and an example of a unit on animal migration based on an appropriate Web site. (LRW)

Recounts the growth of service learning programs in community colleges nationwide and discusses their impact on student learning and real-world application, where there are clearly demonstrated connections between service and academic concepts. Examines the benefits of service learning, challenges to implementation, impact on the community, and…

Describes Connecticut's ongoing school reform efforts, which began around 1985. The reform process involves creating, supporting, and revising a coherent set of policies for improving teacher learning that are also aligned with standards for students. Planning includes state department staff in collaboration with teachers and principals. The state…

Selecting a site for a new school is an important decision for school board members. To avoid site-selection catastrophes, ask for a report about the planning steps. Document estimates of purchase and development costs; and project budget and a timeline for acquisition, design, and construction. Questions that should be answered are listed. (MLF)

Examination of gender differences in self-efficacy, attitudes toward mathematics, and achievement of 48 gifted 7th and 8th grade students after participating in a 2-week course on probability and statistics found no differences in achievement or self-efficacy between cooperative learning mixed gender or single gender groups. Differences in…

Over the past decade, the concept of "community" has been at the center of reform in literacy education. Most literacy educators agree that community-oriented environments are critical for students' literacy learning, yet many have difficulty building these communities in multicultural and multilingual classrooms. In this article we draw upon the…