Descriptions of disciplinary practices can suggest visions of authentic classroom activities. Designing activities that are effective, however, requires an additional framework for identifying a discipline's generative resources -- that is, those learning targets that enable students to make disciplinary sense and progress in subsequent…

This Classroom Idea Sparker was submitted by Pandora Zook, a 1st-grade teacher at Guilford Elementary School in Sterling, Virginia. She shares her experiences in creating self-guided literacy centers that run smoothly and encourage children to be constructively engaged in learning activities that do not require constant direct supervision.

This article reports on a 3-year case study of the introduction of computer-supported collaborative activities in a previously traditional lecture-based law course at a large North American research university. The evolving design of the activities is described, as well as the students' and professor's reactions to the new learning environment.…

This article addresses three interrelated propositions. First, a valid and reliable assessment for the multiple intelligences (MI) can be created. Second, teachers can use this MI profile to better understand, accept and create MI-inspired instruction and curriculum. Third, an MI profile can be used by both teachers and students to promote the use…

Examines how constraint-based 3D modeling can be used as a vehicle for rethinking instructional approaches to engineering design graphics. Focuses on moving from a mode of instruction based on the crafting by students and assessment by instructors of static 2D drawings and 3D models. Suggests that the new approach is better aligned with…

This column cites five poets (Pat Mora, Jane Yolen, Lilian Moore, Gary Soto, and J. Patrick Lewis) that will be highlighted in the January to May 2006 issues. This information can be used to begin a Poet's Fan Club in the classroom. Groups of students can select a poet in order to prepare for a forthcoming Poet of the Month display. Another idea…

This article describes First Week Movement Activities, an activity-based series of lessons designed to help teachers get to know the students, and the students to know each other. This breaks down barriers students may have with each other. Getting to know one another creates an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and sharing for the rest of…

Newsletters are an important resource or form of media. They offer a cost-effective way to keep people informed, as well as to promote events and programs. Production of a newsletter makes an excellent project, relevant to real-world communication, for technology students. This article presents an activity on how to create a short newsletter. The…

An activity using a game-related setting is presented for students to investigate probability and statistics.

This paper discusses research premised on the view that new employees' necessary learning actions may be said to constitute a socio-cultural constructivist epistemology of necessity. It examines the work and learning activities of three new employees during their first months at a wholesale fruit and vegetable company. It proposes that what new…

Dendrochronology is used widely to reconstruct the history of forest disturbances. I created an exercise that introduces the use of dendrochronology to investigate fire history and forest dynamics. The exercise also demonstrates how the dendrochronological technique of crossdating is employed to age dead trees and identify missing rings. I…

Children are coming to classrooms across the United States with a need to develop their oral language. With the increased promotion of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, commercialized programs are being provided for teachers to use to build oral language in their students. The authors believe that schools and teachers can best enhance…

This article describes how a series of lessons might be used to allow students to discover the size of the Earth, the distance to the Moon, the size of the Moon, and the altitude of Mount Piton on the Moon. Measurement with a sextant, principles of geometry and trigonometry, and historically important scientists and mathematicians are discussed.

The field of education is experiencing a rapid shift as internet-enabled distance learning becomes more widespread. Often, traditional classroom teaching pedagogical techniques can be ill-suited to the online environment. While a traditional entry-level class might see a student attrition rate of 5-10%, the same teaching pedagogy in an online…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…