Hungry for lively and engaging ways to augment word study? Looking for ways to empower your students and give voice to their ideas? "In Word Study That Sticks," teacher and literacy consultant Pamela Koutrakos provides a step-by-step approach that makes word learning jubilant and fun -- and encourages students to take ownership of word…

Pupils' natural questioning attitudes lead them to discovery in a learning center, in contrast to the lecture method, by which information is forced on students regardless of their interests. This paper describes learning experiences built around rocks. Materials placed in a rock center (rocks, stones, pebbles, magnifying glasses hammers, and…

Although logotherapy has been generally seen as a therapeutic technique, its usefulness in other areas cannot be underestimated. This paper examines museum education from a theoretical "logos" perspective and from a practical application of effective museum utilization for students. While museums will never replace schools in the formal…

The author presents ideas for allowing LD students to discover ways to improve their problem-solving skills. Activities touch upon the influence of the environment, the need for patience and planning, factors in sequencing and organization, and the importance of thoroughness and revision. (CL)

This guide to designing activity-oriented classrooms for grades K-3 is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of research findings concerning the way children learn and the environments that best facilitate their learning. Chapter 2, which explains ways to set up an activity-oriented classroom, covers the administration's role…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an experiential form of learning centered around the collaborative investigation and resolution of "messy, real-world" problems. This book offers opportunities to learn about problem-based learning from the perspectives of teachers, students, parents, administrators, and curriculum developers. Chapter 1 tells…

Defining moments are situations that ask us to step forward in irreversible courses of action that shape our personal or professional identities. These moments of truth happen quickly and reveal something new about ourselves that had been hidden or only partially known. In a process known as "edgework," experiential educators and…

Eleanor Duckworth's teaching techniques, based on Jean Piaget's learning theories and the Elementary Science Study, are applied to teaching deaf students. The method calls for painstaking explorations that enable pupils to be confident they really know something and are not just parroting facts. (JDD)

Addresses the role of children's museums, recounting both positive experiences of meaningful interactions and negative encounters in which such interactions were discouraged or were too cursory. Suggestions for scaffolding children's discovery and problem-solving learning with children's museum activities are offered. (DB)

When studying nature and its wonders, children need to be the explorers, the innovators, and the teachers. The adult assumes the role of a facilitator, an observer, and a mediator. If the adult in a given situation is simultaneously and genuinely exploring the area (not just observing children acting upon it), then a bridge may be started to the…

Described is the generative learning strategy, an approach which encourages pupils to discuss their out-of-school ideas about plant breathing, drinking, wood production, soil, minerals, and leaves, and assist them in linking appropriate ideas together to form an explanation of the origin of plant materials. (CW)

This book is a developmental and sequential program of activities designed for grades K-8 to: (1) build a base of awareness, understanding, and skills required for conflict prevention and resolution; (2) give students practice using a variety of strategies for managing and resolving conflict; (3) create opportunities for students to apply those…

This ERIC digest synthesizes research findings relating active learning to student achievement, reviews the status of active learning practices in today's social studies classrooms, presents examples of active learning practices in specific areas of the social studies, and provides a list of suggestions and resources for integrating active…

This article describes how to identify sources of children's learning opportunities, how families and practitioners can work together to choose natural learning environments as a source of learning opportunities, how to use children's interests for involving them in everyday learning opportunities, and how an intervention plan can increase…

The Socratic method of teaching, which uses open-ended questions asked in a logical sequence, is discussed. Suggestions for structuring curriculum content around seven adult learning principles and Socratic process analysis systems for student motivation are included. (SLW)