Describes a simulation exercise for campers and an accompanying curriculum unit--"Thresholds of Extinction"--that addresses the issues of endangered species. Uses this context to illustrate steps in the process of values development: awareness, gathering data, resolution (decision making), responsibility (acting on values), and…

Discusses the rationale for Academy of Inquiry and Talent Development enrichment projects in middle schools and provides examples of the activities pursued in these projects. Considers the authentic-learning and real-life problem-solving objectives of the projects, their organization, and the three types of enrichment: general exploratory, group…

Details the middle school implementation of an Academies of Inquiry and Talent Development enrichment program involving authentic-learning and real-life problem solving objectives. Considers start-up issues of orientation for students and parents, as well as teacher planning. Also considers issues of maintaining high standards, finding time for…

Describes a three-week workshop involving 20 teachers and 40 female students, grades 3 through 8, who worked in small groups to use the LEGO TC logo program, an approach that integrates mathematics and science instruction. Discussion includes the impact of single-sex, small group work on student attitudes toward mathematics and science. (six…

The identification and integration of reusable and customizable CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) may benefit from the capture of best practices in collaborative learning structuring. The authors have proposed CLFPs (Collaborative Learning Flow Patterns) as a way of collecting these best practices. To facilitate the process of CLFPs…

Active participation in a variety of outdoor activities by small groups of youngsters aged 10 to 15 is the focus of the Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies (OBIS) project, designed to provide the firsthand outdoor experience necessary for understanding biological relationships. OBIS provides community-sponsored youth organizations and schools…

This unit was created as a result of a summer institute sponsored by the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. The Center's goal is to improve student learning of foreign languages in kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12). To this end, the Center provides professional support for foreign language…