A team of high-school English teachers at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Georgia, studied student-centered classrooms. Through different student-generated projects in their individual classrooms, they discovered common principles at work which affected the quality of academic experiences, their relationships with students, and the…

This guide, a complement to "Project Approach: Developing the Basic Framework," was written to clarify particular structural features of good project work. The guide's introduction provides background information on the philosophy and methods of the Project Approach. The core of the book is divided into four parts. The first three parts…

This book provides practical implementation strategies for, and a clear outline of, the theory behind the child-centered classroom, a theory which involves an understanding of the concepts of whole language and active learning. It is hoped that teachers will use the ideas in the book to build their own beliefs and understandings, and to develop…

Argues that the use of prepackaged, worksheet-based curricula in preschools decreases teacher and student interest by creating a stagnant classroom environment. Provides guidelines for choosing prepackaged curricula when necessary. Suggests that a constructivist classroom promotes student interest, motivation, interaction, and discussion, and that…

Reports on a three-year ethnographic study of the visual arts curriculum in three elementary schools. Finds three distinct orientations: (1) the rote, teacher-centered orientation; (2) the open-ended, student-centered orientation; and (3) the higher order, cognitive orientation. (CFR)

This book provides a wide variety of strategies for differentiating instruction for students in grades 3-12. Chapter 1 presents an overview of differentiated content, process, and product, and the role of the teacher in a differentiated classroom. Chapter 2 focuses on the first step of differentiation: gathering information about students. Chapter…

Based on one middle school teaching team's curriculum improvement project, this monograph makes a case for actively involving students in all aspects of the teaching/learning process by means of a student-oriented curriculum. The goal of the project described was to provide an opportunity for students to study thematic units, working cooperatively…

The early childhood education field is changing rapidly, and the theories and methods used in preschools and kindergartens--such as child-centered, hands-on learning--are now influencing the way primary school is taught. This book is designed to be a brief overview of the field of early childhood education. Chapter 1 describes the historical and…

Argues that the middle school philosophy must address physical, psychological, intellectual, social, moral, and ethical needs of young adolescents. Presents 10 different methods of instruction that teachers can utilize to meet students' needs in order to make learning more productive and to balance student-centered and subject-centered…

School restructuring movements have gained a great deal of national attention. This guidebook addresses the multi-age classroom movement, in which a mixed-age group of children stays with a given teacher for a number of years. The work provides a complete design for the mixed-age primary classroom, from philosophy and rationale to sample lesson…

Studies have criticized age-graded schools as creating a barrier to meeting the goals of equity and instructional excellence in schools. This handbook provides research on multiage classroom practices and argues that a multiage system better addresses and meets students' needs. Information is presented on the following topics: educational reform,…

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…