The main purpose of this study is to reveal the opinions of science teacher candidates regarding the implementation of Discovery Learning-Based STEM Education in distance education with Applied Activities. The study was designed as a case study. Participants were first given basic chemistry education and introduced to the concepts of STEM,…

Researchers and statistics educators consistently suggest that students will learn statistics more effectively by conducting projects through which they actively engage in a broad spectrum of tasks integral to statistical inquiry, in the authentic context of a real-world application. In keeping with these findings, we share an implementation of…

With the MATCH Box Press, children (grades 5-6) can print a limited edition of a book. With the teacher as publisher to oversee and assist, they write and edit the manuscript; design, print, and illustrate the book. The teacher's guide provides instructions for all the various phases of the process, which is designed to take about three weeks. A…

How to use elementary school children as curators of a classroom museum is described. The teacher decides the concept or unit to be showcased in the museum. As curators students are responsible for many tasks including writing descriptive paragraphs for the artifacts and arranging the artifact display. (RM)

The gifted education model described here provides elective "talent pool" classes--within the standard class schedule--that integrate enrichment activities with the academic curriculum in any given subject area. (MCG)

Interview with Lilian Katz, one of the foremost authorities on the project approach to learning. Discusses the misconceptions and advantages of the project approach, the teacher's role in project-based work, and the qualities teachers need to insure its success. Gives historical background on the development of the approach, and some common…

Offers guidelines for creating and implementing an age-appropriate project that fits children's needs, interests, and surroundings. Using the example of a supermarket project, outlines the four stages of a project's development--preliminary planning, getting started, investigation and discovery, and wrapping up the project. Gives tips on learning…

Traditionally, early childhood educators address the gaping hole in their planning books under the "social studies" header by teaching a smattering of thematic units. Most early childhood educators now know the importance of planning experiences for social studies, or any other content area, that are integrated, meaningful, and of high interest.…

This paper describes: (1) the experiences of a class of 6- and 7-year-old students as they designed and built a small farm on the Laboratory School grounds at Berry College (Georgia); (2) the understanding that comes with the relevant and meaningful experience of building a farm and raising animals; (3) the infusion of Friedrich Froebel's…

The journal synthesizing activity is intended to combine aspects of the formal essay with that of a diary. Activities associated with lecture topics are written up as short journal entries of approximately five typewritten pages and are turned in during the weekly class session at which the related topic is being discussed. The journal project…

Acknowledging a recent increased interest in research about self-directed learning, this report analyzes and discusses two different forms of education: self-directed learning and distance education. Here, self-directed learning is identical with autodidactic learning, a form of education that cannot be included in organized adult education; the…

A Seattle (Washington) third-grade class's curiosity about the school's neighborhood spiraled into a student-centered, experiential community research project that integrated several curriculum requirements, especially math and writing. Learning through the questioning process, such as by developing hypotheses and interview questions, develops…

This paper explores the use of the long-term project as an educational tool in early childhood classrooms. In particular, it focuses on the way in which long-term projects can reflect John Dewey's notion of the "dynamic aim" as a primary force in education. In "Democracy and Education," Dewey suggests that when teaching is…

In this chapter, a college teacher describes the use of personal projects in a class on mathematics teaching for preservice teacher-education students. The personal project required students to learn something new or to do something they had never done before, and to document their learning through a journal or other reflective record. In…