Experimental archaeology is a vibrant and fascinating field that offers great opportunities for hands-on student learning in history. Although it is typically taught by archaeologists and anthropologists, it is certainly accessible and easily adapted to history courses. In addition to teaching "Introduction to Experimental Archaeology"…

This article concerns itself with the potential for ateliers to disrupt conformist approaches to pedagogy in early childhood education and care. An illustration of the role of the atelier in amplifying the aesthetics of the experience of the educational project of Reggio Emilia illuminates how disruption of conformity can be activated through the…

The January 25th 2011 Revolution in Egypt brought the eyes of the world to the "cradle of civilization" once more, as existing power structures toppled and hidden voices surfaced to forge a unified vision for the future. In many parts of the Middle East, and indeed all over the world, the visual arts embody cultural values and remain a…

Practicing medicine and creating art are both informed by observation and perception, yet how artists and doctors view the world and their place in it might be quite different. By bringing two populations together--RISD students and Warren Alpert Medical School students--into one experimental course, "No Innocent Eye: Knowledge and…

Though there are political cries for more science instruction, reform efforts have largely been focused at the middle or high school. One problem is that educators believe elementary school children aren't developmentally ready to handle complex science. But children are able to understand much more than is assumed. An experimental curriculum…

Strapped for cash, a Massachusetts high school creates its own venture capital fund to incentivize teachers to create programs that improve student learning. The result has been higher test scores and higher job satisfaction. One important program is credited with helping close the achievement gap at the school, while others have helped ambitious…

In this article, the author talks about a system of special schools in Colombia which introduces students to teaching careers as early as the 8th grade. The Colombian system is based on a simple idea: Every student is a potential teacher. Principals talk about molding "ciudadano-pedagogos"--citizen-educators who view teaching as a way of…

This paper represents an attempt to incorporate concepts and issues stemming from the global financial crisis (GFC) into the typical Intermediate Accounting, two-course sequence as taught in North American colleges and universities. The teaching approach which the authors advocate embeds the GFC throughout these courses. The main expected outcome…

Closing the "breach" or "distance" between teachers and historians has become a focus in teacher education and has gained greater prominence in the research on preservice teachers. Overall, most educational researchers now believe that a definition of historical knowledge includes not only a basic understanding of the facts, but also an…

The Program of Systematic Evaluation (PSE), which began as an attempt to explore the instructional dimensions of multimedia, has evolved into the most comprehensive set of experimental multimedia studies exploring the varied dimensions of cognitive load theory as they relate to the design of effective and efficient visual learning environments for…

Describes the design and advocacy of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz and Contemplative Studies curriculum at the University of Michigan School of Music. Considers issues, such as the structure of the curriculum, the reconciliation of contemplative studies and conventional notions of academic rigor, avoidance of possible conflicts between church…

This study describes an approach to learning and teaching that is structured as a project-based context-driven inquiry. The approach is positioned at the interface between knowledge-generation and use, and grounded in a generic notion of responsibility for the future of bodily life. The intention is to move the debate beyond the exhausted language…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the hypothesis that it is fruitful to study new areas within research for sustainability, through experimental education courses, that are based on international and multilateral (transcultural) learning processes. Design/methodology/approach: This way of introducing education into open research…

This report describes the Experimental Schools Project (ESP) conducted by the Franklin Pierce School District in Tacoma, Washington, under funding from the National Institute of Education. The ESP was a five-year program designed to provide the optimum learning environment for each student. Each of the district's 13 schools attempted, through…

In August 1970 the Ford Foundation announced the establishment of a Venture Fund grant program to help strengthen and to encourage innovation in undergraduate education throughout the country. Criteria for selection were: (1) evidence of creative programs in the past, (2) the quality of current educational programs and leadership, and (3) the…