The problem to be investigated by this study is whether museum visitors' history content knowledge is enhanced by their museum experience and whether their lived experiences played a role in their learning. The study is based on the theories of experiential, informal and free-choice learning. A qualitative design examined the lived experiences of…

This paper presents the use of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in educational research as a platform for enhanced pedagogical learning. The aim here with the use of a WSN platform was to go beyond the implementation stage to the real-life application stage, i.e., linking the implementation to real-life applications, where abstract theory and…

Several reasons have been given why students should have contacts with real patients early in the undergraduate medical curriculum, i.e., in the preclinical phase. However, it is not clear exactly what effects early patient contacts have with regard to knowledge construction and the development of clinical reasoning skills. We sought students'…

Students studying in government-run schools in rural India possess much experiential knowledge of the world around them. This paper presents a narrative account of an ethnographic exploration of such students as they attempted to learn about electricity in an eighth-grade classroom in a government-run school in a village in India. The paper shows…

From the streets of clouds to the submarine sand ripples or the striations on the coats of some animals, nature offers many examples of spontaneous patterned structures originating from various instabilities. These patterns can in turn destabilize and show a rich, complex dynamics and possibly end up in disordered behaviours. For over 20 years,…

To move information toward knowledge and activity toward mastery, learners must play with ideas, use them, and make them their own. Methods for achieving mastery include interdisciplinary approaches that require deep thinking, story telling, and reflection. (Contains 20 references.) (SK)

The author proposes a neural-network-based explanation of how a brain might acquire intuitive expertise. The explanation is intended merely to be suggestive and lacks many complexities found in even lower animal brains. Yet significantly, even this simplified brain model is capable of explaining the acquisition of simple skills without developing…

Three activities that involve space perception, the concept of geometric equivalence, and Euler's formula regarding regular polyhedra are described. (JT)

After stating that almost any topic could be generalized, the author was challenged to generalize the topic of polyominoes. His response is presented in this article. (SD)

Games and activities, which are fun, practical, and related to the child's world, are presented. Suggestions are given for building skills in estimating lengths, guessing how many, recognizing patterns in counting, multiplying with "waffles," classifying by attributes, and adding and subtracting with special cards, relays, and play…

Three games played with regular bridge decks of cards are described. By playing the games students gain practice in use of basic operations on integers and in the development of strategies. (SD)