The Future Problem Solving Program has a noncompetitive Primary Division that challenges gifted children in grades K-4 to think creatively about society issues, develop research skills, interact as a team, develop oral and written communication skills, become interested in the future, think critically, and solve problems. (JDD)

This curriculum guide is a resource for teachers and students who wish to understand watersheds: what they are, what natural elements comprise them, and how social and political activities can influence the environmental quality within a watershed. The process of watershed study is explored, including the theories, goals and objectives of…

Accuses community colleges of not fully accepting their role in solving community problems and community development, and of tackling only those "low-risk" problems which will not involve them in conflict or criticism. Examines possible relationships between a community, its college, and local industry in solving "high-risk" problems. (TP)

Prevention is the ultimate key to reversing the upward trend in the use of drugs and to empowering communities to address their drug problems. An essential factor is the development and implementation of initiatives to prevent illicit drug use. A goal of prevention for youth is to provide them with a set of skills and tools to help them resist the…

The Future Problem Solving Program develops students' problem-solving and thinking skills as student teams undertake a step-by-step process which involves assessing the teams' existing knowledge of the topic, determining the knowledge they need, gathering information, organizing their knowledge, and using the knowledge to solve specific problems.…

Notes the pervasive need for collaborative solutions to the crises facing today's youth. Surveys the campus-community collaborative projects described in the succeeding articles in this journal issue, which support a new vision of the role of the university in the life of the community. (HTH)

This article looks at how the discipline of rhetoric may be helpful when thinking about methods for social justice. Specifically, it explores how rhetoric and composition can help those interested in social justice to construct knowledge that is both multidisciplinary and intercultural, to view the constructive processes of research participants,…

The activities in this manual explore some of the issues of the 1960s and 1970s that reflected changes in U.S. patterns of thought: minorities sought their share of the American pie; young people challenged established authority; massive protests erupted against the Vietnam War; political corruption was found in high office and a marked change…

This book is intended to introduce teachers to the practices of "environmental education," and is the first in a series published by the Institute for Environmental Education. The series focus is on problem-solving in the community as the subject matter for environmental education. Problem-solving is used as a process of investigatory…

This document presents a program designed to provide students with a comprehensive and interesting way to study their community. Although developed for secondary students, the program activities, with slight modification, should be equally successful with intermediate-level students. Using the community as the area to be studied, a major focus of…

Three discrete but related studies contribute to the larger research question of how adult educators can help community problem-solving group members gain new skills and compentencies as they work together on community problems. The first study addresses defining individual growth in the context of rural community problem-solving groups and…

Rapid social change has brought with it conflicts which are manifest in the institutions of the community, particularly the school system, which latter has become a focal point for social, political, and judicial action. Mechanisms for problem solving must be established at all levels throughout the school system. A system of communications must…

Third-party intervention is increasingly recognized as an effective means of settling social, institutional, community, and interpersonal disputes. Traditionally, mediation efforts have been directed toward conflicts involving labor/management relations. Since the 1960s, however, mediation efforts have also been applied to situations involving…

The idea of computerized car pooling originated in an American Contemporary Issues class at George Washington High School in Denver, Colorado, in the fall of 1973 when a fuel shortage was imminent. The students saw car pooling as a way to take effective action and, with the expertise of a computer math class, devised a program capable of…

ISSUES, an intermediate-grade social studies program, actively involves 2,000 Kansas City students of their urban communities. Psychological and sociological perspectives on urban problems stress helping children to better understand social realities, their peers, and themselves. The students spend approximately half of their social studies time…