A Virginia science and technology high school restructured its ninth-grade curriculum by clustering three core courses in an integrated program. Students work with resource managers at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge to gather data on species inhabiting the area. They prepare well-researched reports and present them to peers, faculty, and…

Describes the group dynamics, science discovery processes, and activities involved in building a raft at camp. The project used recycled products and required group cooperation; critical thinking about density, buoyancy, and balance; use of familiar resources in creative ways; and application of previously learned facts. (SAS)

Math in a Cultural Context (MCC) is based in traditional Yup'ik cultural values and ways of knowing and representing the world, which provide access to math concepts through hands-on exploration and active problem solving. This case illustrates how a novice and outsider teacher successfully implemented MCC in a classroom with predominantly…

Over the last decade, there have been rapid developments in field methodologies within participatory approaches to rural and agricultural development. At the same time, the use of "soft systems" methodologies for bringing potentially conflictual or disparate actors together for action has spread from the business world to other applications. These…

A series of four workshops for community administrators and public agency program directors in rural Stevens County, Washington, was intended to introduce and support the idea of networks among rural agencies and to increase community development skills in communication, problem solving, community organization, and group process. Trainers designed…

The purpose of the study was to develop an MST Integrated Program for making a Maglev hands-on activity for higher elementary school students in Korea. In this MST Integrated Program, students will apply Mathematics, Science, and Technology principles and concepts to the design, construction, and evaluation of a magnetically levitated vehicle. The…

The teacher's role in directing science activities is examined in this book. Suggestions are offered on what teachers might do with the activities and advice is given on how the activities could be used. Each of the eight chapters contains a brief summary at the beginning, a detailed review at its close, and a list of specific guidelines for…

Four books are incorporated into a volume for secondary and postsecondary teachers who wish to become familiar with experiential learning techniques. An overview on experience-based learning and the facilitative role of the teacher is presented in Book One. Book Two deals with planning with students, Book Three concerns the monitoring of student…

Mitchell High School's Senior Seminar is a 5-credit interdisciplinary and experiential intensive learning program offered for one semester during a student's senior year. During that time the student takes no other coursework; he focuses on single subjects in learning blocks that may extend from two to four weeks. Program goals center on learning…

This book is designed as a report and an in-service tool for teachers of grades K-6. It is built around the idea that the standard textbook treatment of metric measurement gives rise to many misconceptions among primary grade children. This report is a record of the development of alternative methods for introducing measuring activities to…

This USMES unit challenges students to construct practical shapes which can be used as dice to make a fair decision between two or among three, four, or more choices. The teacher resource book for the Dice Design unit contains five sections. The first section describes the USMES approach to student-initiated investigations of real problems,…

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…

Reports on a study comparing high school students who received instruction in environmental issues during a six-day residential environmental education workshop, with students receiving instruction in both environmental issues and action strategies. Results indicated students receiving just issue awareness instruction failed to increase their…

Describes the cyclical nature of a problem-solving sequence produced from observing children involved in the process. Discusses the generic qualities of science: (1) observing; (2) inferring; (3) classifying; (4) predicting; (5) controlling variables; and (6) hypothesizing. Explains the processes in use and advantages of a process-led course. (RT)

States the objectives and implementation procedures for this teacher-directed or individualized learning discovery unit. Describes the value of the program and additional activities that can be included. Shows a copy of the program. (RT)