Teachers of agriculture have used project-based learning as a primary teaching method in agricultural mechanics since the 19th century. These methods teach the information and motivate students to engage the content. Locus of Control (LOC) categorizes the relationship with decision-making and motivation. Internal LOC have a higher level of…

Research has shown that certain ways of teaching can make a difference in whether students learn standards-based content. Many strategies have proven to be effective in teaching literacy, mathematics, science and social studies. These strategies have facilitated blending academic and career/technical subjects to make learning more meaningful for…

An innovative graduate course in education devoted to the development of techniques utilizing direct experience in the history curriculum, the 6-weekend course took a level of local cultural history each weekend, showed how that culture related to and changed the land, and whenever possible, communicated that with experiential learning. (NQ)

Jack Shelton, teacher, minister, and community builder, describes the benefits of education that is active, relevant, and involved in the community. As coordinator of a cooperative of 29 small rural Alabama schools that enables teachers to implement experiential educational approaches rooted in community study and service, he discusses the…

A four-week summer project for 100 rural tenth graders in the University of Alabama's Biomedical Sciences Preparation Program (BioPrep) enabled students to acquire and apply social sciences research skills. The students investigated drinking water quality in three rural Alabama counties by interviewing local officials, health workers, and…