Describes an inquiry-based project on kinematics piloted at a rural middle school in 1996 by a Maine collaboration of university faculty, graduate students, and K-12 teachers. The group examines the new science standards, develops new curricula based on physics education research, helps middle-school teachers implement that curricula, and assesses…

Demonstrates that students who are taught physics concepts through active inquiry learn more readily than students taught the same concepts through vicarious inquiry method. Urges the active involvement of students in laboratory work. (LS)

Early field experiences for preservice teachers can serve as a catalyst for the development of new insights and instructional techniques, particularly if they are in diverse settings. This study provided one preservice teacher with two 30-hour field experience components at two diverse sites. The project involved a comparative analysis of two…

This paper presents the results of a 1997-98 Goals 2000 Preservice Teacher Education Grant that created a partnership between the State University of New York at Oswego and two local elementary schools. The program was designed to provide preservice teachers in elementary education and special education methods classes the opportunity to observe…

This report summarizes the results of research studies on instructional practices that significantly affect the cognitive, language, or mental abilities of students with disabilities. The investigation reviewed current research on instruction of students with moderate disabilities and sought to identify effective instructional practices. The steps…

In resident outdoor education programs, students and their teachers attend an outdoor facility for two days or longer and use the outdoor environment as their primary classroom, focusing on natural sciences, outdoor recreation, social skills, and attitudinal and cognitive development. A resident program should have significant impact on social…

This sixth in a series of twenty-nine learning modules on instructional execution is designed to give secondary and postsecondary vocational teachers help in developing skills for supervising group study designed to help students develop good study habits and skills in making study assignments which motivate students to learn and enrich/extend the…

This paper describes a group dynamics course designed to integrate academic and experiential learning. The technique used to accomplish this integration was a two week wilderness experience, followed by a seminar in group dynamics during the normal academic term. Four reasons for the wilderness experience are discussed: (1) shared experience among…

This study compared interaction with a computer vs. observation as learning situations for low and high ability student's learning of spatial visualization and geometric transformations. Thirty-two fifth grade boys took the Differential Aptitude Test, Space Relations Subset (DAT), and then participated in the experiment. Pre-test and post-test…