Asserts that using a thematic approach to teach pre-twentieth-century U.S. history can help students connect historical events in a coherent pattern. Discusses the development of a history curriculum based on five recurring themes in U.S. history. Provides an outline for a nine-week unit that includes suggested student activities for each theme.…

Discusses guidelines to provide developmentally appropriate environmental education experiences for young children. Guidelines include (1) keeping children actively involved; (2) beginning with simple experiences; (3) encouraging use of the senses; (4) focusing on developing relationships; (5) demonstrating enjoyment of nature; (6) involving…

Draws a connection between the techniques of storytelling and the content knowledge of history. Notes the many fables, tall tales, and legends that have historical incidents as their inspiration. Outlines some specific functions and steps of a story and provides an exercise for students or teachers to develop their own stories. (MJP)

Describes how the process of integrating curriculum is taught in a social studies methods course for preservice teachers. Outlines a sequential procedure that makes integration manageable. Includes a sample outline for a unit of study on the California Gold Rush detailing goals, objectives, and specific activities for various subjects. (MJP)

A study at a small liberal arts college found grades earned in a required, interdisciplinary freshman year seminar (FYS) were better predictors of academic achievement and persistence than high school rank, Scholastic Assessment Test scores. FYS grades were found a useful substitute for cognitive and noncognitive variables that correlate with…

Examines the dichotomy between area studies and the more traditional discipline of political science. Discusses those areas of political science that relate to area studies and suggests several reasons for an intransigence to change within the more traditional discipline. Recommends a cooperative and interdisciplinary effort between both camps.…

Extrapolates some of the basic epistemological and philosophical arguments of area studies supporters and their detractors within political science. Discusses a possible study of traditional political science "culture" by the area studies proponents. Concludes with a call for both disciplines to work together. (MJP)

Summarizes a number of lessons on women's history taken from the "Teaching with Historic Places" program. The historic places include artists' colonies, American Indian tribal sites, personal homes, and public buildings. Discusses fitting the lesson plans into established curriculum. Some of the women profiled include Madame C. J. Walker and…

Examines the origins of school knowledge, and proposes a new tool for analyzing in-class teaching phenomena for different disciplines. Teachers who have mastered the structures of their own discipline's teaching content analyze and compare the contents of other disciplines, thus addressing multidisciplinary teaching problems with a didactic…

At a time when higher education appears to be diverging from a sense of shared purpose, learning communities offer a way to maintain the balance between striving for oneself and contributing to the common good. They promote cooperation, help students forge interdisciplinary connections, empower students, revitalize the institutional environment,…

The Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg (Germany), a member of a new European consortium of innovative universities, has been broadening its revenue base by conducting research and training for industry and local government and marketing the technical advances developed in its own laboratories. An interdisciplinary approach to research is…

Discusses pedagogical principles for performance-based instruction and demonstrates how these principles can be applied to foreign-language classroom instruction, curriculum design, materials development, and proficiency testing. (Author/VWL)

This article describes the development of a school-based dysphagia team (swallowing action team (SWAT)) in Louisiana. It addresses how the team was initially formed, the process of identifying students who were exhibiting a swallowing disorder, steps taken for staff development, and problems encountered in seeking administrative approval.…

Describes an art education program that connects children and youth to the historical and contemporary issues associated with Yellowstone National Park. Originally conceived as a one-year celebration, the project has grown into a juried exhibit showcasing student art and writing which responds to Yellowstone resource themes and issues. (MJP)

Presents excerpts from Stephen Toulmin's (1996 Jefferson Lecturer for the Humanities) works. The excerpt from, "Wittgenstein's Vienna," concerns the corruption of social standards, norms, and political authority. "The Return to Cosmology" discusses the role of philosophy in postmodern society and reveals surprising antecedents…