Describes an activity on fractal geometry in which students built a 19-foot-tall Sierpinski pyramid in the Minneapolis Convention Center in conjunction with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) 75th Annual Meeting in April, 1997. Contains 13 references. (ASK)

C. Wright Mills Middle School uses a project-based curriculum and service learning to prepare students for participatory democracy. Two challenges are to develop academic skills through experiential education and to avoid indoctrination. (SK)

Describes a program at St. Mary's College of Maryland that involves collaboration with the Peace Corps to provide "on the ground" mentoring in the Gambia for students carrying out individual service learning research projects. Suggests that collaboration between universities and the Peace Corps can generate multiple benefits for all…

Describes how graduate students at Regent University have experimented with the entertainment-education strategy to produce pro-social films and videos. Begins with a history of how the concept of entertainment-education evolved in popular films/videos; discusses examples of such films/videos. Analyzes a collection of short film/video productions…

Describes how Anna Deveare Smith's "Fires in the Mirror" can be adapted for the secondary level language arts classroom. Describes a storytelling exercise, and then describes the six stages of the project as students adapted personal narrative for performance: theme; obtaining the interview; the peer-editing workshop; preparing for the…

Junior high students designed their own bicycles from scratch and built them from steel tubing and salvaged parts. The project led to discoveries in math and physics and confidence in working with tools and materials. (Author/JOW)

Argues that making a theater study guide is an excellent in-class project, encouraging research, analysis, writing, and creative thinking. Offers a framework for creating one as a classroom project using John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" as an example. Lists further resources. (SR)

Describes an experiment using applications and projects to motivate students in college algebra. Provides a few illustrative examples of the applications/projects used and shares some student comments. (Author/ASK)

In the quest to make learning more meaningful for middle schoolers, some teaching teams are finding a natural alternative to contrived thematic units: curriculum integrated around science. Examples include quadrat study of a pond, smoke-free studies, and the nervous system. (MKR)

Discusses a precalculus project in which students create a model United Nations to present and discuss the long-term prognosis for individual countries given data on population growth and food production. Students compare exponential and linear functions to determine whether starvation will occur and prepare oral and written presentations of their…

Suggests an approach in courses for mathematics majors and minors similar to the popular approach used in applied courses--using student projects. Describes strategy and implementation of the projects and provides examples from student projects on statistics. (Author/ASK)

Describes how two colleagues, an English teacher and a German teacher, taught interdisciplinary poetry units using multimedia and hypermedia, based on using computers as cognitive learning tools rather than as "teaching machines." Describes the interdisciplinary poetry project which focused on animals and on human interaction with animals.…

Analyzes two student group Hypertext projects and a MOO (multiuser domain, object-oriented) project. Finds the play element can enrich readerly experience through the creation of a dramatic experience of information. Suggests that composition instructors need to recognize the play element in computer-based composition and encourage the development…

Provides a framework that explores the design of group projects. The framework focuses on pedagogical purposes for using such projects and considers critical factors to consider when designing a group project. Discusses use of a systems approach, distinctions between product and process, and multiple evaluators. (Contains 35 references.) (JOW)

A study of undergraduates before and after participation in partnership projects with small businesses found that (1) the majority preferred working for larger companies; (2) they felt small businesses were less desirable for promotion, pay, and job security; (3) businesses were slightly more inclined to hire graduates; and (4) employers felt…