Reports on a course at Saint Thomas University (Florida) for preservice and inservice elementary teachers that emphasizes science content, science-education methods, and technology under the umbrella of environmental science. Finds that students feel more prepared to teach using a hands-on science approach after taking the course. Contains 23…

Students from the Free School in Albany, New York, arranged and financed a road trip to the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools conference in Pennsylvania. In exchange for a portion of travel expenses, they visited a struggling new charter school in Florida and demonstrated their democratic decision-making process. (TD)

ArtView, developed at Cornell University, allows groups of learners to converse at a distance while viewing an image that has been pre-loaded by the instructor. Results of user-testing revealed that ArtView lacked the elements of personal choice and outstanding physical viewing environment provided by museums; however, most students reported…

Describes KID DESIGNER, a project that emphasizes play as a lifelong learning process by teaching elementary school students how to design their own educational computer games that embed content from subjects studied in the classroom. Topics include constructivism; cooperative learning; project-based activities; prior learning; group dynamics; and…

Describes a field study in a local ecosystem which allows high school students to investigate the edge effect, where a meadow and a forest meet. Students measure soil moisture content, soil temperature, air temperature, relative humidity, wind intensity, and illumination level. Teachers can help students apply their findings to understand problems…

Describes how a "tech prep" junior English class at a vocational-technical high school collaborated with a class of third graders, as the juniors wrote short stories based on topics generated by the third graders who then illustrated the stories. Discusses how both classes prepared and got started, and how all participants benefited. Offers tips…

Maintains that school failure can be prevented if at-risk students are provided with a coordinated set of interventions. Presents recommendations for principals and teachers and describes several successful programs that promote at-risk student learning, including cooperative learning, mentorships, instructional technology, and the whole-language…

Proposes that collaborative small group work can serve as a model for transmitting democratic values and facilitating citizenship education in the classroom. Presents an example of a class divided into teams, arguing selected positions on immigration, and arriving at a written policy. Includes list of collaborative skills to be taught. (MJP)

Examined teacher and student roles in, and reactions to, a student-centered instructional geometry program using the Geometer's Sketchpad booklet. Seventh graders worked cooperatively using the computer-based instructional tutorial. Observation, survey, and interview data indicated that the teacher had difficulty relinquishing control of learning,…

Factors in development of a new introductory economics course, primarily for nonmajors, are discussed. These include selection of course content to capture student interest and reflect societal change, creation of a more stimulating classroom environment, and use of three cooperative learning activities on poverty, inflation, and budget deficits.…

Discusses changes in classroom dynamics when computer technology is incorporated into the curriculum, based on experiences in elementary and secondary school science and math classes. Topics include student motivation; cooperation and collaboration; increased persistence in problem solving; different methods of assessment; increased and improved…

Describes an interactive, cooperative-learning environment, "The Biology Sleuth." Characterizes students' interactions with this system, relates the underlying design concepts and principles, and presents a rationale for the system design. Describes a series of three formative evaluations, that were critical in the maturation of the system.…

Examined effects of computer-assisted cooperative learning in Grade 3 mathematics instruction within integrated classrooms for students with and without disabilities. Found that cooperative-learning group had statistically higher achievement than did the whole-class learning group. Found no significant differences between groups of regular…

Examines the influence of group constitution on group function, and the influence of teamwork and cooperative learning on the individual's perception of the subject. Subjects were undergraduate Computer Science students. Results indicated development of positive intergroup relations and desirable prosocial behaviors which could bridge the gap…

"Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" states that in the middle grades "measurement concepts and skills can be developed and used throughout the school year rather than treated exclusively as a separate unit of study" (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 200, p. 241). This article describes a collaborative activity that…