Experientially-based, independent studies, conducted during the month-long January term at St. Lawrence University, and reactions to them are described. Emphasis is on the conflicts arising from non-structured studies approved by the Department of Geology and Geography. (LBH)

This document is intended to be used: (1) By institutions that prepare teachers to assess the quality of their teacher preparation programs for licensure (or certification) in comprehensive social studies and/or the individual disciplines of history, geography, civics and government, economics, and psychology; and (2) By National Council for the…

In an effort to recognize, define, and measure the capacity of the individual to endure and develop in the context of adverse conditions and to recognize the individual's ability to recover from adversity, the behavioral sciences have introduced and advanced the construct of resilience. Resilience has become a popular construct encompassing many…

There is growing acknowledgement that optimal early childhood development is crucial not only for health, well-being, and competence but also for society at large. This second paper in a series focuses on the period from birth to age 6 and draws on research from Canada and other countries to address several questions of children's development,…

This paper offers a summary of two aspects of effective speaking in public, whether it be with co-workers, supervisors, friends, or a group of little-known or unknown others. One aspect of public speaking is the level of sincerity, and the other is the level and variety of skills used. The paper first considers sincerity and then, it discusses the…

Laurence Yep's "Dragonwings" won the Newbery Award in 1976. It is the story of a young boy named Moon Shadow and his physical and emotional journeys between Chinese and American cultures. Through Moon Shadow's experiences upon entering the United States as an immigrant, the reader empathizes with him on 3 levels: the perception of…

This children's novel tells the story of a young girl with attention deficit disorder (ADD) without hyperactivity and her younger brother who has ADD with hyperactivity. Trying to win a school writing contest on the topic of space and stars helps bright, imaginative Paige Bradley realize that fixing her "focusing knob" will compensate for her ADD.…

This resource booklet is designed to facilitate the teaching of group development as part of an integrated program of outdoor pursuits, environmental education and personal and group development. Section I provides a history of the Alberta Environmental and Outdoor Education Course of Studies, and the course philosophy. Resources are provided for…

This proceedings contains 13 papers from the 1998 Research Symposium of the Coalition for Education in the Outdoors. Following a preface "Building the Research Foundations of Outdoor Education" (Karen M. Fox, Leo H. McAvoy, Anderson B. Young), the entries are: (1) "An Integrative Review of the Literature on Women in the Outdoors" (Karla A.…

Summer learning comes from reading books, singing songs, playing games, listening to stories, taking trips, and all kinds of other fun activities that kids rarely realize are actually good for them. However, this kind of summer learning can be more difficult for children of low-income and other disadvantaged families. Careful analysis of…

This study interviewed five philosophically precocious individuals (PPIs), four Chinese and one American, to examine their development. Theoretical frameworks used to evaluate data were the Transcendence Evolution Model and the taxonomy of developmental strategies. The Transcendence Evolution Model posits that children's different developmental…

This paper compares and summarizes empirical research on the outcomes of outdoor education (OE) and related programs. Most frequently, OE outcomes have been researched using post-program surveys of staff and participant attitudes. Such reports are vulnerable to many potential distortions. A second major approach to examining OE effectiveness…

This paper explores and explains the validity and value of the experiential learning portfolio as an effective tool for workplace learning and development. Qualitative and survey methods of inquiry were used to produce data on the portfolio in workplace learning. Eight workers who developed experiential learning portfolios as a component of their…

During the past two decades, a convincing body of evidence has accumulated to indicate that unless children achieve minimal social competence by about the age of 6 years, they have a high probability of being at risk into adulthood in several ways. This digest presents a checklist of attributes of child social behavior that teachers are encouraged…

The research question examined was whether significant differences in psychosocial development and self-actualization exist between adult cohort groups whose childhood development occurred under very different social, economic, and technological circumstances. Subjects were 113 white middle-aged and elderly adults from similar socioeconomic…