Describes the way one English teacher designed a course by creating discourse community and thereby producing a group publication for a specific audience. Shows the steps by which a large group produced and revised copy for the publication. Argues for the efficacy of such courses. (HB)

Describes how one English teacher developed a multimedia poetry unit that opened her students' understanding of English poetry. Outlines the project's goals and methods of instruction. Provides students' written responses to the project and the teacher's reflection about its pros and cons. (HB)

Described is a senior project course that is intended to prepare graduates for solving problems in a real engineering environment. Students in electronics engineering technology may choose between an independent study option and a structured course in which they design and implement a project in a specified field. The scheduling, evaluation, and…

At South Medford High School, Oregon, all seniors must complete a senior project that requires the following: write a 10-page research paper on a topic of choice; carry out a project that relates to the research; and speak about what they learned from the project and answer questions before a board of judges. Offers tips for starting senior…

Means of accessing information above the textbook level for student research projects and a way of simplifying the process of assimilating research materials are described. Directions for developing "booster" bibliographies, simplified bibliographies on a specific topic that students can use to get them started, are included. (KR)

Thirteen suggestions for student research projects are presented. Project topics include birds, fish, frogs or toads, insects, spiders, crustaceans, mammals, predators, and ecology. The teacher's role in managing student projects is discussed. A list of middle school textbook resources is provided. (KR)

Directions for the building of a pocket microscope that will make visible the details of insect structure and living bacteria are described. Background information on the history of microscopes and lenses is provided. The procedures for producing various types of lenses are included. (KR)

Reports results of a research study of how student groups organize a collaborative writing task. Finds that students use two patterns like those of the workplace (dividing and allocating the tasks or drafting together), produce better documents using a variety of organizing patterns, and do not perceive equal performance on the basis of…

Class-produced newspapers are clear examples of product-driven learning, which requires a visible, though not always tangible, product; an audience other than the students themselves; whole-class involvement; and completion during normal school hours. Further examples are provided, including a first-grade circus, a fourth-grade rain forest tour,…

Benefits of a learner-based video production project in second-language learning are examined. Emphasis is on the communicative and interactive potential of such a project. The difference between process and product is discussed. (12 references) (LB)

An upper-class college seminar-style course in which students work on semester-long research papers on a variety of anomalous claims and subjects is described. A list of topics chosen in the course and a copy of an opinion survey on paranormal and anomalistic phenomena are included. (KR)

Describes an assignment in which ninth graders created a storybook or a textbook for children in grades 4-6 that would link 4 core subjects: math, English, science, and anthropology. (SR)

Describes the Legends Project in Indiana in which a class collaboratively researches, writes, and illustrates a local legend and sends it via computers and modems to other classes across the state. (SR)

Reports on a study of 110 students in advanced undergraduate psychology courses to assess their retrospective impressions about their introductory psychology course, current course selections and performance, and future academic plans. Finds that students who had participated in a science fair gave significantly higher ratings. (CFR)

Describes a nine-week unit that focuses on student development of science-based contraptions that work. Students are allowed to design, construct, and test a device of interest that performs a simple task, such as picking up a paper towel or turning a page in a book. (ZWH)