This action research project implemented and evaluated a method to improve student motivation and academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of seventh and eighth graders from a middle school in a small midwestern community. Motivational problems were documented by means of academic grades, homework contract referrals to the…

This paper describes how a geosciences summer program for 50 Hispanic and Black eighth graders with high potential from at-risk backgrounds, planned and executed activities designed to empower these youth by teaching them strategies to develop effective "voice," while concurrently nurturing abilities and inspiring significant career aspirations.…

The activities in this book were designed to encourage students to perceive what is going on around them, to be both receptive to and critical of the ideas of others, to analyze problems, to elaborate upon ideas, to explore possibilities, and to see relationships. The activities call for all 18 of E. Paul Torrance's creative thinking abilities.…

This book for children (ages 8 to 14) and the accompanying teacher/parent guide present the story of a young girl (who happens to have a physical disability and uses a wheelchair), her friends, and their experiences at summer camp as they search for a favorite horse. Information on the disability is presented subtly and incidentally to encourage…

This monograph presents the executive summary of a study evaluating the first-year impacts and program operations of Upward Bound, a federal pre-college program designed to help economically disadvantaged students complete high school and gain access to post-secondary education. In 1996, 45,000 students participated in the program through projects…

This curriculum guide is intended to increase elementary students' awareness of their own and other people's perspectives, resulting in more open attitudes and flexible responses to diversity. Unique features include reflective questions for teachers, a focus on communicating content to families, and planned inclusion of students with…

This book is a collection of stories describing the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, based on the author's internship in the Italian preschools and a 4-year adaptation effort in one American school. The book's prologue describes the author's work before using the Reggio Emilia approach, the history of Reggio Emilia, the…

This self-directed, self-paced adult distance education program provides developmental aides and transitional employees with practice in job-related reading, writing, math, and problem solving. Participants use e-mail, print materials, and videotapes to do assignments. An introductory brochure precedes materials for 12 theme areas and 105 units…

This videotape recording (20 minutes) and print profile illustrate how educators are using technology to help students with disabilities succeed in science. In the first segment of the video, several elementary classrooms in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are visited where students with and without disabilities carry out inquiry-based science with the…

This book uses the playground as a reference point for a phenomenological examination of risk in children's lives and the development of a pedagogy of risk. Chapter 1 defines risk and discusses the use of anecdotes as a methodological device. Chapter 2 examines how considering risk as challenge and adventure leads to questions concerning adults'…

This document consists of teacher and student guides that provide a historical overview of the Six Nations from precontact with the Europeans to the present day. The Six Nations consist of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora tribes. These tribes call themselves the Haudenosaunee and are often referred to as the Iroquois.…

In cooperative learning environments, small groups of students work together to accomplish specific pedagogical tasks, and teachers act as facilitators. One highly significant characteristic of cooperative learning that has received little consideration so far is the shift in the participation frame that takes place when students are left alone to…

This technology studies curriculum for grades 6-8 is a plan for each middle school student to experience technology education for approximately 60 days (1 trimester of a 180-day school year) in each grade. Section A provides definitions; structure or content for grade-level programs with science and technology unifiers (unifying curricular…

The National School-to-Work Office in collaboration with the National Association for Gifted Children, the Council for Exceptional Children, the Association for the Gifted, and the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted have identified 11 gifted education/school-to-work (GT/STW) models that are either best practices or unique…

This document is intended to give business teachers a few best practice ideas. Section 1 presents an overview of best practice and a chart detailing the instructional levels, curricular areas, and main competencies addressed in the 26 papers in Section 2. The titles and authors of the papers included in Section 2 are as follows: "A Software…