Librarians in Library Power schools were asked to describe meaningful student learning experiences in their libraries and to explain what made them meaningful. Responses were analyzed for the quality of the learning experience described and for the kinds of indicators cited as evidence of learning. Case studies observed how school library media…

The physical nature of adventure activities is closely intertwined with the cognitive and emotional growth of the participants. Immersion in the physical challenge and accompanying fun opens people to the learning opportunities. An example of a teacher's inability to scale a wall illustrates how proper debriefing can turn a "failure"…

Interview with artist Ilka List describes her research: collecting 1872 drawings from rural and urban second- and third-grade children to determine the impact of environmental experiences on children's art, sense of self, and cognitive and emotional abilities. Children with a broad range of outdoor, nature-oriented experiences had greater spatial…

Discusses using audiation and music aptitudes as teaching tools to allow students to reach their full music potential. Describes music audiation and aptitudes and focuses on the importance of early music experiences for developing music vocabularies and musical aptitude. (CMK)

Discusses a University of Arizona History and Philosophy in Art Education course and its use of distance education. Focuses on conversational learning, describing the two forms of student interaction and the use of reflection on the distance education experience. Provides some topics to consider when using distance learning. (CMK)

Discusses the differences between cognitive and social constructivism. Suggests a planning process that integrates cognitive and social constructivism to help social studies teachers make curriculum and instructional decisions that result in meaningful learning experiences. Addresses social studies education for the twenty-first century. (CMK)

Focuses on the pointillist painting process offering background information about technique and how it can be used in the art classroom. Explores the appropriateness of the process for elementary through secondary school students. Includes educational objectives. (CMK)

Examines clients' counseling experiences using concept mapping, a methodological approach combing qualitative and quantitative strategies. Clarifies the scope and interrelations among elements of the retrospective experience of helpfulness among clients. Results found that the structure of the concept map was found to be consistent with an…

Reports on a longitudinal study of high school instrumentalists that examined the development of four distinct types of musical performance (playing by ear, playing from memory, sight reading, and improvising) over three years. Reveals a significant improvement in these skills while also demonstrating changes in aural and creative activities. (CMK)

Explains how high quality early childhood programs address academics, including assessment, and are accountable to early childhood standards. Describes how the early childhood learning situation that looks very much like play is actually a carefully designed and organized learning environment that provides structure, stimulation, and support for…

Fifteen high school students and adults from Idaho traveled to Mexico to assist the One World Workforce with monitoring the nests of olive ridley sea turtles. Only 1 percent of these endangered turtles mature to adulthood. The volunteers protected the eggs from poachers and helped the hatchlings get safely to the water. (TD)

Discusses verbal strategies used by young children to express and construct a sense of togetherness. Presents the case study of one child, 3-5 years old, in his interactions with other children and teachers. Describes three general mechanisms for expressing togetherness: expression of common ground, of cooperation, and of care. (JPB)

Poor student learning appears to be a distinct and pernicious problem in the United States. The continuing debate among educational policy makers and practitioners about how best to improve learning has yielded a multitude of federal, state, and local reform efforts. Yet, as promising as some of these efforts are, there is still a growing sense…

This paper reports on initial results from an ongoing evaluation study of a National Science Foundation project to implement reform-oriented teaching practices in college science and mathematics courses. The purpose of this study was to determine what elements of reform teaching are being utilized by college faculty members teaching undergraduate…

This paper explores students' perceptions through survey about the definition, use and constructivist nature of multimedia use in literature classes at the collegial level. The culture of schools and students has changed. The possibility exists that students' brains are biologically different as a result of frequent and prolonged interaction with…