Discusses four teaching methods that are fundamental to social studies instruction: (1) the lecture method; (2) guided discussion; (3) reading skills instruction; and (4) project-based instruction. Explains that these methods enable teachers to vary instruction, meet the needs of diverse learners, and develop student understanding. (CMK)

Describes the use of PowerPoint software in a cooperative setting that allows inclusion students to create presentations as part of the learning process. Discusses equipment needed, audience, teacher and student preparation, and student evaluation, and includes examples of storyboards and worksheets. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the project approach in early childhood curriculum, a natural, teacher-supported companion to teacher-directed activities that develops basic skills and recognizes the child's need for hands-on experimentation to make learning meaningful. Describes the three phases of project approach: investigation, fieldwork, and display. Offers…

Describes one teacher's first attempt to understand the role of students' self-evaluations of their process and products in a science unit centered upon open-ended projects. Describes the social structure in student group self-evaluation, and explains the important role students' self-evaluations can play as part of an open-ended project learning…

Describes the curriculum of the Lake Washington School District Environmental and Adventure School which included outdoor education on the school grounds and field and overnight trips. The curriculum theme was interdependent relationships, people and environments. Also included study of local natural history and Native American tribes. (PVD)

An eastern Kentucky teacher has run the gamut of classroom challenges, from statewide educational reform to her own bout with technophobia. But through her application of the Foxfire approach, her students have engaged in active learning projects in their school and community and with other students in Nebraska and China, with lasting results.…

Describes the content of a course on material culture for undergraduate students that was separated into two sections: (1) first students read books and analyzed artifacts; and (2) then the class explored the Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) in 1876, applying material culture methods and constructing a Web site from their…

Project-based science (PBS) provides opportunities for students to engage in sustained inquiry in meaningful contexts. Science teachers want their students to attain scientific literacy for applications beyond the classroom. Unfortunately, many students view school, and especially school science, as disconnected from their lives and interests. PBS…

In this article, the author analyzes an inquiry-based project in order to examine students' efforts to build interpretations from evidence. This project fits within the Standards definition of scientific inquiry in several ways: (1) Students used previously learned biological concepts and principles to guide their inquiries; (2) Students relied on…

For the fourth year in a row, the author and a computer teacher have joined forces to guide students through an annual technology and research project that benefits area institutions and community members. The author presents the three key areas of the geospatial technologies curriculum at Douglas High School in Box Elder, South Dakota: (1)…

Students in instructional design (ID) courses typically propose a solution to an instructional problem without a clear understanding of the instructional problem. Often, this type of response is disconcerting to ID instructors. Owing to the way in which the ID process is managed, significant time may pass between design proposal and design review.…

In this article, the authors describe a graduate course based on a cooperative learning strategy involving structured group interaction. The authors team-taught a semester-long course in which student groups worked on a consulting project requiring interaction between three distinct teams--the student group, a faculty team, and a team of field…

The aim of this paper is to describe a task-cycling pedagogy for language learning using a technique we have called "Stimulated Reflection". This pedagogical approach has been developed in the light of the new technology options available, especially those that facilitate audiovisual forms of interaction among language learners and teachers. In…

Several years ago, the University of Indianapolis embarked on its self-study for North Central Association accreditation with the issue of quality assessment linked to outcomes. As such, its Department of Communication was forced to demonstrate outcomes-oriented evaluation of student learning. After an extensive audit of the department's…

Design projects are one form of project-based learning whereby students propose, build, and test an artifact to meet a specific need. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a computer-based tool ("Co-Net") designed to support students in the process of working on design projects (in this case, instructional design…