Details the educational objectives achieved by an 8th grade U.S. history class using a cooperative learning research model. Using the Group Investigation Model, the class learned to use text headings, subheads, and key words in their reading. They also became familiar with synthesizing information and linking key ideas. (MJP)

Describes a library-based assignment planned collaboratively between a history teacher and high school librarian that focused on the Internet and problem based learning (PBL). Highlights include the planning process; the California SCORE History-Social Science Web site; role playing; information literacy; student research and presentations; and…

Describes a high school U.S. history course where the students are completely responsible for instruction on the period from 1950-96. Small groups each take a decade from this period and prepare week-long presentations. The presentations cover economics, politics, foreign affairs, technology, sociocultural aspects, and other issues. (MJP)

Discusses the reactions to two empowering styles of teaching introduced into a newly developed interdisciplinary unit in geography and environmental sciences. Peer assessment was embraced more thoroughly than group work which was eventually accepted with some reservations. Includes charts illustrating student reactions to both innovations. (MJP)

Describes cooperative planning and projects with teachers, students, and the library media specialist at an elementary school to help update the library to meet current and future information needs. Highlights include flexible scheduling; resource sharing; classes in library skills; computer technology; and updating the collection to include…

Presents a role-playing activity based on political and legal issues surrounding a mutiny on a Spanish slave ship that landed on U.S. soil in 1839. Includes learning objectives, background information, and role descriptions. Suggests student writing assignments and further research projects. (CFR)

Discusses the 1996 National History Day program and theme: "Taking a Stand in History: Individuals, Groups, Movements." Presents a list of possible student projects. Includes a bibliography of recommended books. (CFR)

Describes a cooperative-learning program jointly developed by computer education and world history teachers in which secondary students create mock newspapers. Asserts that the project fulfilled cross-disciplinary objectives and encouraged critical thinking skills. Includes examples from the student-created newspapers. (CFR)

Describes the MAGIC ME program in which urban middle school students visit and form relationships with the elderly in nursing homes. The importance of meaningful long-term service is demonstrated through anecdotes of the interaction between students and older adults. MAGIC ME has a history of success in many communities. (SLD)

Presents a series of lesson plans for a seventh-grade world studies class. The lessons use the discovery of a 5,300-year-old "iceman" in the Austrian Alps as a starting point for a series of simulated archaeological activities. Includes descriptions and drawings of the iceman's remains and artifacts. (MJP)

This collection of 12 essays focuses on issues surrounding the assessment of competence in higher education, providing examples to illustrate the competence approach in practice in the United Kingdom. They include: (1) "The Assessment of Competence in Higher Education" (Anne Edwards and Peter Knight); (2) "National Vocational…

In fall 1966, Eliot Wigginton took his first teaching job in Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, a semiprivate rural Georgia high school with both local and boarding students. This book is his account of his early struggle to control and interest his students, the genesis and development of the student-produced Foxfire publications, and his views on the…

This report describes a program for increasing student motivation as demonstrated by a higher percentage of completed homework and maximum voluntary class participation. The targeted population consisted of third, sixth, and tenth grade students from low to middle income families located in northern Illinois. The problem of low motivation was…

Recent developments in multimedia and hypermedia have simplified the creation of high-quality presentations so that they are becoming a viable instructional option for both teachers and students. One potential use of integrated media technology is in student-created programs. To demonstrate this point, novice student programmers, who used simple…

To begin to implement a multimedia teaching and learning component in the teacher education curriculum of the University of Wyoming (Laramie), a pilot study was conducted in the summer of 1992 to attempt to identify teaching and learning issues related to computer-enhanced multimedia instructional platforms. Subjects were seven middle school or…