Highlights developments in technology related to instruction. States that social studies educators can reverse the low priority of technology by increasing the awareness of technology applications and engaging a dialogue on the social consequences of technology trends. Discusses five themes to include in K-12 social studies. (CMK)

Discusses the benefits of collaborative writing in a writing workshop and the value of a social cognitive approach to learning for middle school students. Examines a taped collaborative writing workshop to demonstrate themes of using exploratory talk to stimulate thinking, promoting conceptual understanding, internalizing language to gain…

Arranges a literature class to create a reading community in the classroom--chairs in a circle, journal reading aloud, and frequent small group activities. Suggests choosing a literary work with at least three to four developed characters for use in a participatory talk show format so that students can engage with a literary text "from the…

Examines preservice teachers' exchange of dialogue journals with sixth graders. Finds that preservice teachers experienced the value of journal-based written and oral discourse activities for understanding and fostering both their own social and academic development and that of their younger partners. (PA)

Presents an instructional resource appropriate for fourth- to eight-graders focusing on four artworks that depict the story of U.S. landscape painting and the influences of technological change. Includes background information about the authors and artworks, discussion questions, an exercise that allows students to study the artwork, and suggested…

Describes an exercise where students examine their perceptions of normative developmental patterns in life domains across an adult life span. Explains that the activity aims at eliminating the myth of a single prime of life. Discusses the post-exercise discussion and student evaluations of the exercise. (CMK)

Discusses online teaching and distance education and considers philosophical principles that offer a foundation for the online teaching and learning process. Topics include the teacher's role; creating a class syllabus; moderating online discussions; authentic assessment; and critical thinking. (Author/LRW)

Describes a Web-based tool, WebGuide, being developed to mediate and structure collaborative learning. This software uses an innovative mechanism to define a flexible system of perspectives on a shared knowledge construction space. WebGuide provides an electronic and persistent workspace for individuals and teams to develop and share distinctive…

Describes a study that investigated project-based learning that included role plays, discussions, and simulations in graduate-level Web-based courses. Highlights include a theoretical framework; characteristics of activities that enable students to meet learning objectives; strategies that student facilitators and student participants use to…

Explores "type 3" online educational discussions, in which instructors create an online learning community (OLC) via a threaded discussion that allows students to collect, evaluate, and create their own learning strategies. States that through the OLC, students construct their own understanding of how learning strategies work. (NB)

Provides historical information on the life of Sally Tompkins who received a commission as captain in the Confederate cavalry for her work at the Robertson Hospital (Richmond, Virginia) during the Civil War. Includes learning activities, a copy of her obituary, a photograph of the Sally Tompkins monument, and a photograph analysis worksheet. (CMK)

Believes that the key to teaching is viewing students as great learners, not as the teacher being a great teacher. Reflects on the experience of teaching and relates the teaching style and approaches used by the author in the classroom. (CMK)

Presents a lesson in which students learn about the different types of marriage migration. Focuses on the influences of demographics, politics, and economics in encouraging marriage migration and how the reasons for marriage have changed. Offers four primary sources by members of four different ethnic groups and three different time periods. (CMK)

Investigates undergraduate students' development and sociological learning by comparing two classes of students enrolled in a Race and Ethnic Relations course in which one section utilized service learning and the other was a lecture-discussion course with experiential exercises. Reports that service learning improved student learning in areas…

Presents a lesson for middle and secondary school students in which they respond to a hypothetical scenario that enables them to develop a list of basic rights. Expounds that students compare their list of rights to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in order to explore the assumptions about human rights. (CMK)