Describes a method for promoting student interest and involvement in an undergraduate marriage and family course. Supplements lectures with problem-solving sessions for small groups. Uses session outcomes to encourage critical evaluation by the class. Combines the traditional scholarly approach with an interactive personal involvement. (NL)

Provides a structure for inquiry into human nature and ways to perceive and control behavior. Promotes understanding of political systems, explaining they are based on beliefs about human nature. Outlines activities in which students write position papers and debate the issues. Includes questions for classroom discussions and handouts. (NL)

Experiments with active and cooperative learning techniques designed to develop critical thinking and writing skills in large introductory level sociology courses. Finds debate and essay writing effectively modify students' opinions on social issues and help students develop these skills. Notes ethical issues involved in teaching critical…

Suggests effective music instruction helps children use extramusical analogies to describe what they hear. Introduces music vocabulary, and asks questions that guide students to complete musical descriptions. Claims meaningful description is the result of training that is focused on developing listening skills. (NL)

It is argued that there is an urgent need to teach college students to recognize and think critically about moral issues. The existential dimension of this education is examined, and two methods of teaching values are discussed: systematic use of small group discussion, and use of fictional films and literature. (MSE)

High school mathematics project in which students interviewed guest speakers about the mathematics used in their jobs. Students wrote five real world problems based on the mathematics used by the person interviewed. The class worked through the problems and found that estimation was often a helpful strategy. (PDD)

Maintains that three curriculum goals (understanding, appreciation, and life application) lie at the core of constructivist teaching and should guide methods of assessment. Authentic assessment techniques could include the evaluation of students' written positions on important issues, descriptions of what they have learned, and student portfolios.…

Using data from a national study of instructional practices in 7th- through 8th-grade science classes, this study examined a subset of Christian school teachers to determine what instructional practices predominated in Christian-school science classes. Results indicated that participants used 10 teaching methods (six constructivist and four…

Undergraduate students and recent graduates of an urban teacher education program met regularly to discuss becoming reflective, effective teachers. Qualitative analysis of conversations highlighted the complex learning involved in teaching and factors in teacher education and schools that supported and hindered new teachers' work. The study…

Stresses the need for music educators to ask questions that promote higher-level thinking in their students. Provides a flowchart to help teachers organize their lessons and present graphically the ways to construct effective questions. Explains each of the six sections of the flowchart in detail. (CMK)

Examines how lower-track science students understand shifts in standard classroom discourse patterns. Finds that students insert struggles for social status into classroom arguments about scientific ideas, making it difficult to separate in a group discussion whether evidence or the social politics of the class convinces students to accept an…

A non-science undergraduate course provided an opportunity for constructivist design, (i.e., provide learners with personal control, authentic learning contexts and diverse personal interactions including collaboration) using the World Wide Web, e-mail, and video. Describes the course design, implementation, and evaluation. Concludes authentic…

Family deficiencies are driving today's youth to search for unconditional love. The cultural denigration of love has become an unrecognized school problem. By using literature and personal writings that portray responsible loving, English teachers can help students overcome indifference to learning and create moral criticisms that are relevant to…

Reviews four case studies that stimulate classroom discussion of critical ethical issues faced by teachers. Avoids some of the pitfalls of the case study method by including variations for each case and by highlighting the relevant principles of perceived justice. Includes counter arguments and commentaries for each case. (MJP)

Describes two projects--CyberFair and Community Share--in which schools share resources, establish partnerships, and students work together to publish information about their communities on the Internet. Discusses learning objectives, classroom discussion, student research, educational benefits, peer review, and announcing contest winners.…