Notes that guided participation is not a new instructional technique, and that "apprenticeship" best illustrates the concept. Cites as key how teachers create a context for active participation in socially constituted practices. Points out that accent is on relationships, not individuals, shifting attention to learning experiences with a…

Describes how storytelling can be used for reflective learning purposes. Explores the context in which storytelling occurs and identifies the characteristics that shape the process: setting, number of listeners, and type of story. Demonstrates how storytellers can mix these characteristics, which are translated into eight storytelling pathways,…

Three interviews each with five people who had articulated a life mission and analysis of their journals delineated the relationship of life mission to self-directed and transformative learning. New learning experiences refocus mission. The stronger and more focused the mission, the stronger and more focused the learner's self-direction. (SK)

The price of a university education has increased over the years. As a result, students often graduate with thousands of dollars of debt. Conducting research or developing class projects that require personal expenditures can be overwhelming, if not impossible. Participation in research and in developing projects can enhance a student's…

Teacher educators have argued for the use of case study as a pedagogical focus of teacher education. Yet, to understand the advantages and limitations of case study as curriculum, we need a clearer understanding of the nature of cases. What can we learn from looking at the use of cases in the education of other professionals? How can the learning…

Once in a while in a long teaching career, there appears, with a crooked smile and a mischievous glint in the eye, a living reminder of why you became a teacher. These are the children who teach you more than you teach them. And they live in your stories and in your heart long after the echoes of their laughter have faded from the classroom. It is…

Embarking upon a programme of distance study can be bewildering for students and the experience compounded by apprehension and uncertainties. Induction is a way of easing the transition and helping students to become effective distance learners so that they can progress successfully through their studies. The purpose of this research was to enable…

Informal learning refers to "science learning that occurs outside the traditional, formal schooling realm." Sites such as museums, zoos, aquariums, parks, science centers, planetariums, the school yard, and others all have the potential to shape young people's minds. Parents might see a day at the beach as a recreational opportunity while biology…

Currently, considerable difference exists between learning experiences for school administrators at the pre-service and in-service stages in their careers. Individuals aspiring to formal school leadership roles participate in learning experiences that are part of university-based administrator preparation programs. Those already serving in…

In this, the first of a series of short essays which explore the unique ethos embraced and advanced by different Christian denominations in their schools, Andreasen argues the necessity of Christian colleges and universities offering their students a unique, distinctive Christian perspective throughout their learning experience rather than some…

Inspired by the work of John Falk and Lynn Dierking, this article examines the characteristics of museum visitors and their museum experiences in order to provide recommendations for more meaningful learning experiences for future visitors. A recent shifting agenda in museum missions is discussed in respect to its visitors according to the…

Many online courses fail to promote the active construction of student knowledge or camaraderie among student peers. Accordingly, online course designers and instructors are challenged to promote purposeful peer student dialogue and establish a sense of belonging where all learners perceive themselves as stakeholders in the course community.…

To prepare teachers for implementing an integrated curriculum, the University of Louisiana at Monroe conducted a program of professional development for teachers called Integrating Instruction through Inquiry, or I[3] for short. The program provided teacher teams with insight into what scientific inquiry is really all about, while helping them…

The present paper reviews a set of studies designed to investigate different aspects of the capacity for processing Western music. This includes perceiving the relationships between a theme and its variations, perceiving musical tensions and relaxations, generating musical expectancies, integrating local structures in large-scale structures,…

The Chinese Value of Learning Scale (CVLS) is a 5-item instrument for assessing the value of learning in Chinese culture. The psychometric properties of CVLS were investigated in a convenient sample of 583 Chinese soon-to-be-aged adults in Hong Kong. CVLS possesses high internal consistency and exhibited satisfactory short-term test-retest…