Discusses an interactive approach to teaching a year-long, holistic introductory course that integrates anthropology with sociology. The course incorporates a number of specific techniques for eliciting student participation and is premised on the philosophy that mental engagement is especially appropriate in sciences that deal with reflexive…

Describes study conducted at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto that investigated graduate education students' use of audio conferencing (AC) in distance education. Evaluation results of student questionnaires are discussed, including effects of absence of visual cues; student attitudes; and role of…

Describes a study that investigated the effects of using different forms of computer-based feedback on high school students' learning of science material. Hypotheses tested are discussed, five feedback conditions are described, posttests are explained, and results are discussed in terms of the information processing effects of different feedback…

Describes a lesson on pseudoscience for a teaching methods course that promotes active student participation, is not a laboratory activity, and follows the sequence of the three phases associated with the learning cycle model. Contains a true-false science questionnaire to be administered to students as a bridge to discussion. (PR)

Five experiments examined children's use of eye gaze information for inferring another person's desire. Found that 4-year olds used another's eye direction to infer desires, while 3-year olds could use other nonverbal cues. Two- and 3-year olds used eye gaze for desire inference when presented dynamically with other scaffolding cues. When…

The ultimate learning environment is the Internet itself. Digital media are helping educators and students shift from linear to hypermedia learning; from instruction to construction and discovery; from teacher- to learner-centered education; from absorbing to synthesizing material; and from school-time to customized lifelong learning. (MLH)

A study used focus groups to allow students, general-dentistry residents, and dental faculty to discuss issues related to learning to use touch in dental treatment. Analysis of group interactions indicated that learning to touch dental patients was often trial-and-error, and uncomfortable for students. A fine line exists between preventing…

Describes school-reform efforts in Anderson Community Schools (Anderson, Indiana) that are partnering schools, parents, and the community so students have the education and training to perform jobs needed in the future. Discusses the need for change, collaboration, the use of technology, and new models for learning. (LRW)

Reports on a study that examined undergraduate student pairs carrying out an electronic discussion task in a synchronous computer mediated communication system. Discusses collaborative argumentation; focusing; knowledge construction; learning processes; comparative analyses of dialog between tutor and student; and peer coaching. (Contains 33…

Analyzes data on the acquisition of German by Italian and Spanish speakers. Findings reveal that children learning a first language and adults learning a second language build up syntactic structure in much the same manner, and propose that the weak continuity approach of language acquisition accounts for all instances of syntactic acquisition.…

Examines the generalizability of claims about the implicit learning of artificial grammars to the context of adult second-language acquisition (SLA). Specifically addressed are claims that implicit learning is more effective than explicit learning when the stimulus domain is complex, and explicit learning of simple and complex stimulus domains is…

Investigated development of ability to recognize, anticipate, and plan the replay of recorded action sequences. Effects of an educational intervention on this ability were evaluated for two- to five-year olds. Results suggest that representational competence is a teachable concept and that a complex mediating structure allows children to…

Describes a study that investigated how to teach computer skills to undergraduate female novice users through the design of an instructional manual that facilitated learning computer skills and increased computer self-efficacy by using familiar analogies. Treatment of the experimental and control groups is explained, and measurement techniques are…

Focuses on the implementation and development of a pioneering action research project in a Sino-British English program. The article describes the project's goal to introduce the notion of action research into China, to encourage reflective teaching and classroom research among trainee teachers, and to bridge the theories studied with classroom…

A college professor describes the interracial dialog in a master's-level class on race and racism, based on a diary kept during the course. Discussions focused on different races and the stereotypes, prejudices, expectations, and needs of each group. It is concluded that students may not have enough opportunity to engage in such exchanges. (MSE)