Presents activities that utilize balloons to encourage students to explore questions related to scientific concepts. Concepts explored include light, heat, charged ions, polarization, and the sense of smell. (MDH)

Argues current social studies reform movement raises false dichotomy between those who would emphasize content of history geography and those who would focus on critical thinking or information processing skills. Contends real goal of social studies should be practical citizenship competencies/participation. Concludes that teachers should create…

Presents a method for initiating discovery learning in early childhood classrooms through the study of ants. Children read about ants, record observations, and conduct experiments. This method teaches children to explore the environment, organize activities, seek resources, and engage in scientific inquiry. Examples of children's work are…

Input from constructivist scholars and science teachers helps develop future biologists and biology teachers who better understand scientific investigation through their development and use of investigative software, as well as through laboratory and field activities. (SM)

Project SEED is a successful program that teaches elementary school students advanced math. Specialists conduct 45-minute lessons, asking questions designed to help students discover mathematical logic. Students respond with a system of SEED hand signals which allow everyone to participate and be monitored at once. (SM)

This study examined maternal contributions to development of spontaneous mastery in 30 toddlers with and 31 without cerebral palsy. Mothers in the 2 groups did not differ in the quality and appropriateness of interactions with their children. Maternal involvement was found to contribute significantly to both spontaneous mastery and developmental…

A 14-year-old Brazilian boy in the fourth grade was given 170 problems orally, each asking for the sum of 2 2-digit numbers. Responses indicated he had invented his own algorithm for addition, similar to the school one, based largely on his experiences with money. (Contains 13 references.) (JAF)

Discusses an activity using lined paper and rulers to discover and prove the triangle proportionality theorem. (MKR)

Describes the learning-cycle inquiry model and applies it to a history lesson on the problems and conflicts leading to World War I. Describes how students tackle a teacher-created problematic situation by conceptualizing questions, constructing hypotheses, and reaching consensus on solutions; debate their proposed solutions with the class; and…

Describes a natural science course designed to teach students that nature is nearby rather than somewhere else. Students learn about local flora and fauna, track the weather, and closely monitor the progression of the seasons. The course uses no textbook, regularly uses the outdoors as a classroom, and follows the seasons' phenology as the…

Teaching must allow teachers to learn from students' learning. Anna Freud's approach emphasizes the psychoanalytical concept of transference. The paper describes the logic behind an undergraduate foundations of education course that examined whether study of the self studying education could create new conditions of learning and creating…

Discusses the thoughtful selection and organization of multi-use, multi-sensory items that hold their appeal as children grow, or that satisfy the interests of mixed-age groups. Suggestions include using real tools, pots and pans, and recycled food containers, as well as "wild" outdoor areas and learning or activity centers. (TJQ)

Recommends that middle school teachers try an inquiry approach in Earth science. Describes guiding the inquiry, formulating the problem statement, and establishing the rules for inquiry. (DDR)

Reviews psychological research on learning by doing, noting the role that learning-by-doing can play in education and training. Discusses how one University of Pittsburgh professor/researcher and his colleagues and students implemented this approach and describes lessons learned from the experience, explaining how improved forms of…

Describes a study performed in a microbial physiology course to increase students' self awareness of their misconceptions, promote sound research techniques, develop written and oral communication skills, stimulate metacognition, and improve team work and interpersonal relationship skills. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/YDS)