Describes the use of small sandboxes with toy figures as an activity that helps children cope with the emotional upheaval in their lives. (HTH)

Constructivism, which holds that knowledge is created out of each individual's own experience, is recapturing researchers' attention. To constructivists, teachers are not omniscient oracles, but nutritionists providing an environment for children to grow their own knowledge. Students might learn division by planning a field trip instead of…

This study focused on students' development of inquiry skills in a computerized learning environment. Seven Year-11 classes (n=120) interacted with a computerized database, "Birds of Antarctica," and curriculum materials while the teacher used an inquiry approach to learning. Students perceived their classes as more investigative and…

Gives an example of an open exploration using trigonometric relationships in which the law of cosines can be deduced from the law of sines. Discusses the characteristics and value of the exploration process. (MDH)

Computational environments that provide integrated numeric, symbolic, and graphical capabilities provide new opportunities for laboratories in Numerical Analysis. Hermite interpolation is one topic that can benefit from such an environment. Describes a laboratory session using Mathematica that allows students to actively experience Hermite…

An open-ended data-analysis activity, prompted by a Royal Mail advertisement, explores the claim that the real cost of first class postage has fallen below the inflation rate. The activity provides realistic exercises in both arithmetic and statistical indices, and in logical interpretation of, and deduction from, the data. (JJK)

Reexamines basic aspects of creativity enumerated by Viktor Lowenfeld and shows how goals of art education have varied with time and social needs. Argues that interdisciplinary approach to learning, which involves seeing connections and realizing that all knowledge is one and whole, is what education is all about. Concludes that such approach was…

Presents the game "Life91," an adaptation of Conway's "The Game of Life." Played on a hexagonal board, the game generates number patterns of population size by rules that determine cell growth and death from one generation to another. An example illustrates the process. (MDH)

This article presents a rationale for emphasizing discovery instruction over guided instruction in teaching cane travel skills to people with severe visual impairments. Discovery instruction is seen to facilitate the use of intrinsic feedback in developing perceptual-cognitive skills as well as promoting problem solving, retention, and transfer of…

Described are two examples involving recursive mathematical sequences designed to integrate a holistic approach to learning algebra. These examples promote pattern recognition with algebraic justification, full class participation, and mathematical values that can be transferred to other situations. (MDH)

Twenty-six junior high school students with learning disabilities studied two science units via an activity-based, inquiry-oriented approach or a textbook approach. Students performed higher on immediate and delayed unit tests when they had learned by the inquiry approach, and reported a preference for this approach. Vocabulary acquisition was…

Recommends using an activity-based approach to art history similar to that of the "new social studies" movement of the 1960s. Provides suggestions for activities related to art criticism, style, and inductive learning. Concludes that student activities can help integrate art history and studio art in art education programs. (CFR)

Presents an analysis of the question in the title which involves a discussion of fractions, number theory, and probability through modeling, exploring, and other mathematical connections. (MKR)

Discusses changes made in instructional strategies by an experienced teacher as a result of participation in an inservice training program. Compares two instructional approaches to the same geography lesson. Concludes that the inquiry approach provides more opportunities for students to apply intellectual skills than expository instruction. (CFR)

Describes a unit on magnetism that utilizes hands-on activities in which students make hypotheses for discrepant behavior, discover whether a magnet attracts one object through another, measure the strength of magnets, explore levitating paper clips, and play a game dependent on magnetic attraction. (MDH)