Initiatives in education reform emphasize inquiry-based active learning and real-world relevance to increase science literacy nationwide. Active teaching and learning approaches yield rapid intellectual development and may increase interest and motivation to learn science. Incorporating the topic of drug use with neuroscience, biology, psychology,…

A posttest only control group design was used to investigate the effects of two programs to teach firearm injury prevention skills to second and third grade children. Children were taught the safety skills "Stop. Don't touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult." should they ever find a firearm. The effectiveness of the National Rifle Association's…

In order to achieve its goals, the Social Studies course should convey social events, which took place within or out of the school context, into the classroom environment. Current events can be very beneficial so as to transfer the social events into classroom environment in the Social Studies courses. In this study, semi structured interview…

This paper describes a process-oriented approach to teaching ethical dilemmas to graduate social work students. The authors examine related empirical data and use classroom vignettes to illustrate their teaching methods. Several ethical dilemmas in different phases of clinical practice will be presented, including gift giving and receiving,…

This article presents the results of a three-year study of "Gamestar Mechanic" (www.gamestarmechanic.com), a flash-based multiplayer online role-playing game developed for the MacArthur Foundation's digital media learning initiative by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Gamelab in New York. The game's objective is to help children…

Background: Most policy doctrines promote the use of scientific inquiry in the K-12 classroom, but good inquiry is hard to implement, particularly for schools with fiscal and safety constraints and for teachers struggling with understanding how to do so. Purpose: In this paper, we present the design of a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE)…

Background: Many of the potential benefits of using virtual worlds for teaching and learning are difficult to define and often become overly focused on the functionality of the technology or on its ability to support informal or "social" forms of learning. Purpose: The aim of the paper is to highlight the experiential nature of virtual…

This paper presents a study that used narrative inquiry to explore staff experiences of learning and teaching in immersive worlds. The findings introduced issues relating to identity play, the relationship between pedagogy and play and the ways in which learning, play and fun were managed (or not). At the same time there was a sense of imposed or…

The first author recruited parent-adolescent dyads (N = 192) into after-school prevention education groups at middle schools in southeast Texas. This author placed participants in either (1) an Interactive Program (IP) in which they role-played, practiced resistance skills, and held parent-child discussions or (2) an Attention Control Program…

This paper contends that role playing can be effective in enabling students to explore human relations problems. The benefits of role play are outlined. Role playing models are demonstrated, and an exercise to develop skills and to explore feelings, attitudes, values, and problem-solving strategies is presented. Use of role play with a Year Ten…

This teacher resource manual for 3rd-and 4th-grade student's uses a wide variety of instructional activities for teaching economics education. The activities include role playing in small groups, producing bookmarks, and making decisions. Students are given the opportunity to interview adults, perform services for their families, do independent…

The 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas has raised a debate over how historians and teachers should portray this moment in history. Some view Columbus as a hero whose courage helped to provide a foundation for modern civilization in the Americas, while others see him as a villain who exploited indigenous people and…

A study (one of a series) sought to identify interpersonal events related to implicit communication. Implicit communication is defined as nonverbal behavior which serves to transmit "subintended" information. The study explored whether interpersonal roles which account for part of the process of nonverbal communication (and which were…

Elementary school teachers are introduced to role playing as a device for encouraging students to understand and empathize with other people's attitudes, values, and feelings. Two approaches to classroom role playing are discussed. The first, set forth by Schaftel, includes the following steps: warming up, selecting role players, setting the…

Research is cited which indicates that subjects who are induced to express attitudes opposed to their true opinions will, under some conditions, come to modify their opinions in the direction of what they have said. (Editor)