Guided by contextual and constructivist perspectives, this study situates museum-going in the everyday lives of children, exploring how children perceive their experiences in museums in relationship to the other places they visit. Children were divided in their designations of museums as fun, boring, or a combination of the two. (LZ)

Suggests that schools implementing a literature-based, holistic language arts philosophy must be ready to support it with inservice education. Describes program design, procedures to engage teacher interest, and inservice sessions that were part of a suburban Cleveland, Ohio school's program. Concludes that, if done properly, such programs enrich…

Discussion of educational systems design describes four systems levels that can be emphasized: learning experience, instructional, administration, and governance levels. Factors to be considered in selecting a focus level and the implications of focusing on the learning experience level are discussed; and a table comparing instructional and…

Outlines intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental benefits of the small-group wilderness experience. Discusses barriers to providing school children with wilderness and outdoor adventure experiences: concerns about possible litigation, lack of professional outdoor leadership, perceptions of the experience as a vacation from the classroom,…

Dissatisfied with mandated standardized assessment modes, an Illinois elementary school began an alternative assessment program incorporating Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. The assessment process became more meaningful through using learning experience forms and "portfolio evenings," in which children present their…

Challenges misconceptions suggesting that outdoor and adventure experiences lead participants to advocate protection of natural areas, to value aesthetic experiences, to appreciate and understand the environment more deeply, to develop a spiritual relationship with the natural world, and to fight for environmental causes. (LP)

States that educators should be concerned to involve all students in collaborative talk about tasks that are student-owned and inquiry-oriented and which integrate talking with thinking, doing, reading, and writing to engage with topics and texts that both students and teachers find meaningful and significant. (MG)

Discusses the origins and limitations of the rites of passage model; the types of outdoor education courses the rites of passage and its notion of transformation can inform; and how neglecting the third stage of the model, "reincorporation," limits the longevity of transformations. Outlines the elements needed to successfully bring the…

Exposing today's students to a balance of science and the outside world is critical. The outdoors provides a context for practical applications of science, exposing the relevance of science to everyday life. Outdoor education instills an awareness that the health of the environment is directly coupled with our own health, enabling us to make…

A survey of 447 visitors to a Kansas zoo examined adult visitors' motivations for themselves and companions. In another survey, 118 zoo educators nationwide predicted visitor responses. Educators' predictions were fairly good for visitors' educational and recreational motives for attendance, less accurate for their social orientation, and poor…

Virtual tours delivered via the Web have become a common tool for both instruction and outreach. This article is a case study of the creation of a virtual tour for a university library and is intended to provide others interested in creating a virtual tour of their library the opportunity to learn from the mistakes and successes of fellow…

Traditionally, novice programmers have had difficulties in three distinct areas: breaking down a given problem, designing a workable solution, and debugging the resulting program. Many programming environments, software applications, and teaching tools have been developed to address the difficulties faced by these novices. Along with advancements…

This article explores connections among leading, teaching, and learning using data from a qualitative/quantitative study of 81 exemplary secondary school teachers in the United States. The teachers' emphasis on learning--for themselves, students, and others--appears to underpin their leadership choices within six major areas of influence:…

Creating the "comprehensive musician" has been discussed by music educators for many years. While its definition varies, essentially comprehensive musicianship is a means of engaging students in musical learning with a goal of creating greater independence. This can be accomplished by creating a rehearsal setting in which performance and…

The purpose of the study was to determine the effective leadership characteristics of graduate students working in a collaborative setting. A secondary goal was to develop recommendations that will help faculty better utilize group collaboration as a learning experience for graduate students. Data consisted of interviews of graduate students who…