This digest discusses two prominent definitions of learning styles, describes studies that have found differences between the learning styles of American Indian/Alaska Native students and students of other cultural groups, and presents instructional interventions stemming from learning styles research. The research literature on learning styles…

Citizen engagement is important for preserving a prosperous democracy and keeping elected officials accountable to their constituents. New issues affecting rural citizens are causing communities to reframe and ask new planning questions. Two approaches to citizen engagement are asset mapping, in which communities focus on their strengths and…

This practicum was designed to improve the speech reading skills of mainstreamed elementary students with hearing impairments in their school environments. A 3-month one-on-one comprehensive speech reading program utilized analytical, synthetic, and holistic approaches, incorporated communication and language instruction with videotaping and…

To decrease negative behaviors in American Indian/Alaska Native students, teachers should help children understand, care about, and act upon core virtues such as courage, generosity, humility, honesty, fortitude, and patience. Integrating core virtues throughout the curriculum through stories, class discussions, role-playing, and critical…

Based on a database of over 500 resources, this paper explores the educational alternatives that exist today between the cracks of mainstream education and culture. It presents information about the growing numbers of schools and education centers that call themselves learner-centered, progressive, and/or holistic. Sources of data for this summary…

Peace Corps volunteers are perceived as role models, technical specialists, teachers, counselors, heroes, and friends. This idea book shares specific ideas and frameworks for transferring the potential for positive guidance into classrooms and communities around the world. It concentrates on activities and strategies that increase girls' access…

Dance education offers a vehicle for holistic teaching that cultivates human characteristics needed for future society. Dance integrates mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of education. As part of the teacher education curriculum, it can contribute the link necessary for a holistic philosophy. (Author/PP)

Foreign language learning/acquisition is a highly complex intellectual-psychic/physical-social integration process that is different for each individual. Cognitive and affective emphases for language acquisition are discussed, along with changes in the student-teacher relationship and implications for teacher education. (Authors/PP)

Emphasis on family medicine has resulted in three problems: definition, discrepancies between objectives and practice, and the lack of a specialized body of knowledge. Training should concentrate on simple but more effective goals, enhanced compassion and empathy, and improved communication skills, understanding of emotional needs, and counseling…

A mature understanding of the natural world requires experiential learning. Significant experience provides a constant source of values and understanding. Experiential learning is a holistic process, where conceptual, linguistic and perceptual elements are blended with direct impressions of the environment. Experiential knowing is not fixed but is…

Pros and cons of making behavior change a primary objective of health education are summarized. The individual's right to choose his/her lifestyle is emphasized; health educators are encouraged to use holistic approaches to health education, emphasizing not only physical consequences of behavior but emotional and social factors as well. (PP)

A comparison of the philosophies and pedagogies of Waldorf and Montessori schools points out that no single educational perspective can encompass all possibilities of human growth. Educators should attend to the "seed qualities" of alternative educational philosophies rather than their dogmas. A caring relationship between teachers and students is…

Revitalization of the Nishinaabeg language started in 1998 with the development of language materials. A committee on Nishinaabemwin orthography advised on the development of the text and writing system. Teaching methods follow the four parts of Medicine Wheel teachings: spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental. An interactive hockey game and a…

Outdoor education should broaden its scope beyond outdoor activities to include education for sustainability. Provides practical ideas for incorporating holistic environmental awareness into programs by exploring the concepts of connection and consequence with such basic elements as water, air, food, shelter, darkness, solitude, time, and nature.…

The second in three-part series on how the principals in 10 low-performing/high-poverty schools met the challenge of Florida's 1999 high-stakes testing and accountability initiative. Examines the challenges principals faced in trying to build organizational capacity from three perspectives: principals' beliefs and values, "it takes a whole…