This article describes Project 540, a national civic education program that directly engages high school students in the democratic process. During Project 540's first year (2002-2003) more than 140,000 students in 230 high schools in the United States participated in Project 540 to identify issues they cared about and take part in civic…

Corrugated cardboard is a common material that educators can put to good use in a variety of ways in technology, art, design, science, and other classes. Sometimes, teachers overlook this material, turning instead to more expensive and durable ones when basic cardboard would suffice. In this article, the author describes how the cost of materials…

When the space shuttle "Columbia" was "lost entering the Earth's atmosphere," third graders at the Lamplighter School in Texas became curious about space travel. Using topics of interest and brainstorming exercises based on a presentation by Elaine Scott, author of "Adventures in Space: The Flight to Fix the Hubble,"…

"Curriculum alignment projects, towards developing a need to know", presents an approach to curriculum design that could be considered truly constructive in its format. Successful completion of the project requires students to synthesize a number of concepts that make up the block's learning objectives.

We discuss a recent peer-learning project we undertook as co-conductors of the Young Conservatorium Wind Orchestra at Griffith University. Drawing on current educational theory on peer learning and material from our conducting practice and research, we explore how this approach offers professional conductors the opportunity to work together in an…

The objective of this study was to evaluate grade 9-12 students' motivation while engaged in two different engineering design projects: marble-sorter and bridge designs. The motivation components measured in this study were focused on students' intrinsic (IGO) and extrinsic (EGO) goal orientations, task value (TV), self-efficacy for learning and…

"Developing Dynamic Units for EFL" describes how to develop a thematic unit that integrates skills in context, provides opportunities for learner autonomy, and is project-based and experiential. Planning includes identifying curriculum standards, thinking of a meaningful topic, brainstorming tasks, organizing the activities, and making…

Equipping engineering students with the skills and knowledge required to be successful global engineers in the 21st century is one of the primary objectives of undergraduate educators. Enabling students to practice self-directed learning, to find solutions to design problems that are sustainable and to recognize that they are part of a global…

The purpose of this study was to discover and successfully implement multiple strategies for differentiation that would engage and motivate Talented and Gifted (TAG) learners. Six TAG students from a third grade general education classroom setting participated in this study. Differentiation strategies of a learning style inventory, a project…

Many people believe that art education is important, but few can say exactly why. In this book, are the results of the first in-depth research on the "habits of mind" that are instilled by studying art--habits the authors argue that could have positive impacts on student learning across the curriculum. "Studio Thinking" provides art teachers with…

This article presents a project-based case study that was developed for students with diverse backgrounds and varied inclinations for engaging technical topics. The project, called History Places, requires that student teams develop a vision for a kind of digital library, propose a conceptual model, and use the model to derive a logical model and…

Modern learning approaches increasingly have fewer structured learning activities and more self-directed learning tasks guided through consultation with academics. Such tasks are predominately project-/problem-based where the student is required to follow a freely guided road map to self discovery while simultaneously achieving desired learning…

In this article, the author discusses how some educators are turning to service-learning projects for charitable activities--and helping to foster connections between students and the human beings they aim to serve. The author highlights a program called Kids Can Make a Difference, also known simply as KIDS, as an example of how to turn food…

"Rural education": the phrase conjures up unflattering images of broken blackboards and slates, lackadaisical teachers and students, rote learning and of outdated teaching techniques and suppressed creativity. Yet, these images are completely out of consonance with modern India and a knowledge-based society. This article describes a new…

This paper presents an empirical study of how Second Life (SL) was utilized for a highly successful project-based graduate interdisciplinary communication course. Researchers found that an integrated threefold approach emphasizing project-based pedagogy, technical training and support, and assessment/research was effective in cultivating and…