1999 marks an important milestone when the Malaysian Ministry of Education launched its 3-year pilot Smart Schools Initiative in 87 schools across the country. This study aims to compare the differential perceptions on science learning experience between a group of 383 Form 3 (Year 9 equivalent in the UK) students in two Smart schools and a group…

This phenomenological study sought to identify the attributes of meaningful learning experiences as found in an outdoor education program. Thirteen students in the Wilderness Writing Program at Brigham Young University were the sample of this study. Their participation in outdoor recreational activities and their reflections about their…

The overall aim of this paper is to give an account of action learning in practice. It demonstrates the potential strengths and weaknesses of action learning. The information given is derived from five years in an action learning set. Significant events from within and without the action learning set will be explored using the themes clarifying;…

Life Space Crisis Intervention converts a conflict into a meaningful learning experience for the student by discovering what drives his/her behavior and by defining clear outcome goals. Aggression Replacement Training teaches alternatives to problematic behavior. The collaborative use of ART and LSCI is an effective strategy, specifically in stage…

The admirable ideal of "total" immersion in a foreign culture privileges students who plan early on for foreign study, establish early language fluency and elect majors and activities that make it easier to leave campus. Other students often find that they lack the language skills to qualify for many foreign programs or are unable to reconcile…

This article reports on the performance of reception-aged, home-educated children. Media reports tend to focus on older home-educated children withdrawing from school but very little is known about younger children many of whom have never been to school. This research sought insight into the learning experience of these young children. The study…

Possessing communication-related skills is vital to student success within and beyond college. The utilization of these skills, or being considered socially competent, has been linked to personal, relational, and occupational success. But how do we teach the necessary social skills to today's students? Building on research from education and…

In this article, the authors talk about the action research study they conducted involving literature discussion groups. They observed how students spontaneously took up roles as questioners, as emotional responders, as group facilitators, and as information providers without having been assigned roles in literature circles. They then selected…

Undergraduate science students took an Inquiry course in their second (sophomore) year. The course was designed to explore the social life of scientific knowledge. They were given a set of eight assessment options: personal logs, targeted oral examinations, commentaries, mini-lectures, individual explorations, research proposals, book reviews, and…

E-learning has been an important topic for more than a decade, but the area is still evolving. The increased use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in higher education systems, has major implications for instructors, learners and institutions. Ultimately, the goal, and the very nature of e-learning, is that a continuity of…

This article identifies some of the frustrations felt by a classroom practitioner as a result of the restrictions generated by current demands for accountability, and the limiting effect these can have on children's learning experiences. It goes on to consider the liberating impact of a more organic way of organising the curriculum, which allows…

This paper explores the Web 2.0 ethos with respect to the application of pedagogy within 3D online virtual environments. 3D worlds can create a synthetic experience capturing the essence of "being" in a particular world or context. The AliveX3D platform adopts the Web 2.0 ethos and applies it to online 3D virtual environment forming a Web…

Active-learning labs for two topics in high school biology were developed through the collaboration of high school teachers and university faculty and staff and were administered to 408 high school students in six classrooms. The content of instruction and testing was guided by State of Texas science objectives. Detailed teacher records describing…

The ability to successfully conduct specialized conversations in stressful situations is an essential part of professional competence in a number of subject areas; however, there are few opportunities for students to practice the required skills in a realistic environment. The McGill Negotiation Simulator project was established to investigate the…

In this chapter, a Canadian high school teacher describes a senior English independent study program requiring that each student become involved in a topic through experience. From previous teaching experiences, the teacher realized that the curriculum was secondary to the method of delivery, that learning happened when a teacher instilled in…