The chances of lightning striking twice are infinitesimal, at best. What are the odds, in middle age, of being struck with a jarring bolt of figurative lightning, then a few months later being an eyewitness as the same sizzle in the sky jolts a group of students--those decision-makers of tomorrow? The author describes two experiences that proved…

The Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees has decided to combine two small state colleges--Lyndon State College and Johnson State College--that have been the access institutions for the northern and often most economically challenged region of Vermont. Northern Vermont University will result from the unification. The unification will multiply…

This study is a phenomenological portraiture of an adventurer that explores the meanings of the adventure experience. Through interview and observation, I reveal four thematic meanings of the adventure experience for the research participant: solitude and camaraderie; escape; challenge; and living life. The implications of these findings for…

Early childhood teacher preparation programs play a critical role in preparing teachers to work with young children, yet the field knows relatively little about how these programs carry out this important function. The culminating classroom-based experience, generally termed "student teaching," is an important component in teacher…

This article examines the practical difficulties encountered when a renewed curriculum is implemented in higher education. Attention has been given in the literature to the importance of coherent curriculum and approaches to curriculum design. Less attention has been paid to whether the renewed curriculum can be faithfully implemented within a…

Whether you teach elementary school students, secondary school students, or college students, you can include upcycling activities in your class to promote both design skills and an environmental ethic. This article shares how a teacher at one school is doing just this, providing suggestions for those who have different material processing…

The ability to conduct interdisciplinary research is crucial to address complex real-world problems that require the collaboration of different scientific fields, with global warming being a case in point. To produce integrated climate-related knowledge, climate researchers should be trained early on to work across boundaries and gain an…

While there is no single profile of the adult learner in the 21st century, there exists a common desire to obtain a degree in higher education. Adult learners as a group are comprised of a large number of women and individuals from various racial/ethnic groups. In addition, they often possess varied learning styles and maintain multiple roles and…

Traditional professional development lacks the creative, experiential, and differentiated learning needs of 21st-century teachers. Although some studies examine pre-service training, many in-service teachers' learning needs are not met during school professional development due to the passive learning environment. Traditional professional…

The purpose of this study is to illustrate that travel as experiential education, though not always obvious, often has political or cultural intent or ramifications. Objectives such as promoting cosmopolitanism, nationalism and imperialism, and colonialism may then become obvious by examination of various experiential education travel programs,…

This paper reports on a study of 3rd-grade students' modeling with data, which involves comprehensive investigations that draw upon STEM-based concepts, contexts, and questions, and generate products supported by evidence and open to informal inferential thinking. Within a real-world STEM-based context of licorice manufacturing, students…

This study examined sports communications curricula at 30 accredited institutions. Using qualitative content analysis, research showed that many programs promote experiential learning opportunities in their curriculum. However, it is unclear how many hands-on opportunities are utilized with student media and other outlets. Further analysis of…

This mixed methods study was designed to uncover evidence of change to mental models about organizational systems resulting from participation in a simulation game that is based on a system dynamics model. Thirty participants in a 2 day experiential workshop completed a pretest and posttest to assess learning about particular systems concepts.…

With the new era of higher education centered on reshaping curricula in community colleges, educators and researchers are left with the task to develop innovative ways to keep students focused. The perceived best practices to educate students are always changing and with the millennial generation geared more towards participatory and hands on…

In this article, two university professors describe how field-based experiences for preservice elementary teachers in literacy methods courses were adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of completing conventional field experiences and classroom observations, the preservice teachers served as adult helpers for virtual learning at a school…