This paper describes the early childhood teacher training program and the role of the Project Approach in the final practicum for student teachers in the Lisbon School of Education, Portugal. Student teachers, cooperating teachers, university supervisors, and instructors of teaching methods worked together to involve young children in interesting…

"Reinventing Project-Based Learning" offers educators an accessible guide for maximizing the benefits of project-based learning in today's technology-rich learning environment. This reader-friendly book speaks directly to educators, administrators, and professional development specialists who want to transform learning into a more active,…

In recent years project-based learning (PBL) incorporating online discussions has gradually been applied to courses that focus on writing projects. Past studies have shown that learners in PBL often face the difficulties of not having in-depth data analysis and peer discussions and how teachers design the rules and methods for online discussions…

The general aim of this research is to determine the teachers' opinions on students' higher order thinking skills according to primary school stages, and developed, underdeveloped, suburb and rural regions where the schools are located. The issues related to students' higher order thinking skills covered in this research are as follows: project…

Recent educational research from a socio-cognitive perspective has validated students' collaborative engagement with new technologies and heightened understanding of influential factors shaping the effectiveness of peer interactions, learning contexts and computer interfaces for enhancing learning. This paper focuses on an analysis of the…

The MicroObservatory network of five online telescopes has been used by middle and high school students, their teachers, and the public in all 50 states to carry out a wide variety of inquiry-driven projects. From an analysis of 475 student projects and other data, we report substantial gains in students' conceptual understanding of what…

Citizenship education (CE) is a recent innovation within the National Curriculum in England, key aspects of which have a clear relevance to the "Every Child Matters" (ECM) agenda. Both CE and ECM strongly articulate a commitment to democratic principles and express a concern over children's perspectives being taken into account in order…

Erick Gordon, founding director of the Student Press Initiative, illustrates collaborations with teachers and students that have motivated students to invest themselves in the process and product of writing, including research, oral history, revision, and an immersion in and commitment to community.

This book shows how project work can be used in open and flexible learning. It is divided into three sections. Section A provides background on the use of project work in education and training. Chapter 1 introduces the features that characterize project work and related activities. Chapter 2 examines the varieties of project work and provides…

The California Freshwater Shrimp Project is an example of a student-initiated, eco-action project. Students, from a fourth grade class in the Ross Valley School District in San Rafael, California, were linked to their community and environment through their work in rehabilitating habitat and educating the public. The paper gives an overview of a…

This paper describes one Florida school's experience with the Model Technology Schools (MTS) pilot program, and proposes a poetry curriculum for K-12 education that incorporates laserdisc technology for student presentations. Webster Elementary School in St. Augustine was the smallest of five schools chosen for the MTS program to demonstrate the…

Secondary computer science teachers who attended a special institute took part in a coordinated team software development exercise. The exercise was intended to provide experiences with collaborative learning in computer science, particularly to provide project design experiences and to allow students to practice new methodologies that could be…

Computational science includes the use of computer-based modeling and simulation to define and test theories about scientific phenomena. The challenge for educators is to develop techniques for implementing computational science in the classroom. This paper reviews some previous work on the use of simulation alone (without modeling), modeling…

This resource handbook provides a brief overview of ideas, facts, and resources offered during the Partnership for Academic and Career Education's (PACE) 10th annual Summer Institute. The institute's goal was to inform participants about nontraditional careers open to students, with special emphasis on midlevel technology careers and to recommend…

This book contains construction plans of exhibits that have been collected during more than 10 years, and notes for their maintenance, at the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Hands-On museum. It is a useful source of hard-to-find information for exhibit builders, science fair participants, science teachers, students, and home tinkerers. This collection…