Demonstrates that popular music's potential as a tool for teaching interactive introductory sociology courses is enhanced when a cultural analysis of a specific music genre is incorporated into the classroom. Presents a two-part model for integrating a cultural analysis of heavy metal music and its subculture into the introductory course. Includes…

Progress on a hypertextbook on the theory of computing is presented. The hypertextbook is a novel teaching and learning resource built around web technologies that incorporates text, sound, pictures, illustrations, slide shows, video clips, and--most importantly--active learning models of the key concepts of the theory of computing into an…

Student success was the motivation for evolving an individual project-based course into a project-centric curriculum. A one semester project was first extended across a sequence of three interrelated courses tied together through their focus on the success of small team projects that spanned those courses. This sequence was then targeted as the…

One of the most popular courses on college campuses and one of the time periods that still provokes considerable interest among high school students is the 1960s. Drawing on his experience as an author of several documentary collections and as a teacher, the author of this paper suggests ways that teachers and students can use primary sources to…

"Informal Forum," grounded in constructivism has been developed to foster active learning and deep understanding. Learning is an interdependent process, and is most effective when students construct their own meaning of knowledge. If one believes in the value of constructivist learning, it is important to teach how we preach in higher education.…

General-education science courses should provide students with a foundation of knowledge about how the natural world works, a clear understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry, and an appreciation for the relationship between science and society. This chapter suggests a variety of approaches to engage students in their own…

We designed an active learning activity to allow students to experience stereotyping and consider the social stigma often directed toward gays and lesbians. We used an unusual fictional scenario to alleviate students' concerns about impression management and permit them to experience the role of someone faced with discrimination without the…

Teaching a diverse population of adolescents to be writers, readers, and active citizens requires fundamental changes in curriculum development, teaching strategies, and student roles in the classroom. In this article, two educators report on their collaboration in an urban high school in Portland, Oregon, USA, to create a classroom where students…

An action research was carried out during the fall 2003 term. Nineteen students in an Applied Research in Education course at Fayetteville State University, North Carolina were participants in the study to determine the impact of using peers in the evaluation of a partial research paper. The answers to three questions were sought: 1) To what…

Traditional lectures generally force students to play a passive role in the classroom. In an effort to promote active learning, we added discussion sections to a large lecture hall course. Field trips, student journals, and group-based assignments, in particular, enhanced the learning experience. To ensure the success of the new format, course…

By creating a space for fun, interaction, and trust, teachers and students together can build a learning environment that promotes engagement, deep learning, and meaning. Such a space emphasizes process, not product, personalizes learning, and contributes to whole person development. To facilitate the creation of this space, the teachers show…

Students must be able to interpret, relate, and incorporate new information with existing knowledge and apply the new information to solve novel problems. Peer instruction is a cooperative learning technique that promotes critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making skills. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that peer instruction…

This project was inspired by an awareness of the lack of engagement with the research literature by our students. The project consisted of self-help reading groups that centralized student discussion with three research objectives: to encourage students to engage with a broader range of literature, to encourage critical thinking around subject…

Describes an experiential learning activity using a kindergarten crayon inequality concept. Illustrates applying this concept to teaching about social inequality. Recommends a reading assignment be included with the crayon exercise. Concludes active learning motivates student learning and offers instructors another option beyond the formal…

The present study compared the relative effects of 2 educational programs on kindergarten children. The experimental group took part in a numeracy-specific program, which focused on conceptual knowledge. Children were taught basic numerical skills such as understanding and handling numbers and their relations as well as counting principles. The…