Reports on two studies of student responses to increased emphasis on experiential activities in an undergraduate developmental psychology course. Finds that students in the experiential sections rated the value of and interest in the subject matter higher. (CFR)

Describes an international student exchange program for the elementary and secondary school level. Discusses research projects conducted at United Nations Depository Libraries in preparation for Model United Nations programs. Contends that students remember the program as a highlight of their school experience. (CFR)

This study of 72 undergraduates examined whether theories of learning from text may be extended to hypertext and the effectiveness of hypertext on learning. Participants worked with either a highly structured, unstructured, or linear hypertext system. Results indicated that less structured systems promoted more active processing and a deeper level…

The ongoing restructuring of a mobile, global, digital, postindustrial economy and the consequent trend toward commodified information present challenges to teacher librarians: emphasizing education as engaged learning, recognizing overextension, emphasizing unmeasurable spiritual and cultural values, using ecological or social-bonding models of…

Presents an evaluation of SIRNET (Schools in a Regional Network), a project on the use of computer networks in education carried out in five secondary schools in Norway. Highlights include satisfaction with the learning environment; cooperation and help-seeking; basic conditions for a distributed model; and criteria for quality in connecting…

Describes an experiment with class meetings, designed to offer students practice in the democratic process, in a mixed-age, upper elementary, Montessori classroom. Finds that the group setting allowed students to address goals for classroom conduct and to learn ethics by example. Notes problems with tolerance for minority positions within the…

Residential liberal arts colleges provide the most important form of undergraduate education for the 21st century, by virtue of their primary focus on teaching, small size, residential nature, quest for genuine community, engagement of students in active learning, concern for a general and coherent education, and emphasis on development of the…

A Seattle (Washington) third-grade class's curiosity about the school's neighborhood spiraled into a student-centered, experiential community research project that integrated several curriculum requirements, especially math and writing. Learning through the questioning process, such as by developing hypotheses and interview questions, develops…

The realization that students' and teachers' collaborative efforts are more creative, innovative, and academically challenging than traditional teacher-controlled instruction is the underlying premise behind these awards given by the Foxfire Fund. Describes the learner-centered experiences of seven award-winning classrooms from around the United…

A study of 40 schools in 12 states indicates that student achievement, behavior, and engagement improved when the local environment, including both natural and community sociocultural environments, was used as an integrating context for the curriculum. Ten steps toward planning and implementing such an approach are listed. (SV)

A seventh-grade teacher describes how her students gradually became engaged in a year-long project on Thoreau. Although initially resistant and unenthusiastic, the students became interested after two field trips involving living-history experiences, and went on to write a play involving Thoreau, his contemporary and 20th-century…

In a small rural high school in Balmorhea, Texas, business students helped to establish a school-based clinic. Students wrote grant applications, learned medical office skills, structured the business curriculum around their project, and involved other students. Cooperation with Texas Tech Medical School led to a full-service community clinic…

Describes two George Mason University (Virginia) initiatives to illustrate and analyze the strengths and challenges of alternative approaches that have been designed to better meet the changing needs of the students and communities that they serve. Discusses the environment, faculty/student interaction, intense collaboration, and technology…

Addresses the use of the World Wide Web by international relations students and scholars. Considers an instructional web project for an international relations class outlining the project's contribution to active learning and the development of students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Provides advice for educators interested in…

Reviews various studies on childs play and its relation to young childrens development in music learning processes and explores the role that cognitive and social play categories have in studying childrens play with music. Provides strategies for initiating music-play opportunities in a preschool classroom. (CMK)