For many years I have been advocating the use of hands-on materials to assist students in the understanding and application of mathematical concepts. Some of the methods have been introduced as small parts of earlier Discovery articles, (de Mestre, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999a, 1999b, 1999c, 2000a, 2000b, 2001), but here I propose to devote the whole…

In a speech at the Symposium for Experiential Education Research 2003, Henderson discusses the importance of theory in building a body of knowledge. She says that to use information to create a body of knowledge, researchers must continue to develop and apply theory, and to address the emerging opportunities for evidence-based research and…

The author proposes a neural-network-based explanation of how a brain might acquire intuitive expertise. The explanation is intended merely to be suggestive and lacks many complexities found in even lower animal brains. Yet significantly, even this simplified brain model is capable of explaining the acquisition of simple skills without developing…

Education is a lifelong endeavor; the public learns in many places and contexts, for a diversity of reasons, throughout their lives. During the past couple of decades, there has been a growing awareness that free-choice learning experiences--learning experiences where the learner exercises a large degree of choice and control over the what, when…

A critical review of the epistemological foundations of free-choice learning (FCL) theory was undertaken to evaluate how this theory treats knowledge, whatever importance we might attach to it. It is argued here that free-choice learning has great promise yet would benefit from theoretical adjustments that modify Vygotsky's learning theory by…

The quality of an intern's learning experience is the joint responsibility of the academic internship coordinator, the administrator of the sport management program, and the agency supervisor. The purpose of this article is to identify the areas of administrative concern in the three major components of an internship: the institution granting…

This article features a service learning program at Albuquerque TVI Community College which provides hands-on civic education to its students. The Service Learning Program began in 1994 with a $5,000 grant from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The success of the program provided for the development of the Department of…

In this article, the author talks about Destination ImagiNation (DI), the world's largest creative problem solving (CPS) program, and describes how this program helps students. In many schools and communities, DI supplements or even serves as the talented and gifted program. CPS is also popular and appropriate for homeschool families because it…

This article aims to answer the questions: (1) How can action learning aid in strategic change?; (2) What are the benefits of using action learning as part of a broader learning intervention?; (3) What are the issues to consider when introducing action learning into a corporate environment?; and (4) How can you engage people in reflection as a…

The author and colleagues have designed an Exploration Center to supplement lecture-oriented teaching in large introductory physics courses. At the center, students perform hands-on homework problems derived from lecture demonstrations. The style of exploration problems is conceptual and open ended. Methods are discussed for integrating…

Experiential learning is a time-honored approach that can help to "...seal the bond between the learner and the learned." Such learning encourages the making of meaning from individual and shared experiences and helps abstract concepts to become relevant to the learner. The 20th century educational theorist, John Dewey, articulated a…

The importance of business relevance in academia coupled with an increasingly challenging job market magnifies the importance for students to be better prepared for the marketplace. Client-based projects have been lauded for helping students gain the soft skills employers look for in entry-level employees, but little research supports this…

Time, and our experiences of it, warrants attention in "place"' pedagogies in outdoor education. Place typically involves the experience of a geographical location, a locale for interacting socially and/or with nature, and the subjective meanings we attach over time to the experience. Place, however, cannot be severed from the concept…

Previous research in our Action Learning Program demonstrated that although undergraduates preferred the Action Learning mode to the traditional lecture and discussion mode of instruction, they missed the familiar structure of the more traditional pedagogy. Consequently increased structure was implemented in both an undergraduate and graduate…

This paper describes how a technology-based case using Microsoft Access can aid in the assessment process. A case was used in lieu of giving a final examination in an Accounting Information Systems course. Students worked in small groups to design a database-driven payroll system for a hypothetical company. Each group submitted its results along…