The Webfolio project was developed at James Cook University to extend students' professional learning beyond what is taught in lectures or gleaned through the practicum. Through web based case studies, early childhood and primary preservice teachers explored topics of professional significance to their growth as teachers. Each case study included…

In software engineering education, large projects are widely recognized as a useful way of exposing students to the real-world difficulties of team software development. But large projects are difficult to put into practice. First, educators rarely have additional time to manage software projects. Second, classrooms have inherent limitations that…

In this year-long qualitative study we found that most early childhood student teachers involved children with special needs in project work and realized its benefits. The factors that promoted children's involvement were familiarity and interest in the topic, comfort with the size and composition of the small group, and the use of open-ended,…

In this paper, I will discuss two related activities that I have developed for use in a college geometry course directed at pre-service secondary and elementary school teachers. These activities ask students to develop geometry on pool tables and on cones. The two activities are closely related, and both ask students to relate computer models with…

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' use of literature-based collaborative Internet projects (CIP) in their elementary classrooms. These practices require two or more classrooms to read and analyze texts on specified topics and then share responses over the Internet. The participants, all female, represented 15 different U.S. states…

This case study briefly explores how an online, multimedia learning module based on a Cognitive Apprenticeship higher level pedagogy can positively affect students achieving the learning outcomes of a Constructivist project-based curriculum in a blended e-business management program in the Middle East. The cohort in this program is nonnative…

Mapping Our City is a two-year project in which middle school teachers and students in Boston explore the uses of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in project-based science, environmental education, and geography. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation and is being field tested in three Boston middle school science classrooms.…

The Internet is an international computer network composed of thousands of smaller networks. State and regional education networks and commercial providers have made the vast resources of the Internet increasingly available to administrators, school library media specialists, and classroom teachers. This updated digest lists a selection of no-cost…

This guide provides lessons for teaching primary research skills to elementary and middle school students. The lessons introduce basic research processes, emphasizing the use of primary sources and direct observation. A six-step process is described that applies to all grade levels. Examples are provided to help the teacher or media specialist…

Distance education's use of the instructional systems design model has been challenged by critics who suggest that the learner is passive and learning is superficial. A suggestion is that distance education should be structured so that learners assume a more active role in the development and use of autonomous and self-directed learning…

This book contains case studies that demonstrate how design and technology activities can be incorporated in other areas of the curriculum in primary school, based on methods used in the British National Curriculum. The book is organized in eight chapters. The first chapter raises several issues, such as why design and technology have been…

Uses of pre-recorded and student-generated videotape recordings in the foreign language (FL) classroom are described and discussed from the perspective of their utility in helping students achieve target language communicative competence. It is suggested that viewing authentic video materials provides an opportunity to observe extralinguistic…

Commitment to the improvement of the social order underlies and challenges the kind of educational program that Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, strives to offer its students. Between 63 and 73 percent of traditionally-aged seniors at Saint Joseph's indicated that they participated in some form of community service during…

Created for use with motivated learners (meaning all those who enjoy the adventure and challenge of learning) as well as for gifted and talented upper elementary and junior high children, the 15 student research projects in this book were designed to teach children in these grades how to become independent learners; hence they emphasize the use of…

In a typical classroom business project, students produce and sell a product to other students in their school or to parents and members of the community. Such projects can be an excellent opportunity for students to begin to develop and apply a wide range of skills and for educators to teach important economics and business concepts. This booklet…