Describes several instructional activities that allow students to express their own cultural heritage through the development of World Wide Web pages and video dramatizations of important historical events and people. These activities raise the possibility of innovative performance assessments suited to new forms of achievement. (SLD)

Describes a sixth-grade inclusive classroom that uses project-based learning units to examine controversial topics from the social studies curriculum. Students work in heterogeneous cooperative-learning groups composed of students with and without disabilities, to develop a multimedia presentation that demonstrates what they have learned. (CR)

Describes how a writing project and oral presentation engage middle school English-as-Second-Language students in collaborative activities that develop their understanding of and respect for one another's heritage and an appreciation for their valuable cultural contributions to the greater community. (Author/VWL)

Describes effort to restructure instructional design for a kindergarten class to reflect principles of Reggio Emilia approach by listening to children and following their expressed interest to launch class project. Discusses capturing activities and student thinking using photography and tape recording. Notes the value of documentation to parents,…

Describes how 7th graders learning Spanish at one New York school corresponded with students in Latin America via the Internet to personalize their language-learning experience. Students researched the chosen countries and exchanged electronic mail in Spanish with Latin American students. Guidelines are presented for replicating such a project.…

Describes an upper-level high-school science course that provides students with hands-on experience in applying classroom physics to practical problems. Explores how the course prepares serious science students for future work while they have fun. Past projects have included establishing a speed trap on campus, restoring the school's observatory,…

Describes two sixth-grade lessons on the work of M. C. Escher: (1) the first lesson instructs students on tessellations, or tiles that interlock in a repeated pattern; (2) the second lesson explores Escher's drawings of transitions from two- to three-dimensional space. (DSK)

Describes ninth-grade English classes interviewing international students regarding their experiences and feelings about the journeys that brought them to the United States. Discusses how students from diverse cultures began to know one another, and how the gathering and the publication of these stories helped faculty, administration, and students…

Any teacher who reflects on teaching knows that he or she learns as much if not more from students as vice-versa. One means of encouraging this communication in a basic reference course is described--a culminating project which asks students to choose a word with which to review sources and to present the results in an organized way. (Author)

Describes a special project, in which at-risk ninth graders created a package of materials that a Peace Corps volunteer could take with him to Kyrghyzstan, where he was to teach English. Explains how the package contained an array of student-generated materials, including videos, newspapers, alphabet books, and cassette readings. (TB)

Presents techniques that in the author's experience have helped middle-school students produce better, more original work. Alternative formats to the traditional report project, clear assignment criteria, a grading rubric, and instruction in visual communication are all valuable. A model with which teachers can reduce plagiarism and promote…

Asserts that service learning seeks to provide students with real-life, community-based experiences related to the content offered in the classroom. Discusses methods used to support students in writing about their service learning experiences and considers the value of reflection journals and group discussion in the learning process. (DSK)

Presents an art project in which middle school students copy an artwork by a master artist, research to find a picture of the artist, and create three-dimensional portraits of the artists. Describes the project and lists the materials needed. (CMK)

Reports on initiatives taken to promote project-based learning by information and communication technology in both pilot and large scale projects. Reviews the history of paradigm shifts with regard to technological advances. (DDR)

Describes an undergraduate student module that was developed at the University of Exeter (United Kingdom) in which students made their own computer graphics to discover and to describe literary structures in texts of their choice. Discusses learning outcomes and refers to the Web site that shows students' course work. (Author/LRW)