Early childhood educators are increasingly concerned about the trend toward national standards and national testing. This article addresses issues of assessment in the early years of schooling, prekindergarten through third grade--a period when active, engaged, hands-on learning is most appropriate. Documentation of a kindergarten project on a…

This volume compiles descriptions of the work being done by rural students in 13 schools/sites with grants from the Annenberg Rural Challenge. The work reflects a belief in education that privileges the local nature of learning and connects schools and communities for their mutual benefit. Entries include focused lessons, long-term projects, and…

The current educational emphasis on the "global community" misses the most immediate and concrete area where students can make a difference: the locality. Without negating the importance of having a sense of responsibility toward the global community, a pedagogy of place argues that children cannot comprehend, much less feel a commitment…

Noting that much has happened in the field of early childhood education during the 10 years since publication of the first edition of "The Project Approach," this new edition re-introduces the project approach and suggests applications and examples of the approach in action. Notable additions to this second edition include: (1) two new…

In 1996, the Department of Computer Science at Monash University (Australia) implemented a First Year Advanced Students' Project Scheme aimed at extending and stimulating its best first year students. The goal of the scheme was to give students the opportunity to work on a project that best suited their needs and captured their interests. One of…

This study utilized qualitative research methods (observations, interviews, and analysis of written documents) to investigate the research processes of ten gifted ninth grade students who participated in independent research projects. Research stages dealing with exploring and forming a focus presented the most difficulty for the students. The…

How shall a project be organized so that the subjects in the school program shall properly function and shall contribute to the effective working out of the central idea around which the project must concentrate? How shall an untrained teacher be able to formulate her subject matter in terms of projects unless she understands the function of each…

Described are the Undergraduate Research Participation and Student-Originated Studies programs supported by the National Science Foundation. These summer programs offer undergraduate students firsthand research experiences in science and engineering. Students gain a better appreciation of the way science works and experiences in research…

Provides a series of guidelines for overcoming resistance and problems with cooperative projects in an introductory sociology course. These include coordinating common interests and common free time between team members, requiring allocation of various roles (presider, scribe, coordinator), and ongoing monitoring of the research teams. (MJP)

Describes a popular seventh-grade mathematics project that involves house plans. Students choose house plans from books, transfer the plan to grid paper, and stake out the floor plan on a vacant area of the neighborhood. Project includes designing dream homes, researching jobs to afford their homes, and discussion of real-life concerns. (PVD)

Describes a project where fourth- and fifth-grade students in the Wales School District (Wisconsin) simulated a political campaign as part of their social studies curriculum, using HyperStudio, ClarisWorks, and the Internet. Also discusses fund-raising activities and how the unit came about. (AEF)

Reviews the decades-old debate about the efficacy of student projects and learner controlled instruction and the role they play in authentic assessment. Argues that the shift to a postindustrial economy has given these methods renewed creditably and relevance. Discusses the impact that technological advancements have made. (MJP)

This year-long research project encourages student involvement, promotes a sense of mastery, involves the school community, and attempts to provide an incentive for senior Montessori students to continue learning. The curriculum describes the process of choosing a topic, researching, writing, editing, production of the final product, and the oral…

Provides a brief overview of salient facts to be incorporated into a lesson plan on Australia. Several lists contain interesting facts concerning geography, resource utilization, culture, and population. Includes suggested list of research/discussion topics and a list of annotated references. (MJP)

Describes how a Canadian teacher and her second and third graders developed a Web page using minimal technology. Discusses individual and collaborative writing projects, simple and cheap web file storage, HTML coding, hardware, hypertext links, multimedia projects, Internet connections, funding, student goals, motivation, audience response, and…