This learning packet, one in a group of eight, was developed by the Merchants Millpond State Park in North Carolina to teach students in grades 4-6 about the habitat and lifestyle of the beaver. Loose-leaf pages are presented in nine sections that contain: (1) introductions to the North Carolina State Parks System, the Merchants Millpond State…

This learning packet, one in a group of eight, was developed by the Jockey's Ridge State Park in North Carolina for Grades 4-6 to learn about animal adaptation and behavior in the dune environment. Loose-leaf pages are presented in 10 sections that contain: (1) introductions to the North Carolina State Park System, the Jockey Ridge State Park, the…

Michael Oakeshott, an English political philosopher, wrote extensively about education and how people learn political skills. Much of what he wrote may have interesting implications for instructional systems design. This paper is an explication of two aspects of Oakeshott's writings. The first deals with the nature of knowledge and its…

The austerity of the Great Depression, the popularity of progressive education, and scholarly research in reading from 1900 to 1930 initiated five golden years (1933-1938) of reading improvement in West Texas rural schools. Financial restraints relieved the schools from close scrutiny by the state's education agency. Schools were forced to…

This document consists of all eight issues of the journal SKOLE published between 1988 and 1992. This journal contains original articles and reprints related to alternatives or innovations in education; critiques of other forms of education; theories of schooling, learning, and teaching; accounts of individual schools; and "how-to"…

Action learning is a process of learning and reflection that happens with the support of a group of colleagues ("set") working with real problems with the intention of getting things done. This guide is for those who want to practice action learning. It can be used to introduce the concepts of action learning to others and as a manual…

The theory of transformative learning, the process of making meaning of one's experience, emerged from the work of Jack Mezirow and has been explored through numerous research studies and critiques over the last 20 years. The purpose of this monographic is to provide greater insight into the transformative learning theory. The paper begins with an…

This paper provides a snapshot of the language used by two outdoor instructors and analyzes its therapeutic components. Following an experience of abseiling with an instructor friend (Tony), Tony's instructional dialogue with the author and his sons during the experience was written down and put aside. A year later, a surfing coach (Mark) was…

This paper focuses on nine inservice elementary teachers who received training in the Youth Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency (YESS)!/Mini-Society program at the beginning of the 1996-97 school year. The purpose of the project was to explore these teachers' impressions of the program before and after program implementation. All subjects…

Constructivism is a theory about knowledge, whereas reflective practice is a professional development strategy with roots in the constructivist paradigm. A way to integrate these two conceptual frameworks within the context of professional development for prospective administrators is offered here. Constructivism and reflective practice share…

"Imaginization" is a type of organizational thinking designed to help managers cope with a turbulent world. A full discussion of this process is presented here. The text shows how managers can develop capacities of imaginization, but the overall purpose of the book is to help administrators develop their creative abilities. Its 13 chapters…

The objective of a graduate course at North Dakota State University was to move students beyond a prescriptive approach for conducting qualitative research to a holistic consideration of the ethical dimensions involved in qualitative methods. Successive discussions allowed students the opportunity to fully consider ethics in a multi-faceted…

This paper discusses ways to link components of the adventure education and environmental education systems in Alberta, Canada. The province of Alberta has developed an Environmental and Outdoor Education Course of Studies which reflects an integrated, experiential approach to connect the personal needs of adolescent youth to the society of which…

Many colleges and universities have student-operated radio stations, but in some instances these stations have deteriorated, becoming "electronic sandboxes" where students "play radio." This paper suggests that the educational value of student-operated radio stations can and should be improved. The broadcast industry…

A model of the teaching-learning environment, based on cognitive-constructivist theories of learning, is presented. The model consists of three dimensions. Dimension One (Opportunity for Constructivist Activity) represents the proportion of teaching-learning activity that is directed to encouraging self-reflection, mobilization of individual…