This position statement was developed by members of the National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Languages to assist school districts as they develop middle school foreign language programs. (JL)

A residential ninth-grade program in the Australian bush strives to develop initiative, personal integrity, respect for nature, leadership, self-esteem, and sense of community by combining academic study with a strong outdoor education program, replacing competitive sports with cooperative activities, requiring students to be responsible for…

In the new order of academic worlds, marked by multiculturalism, postmodernism, and the interdiscipline of cultural studies, American Indian studies offers an alternative to Eurocentric domination of 21st-century scholarship if, and only if, it does not become encircled by the benevolent imperialism of neocolonial versions of multiculturalism.…

Describes a project where students build a motorized car that can perform well in two distinctly different competitions: traveling 20 meters in the shortest time and pulling a 500-gram mass the farthest distance in 20 seconds. Enables students to apply physics principles to a real problem and to discover the importance of teamwork on large…

Questions the traditional assumption that primary age children are not capable of historical understanding. Study discovers a wide range of responses that validates some of Parsons' Theory of Aesthetic Development and calls other aspects into question. Concludes with a suggestion for more study. (MJP)

Describes a thematic, interdisciplinary, middle-school curriculum that integrates visual and language arts. Curriculum embodies three principles: (1) visual and verbal responses depend on meaningful interaction among the artist (writer), the art object (text), the viewer (reader), and the environment (context); (2) visual and verbal thinking are…

Ways that literacy and numeracy can be integrated into adult basic education classes are discussed. A class of six adult students learning language and mathematics in the context of the federal election illustrates the effectiveness of integrated teaching. (Contains 12 references.) (LB)

This study investigated several nontraditional identification methodologies for their efficacy in identifying both minority and nonminority gifted students. Sixth graders (n=433) were given drawing and problem-solving tasks. Peer and teacher nominations were also used. The assessments identified a proportionate number of minority and nonminority…

Identified 423 cognitive student outcomes as perceived by (n=45) classroom teachers to be related to participation in a hands-on, integrated mathematics/science program called AIMS. Teacher involvement in the research project greatly contributed to their own sense of professionalism. (12 references) (Author/MKR)

Describes an environmental education project that featured 60 students in grades 5-8 divided into 4 multilevel cooperative groups of 15 students. Students participated in two full-day outings and project activities. Outlines six workstations set up for project activities. (LZ)

Discussion of bibliometric analysis of interdisciplinary research in emerging fields focuses on a study of neural networks research that examined citation analyses, publishing patterns and subject terms, and journal subject classification. Roles that journals can play in interdisciplinary information transfer are considered. (Contains 42…

Explores the role of outdoor education in science curriculum development and delivery. Reviews science learning objectives in Ontario and the links between outdoor education and science instruction. Suggests improvements in cooperation between outdoor education centers and science classrooms. (LP)

A case study of the implementation of a school's environmental education program revealed that planning ahead and teacher participation in decision making are imperative. The implementation of a sound environmental program requires that teachers understand the philosophical and pedagogical nature of environmental education to relate it to their…

Describes two activities to analyze unit-cell structures from a geometric viewpoint and invite students to apply their mathematical understanding to scientific phenomena. Students form models of the simple cube, a building block of crystalline structures, and a methane molecule. (MDH)

A Victoria University of Technology (Australia) project designed to harness the interdisciplinary and collegial culture of the institution to implement Total Quality Management principles is reported. The successful project stressed the value of culture binding through transformative processes in quality improvement. (Author/MSE)