This paper reports on a pilot study that examined the use of a science and technology curriculum based on robotics to increase the achievement scores of youth ages 9-11 in an after school program. The study examined and compared the pretest and posttest scores of youth in the robotics intervention with youth in a control group. The results…

The author explores the advantages and disadvantages of integrated curriculum in the middle school setting. She reviews several models for integrated curriculum and guidelines for creating a successful integrated curriculum. A ready-to-use middle school unit on the American Revolution is also presented. Nine complete lessons are provided for…

The learning of science can be made more like the practice of science through authentic simulated experiences. We have created a networked handheld Augmented Reality environment that combines the authentic role-playing of Augmented Realities and the underlying models of Participatory Simulations. This game, known as Outbreak @ The Institute, is…

This is the report of a qualitative emergent-design study of 2 different Web-enhanced science methods courses for preservice elementary teachers in which an experiential learning strategy, labeled "using yourself as a learning laboratory," was implemented. Emergent grounded theory indicated this strategy, when embedded in a course organized as an…

A study sought to promote improved work among six at-risk students in a third-grade writing workshop in a central Virginia school by varying the standard workshop format: mini lesson followed by free writing. The approach was to replace mini-lessons with multi-sensory, hands-on experiences followed by brainstorming activities and evaluate how the…

This book, the first of three volumes, contains a collection of activities designed for or appropriate to the native Indian or multicultural classroom. Levels range from kindergarten to grade 12. Some of the activities have been borrowed from other sources, but many have been developed or adapted and are available here for the first time. The…

This book shows how project work can be used in open and flexible learning. It is divided into three sections. Section A provides background on the use of project work in education and training. Chapter 1 introduces the features that characterize project work and related activities. Chapter 2 examines the varieties of project work and provides…

This document describes some of the prominent beliefs about how students construct knowledge. These beliefs are guiding principles that teachers can use to implement instructional strategies that facilitate learning. Instructional examples in mathematics and science follow each principle to help the reader envision how the principle promotes…

This study examined the effects of hands-on instruction on young children's understanding of an aspect of flight, specifically Bernoulli's principle. First, 137 public school children, ages 5 through 8 years, were interviewed about their understanding of how an airplane flies. Two weeks later, the subjects participated in two hands-on…

A study investigated the feasibility of teaching conceptual complexity to adults using an in-basket simulation. Training incorporated Kelly's components of differentiation and integration with Schroder's Cognitive Competencies and followed Lewin's Experiential Learning Model. Research participants in the original study were 24 women and 18 men,…

The California Freshwater Shrimp Project is an example of a student-initiated, eco-action project. Students, from a fourth grade class in the Ross Valley School District in San Rafael, California, were linked to their community and environment through their work in rehabilitating habitat and educating the public. The paper gives an overview of a…

This chapter examines, from a teacher's perspective, 10 factors that contribute to the success of a field trip. Trip facilitation and content are addressed in the following guidelines: (1) addressing the concerns of all stakeholders in a politically astute manner can eliminate barriers to a successful trip; (2) reconnaissance trips can improve…

This directory provides information on experience-based training and development (EBTD) programs. Frequently offered by corporations to individual employees and work teams, EBTD is an approach to training and development that uses adventure education experiences to bring about positive changes in individuals, groups, and organizations. EBTD…

These three papers are from a symposium that was facilitated by R. Wayne Pace at the 1995 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD). "High Performance Work Systems" (Martha A. Gephart) assesses the state of theory and research on high performance work from a "systems" perspective and identifies challenges…

Personal narrative writing can be encouraged and used effectively in classes and in in-service workshops because it is accessible, because the writers may use their own voices, because they can tell their own stories, and because it helps them to make sense of their own experiences. However strong the case made for this form, though, there are…