A 4-H skateboard club in Bozeman, Montana offers kids community service and educational opportunities as well as something to do after school. Adult and college-student volunteers teach a skateboarding curriculum and help kids fix boards and design ramps. Club members have learned public speaking, fundraising, city planning, and civic involvement…

Does a sensori-motor experience help a physics student understand the movement of molecules in solids, liquids, and gases? Students aged 9-10 were given either traditional demonstrations of solids, liquids, and gases and the variation of molecular motion with temperature (iconic presentation), or they were involved in physical activities as they…

Describes a study that analyzed how students in three different Swedish university programs conceived of the meaning of problem-based learning and how they experienced their studies within a problem-based learning program. Discusses learning in context, social interaction, meta-cognitive reasoning and self-directed learning, and academic cultures.…

Examines the educational experiences of grade eight students who participated in an integrative study unit on environmental conservation. Describes the development of the integrated curriculum and profiles three students who participated in the project, noting their need to be involved in the development of curricular content and instructional…

Recognizing that their activities and programs are highly effective alternative learning models, camps are accepting a greater role in year-round education and youth development. Camps can reinvigorate their businesses, and schools can benefit from the power of outdoor, experiential learning. Advice includes explaining camp benefits in terms…

Discusses a fresco assignment taught during a workshop for an art history class where students created their own fresco paintings. Provides background information on the fresco technique and the materials that are used. Describes the process of creating the frescos and lists the needed materials. (CMK)

Describes the use of the sports literature-based School PLUS (Personal Learning Using Sports) program to teach interpersonal skills, promote reading and language development, and build self-esteem through sports. Discusses intended audience, curriculum components, instructional approach, and development of the School PLUS team. (SAS)

Describes a brief, pre-internship, observation assignment that has increased student awareness and provided some of the same benefits as internships. Finds that student reactions and other data support pre-internships as an effective learning tool. Concludes that pre-internships are most beneficial when used in combination with long-term,…

Discusses the student government at La Mesa Middle School (California) that was modeled after the three-branch U.S. government as a means for increasing students' civic understanding. Describes the structure of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, the different activities of the student government, and the reasons for the hiatus.…

Describes a science activity in which students make a non-Newtonian fluid (slime), which has both solid and liquid properties. After reviewing the shape and volume of solids and volume of liquids, students make the slime using glue, liquid starch, and food coloring. They can experiment by rolling and dropping slime balls and by pulling the slime…

Reports results of a telephone interview with history professor and social analyst Carlos Cortes, whose current main area of interest is the multicultural education that occurs outside the classroom, with special interest in the role of the media. Explores the concept of the societal curriculum. (SLD)

Provides a guide to experiential and didactic methods that have been used in teaching an HIV course in graduate counselor education programs. This model is based on pedagogy, experimental techniques, and debriefing methods to enhance the skills of counselors working with clients affected by HIV/AIDS. Emerging themes are discussed. (Author/GCP)

Discusses the importance of rites of passage to traditional cultures, especially the vision quest of Native Americans. Suggests that the absence of such rites in materialistic cultures has led to a separation from nature, which underlies many modern problems. Describes Wendl-Berry's vision quest and a center that offers vision quests of various…

Describes how by designing a playground, the fifth-grade students at Good Shepherd School in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) learned in a hands-on manner that geographic knowledge has practical applications in the real world. Explains that the geography concepts utilized in this activity follow the objectives of the Geography Education Standards…

This study determined whether program setting (camp versus hotel) and program duration (five one-day sessions or a single five-day session) had any impact on development of teamwork in a corporate adventure training program. Results showed program setting had no effect, but short programs appeared to provide slower but greater overall gains in…