This study examined the effects of similarity in competence between model and observer on the effectiveness of observational learning in argumentative writing. Results are consistent with the similarity hypothesis: weak learners learn more from focusing their observations on weak models, whereas better learners learn more from focusing on good…

Presents research that incorporates constructivism with learning models in environmental education for the preparation and development of teachers. Involves (n=201) teacher trainees at the University of Granada in Spain. (YDS)

This critique of J. Renzulli's definition of giftedness suggests that Renzulli's emphasis on enrichment militates against systematic accelerated study in academics and the arts and, overall, constitutes a politically conservative, product-oriented approach to education that is more likely to reinforce social inequities of the current political…

Addresses the lack of success in educational reform efforts using metacognitive analysis of the basic linear assumption of most current reform efforts. Suggests a different nonlinear theoretical orientation and perspective for understanding reform efforts, and contrasts the two approaches in two examples of educational reform: learning/curriculum…

Socialization research suggests that most students who enter physical education teacher education (PETE) programs are successful athletes who wish to teach and coach in a manner similar to what they experienced. Exposure to different methods of instruction during undergraduate experiences is often disregarded when they enter into teaching. What…

Universal design for instruction is presented as a new paradigm for approaching equal educational access for college students with learning disabilities. Topics covered include changing student demographics, instructional challenges, the universal design concept, universal design in educational settings, and applying universal design to college…

Presents the results of a national study designed to gain an understanding of the status of service-learning in teacher education programs. Concludes that although service-learning exists in the language and curriculum of the majority of teacher education programs - approximately 60 percent address the subject - it still resides largely on the…

Presents a model that combines research and service learning. The Community Based Research Institute is an interdisciplinary summer academic experience in which undergraduate students and community partners collaborate to meet a community-defined research need. Finds that students are less likely than faculty to recognize the connections between…

Evaluates the outcomes of the service-learning component in two undergraduate courses in which some students identified their own service-learning sites and others chose one of three pre-arranged sites. Concludes that all students experienced a greater understanding of the course content and their roles as citizens, but students who arranged their…

Describes a project that allows university students to participate in organized service activities that identify and provide health and safety programs and services to two poverty-stricken elementary schools in a Pennsylvania school district. Student activities, including participation in faculty meetings and mandatory reflection, and outcomes are…

Describes a study that examined the effect of community service learning on teacher education students. Concludes that students who are involved in such programs are more aware of the community in which they will teach and are more willing to become engaged in the community they will serve. (Contains 25 references.) (CAK)

Distance learning is appealing to small business owners, employees, municipalities, state establishments, non-governmental organizations. Distance-learning are ideal for people who have a full-time job or other commitments, who can't take time off to study full time. This might be a professional who needs to update his knowledge or skills, or a…

"Group is good, and group is good for curing all social ills" was the cynical observation of one of the lecturers in this study. Her comment reflects the uneasiness of lecturers at tertiary institutions with the notion that the educational advantages of group assessments far outweigh the disadvantages, and that such an approach promotes…

As an innovative model for diversity education, Dickinson College designed the "Crossing Borders" program to encourage culturally diverse students to live, work, and study together in multiple contexts both within the United States and abroad. Envisioning a series of crossings, the program brings together up to 20 students from Dickinson…

A new model of library instruction assessment--a 360 degrees analysis--is needed to address the many facets of the teaching process. This model establishes interconnections in all aspects of instruction and requires a multi-faceted approach that incorporates assessment in every stage of teaching and learning. At The University of Montana Mansfield…