Suggests becoming a master player is a critical learning task for young children. "Push-down" programs (direct teaching, work sheets, and drill), designed to give children a head start in school, fail to consider the active-learning mode in which young children are most competent. Notes that a developmentally appropriate classroom for 3- to 5-year…

Reports on a classroom instruction project in a community college anatomy and physiology course designed to focus less on rote memorization and more on active learning. Discusses the students, procedures, evaluation of student learning, student reactions, and student outcomes. Concludes that most students felt positive about their experiences with…

This article discusses the curriculum of an ethics course for marriage and family counseling students, focusing on (a) course objectives and course schedule, (b) active learning techniques in the classroom, (c) homework assignments (including the use of technology), and (d) midterm and final exams. The use of active teaching techniques is…

This study compared the levels of student engagement between fraternity and sorority members and other undergraduate students. After controls, Greek members appeared to be equally and sometimes more engaged in academically challenging tasks, active learning, student-faculty interaction, community service, diversity, satisfaction, and on learning…

Discusses the elements of constructivist instruction/teaching. Constructivism is seen as ultimate decentralization, with student and teacher able to make decisions regarding what and how they learn. The few studies on leadership and constructivism note the power of constructivist leadership in decentralizing schools and even classes or teams, with…

Describes the benefits of intergenerational programs, highlighting a child care program that offers age-appropriate and mutually beneficial activities for children and elders within a nearby retirement community. The program has adopted High/Scope's active learning approach to planning and implementing activities that involve both generations. The…

Suggests caregivers can help children learn about the concept of light using simple conversation and activities. Offers directions for activities in which children can consider the following questions about light: where does light come from?; can you see without light?; what blocks light?; how does light travel?; can you make a shadow?; and does…

Reports on a teacher's and researcher's collaborative efforts to empower a group of 17 fourth-grade students. Discusses student empowerment through democratic practices and service projects. Findings highlight the critical role of the teacher, the centrality of students' ownership of their learning, and the importance of understanding contextual…

Notes the importance of students' understanding measurement concepts to enable solving real world problems. Suggests classroom activities to sharpen students' measurement skills. Emphasizes active participation of students in groups or individually. (BAC)

The I-Search, an interdisciplinary, student-centered inquiry process, is an integral part of an upstate New York middle school's curriculum. Students are immersed in a motivating theme, develop their own search plans, follow and revise these plans as they gather information, and prepare papers as foundations for oral reports, skits, posters, or…

Discusses how a literature and multimedia course for 11th and 12th graders used active-learning experiences to engage students with Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part One." Describes how shouting Hal's soliloquy; constructing a chart of character relations; rewriting a scene in their own words; performing, filming, and critiquing a scene; and…

Cable TV may be an educationally and fiscally sound way to inspire active learning. Creative TV applications help teachers address potentially disabling social and emotional factors. The Cable in the Classroom program offers over 80,000 eligible schools free cable connections, free basic monthly cable service, and copyright clearances for off-air…

Examines ways in which instructors and teaching professionals might work with students in guiding their research to establish good practices in citing and using resources from the World Wide Web. Discusses active learning, experiences at Bucknell University, and using traditional library resources. A final project assignment is appended.…

Proposes two complementary strategies that contribute to opportunities for active learning: one, hyperlink teaching, is an alternative mode of in-class lecture delivery; the second, intelligent slides, resembles information bases that are enhanced with electronic links for use by students outside the classroom. The questionnaire used to gauge…

Shows how adult learning and situated learning principles can be applied to classroom-based software training. Argues that these techniques create instructional strategies that incorporate context-rich activities for work-oriented instruction. (SR)