Describes a course entitled "The Trial of Napoleon Bonaparte" that focuses on a fictitious mock trial of Napoleon Bonaparte to answer the question: did Napoleon pervert or preserve the gain of the French Revolution? Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the course. (CMK)

Evaluated the design and effectiveness of the New England Head Start Teaching Center (NEHSTC), created to test the efficacy of participatory, hands-on training for enhancing Head Start service delivery. Found that Head Start staff who participated in NEHSTC training demonstrated gains in knowledge, skills, and attitudes compared to similar…

Considers administrators' new roles and obligations in facilitating quality online learning. Topics include designing Web courses for knowledge construction; more detailed syllabuses; student assessment; motivating students; learning and teaching styles in online environments; active learning possibilities; social interaction; and nonlinear…

Asserts that use of case studies and reflection statements in Silverman and Casazza's book helps to link educational theory to practice and reinforce the TRPP (theory, research, principles, and practice) model. Concludes that this book can help learners, educators, and teachers work toward an active learning environment and that the book would…

Mini-field trips to the boiler room and bus garage at a South Dakota elementary school increased student interest in their school and community and resulted in increased attendance. Photographs, interviews, and a student-produced book on the trips reinforced student interest and provided the means to integrate the curriculum and incorporate…

Forms part of a themed issue describing "Parent-Kid-Teacher Investigators," a program in which parents, children, and teachers gather regularly to use language and literacy for action research projects. Offers a classroom portrait of these weekly meetings, looking at the process of research and the impact that "learning how to learn" had on all…

Describes a case study that takes readers through a human-centered design process used in developing an "Active Learning" tool, CurioCity, a game for students in grades 7-10. Attempts to better understand multiculturalism and to bridge formal in-school learning with informal field trip learning. (SC)

Discusses how librarians can interact with faculty members to incorporate Internet instruction into college coursework. Active learning and creating Web pages are discussed, and a six-page appendix presents an example of a Web-based exercise for a basic oceanography course. (LRW)

An elementary school teacher describes how students in grades five through six developed language-arts and other skills by rewriting Shakespeare plays; learning stage design, techniques, and vocabulary; reflecting on Shakespeare's intentions and their own insights into the plays' meanings; and presenting both original plays and their own versions.…

Evidence-based decision making (EBDM) was incorporated into an institute for 42 dental hygiene, occupational therapy, and physical therapy faculty. The 4-day sessions addressed active teaching techniques, formulation of good questions, critical appraisal of evidence, and application, feedback, and evaluation. Most participants felt prepared to…

In three sixth-grade classrooms, students' independent writing activities and interviews were analyzed to identify affective links to prior experience that were used in students' knowledge construction efforts. Learner-centered teacher strategies related to classroom dialogue and activity choice can increase affective/emotional affordances in the…

Describes a 30-year-old new teacher's first year in an Oregon fourth-grade classroom, as he grapples with his students' diverse learning needs, inadequate textbooks, the isolation of being a rookie, and the pressures of simultaneously engaging his students' interest and meeting state standards. Lists four helpful books for new teachers. (SV)

The main research question of this study was: How do selected high school chemistry students' understandings of the elements, structure, and periodicity of the Periodic Table change as they participate in a unit study consisting of inquiry-based activities emphasizing construction of innovative science graphics? The research question was answered…

Extending inquiry-based learning to allow students to develop their own questions and design and perform their own experiments can greatly enhance education. Students gain an appreciation of how knowledge is acquired and insights into evaluating data. Although easily applied to laboratory courses, the technique is also applicable to lecture…

This paper explores the effects of specific teacher threshold knowledges about boys and gender on the implementation of a so-called 'boy friendly' curriculum at one junior secondary high school in Australia. Through semi-structured interviews with selected staff at the school, it examines the normalizing assumptions and 'truth claims' about boys,…