Examines the required and elective geography courses, staffing, textbooks, and methodology used in Dutch secondary school geography instruction. Shows that geography enjoys a high status, that Dutch textbooks tend to apply major geographic themes to a specific regional setting, and that active learning plays a prominent role. (MJP)

To avert a collision between a strategy of educational equity and the push for excellence, impediments to inclusion must be closely examined. This examination will facilitate restructuring of schools' standard operating procedures to accommodate the Coalition of Essential Schools philosophy, which advocates flexible scheduling, heterogeneous…

Discusses ways in which parents can foster children's curiosity by engaging in activities with them and asking probing questions to help children find answers on their own. Activities described include mixing different substances with water to note changes, identifying trees by leaf shape and bark texture, observing squirrel behavior, and making…

Presents two examples of laboratory exercises using the World Wide Web for first-year medical students. The first example introduces the physical laws that apply to osmotic, chemical, and electrical gradients and a simulation of the ability of the sodium-potassium pump to establish chemical gradients and maintain cell volume. The second module…

Outlines and discusses four unique and major challenges facing the undergraduate statistics instructor. These are motivating students to study material they think is uninteresting, handling mathematics anxiety, dealing with performance extremes, and making the learning memorable. Offers solutions for each challenge. (MJP)

A study investigated whether college students' experiences with three good practices in undergraduate education (faculty-student contact, cooperation among students, active learning) increased from 1990 to 1994. Subjects were 5,962 students in 17 baccalaureate and 22 doctoral-granting institutions. Results indicated increased faculty-student…

Use of writing exercises as an active learning tool at the later stages of the learning process is discussed, focusing on written self-evaluation as a means for making sense of experience. Examples of the technique in pharmacy management and first-year composition courses are offered. Ways to incorporate the technique into the syllabus are…

Describes a computer-assisted, interdisciplinary course in decision making developed to promote student participation and critical thinking. Students participate in 20 interactive exercises that utilize and illustrate psychological and economic concepts. Follow-up activities include receiving background information, group discussions, text…

Describes a high school geography class that emphasized hands-on and experiential learning. The students designed travel brochures, planned overseas trips on a budget, and even produced commercials. One of the more popular activities involved different groups creating poster board maps of specific regions and then combining them for a global map.…

Outlines an instructional unit where students construct culture kits illustrating a specific culture. Culture kits are constructed out of realia and other material including maps, travel brochures, photographs, newspapers, souvenirs, and other items. Discusses collecting these items and possible multicultural applications. (MJP)

Discusses classroom application of the concept that the best way to learn something is to explain it to someone else. Science students select basic subject concepts, then develop a brief lecture and a series of demonstrations and hands-on activities to explain those concepts to younger audiences. Students present their teacher-approved units to…

A grade 6/7 teacher and a teacher educator-researcher team-taught science to 29 students by framing science projects as adventure. Ethnographic data revealed that small-group instruction, whole-class discussions, and presentations to outside audiences provided progressive opportunities for students to exchange ideas and motivated students and…

Reports on the Network for Experiential Projects and Adventure Learning, a two-year training program in Germany developed to prepare teachers to integrate elements of adventure education into their curricula. Program sequence consists of 12 workshops, divided into 5 levels, including a participant initiated adventure project. Includes participant…

Discusses problems of maintaining higher education geography fieldwork in an era of increasing class size. Presents and describes 13 strategies for coping with these problems. Recommends that individual teachers and geography departments redesign their fieldwork programs in accordance with their priorities. (CFR)

Contends that the success or failure of an undergraduate research project can hinge on one or two decisions made at an early stage in the process. Describes a "Snakes and Ladders" board game used to remind students of good and bad research design practices. Includes game rules and a listing of the good and bad practices. (CFR)