The success of liberal arts graduates in attaining doctorates in the social sciences may be related to opportunities they have during their undergraduate years to undertake original research projects, individually or in collaboration with faculty. The supportive college environment for faculty professional and research activities and the…

Describes an exercise, step-by-step, for developing critical thinking while exposing students to electronic-data skills. Argues that the exercise enhances critical thinking by forcing students to deal with issues of data definition, collection, and interpretation, and by providing an active learning experience with real-world data. (DSK)

Describes the modeling of effective teaching and learning strategies (choosing a topic, finding and using information, timelines, journals, interventions, questions for peer editing, and conferencing questions) during an inquiry-based, student-centered "I-Search" unit taught by a high school library media specialist and an English teacher.…

Provides advice for instructors using the World Wide Web for additional channels for intraclass communication, offering an easier and more convenient way to access library materials, and allowing students to engage in primary research or active learning. Discusses didactic and technical challenges, including students' computer skills and…

During an eight-week field experience, six preservice teachers designed and facilitated an integrated inquiry unit for fifth graders. During this experience, they investigated their effectiveness in implementing the inquiry approach to teaching based on pupils' learning responses. Reflecting on teaching behaviors through reflective classroom…

Describes a one-year course to develop students' research skills at the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science. The course offers a combination of rigorous content (optics and optical instrumentation), interdisciplinary curriculum, and hands-on experiences in meaningful, nontraditional learning in real-life research settings. (Author/DB)

Profiles a class exercise that teaches the importance of developing an accurate definition of a psychological construct (guilt, control, altruism). The more precise the definition, the easier it is to choose an appropriate technique to measure that construct. Discusses the Health and Psychosocial Instrument File, a recent measurement database.…

Presents guidelines for students attempting to find historical information about their school. Identifies and outlines a variety of sources and approaches. Students who apply these investigative techniques can develop a more thorough acquaintance with their school. In addition, they can employ these techniques in other areas of historical…

A Hamilton College (New York) program in public affairs education provides undergraduate students with opportunities to do research, then to share the results by teaching in a local high school. The program provides academic role models for motivated high school students, gives college students an audience for their work, enriches the secondary…

Describes a research project, conducted by university students, collecting oral histories of British housewives. The project examined domesticity in England from the 1930s to the 1950s. Discusses the research literature, interview procedures, and the project's results. (MJP)

Despite countless networking and interactive possibilities, the most commonly assigned use of classroom technology during 1997-98 was word processing, followed by Internet research and information gathering. Schools' reliance on general-purpose computing devices will eventually yield to lower cost, hand-held, and networked devices. (Contains 10…

Discusses critical ethnography for engaging teacher education students in their students' lives and communities, focusing on four veteran teachers who underwent perceptual, pedagogical, and personal transformation during a graduate seminar. Participants' perceptions of who is at risk were eradicated as they encountered stories of individuals with…

Reviews a variety of information models developed to provide support for student research that will help school library media specialists meet the needs of diverse learners when providing course integrated library instruction. Each model assumes learning as an active and creative process and promotes the development of critical thinking skills.…

These three articles offer ideas for teaching social studies to elementary school students. Topics include using primary sources, visits, photographs, and contemporary accounts; collaboration between high school classes and elementary school classes; interviewing skills; online sources for experts; telecommunications-based interviews with experts;…

Uses letters of John Kay, a Union Army soldier, to initiate a technology-based project that illustrates reasons for fighting in the Civil War, the daily life of a soldier, and the tragedies families endured. Explains that students learn that history is filled with real people who lived and died for their beliefs. (CMK)