Educational Research Information Center (ERIC) Trends are analyses of higher education literature contained in the ERIC database describing major concerns in institutional practice. Literature on teaching and learning has grown within the higher education literature base over the last decade. However, the themes are basically still the same as…

This learning module aims to engage students in problem solving, critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and cooperative learning. The module is appropriate for use in any introductory or intermediate undergraduate course that focuses on human-environment relationships. The module examines how social, economic, political, and environmental forces…

Discusses the educational applications of experimental psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's theory of peak experience, or optimal flow. Optimal flow refers to the receptive state people achieve when they are engaged in interesting and challenging activity. Includes an insightful critique of multimedia instruction from this perspective. (MJP)

The Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning (REAL) program is a network of teachers from 150 high schools, colleges, and universities in 23 states and 2 foreign countries. The program uses experiential learning to link rural schools with rural development by drawing on schools' resources to revitalize the community, while using the…

Argues that general education has not traditionally emphasized inquiry or research skills. Discusses the School for New Learning at Chicago's DePaul University, which focuses on the development of critical skills and inquiry in undergraduates. Argues that self-directed learning is best suited for the demands of the 21st century. (34 citations)…

Describes the development of a course in Turkey for preservice teacher education for elementary school teachers that focused on instructional technologies and material development using a constructivist approach. Discusses research outcomes, including the positive impact of constructivist practices, active learning, the importance of prior…

Examines the role of playgrounds that use discarded items or "junk" as an integral part of kindergarten classes in an Israeli kibbutz. Suggests that play in the junkyard, by including the whole person--muscles and senses, emotion and intellect, individual growth and social interaction--can offer the experiential foundations on which…

Describes and evaluates the success of a chemistry course for nonscience majors that examines a variety of contemporary science-based issues and includes online retrieval of chemical information. Explains how course instructor and librarian work together to plan assignments and provide instruction to groups of students. Includes sample assignments…

Describes an analytical chemistry course restructured around the use of cooperative groups to help students become active learners in a non-competitive environment. Five years of experience with the course indicates that the syllabus covers almost exactly the same content as old courses and that test scores compare favorably on the national level.…

Argues against the merely descriptive presentation frequently used in teaching biochemistry and in favor of a constructivist approach called heuristic-teleonomic, which unites the process of discovery with adaptation to functional ends. Discusses difficulties inherent to the nature of biochemistry, including the conflict between acquiring…

Describes several strategies, all based on letters written between teacher and students, that build a sense of community and collaboration in college developmental reading and writing classes, helping students to see themselves as active learners and thinkers. (SR)

Examines the constructivist theory of knowledge which basically proposes that knowledge is constructed in the mind of the learner. Particular emphasis is placed on how a shift can be made from someone who teaches to someone who facilitates learning in a classroom environment in which the students are active participants in the learning process.…

Data are presented from the first-year of a 4-year research project that aims to design a model for describing exemplary communicative practice using signed classroom discourse in the teaching of students who are deaf. Episodes are presented to illustrate how 10 teachers engage in dialogic knowledge building and exemplary communicative practice.…

Suggests ways in which instructors can engage students in large classes. States that short weekly written student responses can ameliorate the problems of dealing with large classes. Explains that such responses help students gain power over the material and assists in developing competence. (Contains 19 references.) (NB)

Describes a course developed by a librarian and an economics teacher using active learning techniques to teach research skills and critical thinking. Topic include the course development, including course objectives and clarification of the librarians role; a search strategy; and revisions to methodology to achieve course objectives. (six…