Outlines connections between community service experiences and preparing young people for participatory citizenship in a democratic society, identifying components of democratic education practices, distinguishing characteristics that promote democratic citizenship education, and describing several community service learning projects. (SLD)

Discusses a theme-based project (third in a four-part series from the California Academy of Mathematics and Science) provoking critical thinking concerning meeting human needs through technology. Notes that students were "transported" back into the Middle Ages and had to raise money for their travel back to the future using science, mathematics,…

A sample of 14 college and 8 high school biology textbooks were evaluated to determine whether they provided accurate and adequate descriptions and examples of scientific thinking. The authors contrast their views of the nature of scientific thinking with those of the textbook authors on the concepts of hypothesis, theory, law, and principle. (MDH)

Discusses media literacy in Australia, where it is an integral component of school literacies from K-12. Discusses the teaching of analytic skills to develop strategies for thinking about the meanings media transmit and the meanings viewers construct for themselves. Describes classroom activities involving the studies of texts, audiences, media…

Describes a case study of indigenous tertiary students in the Remote Area Teaching Education Program (RATEP) at James Cook University (Australia) that found that audioconferencing can be an effective learning tool in cross-cultural distance and open learning contexts to promote student retention, a community of interactive and critical learners,…

Considers educational challenges and opportunities for universities offered by sociotechnical networks, such as the Internet. Uses the case of a course on globalization to outline some practical possibilities for using the Internet to facilitate critical thinking. Suggests that geography educators need to develop a technoliteracy that…

Enrollments at evangelical and other Christian colleges have surged in the last decade, outpacing that of secular institutions. The students, many from home schooling or church-operated schools, want to avoid lifestyles found at many secular colleges and universities. Some critics, however, fear lack of diversity in both enrollments and opinions…

Investigates how a secondary-school teacher uses her "turning-point literacy experience" as a narrative template to guide changes in her teaching of literature. Scaffolds students' narrative modes of thinking in two contrasting classroom contexts: a twelfth-grade class for "at-risk" students and an eleventh-grade class for…

Summarizes the novel "Hatchet" chapter by chapter giving applications to content areas including Geography, Mathematics, Science, Health, Social Studies, and Creative Arts. Encourages students to think about and compare essential survival skills related to the urban environment. Redefines survival in the most basic of terms and heightens…

Outlines major research findings in cognitive-discourse-processing research on learning from text. Describes general characteristics of classrooms based on constructivist principles of learning and that support critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative learning. Argues that such classrooms raise a number of new issues for…

Presents a framework to help media specialists and other educators facilitate the process of integrating computer technology and the Internet into classroom instruction and curriculum design. Highlights include planning, including concept maps; research, including critical thinking; development, including knowledge construction and higher-order…

Considers how collaborative classroom research among a group of elementary and middle school teachers provides insight into the effective use of the Three Level Guide, a tool for interacting with specific text or information while teaching students how to interact or construct understanding on three different cognitive levels: literal,…

Describes the process evaluation of facilitator training for a risk-reduction program that trained college students and community volunteers to teach middle school students. Examination of facilitator characteristics and training, curriculum implementation, and use of the model to promote critical thinking found that most facilitators considered…

Identifies content analysis as the process of making inferences about a document by systematically identifying and quantifying certain characteristics of the communication. Characteristics could include style, intended audience, format, message, and surrounding circumstances. Includes several classroom examples, as well as related activities, and…

Investigated the major characteristics of the professional development of traditional and nontraditional adult student teachers. Data collection over one academic year included observations, interviews, and autobiographical, critically reflective student teacher journals. Results indicated that the student teaching experiences were markedly…