Performing arts courses at research institutions such as Harvard University are often seen as extracurricular with only tangential or imperceptible effect on students' academic interests. Yet, when this author interviewed biology, math, or neuroscience concentrators who took Claire Mallardi's "Movement for Actors and Directors" course at Harvard…

Author Lyn Lesch advocates that learning cannot be measured by empirical results like testing and grading. As the founder of Chicago's The Children's School, Lesch didn't give grades or submit students to standardized testing. Such conditions may seem blasphemous to most educators, but the results spoke for themselves. Without the high-stakes…

The themes of adult learning, cross-cultural learning, and transformative learning are common to many continuing educators working at universities across Canada. In this essay, I narrate my experiences as a mature, adult learner returning to university. Following a literature review and discussion of methodology, I begin this autobiographical…

The concept of open or progressive education has come to mean that to learn one needs no discipline, no systematic organization, no planning. However, there is a middle, or at least another ground, between the ends of laissez faire and authoritarianism. It has to do with the structure of process. For example, the Key Vocabulary of Sylvia…

There is a growing awareness among students that public relations internships provide not only a means for testing skills, but also valuable experience that can be placed on a resume. This has created keen competition among students for internships, thereby providing practitioners with a considerable talent pool from which to select competent…

The history of experiential learning in American higher education is outlined, and the rationale and learning objectives of this type of experience are addressed. Experiential education has resulted from an emphasis on practical knowledge. Although the colonial colleges focused on the classical curriculum, the scientific method of the natural…

The importance of defining the college experience in specific terms in publications for prospective students is discussed. The academic area is the most vital to describe, since college work differs greatly from high school in the emphases on academic diversity, self-initiative, and study outside the classroom. Publications should describe…

A faculty member given the opportunity to become a full-time undergraduate for a term rediscovers what the student experience is like and learns where to make improvements in instruction. (MSE)

One instructor's "dead zone" (her windowless classroom in the depths of the Humanities building) was the place where little exchange between teacher and students took place. When one day she overheard the students talking about how little money they had left on their meal cards, she took a few dozen bagels to that afternoon's writing…

Describes how the ability to speak Spanish facilitated news reporting on a big city newspaper for a student with no journalism education experience. (AEA)

The experiences of two college journalism exchange students illustrate some of the differences between American and British journalism. (RL)

A teacher of gifted elementary school students reflects on her experiences using the Foxfire approach and on its value in involving students in experiential learning and facilitating higher level critical and creative thinking skills. Seven of her sixth grade students describe the projects they've completed over the years. (SV)

Asserts that children in science education must have hands-on experience to discover and make sense of their world. Emphasizes that there is a need for teachers who enjoy both language and science. Argues that children need to discover that they use science, like language, daily. (MM)

The connections between college student self-evaluation and student development are examined, and it is proposed that such self-evaluation may actively encourage specific aspects of cognitive, psychological, and social development and help the student integrate the experience. (MSE)

A lesson structure for one-time bibliographic instruction (BI) sessions based on an active learning technique was developed. Active learning is discussed, and the "jigsaw method" is described. BI sessions presented to junior- and senior-level college students are examined, and considerations for librarians wishing to incorporate active…