Field notes written by students and guides during an eight-day university credit course in canoeing and wilderness living are presented as a dialogue to illuminate the spiritual experience of self-realization and well-being that comes to many students during the trip. (SV)

A former participant in the Future Problem Solving Program reminisces about his experience in local and national competitions, describes the program's unique features (its emphasis on creativity and focus on the future), and notes the usefulness of the problem-solving process in his work with the Corporate Audit Staff of General Electric. (JDD)

Contends that, in order to relate to space, an art educator must emphasize the relationship of the individual to place and also the interplay of place and group narrative. Indicates what is important about grounding inquiry and art making in the local environment for students of all ages. (CMK)

Explores Clifford K. Madsen's music experiences throughout early childhood, elementary school, junior high school, and beyond as a means to raise research and other issues in music education. States that a self-analysis into musical experiences should stimulate myriad research questions and that everything should be researched. (CMK)

This chapter, rooted in life span developmental research and theory, examines domains of subjective well-being: emotional, social, and psychological. What is the impact of these domains on the learner's experience of education? It invites the reader to consider implications for learning through the use of learners' narratives.

One college language teacher recounts her personal experience of the transition from graduate student in French studies to the only full-time language faculty member at a small pre-professional college, focusing on the ways in which she was underprepared for the work expected of her. Despite substantial language teacher training and experience…

Two studies explored the use of students' remembrances of school during preservice elementary education pedagogy courses. The studies assumed that cognitive schemas activated by writing remembrances would mediate the influence of experience on the interpretation of course content. The studies examined what kind of school experiences preservice…

Teachers need to become students again and pay attention to how they learn best in order that they may then use like means in teaching their students. Teacher students often connect by telling anecdotes and other narratives that have meaning in their personal experiences. They share these stories and build on them, finding fresh ways of looking at…

In this book, the Kentucky novelist, poet, and teacher Jesse Stuart describes his experiences as student and teacher. Chapter 1 recounts the influence of his father, who instilled the principle of learning through play and the value of imagination and memory, and catalogs young Jesse's teachers at Plum Grove School. Chapter 2 describes his high…

In 1978, federal legislation was passed to protect tribally enrolled or potentially enrollable American Indian children and prevent the breakup of Indian families. Prior to the passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act, it was estimated that one-quarter to one-third of all Indian children were being removed from their families. In this paper, an…

This study examined relationships between college students' (n=94) recall of important school-related events and the students' current academic engagement. Autobiographical narratives were coded for time period (e.g., middle school), theme (e.g., achievement), context (e.g., academics, sports), and the presence of goal-directed content (e.g.,…

A Mexican American teacher/administrator describes her experiences with bilingual education as a limited-English-proficient child, college student, bilingual teacher, graduate student, district administrator, teacher of bilingual teachers, and employee in a federal technical assistance center, and traces the impact of Title VII (the Bilingual…

Discusses how teachers' and students' personal stories are central to teacher education and to the improvement of schools. The article illustrates how the telling and writing, retelling and rewriting of teachers' and students' stories leads to awakenings and transformations resulting in changes in teaching practices. (SM)

Utilizes information gathered from archival and other documentary sources to develop greater understanding of the ways in which New Zealand's Native School system operated and was perceived by the Maori communities. Gives voice to former pupils of the Native Schools by establishing an oral-history database of their experiences within the school…

For any student, the first semester of graduate school is the most traumatic experience in his or her career as a graduate student. Fortunately, there are some things that can be done to make the transition for these students easier. Getting undergraduate students involved in the classrooms in positions of pedagogical responsibility is the most…