Suggests ways to better implement the World Wide Web as a powerful teaching tool. Considers three general educational strategies, each of which taps into different strengths of the Internet as an information delivery system. Describes daily Internet-based exercises, project involvement activities, and cyber field trips. (AEF)

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 use of an autobiographical writing assignment to orient older, non-traditional students, and students in social work-related fields, to the library and its resources based on experiences in a graduate gerontology course at Wayne State University. Appendices include skill and values objectives and advanced research skills that were…

Provides 13 suggestions for academic library instruction, focusing on creating handouts for students, faculty and staff; promotional materials; creating Web pages; putting lecture notes on the Web; flexible scheduling; staying concise; providing materials in multiple formats; creating assignments to be returned to a librarian; group instruction;…

Study analyzed the writing assignments of two secondary preservice teachers involved in a university teacher education practicum designed to promote reflective thinking. Found that written assignments were more useful in making participants' cognitive processes explicit than in their actively constructing knowledge about teaching and learning.…

Offers suggestions to librarians on how to teach Internet use and Web searching to beginners. Highlights include active learning, including small group assignments; Web addresses; Web site authority, currency, accuracy, commercialism, and scope; critical thinking skills; the training environment; student exercises; and educational resources for…

Examines the effectiveness of two writing-to-learn formats in helping developmental students master biological information and in decreasing writing anxiety. Objective measures showed a small but significant decrease in writing anxiety over the quarter, unrelated to writing format. Writing format also had little effect on content knowledge, based…

Contends that children's literature is a powerful tool for linking social studies learning and literacy development in primary age children. Describes a thematic unit on immigration and the transcontinental railroad that utilized literature and "read alouds" as a means to exploring these topics. Gives a list of children's books on immigration.…

Explains that, by including writing in the art curriculum, students learn to plan art assignments and organize their thoughts. Recommends introducing writing to the younger grades because art and writing will become a natural combination for the students. Gives tips for beginning an art/writing curriculum and suggests topics for assignments. (CMK)

This article describes a writing activity that is employed after graded exams are handed back to students. Students are asked to reflect on their performance and to demonstrate understanding of mathematics related to the exam and/or unit of instruction. The article provides examples of student writing, scoring rubrics, and suggestions for…

In a context where changes in conceptions or experiences associated with learning generic skills is a desirable learning outcome, how can assessment instruments be designed to bring about the desired changes? In this paper we show how understanding the variation in students' experience of learning a specific generic capability represents the first…

The author has been teaching Introduction to Sociology for several years, and each semester new students bring their own perspectives to the study of sociology, making the content fresh and new. In order to help students understand sociological concepts in more experiential ways and to give them a glimpse into a culture that may be different from…

After several years of teaching Sociological Thought--an upper division course that focuses on classical, modern, and contemporary sociological theories--the author came across the idea of student portfolios. As a consequence, the course has undergone far-reaching changes. The content remains relatively intact; however, today the theory course…

The purpose of experiential education is to combine experience and learning in ways that transform both. Students have experiences outside the classroom, and these experiences are integrated into the course curriculum, enriching both the experience and the class material. Successful experiential education assignments must first provide students…

In the world of work and in the social lives of many, new technology plays an important role in establishing and maintaining relationships and exchanging information. The school system varies in its response to this new technology and particularly to the popular communication of email and mobile phone users. In schools and classrooms, policies,…