This book offers a roadmap for growing students' confidence and competence in learning. We strive to empower our students to lead their own inquiry, discover knowledge, and construct approaches to solving real-life challenges. Often, though, we make the mistake of designing learning experiences that burden students with the unrealistic expectation…

Courses: Beginning research methods and statistics courses, as well as advanced communication courses that require reading research articles and completing research projects involving statistics. Objective: Students will understand the difference between significant and nonsignificant statistical results based on p-value.

Motivating adolescents to learn can be a challenge! Often distracted and easily bored, these kids are also critical thinkers capable of thriving in the classroom while learning 21st century skills. How do we hold their attention and develop their abilities? Research shows that all students--regardless of learning style, disability category, or…

Project-Based Learning (PBL) connects standards-based content to real-world scenarios through the use of projects to improve student achievement. By engaging students in authentic problems that do not have a predetermined solution, students learn both subject matter and critical 21st-century skills. This "Focus On" addresses what…

Notes that while active learning strategies enable students to grasp important concepts, they also help students become enthusiastic and confident writers and interpreters of literature. Suggests that the more active students are in the lesson, the more engaged they will be in the subject matter and the better opportunity they will have to learn…

Addresses the problem of the effectiveness of teaching methodologies on fundamental engineering courses such as transport phenomena. Recommends the colloquial approach, an active learning strategy, to increase student involvement in the learning process. (ZWH)

Supplements Steven A.Meyers's article (Teaching Psychology, 1997) on the use of collaborative-learning groups. Provides additional suggestions on starting in-class groups, maintaining their effectiveness, and anticipating common problems. Argues that with careful attention, in-class groups can effectively complement lectures. (DSK)

Indicates the reasons for the lack of success of lecture method among high school students. Compares the constructivist approach to the objectivist approach and discusses student learning differences. Makes recommendations for student learning needs. (Contains 37 references.) (YDS)

Discusses an exercise that uses objects from everyday life to demonstrate to students how their personal biographies intersect with history. Encourages active engagement between teacher, students, and subject matter in a mutual quest for knowledge and understanding. Outlines the exercise, assesses its success, and makes additional recommendations.…

Presents cooperative classroom projects using science as the initial basis for the study of bears. These projects may also involve other areas of the curriculum such as mathematics, art, and music. "Black Bear" activities include following a park ranger to study our National Parks and researching and building a full-sized brown bear…

Active learning in secondary physical education can facilitate the learning of class content and equip students with tools to learn independently. The article presents active learning strategies for physical education (clarification pauses, shared paragraph writing, application notes, study lecture, guided lecture, cooperative learning, and fish…

Proposes that a game called Black Box is a useful tool for introducing various features of scientific reasoning to introductory research methods classes. Outlines the rules of the game and suggests analogies that instructors can make between the game and concepts commonly mentioned in discussions of scientific reasoning. (DSK)

With the development of state and national achievement standards in the content areas, it is more important than ever for teachers to develop in their students effective reading behaviors, literacy skills, and study strategies that will enable them to tackle increasingly complex materials. This book features 45 literacy skill-building strategies…

Noting that the ability to think critically and creatively can be encouraged even in the very young, this book provides practical strategies and lesson plans for introducing children in kindergarten through grade 3 to the fun and rigors of skillful thinking. The first set of four lessons is designed to start children thinking and to lay the…