Visual mapping is a method of presenting course material in a visual format to aid comprehension. This paper looks at applications of visual mapping in post-secondary courses to engage university students more deeply from the very beginning of a course, through creating visuals to which students can be constantly referred. We discuss our efforts…

The art of looking is a museum and art gallery teaching tool at the core of the Visual Thinking Strategies, a Harvard School of Education pedagogy initiated as an educational experiment for schools across the United States almost two decades ago. Today, a large number of schools implement this teaching method to increase student engagement in a…

Dewey (1934) defined reflection as "the kind of thinking that consists in turning a subject over in the mind and giving it serious and consecutive consideration" and argued that reflective thought should be an educational aim. Today the importance of reflective thought for students, teachers, and teacher candidates is recognized. Within…

This paper reflects one cycle of an action research project that investigated how integrating activity, competition, and visual learning strategies through IWB/ Smart Response technology could engage a lower level Year 12 Advanced English class in NSW--a group of boys who felt disconnected from the course of study. After my initial reconnaissance…

This article explores the advantages and limitations of using the interactive whiteboard to enhance teaching and learning. The author observed two teachers use it and discusses their feelings about it. Also included is a discussion of previous research on this technological tool.

Sensory overload and split attention result in reduced learning when instructors read slides with bullet points and complex graphs during a lecture. Conversely, slides containing relevant visual elements, when accompanied by instructor narration, use both the visual and verbal channels of a student's working memory, thus improving the chances of…