This paper presents some of the overall frameworks and models for language learning that were used under Avalon (Access to Virtual and Action Learning live ONline), an EU co-funded project aimed at developing language-learning scenarios in virtual worlds. The introduction and background summarize some of the theories that constitute the starting…

Middle school is a crucial transition period for students as they move from concrete to algebraic ways of thinking. This article describes a sequence of instruction geared toward helping prospective middle school instructors teach the topic of percentages.

Interactive teaching with larger groups of students can be a challenge, but the use of mobile electronic devices by students (smartphones, tablets, laptops) can be used to improve classroom interaction. We have examined several types of tasks that can be electronically enacted in classes and practical courses using these devices: multiple choice…

By working through well-designed tasks, students can expand their thinking about mathematical ideas and their approaches to solving mathematical problems. They can come to see the value of looking at tasks from different perspectives and of using different representations. This article discusses four tasks that encourage high school students and…

Staff of the National Weather Service Offices should be able to understand interpersonal communication and public relations in order to better serve their mission to "protect lives and property" as well as work with their internal and external partners (NWS Internet Services Team). Two technologies have been developed to assist the integration of…

Coaching is one of the highest profile positions that schools and colleges employ. At the collegiate level, these individuals can even be the highest paid public employees in their states, and successful coaches are often the highest paid individuals in their school districts. But successful coaches can be defined in a number of ways, and…

Since Piaget, the view that motor and cognitive development are interrelated has gained wide acceptance. However, empirical research on this issue is still rare. Few studies show a correlation of performance in cognitive and motor tasks in typically developing children. More specifically, Diamond A. (2000) hypothesizes an involvement of executive…

Entrepreneurship is a novel course in the curriculum for students in the Information Technology (IT) degree program at La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia. In comparison to other IT-related courses, the Entrepreneurship course seeks to develop business management knowledge and skills; its learning design is thus different to that of other…

Living in the Adirondack Park and being an avid outdoorsman has often resulted in the author's love of the outdoors working its way into class projects. In 2010, the author gave a group of 25 students in grades 9-12 a challenge that required them to design and construct a prototype inexpensive, lightweight kayak for backpackers and fisherman. In…

In this article, we advance a model of project-based learning (PJBL) offering eight guiding principles to support a pragmatic and principled approach to teacher preparation at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We provide a template for structuring PJBL, and we include illustrative exemplars that demonstrate that the ideological mid-ground can…

The standardization of loadings gives a metric to the corresponding latent variable and thus scales the variance of this latent variable. By assigning an appropriately estimated weight to all the loadings on the same latent variable it can be achieved that the average squared loading is 1 as the result of standardization. As a consequence, there…

This article is an introduction to two other articles in this issue, Catherine Maxwell's "Teaching 19th-century aesthetic prose" and Kirsteen Anderson's "The whole learner: the role of imagination in developing disciplinary learning". It highlights the significance of the courses described in Maxwell's and Anderson's accounts…

The interpretation of single-case data requires systematic visual analysis across and within conditions. Graphs are a vital component for analyzing and communicating single-case design data and a necessary tool for applied researchers and practitioners. Several articles have been published with task analyses for graphing data with the new versions…

Developing critical numeracy is important in a society where mathematics plays a particular and significant role. One way of helping learners to develop the level of numeracy required to participate in society is by exploring ideas embedded in rich, accessible tasks. These can be linked to contexts that have relevance in their lives. One…

Although the Curriculum Principle in "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" states, "A school mathematics curriculum is a strong determinant of what students have an opportunity to learn and what they do learn," this article seeks to help teachers enhance tasks found in commonly used textbooks to create additional opportunities for…