Learning by teaching can be effective, yet many students fail to engage in knowledge building, in which they actively generate inferences and connect the material to their existing knowledge. Recent research suggests creating drawings while orally explaining to others fosters knowledge building and long-term learning; however, the mechanisms…

This study examines how middle school students develop an increasingly coherent understanding of aquatic ecosystems. As part of a broader design research study that used Structure-Behavior-Function (SBF) theory as an organizing conceptual representation, we created two instructional units that focused on pond and aquarium environments. We coded…

Several studies have shown that "learner-generated external visual representations" (LGVRs) play a vital role for learning scientific concepts and processes. However, we know little about teachers' reasoning as to why and how to implement LGVR activities in their teaching. Thus, the purpose of our study is to determine why teachers let…

We investigate an interactive teacher-generated drawing strategy in which the teacher constructs a drawing with the help of the students. The students contribute their ideas on how to visualize to-be-drawn concepts, embedded in an interactive process. The present study explored whether learning from a scientific text on plate tectonics could be…

The drive to explore students' experiences in mathematics classrooms remains imperative for mathematics education research in order to better understand how effective teaching and learning classroom practices lead to desirable learning outcomes. As part of a larger research project exploring a group of 120 Turkish middle school students' (grades 6…

In common with many other countries, the Iranian science curriculum does not introduce primary children to atoms and molecules but instead leaves the teaching of these concepts until high school. This paper challenges this practice and describes the changes in elementary Iranian children's understanding of atoms and molecules following a 10-h…

The present study examined lower secondary students' images of mathematics, comprised of stated attitudes to and perceived needs for mathematics, and views about mathematicians and their work. A group of 1284 lower secondary students drew a picture of mathematician at work and described their drawings. The students' drawings fell into two distinct…

Evolutionary evidence is important scientific background for appreciating the theory of evolution. We describe a STEAM-based lesson plan that uses paleontological drawings and a modern evolutionary database to explore and understand fossil, morphological, and molecular evidence. Together, with a focus on arthropods and the Cambrian explosion,…

In this paper, the authors introduce a research instrument (Draw a STEM Learning Environment: D-STEM) and its accompanying rubric (the D-STEM Rubric), both of which were developed based upon relevant research studies. The authors describe their usefulness to school principals in commencing conversations with their school's STEM [Science,…

Manufacturing is considered one of the major economic drivers in the United States. However, a challenge for manufacturing competitiveness can be the negative perception of the industry held by children, and society as a whole, which may make them reluctant to pursue manufacturing careers and fulfill the projected workforce demands. Accordingly,…

Pupils with intellectual disabilities have personal, social and communication challenges as stated in DSM-5 (APA, 2013) and ICD-10 (WHO, 1992). As such, their cognition in general and language acquisition in particular are difficulties they struggle with in school. As a result, teaching them becomes cumbersome for teachers and caregivers. However,…

We report our research of seven pairs of students enrolled in the second semester of sophomore-level organic chemistry as they attempted to describe (in their own words) and draw, respectively, three electron-pushing diagrams of three-step reaction mechanisms. The tasks' objective was to accurately reproduce the diagrams based solely on the…

While quantitative research on the nature and extent of private tutoring in England is increasingly available, very limited evidence exists regarding pupils' voices in evaluating their participation in private tutoring. Thus, the present qualitative study seeks to investigate the perceptions of 14 Year 6 pupils from three primary schools in East…

How can creating a simple stick figure comic help us tell -- and deeply listen to -- true stories of social injustice and practice anti-oppression strategies? More specifically, how can creating a series of stick-figure comics help learners enhance their understanding of the Indigenous Peoples' testimonies in the Truth and Reconciliation Report…

This article details a qualitative case study of 24 preschool children engaged with step-by-step drawing instruction provided by five educators as they developed their fine motor skills and drew detailed objects using the Drawing Children Into Reading curriculum (Halperin, W. A. (2011a). "Project 50 preschool manual." South Haven, MI:…