This conversation is a slightly modified version of an interview with Dr. Peter Liljedahl, Professor of Mathematics Education. The interview was conducted by "JMETC" Guest Editors on March 8, 2021 and was based on Dr. Liljedahl's December 7, 2020 colloquium presentation "Building Thinking Classrooms: A Case of Results First…

This chapter is a reflective account of the author's experience as a teacher of English at the University of Pavia during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It considers the design and delivery of an English for architecture and construction engineering course as well as the assessment stage of a text analysis course. It proceeds by…

Worksheets hold a special place among the many well-intentioned--yet ineffective--items in the early childhood and elementary toolkit. They are nearly ubiquitous in some elementary classrooms and are even popular in preschools. Parents are encouraged when they see worksheets in their children's backpacks; they see such papers as indicators that…

This teaching note describes my multiyear experience with interventions designed to enhance student engagement and learning through various teaching techniques, most notably active and collaborative learning through local case studies. While other aspects of this course had been successful, I was disappointed in the level of engagement--the…

The seminal tenets of progressive education bear a striking resemblance to the newly fashionable principles associated with with a new movement known as "21st Century Education". This article traces the development of progressive education principles, starting with the founding of the Progressive Education Association, and shows their…

The image of students passively absorbing information from an educator who is lecturing from behind a podium does not reflect the current scope and dimension of higher education. There are now tools of technology that can be used to create learning experiences to actively and meaningfully "pull" students into course content. The author…

Online teaching and learning are becoming part of the fabric of the mainstream public and private university system. As such, more and more feminist teachers are feeling the pressure to teach online and hybrid courses or even to integrate course management software into their face-to-face classes. The strategies the authors describe in this…

The purpose of action learning is to learn through devising solutions and strategies in response to problems and implementing them through deliberative action. To understand the relation between action and learning, learners and facilitators need sufficient understanding of both concepts, but they are handicapped by lack of adequate theory and…

Provides a detailed description of the incorporation of constructivist, active, cooperative teaching strategies in a chemistry class. (EV)

Explains how the theater arts require a blend of contemplation and creativity that embodies the heart of real education. Demonstrates that for an actor and a director to produce a scene they must read and understand the lines, research the context, and define the character emotionally, intellectually, and physically. (TB)

Central to the argument about the influence of media on learning is how this influence is measured or ascertained. Conventional methods which comprise the use of true and quasi-experimental designs are inadequate. Several lessons can be learned from this observation on the media debate. The first is that, conventional methods of ascertaining the…

Argues that active learning strategies and child-centered curriculum, commonly used in primary grades, are also particularly effective in the intermediate elementary grades. (SR)

Presents a teacher's reflections about her dysfunctional classroom and ways she sought to improve it. Discusses involvement of students in building a community of learners through project activities. Emphasizes the need for students to understand the purpose of work undertaken, ways to share it with an audience, and working in a collaborative…

Organizational learning is fundamentally a communication phenomenon and, as such, communication research is particularly well suited to contribute to the understanding of this occurrence. Three communicative processes are constitutive of learning organizations: (1) collective thinking processes, whose three components are collectivity, idea…

This guide offers suggestions for implementing active learning techniques in the community college classroom. The author argues that, although much of the literature on active learning emphasizes collaboration and small-group learning, active learning does not always involve interaction. It must also involve reflection and self-monitoring of both…