Many education researchers have advocated grounding abstract mathematical and scientific concepts in students' lived experiences, environmental interactions, and perceptions. This dissertation explores the causal effects of various grounding strategies in instructional settings, specifically on the topic of statistical sampling. The first chapter…

This article explores how principles from cognitive psychology, particularly transfer-appropriate processing (TAP) and skill acquisition theory, can inform the design of grammar practice in second language (L2) instruction. While grammar instruction often emphasizes declarative knowledge, enabling learners to use grammatical forms accurately and…

While learning activities and text production in language subjects typically include multiple forms of multimodal expression, assessment in the subjects continues to a great extent to depend on students' written texts. As a contribution to an increasing call for alignment of curricular activities and assessment, this article explores an approach…

The increasing presence of multiple Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the classroom does not guarantee an improvement of the learning experiences of students, unless it is also accompanied by pedagogically effective orchestration of those technologies. In order to help teachers in this endeavour, it can be useful to understand…

Analogous thinking has been commonly discussed as being an inherent and distinguishing characteristic of human cognition (e.g., Gentner, 2010; Goldstone, Day, & Son, 2010; Holyoak, in press; Rittle-Johnson & Star, in press). Gentner (2003) has argued that as part of the human cognitive toolbox, comparison accompanied by the relational language to…

Japanese Lesson Study is a collaborative approach for teachers to plan, present, observe, and critique classroom lessons. Through the lesson study process, teachers systematically and thoughtfully examine both student learning and their own teaching practices. In addition, the process paves the way for a much broader approach to education…

This article is about a small-scale research project which investigated changing the authors' classroom practice at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level and how that change impacts on both teachers and students. This project emerged out of earlier classroom research funded and supported by the National Union of Teachers and…

Presents study results exploring the use of learning activities in secondary school mathematics instruction. Explains that seven categories of learning activities, one traditional and six active learning, were identified. Reports that heads of mathematics departments estimated occurrence of the activities in their schools. Concludes that active…

Statistical analysis indicates that a note-taking group performed significantly better overall than a no-notes group on both an immediate and a delayed quiz although both groups showed a significant decline in performance in the latter quiz. (JMF)

Sixty videotaped lessons from six fourth-grade classes were used to examine, first, to what extent instructional processes differ from each other in relation to other properties of the teaching process during lessons belonging to varying activity forms or content types; and, secondly, to what extent differences within the instructional process are…

Describes a case study which collected journals from, interviewed, and observed 23 children as they participated in a 6-week creative drama workshop using the Rutgers Imagination Method. Finds improvement in specific areas of learning, including vocabulary, imagery abilities, and dramatic behavior. (SR)

Interviewed 45 students, grades 9-12, to which what social studies classes or activities engage secondary school students. Summarizes student reactions to a social studies class emphasizing higher-order thinking (HOT). Reports that a subject's intrinsic interest and relevance, student active participation, and cognitively challenging tasks most…

Researchers as well as others evaluating teachers or programs are often interested in the verbal and non-verbal behaviors related to the learning of students in classrooms. The Student Record of Behavior (StRoBe) is a classroom observation instrument designed to provide simple low inference information concerning student behaviors related to…

Discusses theoretical perspectives for improving teachers' understandings of task assignment in classrooms, and presents evidence from two British studies that highlight both the extent of the task assignment problem and possible causes. (SKC)

Uses current ecological research to explore the social nature of the classroom as it affects both teaching and learning. (FL)