A Virtual Resource Center (VRC) has been brought into use since 2008 as an integral part of a task-based language teaching and learning program for Business English courses at Nantes University, France. The objective of the center is to enable students to work autonomously and individually on their language problems so as to improve their language…

The field of EDM has focused more on modeling student knowledge than on investigating what sequences of different activity types achieve good learning outcomes. In this paper we consider three activity types, targeting sense-making, induction and refinement, and fluency building. We investigate what mix of the three types might be most effective…

We examined the use of problem solving videos (PSVs) as a substitute for general chemistry exam review sessions. We investigated student perceptions of course aspects regarding usefulness for supporting their learning of chemistry content. We also examined "how" students used the PSVs to further their learning. Students ranked the PSVs…

The aim of this article is to discuss transfer of learning in a tertiary technical course in the French educational context. The focus is on a pedagogical sequence (i.e. a complex problem-solving activity) requiring different types of knowledge that students are expected to have learnt previously in the different parts of their training course…

Today's graduates need the skills to enable them to "persevere in the face of complexity and unresolvability" (McWilliam and Haukka 2008: 660), and to respond creatively in work environments that are increasingly dependent on digital technologies (Cunningham 2006). However, although many higher education institutions (HEIs) acknowledge…

Our view of learning takes into account how learners, when learning, are engaged in both doing science and mathematics and becoming mathematicians and scientists. Drawing on our work on a number of European projects that developed inquiry approaches across mathematics and science, we propose a new research and development agenda seeking new ways…

Optional (non-assessed) learning activities are a learning tool that may help students achieve their desired grade, or help students with lower levels of previous experience in the topic. This study examines the implementation of, and outcomes from, two optional activities, one online and one paper-based. The activities complemented the lectures…

Field Project A is an elective course in the Bachelor of Exercise Science program at Griffith University and includes elements of both career development learning and work-integrated learning. This paper aims to determine the effects of the learning activities and assessment items developed for the course on students' self-efficacy in making…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM's) "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" (2000) outlines fi ve Process Standards that are essential for developing deep understanding of mathematics: (1) Problem Solving; (2) Reasoning and Proof; (3) Communication; (4) Connections; and (5) Representation. The Common Core…

This activity introduces students to the concept of reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions. To help students obtain a thorough understanding of redox reactions, the concept is explored at three levels: macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic. In this activity, students perform hands-on investigations of the three levels as they work at different…

This article describes how teachers address issues and tensions that students meet in learning division of fractions. First, students must make sense of division of fractions on their own by working individually and in small groups, using concrete or pictorial representations, inventing their own processes, and presenting and justifying their…

Researchers have suggested that teachers use a specialized type of knowledge specifically attributed to the work of teaching. One aspect of this specific type of knowledge is the ability to analyze children's work. With continued emphasis on a teacher's ability to analyze their students' thought processes, teacher candidates will need to develop…

This study examined how toddlers gain insights from source video displays and use the insights to solve analogous problems. Two- to 2.5-year-olds viewed a source video illustrating a problem-solving strategy and then attempted to solve analogous problems. Older but not younger toddlers extracted the problem-solving strategy depicted in the video…

In this article, the author wishes to emphasize two fundamental points related to theory that were significantly underplayed in Simon et al.'s "A Developing Approach to Studying Students' Learning through Their Mathematical Activity" (2010). The author believes these points are central to any study of children's mathematical learning. The first…

This guidance report focuses on the teaching of mathematics to pupils in Key Stages 2 and 3. It is not intended to provide a comprehensive guide to mathematics teaching. We have made recommendations where there are research findings that schools can use to make a significant difference to pupils' learning, and have focused on the questions that…