A notebook is perhaps the single most important piece of equipment a naturalist takes into the field. But notebooks are not only for use by field scientists: They are also excellent tools for helping students record observations outdoors, develop communication skills, and mirror the work of real scientists. They may contain observations and…

Fifty-one deaf students (18- to 25-years-old) significantly increased their reading comprehension skills after learning a "netowrking" strategy which focused on identifying the conceptual ideas withing a text, specifying their relative importance, and diagraming the textual information. (Author/CL)

Typically, high school is the hardest place to integrate a project-based learning approach. The issues for high school are many, including: (1) Students are available for only an hour a day (except in blockscheduled schools); (2) Teachers specialize in certain subject areas; (3) Teachers feel pressured to prepare students for tests and college.…

Two years ago I implemented a basic outline of each class for my students to take notes on for Calculus II at the United States Military Academy. The outline provided students with a shell of the class material for each day of class. Their job was to fill in the shell as we went through the material. The outlines provided students an easy method…

Presents a four-stage instructional sequence of modeling, practicing, evaluating, and reinforcing activities for developing student-directed notetaking strategies. Notes that an emphasis on evaluating and reinforcing allows the introduction of the Notetaking Observation Training, and Evaluation Scales (NOTES), a system for fostering students'…

Describes using the graphic organizer as an instructional tool prior to lecturing to help students take accurate lecture notes. (SR)

This report describes the findings of an analysis of a series of action research projects conducted by Vigo County School Corporation at Terre Haute South Vigo High School (hereinafter referred to as South Vigo). During the 2008-2009 school year, 19 teachers at South Vigo participated in independent action research studies regarding the extent to…

Written comments on student evaluations often seem idiosyncratic, lacking the power of numerical statistical data. These statements, however, may sometimes reveal intellectual challenges common to novice learners in our disciplines. Instructors can use these insights as part of a scholarly approach to teaching, making meaningful adjustments to…

Drawing on the theory of documents representation (Perfetti et al., Toward a theory of documents representation. In: H. v. Oostendorp & S. R. Goldman (Eds.), "The construction of mental representations during reading." Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1999), we argue that successfully dealing with multiple documents on the World Wide Web requires readers to…

Note-making is one excellent method for helping students retain important points made by the teacher. Techniques that elementary and secondary social studies teacher can use to teach note-making skills are described. (RM)

Twenty years of research shows that using interactive techniques more often can make a class more effective. For example, a study of six thousand physics students compared classes using passive lecture to classes using interactive techniques that allowed for discussion among students and between the professor and students. The study showed that…

It's much easier to spread the insights and strategies from ASCD's (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) best-selling "Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners" to everyone in your school when you have this guide for conducting a workshop or professional development meeting on how to improve the academic…

Everyone who participates in your workshop on "Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners" needs this participant's workbook to gain expertise in strategies that are effective with ELL (English Language Learners) students.

US high schools appear to measure success according to the number of students admitted into four-year institutions each year. Although this is one measure, there are some schools that focus on developing important life skills needed to become productive members of society. Online surveys were sent out to alumni, students, teachers, and parents to…

Recent advances in technology have made it easy to provide students an outline or some form of notes prior to lectures and for later review. To test the efficacy of instructor-provided notes, 74 students studied lecture material under one of four conditions, in groups of 4 or 5 students. Some listened and took notes as their normal strategy.…