Prior knowledge, represented as a mental schema, has critical impact on how we organize, interpret, and process incoming information. Recent findings indicate that the use of an existing schema is coordinated by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), communicating with parietal areas. The hippocampus, however, is crucial for encoding…

This article begins by describing a class scenario in which a teacher gives her students the L problem (Watanabe 2008), which involves finding the area of a composite figure. Her students inappropriately extend the area formula for rectangles (A = L x W) to composite figures by multiplying all given dimensions. After class, the teacher concluded…

Understanding how struggling students approach math is vital to designing effective math lessons. Many low achieving students rely on a weak knowledge of procedures and attempt calculations without adequate consideration of the problem. We investigated how enabling or preventing premature calculations affected learning math. Students were…

For adult students who have committed anew to completing a four-year bachelor's degree, prior learning assessment (PLA) can be a surprising bonus that affirms their previous life experiences, shortens the degree completion pathway, and ultimately lowers tuition dollars. What students typically do not realize as they enter the process, however, is…

This article reports on three key findings of pluralistic research into psychotherapists' experience of continuing professional development (CPD). A qualitative enquiry with five therapists utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, was supplemented with a questionnaire completed by an additional 41 therapists and a review of the CPD…

This chapter evaluates Dewey's thinking in relation to the theorization of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). It compares Dewey's concepts with ideas from social realism, Vygotsky, and cultural historical activity theory, illustrated by PLA research in South Africa.

Ginsburg (1977) observed that children typically develop surprisingly powerful informal (everyday) knowledge of mathematics and that mathematical learning difficulties often arise when formal instruction does not build on this existing knowledge. By using meaningful analogies teachers can help connect new formal instruction to students' existing…

This 50-State Comparison provides a national overview of state policies to award college students with academic credit for military experience. This resource provides a link to the data table that answers the question, "Does the state have a policy to award academic credit for military experience?" Key findings are also listed.

In everyday life and in education, we continuously build and structure our knowledge. Successful knowledge construction is suggested to happen through reactivation of previously learned information during new learning. This reactivation is presumed to lead to integration of old and new memories and strengthen long-term retention. Additionally,…

This study investigated whether teacher expectation effects on students' foreign language learning would be moderated by students' perceptions of the classroom environment. The participants were 28 teachers and 1030 first-year undergraduate students learning English as a foreign language from public universities in China. Data for teacher…

This study introduced an app, called Smart UEnglish, for helping EFL conversation practices in authentic contexts. These conversation practices were categorized into 'designed talk' and 'free talk', based on the content of an English textbook and authentic ambient environment that includes such things as transportation, weather and scenic…

Promoting relevant, meaningful, and equitable science teaching learning environments for both teachers and students has become a critical objective for science education. To achieve this goal, fostering students' sensemaking experiences in science becomes critical. Working towards such a committed, and equitable sensemaking environment is closely…

This paper explores the integration of STEM activities in teaching and learning, emphasizing the importance of innovative pedagogical approaches in effectively introducing theoretical concepts, such as variables and functions, and merging them with practical applications. Drawing on existing literature, this study investigates the integration of…

In recent years, Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Assessment (ICALA) has emerged as a transformative approach in language education, leveraging technology to enhance student assessment and learning processes. Despite its growing importance, there is a scarcity of research investigating the connections among needs satisfaction, teacher…

An opportunity exists to attract students from historically underrepresented communities into the geosciences, the least diverse of the STEM fields. Home to a diverse population, Riverside County in Southern California supports several community colleges with thriving geoscience programs where students can take a range of geology courses in…