This study investigated the conceptual pathways of 19 Grade 11 introductory chemistry students (age 16-17) as they participated in a multirepresentational instruction on the particulate nature of matter (PNM). This study was grounded in contemporary conceptual change theory, in particular, research on students' conceptual pathways that focuses on…

This study characterizes the impact of an inquiry-based learning (IBL) module versus a traditionally structured laboratory exercise. Laboratory sections were randomized into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught using IBL pedagogical techniques and included manipulation of large-scale data-sets, use of multiple…

In recent years, short question-and-answer activities known as lecture tutorials that are designed to help students work with and discover concepts for themselves, rather than simply being told about them (lectured to) have become a popular tool for learner-centred teaching of introductory college astronomy. Students on such a course are usually…

How do mathematics teachers introduce the concepts of slope, rate of change, and steepness in their classrooms? Do students understand these concepts as interchangeable or regard them as three different ideas? In this article, the authors report the results of a study of high school Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus students who displayed…

Conducted collaboratively by an art educator and a literacy educator, this qualitative study focused on pre-service art educators' perspectives on integrating literacy in their teaching of art as they took a required course on literacy across the curriculum. Data included interviews, questionnaires, course assignments, and field notes from class…

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of peer coaching on the classroom practices of pre-service teachers. Four teacher interns learned peer coaching functions and techniques before participating in coaching cycles with their peers. Pairs of participants reciprocally observed classes, collected data, and held conferences. Multiple…

This study aims at highlighting young children's reasoning about human interventions within a forest ecosystem. Our focus is particularly set on whether preschoolers are able to come up with any basic ecological interpretations of human actions upon forest plants or animals and how. Conducting individual, semi-structured interviews with 70…

This paper attempts to illuminate a central concept and idea in special education discourse, namely, "special needs". It analyses philosophically what needs are and on what grounds they are defined as "special" or "exceptional". It also discusses whether sorting needs into ordinary and special is discriminatory. It is argued that individualistic…

Inspired by a previous study of Korean deaf and hard of hearing adolescents, the researchers conducted a priming task of living-nonliving categorization with a sample of Chinese deaf and hard of hearing adolescents. The sample in this study had significantly lower accuracy levels for the thematically related items than for the taxonomically…

Learn the 5 practices for facilitating effective inquiry-oriented classrooms: (1) Anticipating what students will do--what strategies they will use--in solving a problem; (2) Monitoring their work as they approach the problem in class; (3) Selecting students whose strategies are worth discussing in class; (4) Sequencing those students'…

In many ways, algebra can be as challenging for teachers as it is for students. With so much emphasis placed on procedural knowledge and the manipulations of variables and symbols, it can be easy to lose sight of the key ideas that underlie algebraic thinking and the relevance algebra has to the real world. In the The Xs and Whys of Algebra: Key…

This qualitative study examines the characteristics of principals in high leadership capacity schools. Lambert (1998) defines leadership capacity as broad-based, skillful participation in the work of leadership. Data were collected from a total of nine study participants, one Assistant Superintendent, two principals, and six certified professional…

This study characterized and compared the arguments eighth grade mathematics students created while working in technological and non-technological environments. Toulmin's (1958/2003) argumentation model was used to analyze the content and structure of the arguments, including the ways in which the students used the tools (technological and…

Weather events are part of every student's experience, and are controlled by basic principles involving the behavior of matter and energy. Despite this, many students have difficulty explaining simple atmospheric phenomena, even after exposure to primary and secondary science curricula. This study investigated the level to which undergraduates…

This project explores "conceptual continuity" as a framework for understanding students' native ways of understanding and describing. Conceptual continuity suggests that the relationship between the use of words in one genre and the scientific genre can exist at varying levels of association. This perspective can reveal the varied relationships…