Lectures remain the primary method of instruction in higher education despite several limitations: Students typically lose interest during hour-long lectures, lectures lead to rote learning by some students, and lectures do not lead to development of higher-level conceptual thinking skills. As an alternative to a lecture on the topic, an active…

This paper examines a non-equivalent quasi-experimental research effort, wherein two versions of a two week Project Based Learning unit were developed, implemented, and assessed. Students used a collaborative GIS or paper maps to support data analysis activities in this eighth grade Earth science unit. Attitude and self-efficacy in science as…

Teaching is a scholarly activity and a life-long learning process with no single method or pedagogy that is always most effective. Applications of teaching pedagogies properly vary from content-based to discipline-based areas. In this paper, various teaching pedagogies, including scaffolding, concept mapping, constructivism, and learning…

This article reports on the experiences of six participants in a Master's degree in Education (M.Ed.) programme based at the University of Exeter who had all contributed to a collection of academic papers on educational research in a distributed community. The programme was a distance learning one which had a special focus on application of ideas…

A great deal of value is placed on student research within universities, exemplified by the prominent role of the dissertation or extended written work at the end of many programmes, and the more general benefits of embedding research-based learning into a curriculum in order to develop higher-order learning. This article reports on a…

Computer technologies develop at a challenging fast pace. Formal education should not only teach students basic computer skills to meet current computer needs, but also foster student development of informal learning ability for a lifelong learning process. On the other hand, students growing up in the digital world are often more skilled with…

This paper reports the results of a doctoral research pilot study that paired a researcher with an experienced classroom teacher for a 12-week time span with the goal of effectively integrating the use of Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) into the classroom teacher's practice. Using a teacher development experiment, the researcher created an…

The role of motivation and collaboration in STEM learning and performance is paramount. A learning community represents an educational approach that can engage students in learning in a motivated, thoughtful, active, and collaborative way. The focus of this article is on the nature of students' interest, attitudes, learning experiences and…

This volume synthesizes the scholarship and practice of the teaching and learning of psychology to create a practical handbook for faculty who work with undergraduates in this discipline. Section 1 establishes the framework with "Principles for Quality Undergraduate Psychology Programs" (Cynthia Baum, and others). Section 2 reviews seven critical…

This study examined characteristics of passive and active learners among college students enrolled in remedial classes and students enrolled in regular academic classes. Active learners are typically analytical, focused on task, tolerant of new ideas, curious, adept at processing information, able to develop other ways to solve a problem,…

This book advocates that teachers of history create for their students a workshop environment where they actually can practice being historians. Adolescents, rather than thinking analytically, prefer to identify strongly with heroes and heroines and to explore their own lives and identity, character and convictions, through heroic stories. This…

Some misconceptions surround youth organizations and their contribution to career and occupational development. The first myth is that student youth organizations have diminishing value to today's vocational education students. The truth is that vocational educators have identified strong vocational student organizations (VSOs) as an essential…

Active learning results in better comprehension and retention of course concepts than passive learning. Experiential exercises (EE's) are a valuable means of achieving the goals of active learning. Well conceived EE's require, among other things, that the student: (1) engage in the gathering of concept-related behavioral data; (2) write a report…

The purpose of this guide is to make available to teachers both curriculum ideas and information about the craft of instruction, and provide information about their adaptation to differing circumstances. Chapter 1 of the guide addresses the "theoretical framework" including the issue of active versus passive learning. Chapter 2 addresses…

The 18 papers in this proceedings describe strategies and practices used in undergraduate psychology courses at two- and four-year colleges. The following presentations are included: "The Costs and Benefits of Critical Thinking," (Randall E. Osborne, Judy Laws, Ken Weadick, and Vicki Mantooth); "What's a Developmentalist To Do?" (Judith Luis);…