The growing use of the Internet in learning environments has led to new models being created addressing specific learning domains, as well as more general educational goals. In particular, in recent years considerable attention has been paid to collaborative learning supported by technology, because this mode can enhance peer interaction and group…

On-line collaboration is an instructional method that facilitates collaboration in an on-line learning setting. To promote effective collaboration, it is vital to reveal both the student's and the instructor's point of view pertaining to effective on-line collaboration. In this study, the effectiveness of a learning management system in on-line…

Building a new school can be exciting and creative. The process enables parents, students, educators and the community to explore their dreams and priorities, and create a facility tailored to their unique needs. Unfortunately, the process also can leave education institutions and communities feeling like they've bought an "off-the-rack" facility…

This article presents a study on how to improve the quality of Year 1 children's mathematical talk. Using a dictaphone, the children were recorded as they worked with their partner. Later, the children's responses were marked against a checklist of three types of talk: (1) disputational; (2) cumulative; and (3) exploratory. Throughout the study…

The British "Index for Inclusion" was selected to be used in three primary schools in the Western Cape Province in South Africa in order to develop a South African model to assist in the development of inclusive schools. The "Index for Inclusion" process entails progression through a series of five developmental phases and this…

The purpose of this article is to provide readers with several suggestions and ideas for promoting meaning and meaningfulness for middle school students in physical education based on their unique developmental characteristics. To help physical educators create movement experiences that are meaningful for middle school students, the author…

The current accountability movement has focused on academic achievement but has circumvented issues of motivation and authentic reading materials. Many educators have challenged this direction of the reading curriculum, particularly criticizing the narrowing of the curriculum, the continued focus of teaching to the tests, the overemphasis on…

This article describes the results of a study of a concept model for optimizing contact time between the Geography educator and the student teacher within a learner-centered teaching paradigm. A quasi-experimental time series approach was used in order to change aspects of the model as the research progressed. Changes to the model were made on the…

Educators who are successful with black students build good relationships with children, pay attention to social contexts, and learn about other cultures.

Using socioconstructivism as a theoretical framework, this study investigated the ways in which classrooms that used peer learning groups influenced students' goals. Specifically, my goal was to examine collaborative learning as a process that may influence individuals' social and achievement goals. After confirming that 2 sixth-grade math…

This report summarizes recent research on collaboration and integrated service delivery for schools and communities in North Carolina. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction commissioned three research projects to determine the general state of affairs in service delivery for school-age children and their families and to identify ways…

A self-study is reported in which the researcher explored the possibility of using a university course on action research to promote the development of professional community, an examination of power relations, and a sense of recognition among teachers enrolled in the course of their own expertise. Approximately 20 participating teachers in each…

Designed to tap the rich collection of instructional techniques in the ERIC database, this compilation of lesson plans focuses on helping elementary-school students to work together as they learn to read, write, and communicate. The 48 lesson plans in the book cover writing to communicate, reading for information, responding to literature,…

This report explores the potential for and obstacles to comprehensive community-level approaches to preparing young people for occupational and academic advancement. Chapter I introduces the New Workforce strategy based on a pathways design and a community framework and strategic plan. Chapter II includes the following: overview of the shaping of…

This publication, based on a 1991 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) "Idea Exchange" meeting, addresses the issue of enhancing minority transition into graduate education, and provides an in-depth look at several types of institutional partnership programs involving universities, corporations, or research laboratories, designed to encourage…