It is argued that the lack of consensus on what constitutes an inquiry-based approach makes the generalization about it difficult, because the concept is relatively unspecific and vague. This problem can partially be solved by constructing a set of activities promoted by inquiry, thus defining the inquiry objectives for classroom and laboratory…

Despite the growing number of books designed to radically reconsider the educational value of video games as powerful learning tools, there are very few practical guidelines conveniently available for prospective history and social studies teachers who actually want to use these teaching and learning tools in their classes. As the games and…

Over the past four decades, scholars have debated the pedagogical and sociolinguistic needs of heritage language learners. It is widely accepted that these learners present several characteristics that are different from those of foreign (or non-heritage) language learners. However, scholars have also pointed to similarities between the two groups…

A literacy coach describes the various components of her work and how they combine to help teachers provide more effective literacy instruction. Walk-throughs, literacy team meetings, formal coaching, professional learning communities, and regular meetings with the principal enable her to understand what teachers need and then assist teachers in…

Along with the amount of time spent learning (or time-on-task), the quality of learning time has a real influence on learning performance. Quality of time in online learning depends on students' time availability and their willingness to devote quality cognitive time to learning activities. However, the quantity and quality of the time spent by…

The effects of four different identity revelation modes (three fixed modes: real-name, anonymity, nickname and one dynamic user self-choice mode) on participants' perceptions toward their assessors, classroom climate, and past experience with the learning activity in which they were engaged were examined. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental…

A household name synonymous with modern telecommunications, Verizon's performance management innovations in 2010 kept pace with the growth of its brand. Many people probably are customers of the company's services. What's less known to the public is the consistent quality of Verizon's learning and development programs. A regular on the "Training"…

For the past six years in Winnipeg, Canada, young people from diverse Aboriginal backgrounds have been volunteering their time, energy, and talents to develop and deliver after-school physical activity, nutrition, and education programs for children in their school's neighbourhood. Known as "Rec and Read," the after-school activities are…

Working at the sixth grade level, the authors write about their effort to interest students in current events and their historical roots. This article outlines a series of learning experiences and assessments that the authors created for sixth grade students at Lockhart School in Massapequa, New York. These learning experiences culminated in a…

Science teachers and graduate students have developed activities and assessment tools that begin to help students make the distinction between data and evidence. Two activities are covered in this article. (Contains 1 resource and 2 figures.)

We implemented a "how to study" workshop for small groups of students (6-12) for N = 93 consenting students, randomly assigned from a large introductory biology class. The goal of this workshop was to teach students self-regulating techniques with visualization-based exercises as a foundation for learning and critical thinking in two areas:…

This article argues for a flexible model of learning for adults which allows them to make choices and contextualise their learning in a manner appropriate to their own professional practice whilst also developing as a member of a learning community. It presents a design based around online "learning activities" which draws on ideas of…

The discovery of lead paint on nearly one million toys prompted the world's largest toy company, Mattel, Inc. ("Mattel") to initiate a massive recall in August 2007. The recalled toys fell into two categories: those with impermissible levels of lead paint and those with risks associated with small high-powered magnets. Mattel's…

Observation of young children is commonplace in educational settings. For trainee practitioners however, gaining access at convenient times can be difficult. Even then, small snapshots of observable activity can only ever be captured. We describe the design and development of a cross-platform software application which can be used to support…

This study examined first-grade students' journal writing to determine how placing live zoo animals in classrooms for science education links to students' emergent and early writing. Students were asked to write journal entries during the daily language arts period. Although no direct instruction in informational text writing was offered, teachers…