The 2012 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education was designed to provide up-to-date information and to identify trends in the areas of teacher background and experience, curriculum and instruction, and the availability and use of instructional resources. A total of 7,752 science and mathematics teachers in schools across the United…

This article explores the use of lyric writing in elementary science. It details an exploratory project in which elementary students and a professional musician collaborated to write and record lyrics at the conclusion of an inquiry-based science unit. What we found was that lyric writing when used as a summary reflection activity in science…

Participation in learning communities, and the construction of knowledge in communities of practice, are important considerations in the use of 3D immersive worlds. This article describes the creation of this type of learning environment in AETZone, an immersive virtual environment in use within graduate programs at Appalachian State University…

This book offers valuable teaching strategies to engage a diverse group of teens in thinking, understanding, and learning activities. It uses classroom examples to illustrate the eight "ENGAGING" factors: (1) Entice Effort and Build Community; (2) Negotiate Meaning; (3) Group Collaboratively; (4) Active Learning and Authentic Assessment; (5)…

"The Learning System" is a newsletter designed for superintendents and central office staff with professional learning responsibilities. This issue includes: (1) District Pulls Together in Pursuit of Excellence: Creating Collaboration Systemwide Requires Commitment (Valerie von Frank); (2) Scheduling Time for Teacher Learning Is Key for…

This study aimed to compare mathematics learning achievement entitled Parabola, attitude towards mathematics, and analytical thinking abilities of Mathayomsuksa 3 (grade 9) students between organization of activities using the Geometer's Sketchpad Program as media and organization of activities using conventional method. They were assigned into an…

The term, "professional learning community" has become so common place in schools that it is used to refer to almost any type of collaborative work. But the "professional learning community" suggested first in the early 1990's described a school where teachers and administrators continuously worked to learn and then act upon what they learned. The…

Background: In recent years, more and more secondary schools in Hong Kong begin to employ service learning in designing student learning activities. A vast majority of these attempts is developed based on the philanthropic ideas of altruism, love and care; it involves serving elderly people living in the elderly homes far away from the school…

A wide range of activities may be undertaken in elementary and secondary school science laboratories as part of regular curricular activities or optional classroom activities, including science fair projects. Among these is the culturing of microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. There are various potential educational opportunities associated…

Engaging young children in literacy activities at home is one way for families to augment and enrich the home literacy setting and to participate in their child's education at an early age (St. Pierre et al. in "Dev Psychol" 41(6): 953-970, 2005). Burgess et al. ("Read Res Quart" 4(4): 408-426, 2002) suggested that the resources families have at…

This paper presents an epistemological analysis of typical didactical activities noted in early-years science lessons, which was carried out in an attempt to diagnose the extent to which the teaching practices adopted by early-years educators are successful in supporting young children's understanding in science. The analysis of didactical…

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between two and three million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year. In the event of further depletion of the ozone, these cases will increase dramatically (WHO, 2004). Within the United States, cancers of the skin are the most frequent type of…

This article contends that teaching more effectively for diversity requires a radical re-envisioning of pedagogical practice. Drawing on qualitative interviews with religion and theology professors of color throughout the United States, it explores how faculty can re-imagine their teaching by engaging students where they are, acknowledging the…

Unmotivated, underachieving students pose a huge challenge for teachers. One way to motivate and stimulate student interest in a topic is to use humor. Humor can help students make new connections in learning and improves retention of information (Garner 2006). In this article, the authors describe how they integrated art and literature with…

Many new instructional theories advocate centering instruction around a set of authentic tasks to improve application and transfer of knowledge and help students take more responsibility for their own learning. At BYU-Hawaii, a general education biology course was redesigned to follow this task-centered approach and then taught to two groups of…