The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of inquiry-based pedagogy within the context of learning about environmental concepts and issues. The study was descriptive in nature and employed a single group, pretest-posttest design, surveying 367 students. The chi-square analysis indicated that 17 of the 29 survey items were…

This article discusses how several simple adaptations in the music classroom can greatly enhance dyslexic students' learning. The sections included in this article are: (1) What Is Dyslexia?; (2) Students with Dyslexia; (3) What to Look for; (4) Adapting Instruction; (5) Reading Notation; and (6) Motor Skills. A list of practical adaptations; and…

Preparing future science teachers for U.S. city classrooms is an important yet poorly understood process. The purpose of this study was to determine the philosophies and practices of university-based science educators associated with programs supplying teachers for metropolitan school systems. Through an iterative process of mailed questionnaires,…

This study investigated and evaluated the potential impact of an elementary mathematics methods course in promoting teacher beliefs and attitudes that are consistent with the underlying philosophy of current reform efforts in mathematics education. Using the Mathematics Beliefs Instrument (MBI," Hart, 2002), data from 89 preservice teachers were…

The new Interdisciplinary Unified Curriculum Framework (2001), as declared by its name, is based on the 1997 Unified Curriculum Framework, but a new stress is placed on interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning. The general aim of education remains unaltered. However, it is heavily emphasized that, in this new curriculum, the growth of…

Technology is a tool that has the potential to empower educational leaders at all levels--whether they are superintendents, principals, teachers, board members or state officials--as well as to redefine what education means in the 21st century. Technology provides more accurate information and advanced communication capabilities. Technology can be…

Since the 1940s, teachers in upper grade classrooms have been asking students to "survey, question, read, recite, and review" chapters in their content area textbooks. Known as SQ3R, many teachers have long believed that this study strategy helps students make sense of unfamiliar informational text, or that it at least provides a structured…

Eight years ago, a new senior interdisciplinary science course called "Oceans: Past and Present" for the McCallie School in Tennessee was designed. The idea stemmed from the combination of a physics teacher's desire for a course based on a summer program at sea and a writing center director/teacher's longing for the ocean from the…

As a teacher educator committed to raising issues of racial, economic, and gender equality and those related to an appreciation for diversity, the author finds poetry to be a powerful resource in social studies methods classes. When preparing preservice teachers for elementary and middle school levels, she finds that poetry can often capture their…

This article describes some of the conclusions reached from an experiment using portfolios for art external assessment at the end of secondary education (age 17+) conducted in five Portuguese schools in 2001-2003. Several positive outcomes were found. Students found portfolios to be motivating and fostering constructive learning, dialogue and…

Empirical studies demonstrated Type-I error (TIE) inflation (especially for highly discriminating easy items) of the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test for differential item functioning (DIF), when data conformed to item response theory (IRT) models more complex than Rasch, and when IRT proficiency distributions differed only in means. However, no…

In this article I invite a reconceptualization and expansion of the field of second language acquisition (SLA) by examining possible intersections between SLA and the area of language instruction currently referred to as the teaching of heritage languages. I discuss the ways in which the opportunity of broadening SLA-and-instruction research can…

Peer assessment provides a useful mechanism to develop many positive qualities in students studying in higher education (HE). Potential influences on peer-awarded marks include student qualities such as gender, HE background (e.g. university affiliation) and participation in the development of the assessment criteria. Many studies that have…

When mature students enter higher education they bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience gained in their lives outside of education. A majority of higher education institutions in the UK and elsewhere around the world have now set up systems for recognizing and accrediting such learning. However the processes of assessing learning…

This paper places a discussion of assessment in higher education (HE) in the UK within the wider policy context. It argues for a critical sociological analysis to consider some of the issues, themes and debates in relation to assessment in HE at this time. Recent trends in assessment policy and practice are discussed, alongside a consideration of…