Curriculum is the core of the classroom experience, but what makes a quality curriculum? What lessons, learning experiences, and assessments are most effective, and how should they be embedded within the curriculum? The answers to these and other questions appear in this definitive, step-by-step guide. Drawing from her work with teachers and…

Socioscientific Inquiry (SSI) represents an instructional approach designed to target interest and knowledge in science. In this context, students consider scientific issues that have social implications and comprise a range of trade-offs, concepts, and considerations in order to arrive at informed conclusions (Sadler, 2004, 2011). Given the…

Free online survey tools provide a practical learning-by-induction platform for business communication instructors interested in trying out an advanced multidisciplinary survey activity coupled with an innovative teaching design. More than just building skills in marketing, survey projects marshal a wider set of thinking and doing activities that…

The introduction of a new curriculum in Indonesian schools seeks to bring about changes in Indonesian society as well as students' knowledge base. The curriculum is based on two layers of competencies: Core Competencies, and Basic Competencies. Core Competencies are applicable at all year levels and for all subjects. They include religious and…

This article uses situated learning theory to consider current tutor assessment and feedback practices in relation to learning practices employed by students outside the overt curriculum. The case is made that an emphasis on constructive alignment and explicitly articulating assessment requirements within curricula may be misplaced. Outside of the…

This article describes the design of a social studies unit about the Johnstown Flood of 1889 with a particular emphasis on how specific unit resources engaged middle school students in learning about the geographical and historical context of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. We also report on how the resources supported the teaching and learning of the…

In January 2012, a team of curriculum specialists based at Bar Ilan University in Israel were approached by a Jewish day school in Australia to design a new Jewish Studies curriculum for its school. The mandate was to design a curriculum model from first-steps that would form the basis for the new curriculum. This article demonstrates how…

This paper discusses the conceptual and methodological challenges facing two researchers investigating the development of interdisciplinary curricula in two new secondary schools, one in the UK and one in New Zealand. It is a discussion of research in progress that will be of interest to readers because of both the methodological challenges…

This paper reports on a focused collaborative learning and teaching research project between the Dance Department at Middlesex University and partner institution London Studio Centre. Informed by Belinda Allen's research on creative curriculum design, dance students and lecturers shared innovative learning opportunities to enhance the development…

In response to government, industry, student and central University calls for initiatives to enhance graduate employability as a means for improved employment outcomes, a faculty within an Australian university formulated a five-year Work Integrated Learning (WIL) strategy (2015-2019). The Faculty goal was to re-new, develop, implement and…

In this article, we describe the development process for designing multimedia educative curriculum materials (MECMs) focused on supporting teachers in argumentation. We also describe results from a study with 46 teachers. We were interested in whether teachers' backgrounds or characteristics of the MECMs impacted MECM use. Overall, 89% of the…

The second edition of "Keys to Planning" builds upon the information shared about effective curriculum, unit, and lesson design by introducing current research and thinking related to curriculum design. The information presented in this second edition also captures insights and suggestions from classroom teachers who have attended…

Undergraduate psychology majors are encouraged to engage in research to improve understanding of research methods and increase research skills. This study examines the potential of volunteering as a research participant to increase student perceptions of knowledge and interest in research. Undergraduate students completed a survey regarding the…

This chapter reviews institutional approaches to blended learning and the ways in which institutions support faculty in the intentional redesign of courses to produce optimal learning. The chapter positions blended learning as a strategic opportunity to engage in organizational learning.

This 12-week mixed-methods study examined an 8th-grade English language arts curriculum designed to increase participants' (N = 62) reading comprehension and reading motivation. Data consisted of demographic information, pre/post standardized reading comprehension scores, reading motivation survey scores, and participants' periodic semistructured…