This article describes our modeling approach to teaching the one-dimensional heat (diffusion) equation in a one-semester undergraduate partial differential equations course. We constructed the apparatus for a demonstration of heat diffusion through a long, thin metal rod with prescribed temperatures at each end. The students observed the physical…

In this paper, we present a set of activities for an introduction to solving counting problems. These activities emerged from a teaching experiment with two university students, during which they reinvented four basic counting formulas. Here we present a three-phase set of activities: orienting counting activities; reinvention counting activities;…

Native plants are not typically the kinds of plants that are used in elementary classroom studies of plant biology. More commonly, students sprout beans or investigate with fast plants. At the time the authors started their plant unit (November), the school-yard garden had an abundance of native plants that had just started seeding, including…

Stories represent a fundamental way by which we interpret our experiences. They tap into our natural predispositions of seeking pattern, perceiving agency, simulating and connecting events, and imputing meaning into what we experience. Instructors can take advantage of this predisposition and facilitate student learning by viewing stories from a…

Digital technologies are now an integral feature of university study. As such, academic research has tended to concentrate on the potential of digital technologies to support, extend and even "enhance" student learning. This paper, in contrast, explores the rather more messy realities of students' engagements with digital technology. In…

For the past three years, the Program in Mathematics and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, has, in coordination with its colloquium series, held a Columbus Day Symposium. Each year, the all day event has been focused on a particular theme in mathematics education, and has brought in various speakers and leaders in the field to…

This paper suggests a framework for re-thinking the relationships between power and knowledge in music education. Informed by Jacques Rancière's notion of equality it explores how a dialectic between knowledge/mastery and ignorance/equality effects a rupture in the canonical relationships between knowledge and authority. Further, and based on a…

This mixed-method, longitudinal study examined daily school stress and coping strategies of elementary schoolchildren in the United States. Students (n = 65) between the ages of 7 and 11 years reported daily school stress measures for 8 weeks and completed individual stress and coping interviews. Results highlight critical relations between…

Constructivism is undoubtedly one of the most influential philosophies in education in the twenty-first century. It is, however, one that is frequently misunderstood, has diverse meanings ascribed to it, and is often used by advocates to caricature other approaches inaccurately. The learning theory of constructivism and pedagogical theory of…

How do artists and designers teaching in universities communicate creative practice as they teach art/design? There is much discussion about the "mystery" of creativity, but little understanding of how teaching occurs in creative contexts. Understanding this topic better will develop greater knowledge within the academy of how art and…

This work aims to demonstrate the use of Excel spreadsheets for solving L-L extraction problems. The key to solving the problems successfully is to be able to determine a tie line on the ternary diagram where the calculation must be carried out. This enables the reader to analyze the extraction process starting with a simple operation, the…

In 2006, elite sport was introduced into the Norwegian national curriculum as an elective subject in the pre-tertiary school. Grades achieved in this 5-hours-a-week subject count towards school-leavers' overall attainment grades. Prior to 2006, this subject was only offered as a specially adapted, alternative pedagogy in private schools. The paper…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an internationally recognised pedagogical approach that is implemented within a number of disciplines. The relevance and uptake of PBL in psychology has to date, however, received very limited attention. The aim of this paper is therefore to review published accounts of how PBL is being used to deliver psychology…

Teachers and students commonly use various concrete representations during mathematical instruction. These representations can be utilized to help students understand mathematical concepts and processes, increase flexibility of thinking, facilitate problem solving, and reduce anxiety while doing mathematics. Unfortunately, the manner in which some…

With its inherent attributes such as qualitative immediacy, imaginativeness, and embodiment, John Dewey's concept of aesthetic experience makes a difference in moral education, in the ways of empathetic moral perception, moral reasoning, and moral action. If it matters then how can we help students gain aesthetic experience? By analyzing teacher…