How can students achieve an understanding of multiplication that allows them to go beyond recall to explain their thinking? Author and mathematics education professor Juli Dixon introduces a program that teachers can seamlessly integrate into existing mathematics instruction. Learn six tactics to help you shift from an anxiety-producing,…

"Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1" reviews the best available evidence to offer five recommendations for developing the maths skills of 3-7-year olds. Recommendations include integrating maths into different activities throughout the day -- for example, at registration and snack time -- to familiarise children…

Building a repertoire of teaching skills means organizing instructional strategies in some meaningful way. In this brief essay, the author recommends that beginning teachers develop a repertoire comprised of a mix of strategies from each of Joyce, Weil, and Calhoun's (2004) categories: three strategies from the Cognitive Family (Concept…

The Science Activities Action Research Group considered problems related to using science activities in teaching/learning of science ideas, problems previously identified and described during exploratory/in-depth phases of the Learning in Science Project. Three specific tasks were formulated by the group, including: investigating wording of…

To overcome learner dependence when modeling cognitive processes, one teacher used direct teaching of specific thinking skills with her middle school language arts students. The teacher introduced the skill of analyzing for personification to her students. The class experimented with the skill, completed the task, and applied the skill to…

Discusses Hilda Taba's ideas and influence on the social studies curriculum and her work on a project to develop instructional guides for social studies teachers. Explores the importance of developing multiple objectives and organizing subject matter into key concepts, organizing ideas, and specific facts. Recommends emphasis on thinking, people,…

The Concept Attainment Model is a teaching strategy based on analysis of the nature of concepts and how they are acquired. Using this theory, three strategies for second language instruction have been developed: the reception, selection, and unorganized materials strategies. In the reception strategy, the most structured, students must be guided…

Loose coupling implies the tying together of subsystems in such a fashion that neither can do without the other but neither has much control over the other. The idea of loose coupling, introduced by Karl Weick, is examined in relation to educational administration and organizational analysis in general. The concept employs both a particular theory…

Discusses the causes and effects of conceptual errors inadvertently introduced and nurtured by scientists, teachers, and textbook writers. Cites ways to prevent the communication breakdowns that prevent the learning of science. (RT)

Explains the use of constructing and analyzing analogies as a way to enhance student understanding and recollection of scientific concepts. Offers suggestions for topics including energy activation, phases of matter, electron transitions, equilibrium, covalent bonds, wave and particle duality, reaction types, ideal versus real gases, and oxidation…

Teaching the concept of integration differs depending on which of four perspectives is used to introduce the topic. Presents a method based on the historical development of the use of integration that introduces integral as antiderivative. Discusses examples of differential equations used in the development and ways to connect this to the other…

Contends social studies is an exciting, relevant aspect of the curriculum, but it is often presented in a mundane and dated fashion. Reviews research on instructional processes and recommends teaching generalizations based on concepts grounded in fact. (CFR)

The Learning in Science Project established that children from a young age construct out of their everyday experiences views which they use to establish their world and that these views are remarkably resistant to replacement by scientifically more useful views. Although science lessons tend to be based upon activities which are designed by…

The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--focused on science teaching/learning in New Zealand primary schools. Previous information about science teaching/learning was obtained from interviews with children, teachers, principals, science advisers, teachers' college lecturers, and inspectors. To gain…

Four papers to be used in conjunction with video-tapes developed by the Learning in Science Project are presented. Topic areas of the papers focus on: (1) animals; (2) electric current; (3) force; and (4) science activities. The first paper presents transcripts of class discussions focusing on the scientific meaning of the word animal. The second…