The purpose of this action research was to study the potential of block time lesson planning (BTLP) as a viable alternative to detailed daily lesson planning in managing teachers' workloads. The study delved into primary responsibilities of a teacher such as resourcing lessons, carrying out assessments and daily lesson planning as workloads. A…

The recent increase in the number of higher education institutions adopting block teaching has prompted questions about the appropriateness of assessment methods that were commonly used in a semesterised delivery model. This paper explores student and faculty perceptions of summative assessment methods in a block and blend mode of delivery at a…

Tests and exams are a source of stress for many students. High school teacher Jacob Wells has found that he can alleviate some of that stress by allowing students to weigh in on when their assessments are scheduled. He describes why this has been helpful and shares some of the parameters that have made it feasible.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of three schedules of practice on high-level violinists' learning. The contextual interference (CI) effect occurs when two or more tasks are practiced in an interleaved manner, which has been shown to impair initial learning but improve retention. How a musician alternates between tasks…

Purpose: To describe the curricular elements in blended physical education (PE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A survey of PE teachers was conducted regarding curricular elements related to content blocks, instruction, and assessment. A total of 174 Spanish secondary PE teachers (120 men and 54 women) participated in the survey. Results:…

New Zealand lacks valid and reliable evidence-based schedules with which to observe teachers' assessment for learning (AfL) practices. To date, classroom assessment observation schedules have mainly been derived theoretically, used in developing countries with conditions different from New Zealand classrooms (Kanjee & Hopfenbeck, personal…

There are concerns that current remote learning efforts in response to COVID19 may not be measuring up to the quality of classroom-based instruction. This study investigated two high school teachers' perceptions of the issues surrounding teaching mathematics remotely and factors that contributed to their use of technology while teaching online.…

In a radically changed and still changing world, parents, schools and pupils have had to adapt to a new teaching and learning modality. Working parents have faced the competing demands of employment and home-schooling, and schools provided support to pupils through online platforms and other resources. A qualitative approach elicited the views and…

There is increased policy interest in extending test-based evaluations in K-12 education to include student achievement in high school. High school achievement is typically measured by performance on end-of-course exams (EOCs), which test course-specific standards in a variety of subjects. However, unlike standardized tests in the early grades,…

There is increased policy interest in extending test-based evaluations in K-12 education to include student achievement in high school. High school achievement is typically measured by performance on end-of-course exams (EOCs), which test course-specific standards in a variety of subjects. However, unlike standardized tests in the early grades,…

Higher education has made impressive progress concerning student learning outcomes assessment practices. Yet--despite the assumption that better assessment would lead to better student learning--few examples of demonstrable student learning improvement exist at the academic degree or university levels. In 2014 Fulcher, Good, Coleman, and Smith…

This study was conducted to explore the dimensions of quality education in teacher education departments at universities of Sindh province of Pakistan. The qualitative research approach was employed for data collection and then analysed through thematic-narrative analysis technique. The total eight dimensions of quality were found, as two were…

Students on a first year undergraduate economics module were given the choice of when to sit their first assessment in the subject in order to determine both preferences over assessment timing, and the impact of timing on performance. Clear preferences of having this option were shown (only 2% of students stated to be indifferent) with those more…

This paper provides suggestions for preparing students to take the actuarial examination on financial mathematics, SOA/CAS Exam FM/2. It is based on current practices employed at Slippery Rock University, a small public liberal arts university. Detailed descriptions of our Theory of Interest course and subsequent Exam FM/2 prep course are provided…

In 2012, senior fellow at the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence Grant Lichtman visited dozens of schools and interviewed hundreds of educators about what they see as the future of learning and of schools and published his findings in "#EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education" (Jossey-Bass, 2014). Since then, he has been…