Vocabulary acquisition is a fundamental element of mastering the English language, necessitating a comprehensive lexicon that evolves through experiential learning to facilitate accurate comprehension and production of language. The current study examined the impact of Total Physical Response (TPR) tasks on the vocabulary acquisition of Thai…

The importance of practical learning environments for developing preservice teachers' (PSTs') dispositions and skills for teaching mathematics is underscored in a growing body of literature. Hence, teacher preparation programs often include methods courses embedded within K-12 schools. Utilized to a lesser extent; however, are campus-based…

Limited public outreach programs about Arizona native fish exist and those that do are passive, fee-based, or Web-oriented, while others limit their geographic range. The program this article addresses sought to improve this situation with development of a state-wide outreach program with a goal to educate Arizona's children about native fish with…

Word play is an important skill allowing product names, show titles, jokes, poetry and other writings or orations to be interesting, entertaining and well-remembered. This pretest--posttest counterbalanced study compared two instructional approaches for teaching second and third grade students (n = 71) word play skills. Students at a public…

Due to variation that exists in providing Tier 2 reading intervention instruction, the purpose of the study was to identify processes and instructional strategies currently being utilized by K-2 teachers of the Gallup, New Mexico elementary schools. 17 teachers from 9 of the 10 elementary schools participated in the study. A survey instrument was…

According to the 2006 Program for International Assessment (PISA), the United States is behind their international counterparts in the areas of mathematics and science. (Darling-Hammond, 2010). The Unites States is at a critical point in developing future leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In preparing students for a…

Students in large, lecture-based introductory psychology classes often do not have the benefit of experiential learning (EL) opportunities due to logistical constraints. To overcome this obstacle, we developed an EL project in which introductory psychology students in small groups present some aspect of the course material to local elementary…

Photosynthesis may be an unlikely topic to inspire an opera or ballet, but in a 2nd grade classroom in Pikesville, Maryland, the children were asked to use dance to help them learn about that process. Small groups of pupils in this class at Fort Garrison Elementary School brainstormed to come up with dance movements to convey elements of…

Two experts on education offer a rich and diverse selection of children's literature and teaching strategies for the K-8 mathematics classroom. To date, a vast majority of classrooms continue to fall short in the implementation and direction of NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (PSSM), in part because most of these classrooms…

This article describes nine tips for implementing a word study program in the K-2 classroom. These tips are based on the results of four classroom-based qualitative research projects collaboratively conducted by a university professor and four primary-grade teacher-researchers. The article suggests that through small-group word study instruction…

Field trips to the Michigan 4-H Children's Garden must provide rich science learning experiences for students and teachers. A key to this is getting students to ask questions. To facilitate student question asking we developed the Wonder Wall, a "wall" where students could write their questions. Student questions were answered as part of…

In this article, the authors present hands-on activities and demonstrations using readily available materials that help students learn how to prevent soil erosion. With this series of active-learning exercises, the students will be able to practice scientific inquiry while learning about soil as a valuable resource. After demonstrations on the…

In our graduate programs in early childhood education, we model constructivist practice in the belief that teachers are better able to understand and implement constructivist principles having experienced them in their work. In this practice we attempt to be explicit about constructivist practice in our program and in elementary classrooms. As we…

The idea of learning through projects has a long history in the field of education in general, and in early childhood education in particular. Many educators provide guidelines on how to approach project work with children and assert its benefits in various areas of children's learning and development. Yet few empirical studies investigate what…