By some estimates, over 1.2 billion tons of soil was blown across the Great Plains during the height of the Dust Bowl. The so-called "black blizzards" these massive dust storms caused suffocated cattle, sickened children, and destroyed thousands of family farms. Formerly prosperous farmers, unsure why they had such bad luck, wondered if…

This article is based upon Peter Sullivan's (2021) structured inquiry approach to teaching mathematics, in which the authors take a deep dive into the technique of "Spotlighting" in the "Explore" phase of this model to assist in optimal learning experiences for students. Working from the premise that students are best placed to…

Problems presented in mathematics classrooms often focus on routine tasks with students practicing mathematical techniques demonstrated by the teacher. However, this does not reflect the problem-solving process in the real world, and students often find it difficult to connect school mathematics with authentic contexts. This paper discusses…

Mathematical problem solving takes on many different forms and has long been established in school curricula with the terms, problems and problem solving taking on varied meanings. This article proposes a way of engaging students in mathematical open inquiry using a video clip as stimulus. It discusses findings from a recent study conducted in a…

The study aims to compare the effectiveness of Guided Inquiry Learning (GIL) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model. A number of prior studies have implemented the GIL model for a limited area such as science. Similar to the PBL learning design, the previous studies that highlighted the application of GIL model was commonly targeted to find out…

Developing the problem-solving abilities of elementary school students has been recognized as an important educational objective. Science curricula, because of their practical and experimental characteristics, are thought to be an important way to develop students' problem-solving ability. The use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in teaching…

This study aimed to analyse the effect of guided inquiry learning in improving metacognitive skill of elementary school students in fractional materials. This type of research was a mixed of quantitative and qualitative methods. The subjects of this study consisted of 55 fifth grade students. Two learning models -- the guided inquiry learning and…

Developing science process skills in novice learners is not an easy task for teachers although these skills are essentially needed to solve problems and make decisions in real-life situation. This research is pre-test post-test control group design. Pre-test and post-test were administered to the students in the beginning and the end of the…

Concrete manipulatives and dynamic geometry software (DGS) are both commonly used for geometry education in elementary and middle schools. This study sets out to understand which of the two approaches was better in improving the conceptual understanding of quadrilaterals for fifth graders. A pre-/post-test design was conducted in which the same…

Lego has been a popular toy since 1932. "LEGO" is an abbreviation of two Danish words "leg godt" which means "play well." In today's LEGO-based learning and teaching environments, it has been revealed in studies that students working to solve problems presented to them were often unaware of how much time has passed.…

Across the United States, political leaders, educators, and business persons are issuing an urgent call for reform in STEM education (NGSS Lead States 2013). One important response to this call is Integrated STEM, which the National Governor's Association (2007, p. 7) says involves, "... an emphasis on design and problem solving in…

In this research, it is aimed to identify the scientific creativity of gifted students through project-based activities. In accordance with this purpose, a study has been carried out with 13 gifted students studying in third and fifth grade. In the study, students have been informed about the project development stages and they have been asked…

With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games prominent in the media, children were exposed to images of athletes skiing down snow-covered slopes, coasting furiously on bobsleds, and skating gracefully across the ice. Therefore, the authors capitalized on their children's natural curiosity about the world around them by exploring the concept of motion in a…

This report presents the results of an experiment conducted in Alabama beginning in the 2006/07 school year, to determine the effectiveness of the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI), which aims to improve mathematics and science achievement in the state's K-12 schools. This study is the first randomized controlled trial…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of one year of regular "LEGO" training on pupils' performances in schools. The underlying pedagogical perspective is the constructivist theory, where the main idea is that knowledge is constructed in the mind of the pupil by active learning. The investigation has been made in two…