Students' critical thinking is often researched using quantitative tests designed to measure critical thinking. In contrast, this study qualitatively analyses group and whole-class dialogues in an interdisciplinary SSI project by focusing on students' critical thinking practices. As such, the study provides an in-depth example of an immersion…

This article describes an informal study that focused on teaching eighth graders to take a critical stance and talk back to texts. In this era of "fake news," "alternative facts," and what has been called a "post-truth" culture, it is imperative that students do not simply accept everything they read, see, or hear at…

The Lucy Calkins' Reading Units of Study is a literacy curriculum for students in grades K-8. The curriculum has proven to be advantageous for elementary students who have strong reading skills and a broad vocabulary. However, some scholars argue that the curriculum does not meet the needs of students who lack a strong foundation in reading. What…

For centuries, the basic operations of school mathematics have been identified as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Notably, these operations are "basic," not because they are foundational to mathematics knowledge, but because they were vital to a newly industrialized and market-driven economy several hundred years…

Teaching has become a very challenging profession with the requirements to provide appropriate individualised instruction in large and diverse classes. Problem behaviours displayed by students with special needs exacerbate the difficulties. This is especially true and intense in physical education, where students are exposed to extreme emotional…

After accepting the principal position at Farmersville (TX) Junior High, the author decided to increase instructional rigor through question mapping because of the success he saw using this instructional practice at his prior campus. Teachers are the number one influence on student achievement (Marzano, 2003), so question mapping provides a…

Questionnaire responses from 5044 year 8 (age 12 years) pupils in Oxfordshire state schools were used to identify "exemplary" science teachers. These teachers met for a one-day forum to explore their perspectives on "exemplary" teaching. The key characteristics of exemplary practice to emerge related to teacher attitudes and…

In establishing a collective history, past events are utilized to celebrate a nation's origins. While analysis of these events is often framed in knowing the single best narrative, the events themselves become of interest when examining how the interpretations remain the same or change over time. The recent bicentennial celebration of the Lewis…

This article provides the rationale for using Fermi questions with eighth graders studying algebra. It describes the students' reaction to such questions as well as their thinking processes and solutions to questions posed to them by their teacher. (Contains 1 figure.)

This article discusses how fictional works can give a purposeful context and an appropriate venue for developing essential social studies concepts in middle-school students. The author uses the example of a National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) notable book, "Jason's Gold" that blends history with story to become historical…

According to Kilpatrick (1987), in the mathematics classrooms problem posing can be applied as a "goal" or as a means of instruction. Using problem posing as a goal of instruction involves asking students to respond to a range of problem-posing prompts. The main goal of this article is a classification of mathematics questions created by Years 8…