Author and educator Jason McKenna describes how teaching STEM education in his elementary school changed his classroom and his life, improving his students' and his own approaches to problem solving, collaboration, and general motivation to learn. Offering examples, tried and tested classroom projects, and collaborative strategies, this innovative…

How do you prepare your students for a future that you can't see? And how do you do it without exhausting yourself? Teachers need a framework that allows them to keep pace with our rapidly changing world without having to overhaul everything they do. "Learning That Transfers" empowers teachers and curriculum designers alike to harness…

When it comes to teaching vocabulary in foreign language classes words are often taught in isolation, without regard to the context in which they appear. The paper draws attention to the importance of teaching words in context so that the meaning of a word often results from the meaning of a larger construction it is part of. After presenting the…

Today, schools are introducing STEM education and robotics to children in ever-lower grades. In "Beyond Coding," Marina Umaschi Bers lays out a pedagogical roadmap for teaching code that encompasses the cultivation of character along with technical knowledge and skills. Presenting code as a universal language, she shows how children…

Mastering algebra is important for future math and postsecondary success. Educators will find practical recommendations for how to improve algebra instruction in the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide, "Teaching Strategies for Improving Algebra Knowledge in Middle and High School Students". The methods and examples included in…

"Mathematics is more than skills... it is also the excitement of discovery." This is how Derek Holton, one of the contributing authors to this book, defines mathematics. His enthusiasm and energy are echoed throughout by many of the other writers. This is a book to delight mathematics teachers at all stages: experienced and inexperienced;…

Presents responses to the Stair Skipping problem that appeared in the April, 2000 issue of this journal. (KHR)

Explains what successful scaffolding requires and discusses three problems that teachers have when using scaffolding. (YDS)

Discusses planning instruction on the basis of children's thinking. First, individualize instruction by adjusting the value of the numbers used for individual children. Second, base problem presentation on the types of thinking prevalent in the class. Third, conduct some instruction in small groups. Fourth, suggest alternative strategies. Finally,…

Reviews the problem solving approach in chemistry and explains effective instructional methods for teaching problem solving. (YDS)

This article proposes that student-written math riddles can provide worthwhile mathematical tasks that support the learning of important concepts as they engage and challenge children. It describes procedures for guiding students as they create math riddles for their classmates to solve.

Presents a mathematical problem on calculating the length of a groove on a long-playing record. Analyzes the problem-solving stages by using two methods of estimation or calculation. (ASK)

Features responses to a problem that appeared in the February 2000 issue. (KHR)

Explores how children from kindergarten to 6th grade think about the same fraction problem and what that should mean for instruction. (Author)

Argues that teaching arrangement inductively offers an alternative to the standard imitation of business communication text models. Asserts that the inductive method stimulates individual rather than formulaic responses to the problems of organization, and that inductively-trained writers see arrangements as a powerful element in persuasive…