One of the guiding principles highlighted in "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012) states that "children are born investigators," claiming that students construct their own understanding of the natural world even before they learn about it in formal learning settings. Even if students lack a thorough…

This information memo provides an annotated list of extant surveys used to assess school climate, classroom climate, or teacher effectiveness that are designed for use in middle schools. The purpose is to assist educators to select or design surveys to assess school climate in middle schools, with a particular focus on assessing student engagement…

This paper describes the use of a student conference as a novel experience aimed at motivating students enrolled in various computer architecture courses, such as Microprocessor Systems. The goal was to increase student engagement, to decrease failure rates, and to introduce students to the world of research. This multidisciplinary experience…

The purpose of this article is to share specific tips and techniques used by educators, education learning societies and experts in the field of education and classroom management. Classroom management is one of the greatest concerns of teachers and administrators when addressing the safety and well-being of students. Classroom management ranks at…

Classroom management is a critical skill area. Teachers should be trained and supported in implementing practices that are likely to be successful; that is, practices that are backed by evidence. The purpose of this paper is to describe the outcomes of a systematic literature search conducted to identify evidence-based classroom management…

Background: School violence can impact the social, psychological, and physical well-being of both students and teachers and disrupt the learning process. This review focuses on a new area of research, the mechanisms by which the school environment determines the likelihood of school violence. Methods: A search for peer-reviewed articles was made…

The author presents a model comprised of target behavior, stimulus, e.g., contingency, and instructional process, which may affect generalization with severely handicapped students. The literature relating to each component is summarized, and empirically validated suggestions for implementation are offered. (MC)

Describes two cases where an elementary school teacher's behavior influenced a student to either pursue or avoid math. Reviews the tenets of attribution theory, and theories regarding autonomous learning behaviors in relation to these cases. Discusses ways teachers can help students develop beneficial and useful attributions about mathematics…

Discusses how four teachers with similar beliefs teaching at two different schools catering to radically different school populations altered their teaching practice to fit the specific culture of their school. Reviews existing research on theory practice relationship and calls for further research on the role of classroom context. (RS)

This article explores Katz (1987) goals for children's learning within the early childhood environment. The focus is on employing the environment as the third teacher, and how the environment can support knowledge, skills, dispositions and feelings is presented and discussed.

Provides an overview of the theoretical basis and methods used for social studies classroom research. Suggests improvements in classroom climate constructs by integrating social studies literature and traditional classroom research approaches. Offers recommendations for improving future research. (SG)

Numerous classroom-based research projects have examined the important role social skills play in an elementary classroom (Browning, Davis, and Resta 2000; Burns 2003; Palmer and Wehmeyer 2003; Stone 2001). As Stone (2001, 18) suggested, "Teachers have an enormous influence on children's behavior by speaking directly and honestly to them,…

Recent research offers strong evidence that reduced class size has positive effects on improved student achievement, teachers' work conditions, and the quality of the classroom environment. This report presents a brief historical perspective on the research into the effects of class size; summarizes studies that discuss the relationship between…

This article summarizes teacher action research for the teaching of subjective culture in the foreign language classroom. It begins with a literature review, followed by a description of Milton J. Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Bennett, 1993), the theoretical paradigm upon which classroom activities and experiments…

Suggesting that the common classroom practice of literature instruction is antitheoretical and counterproductive, this paper elaborates theories of reading processes, discusses children's responses to literature, and proposes suggestions for classroom use. The first section of the paper outlines what literature instruction is expected to…