The canvas of science education needs to be viewed in its totality to prevent the confounding of some basic issues and to enable us to evaluate the fads and fashions in educational practice. Policies and processes in education are tacitly shaped by theories in the humanities and social sciences. Inadequate understanding of these theories, or the…

The EdResearch for Action "Design Principles Series" focuses on a single program or practice that has been proven to have positive effects on student outcomes. The series helps practitioners adapt and successfully implement an evidence-based program to meet the needs of their target population. This brief provides the evidence base to…

While fully understanding the multi-faceted role of universities and other higher education institutions, Professor Edwards advocates for the status and value of teaching, particularly in times of emphasis on research outputs and league tables. He draws on his reflections from more than four decades of experience of teaching at university level…

Not much that state boards of education will undertake is harder than transforming low-performing high schools. Yet what they do is pivotal. State board members should keep 10 key principles in mind when they are working to transform low-performing high schools. These 10 key principles are presented in this article: (1) The school is the unit of…

Recently a dichotomy has developed in the field of TESOL between native English speaker teachers (NESTs) and non-native English speaker teachers (NNESTs) with some in each camp promoting one over the other, but this only separates rather than unifies our profession. In this article I suggest that it is not in anybody's interests to continue with…

In this article, the authors propose four principles to guide teachers' thinking as they use technology to support teaching and literacy learning in 21st century classrooms. Specifically, teachers must be aware of emerging technologies, recognize the complexities of new literacies, realize tech-savvy students may not be skilled readers and writers…

While assessment is regarded as integral to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning, it is also a practice fraught with moral and ethical issues. An analysis is made of current assessment practices of teachers in South Africa which seem to straddle the domains of accountability and professional codes of conduct. In the process the position…

The primary goal of education is to provide meaningful instruction to all students while fostering generalization throughout the curriculum and beyond. As such, educators continuously seek out instructional methods and techniques to appropriately meet individual student needs while choosing "what" and "how" to teach. The current work provides an…

The curriculum literature has much to say about the ecological fallacy embodied in the "best practices" movement. The work of Schwab anticipated much of it by reminding us of the dangers of trying to control classroom practices from afar, with the use of theoretical representations of classrooms that were, by definition, never fully like their…

Professional development is defined as the main route to quality teaching, which in turn leads to improved learning for all students. Because the real challenges of professional development become apparent only after the implementation process has begun, the present paper focuses on integrating professional development experiences with classroom…

Music helps to bring out the best in young people. It nourishes self-esteem and keeps them engaged. The starting point for any good school program is the teacher, whether that program teaches English, math, science, history, arts--or music. So why is it that, at the elementary level, we have so many generalist classroom teachers--with no…

The ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) worked for ten years to improve outcomes for learners across the United Kingdom. Individual projects within the Programme focused on different research questions and utilised a range of methods and theoretical resources. Across-programme thematic seminar series and task groups enabled…

A strong schoolwide writing program supports learning across disciplines and provides a focus for collaboration and professional development for all teachers. The elements for schoolwide writing initiatives include: (1) Setting schoolwide goals for student achievement in writing; (2) Developing and implementing action steps that address both…

There is nothing more baffling than the art of teaching. Day in and day out, teachers move through classrooms and courses, lectures and discussion groups. What have students seen teachers do that has made a difference for them? What pedagogical behaviors, values, and attributes earn teachers praise from the population they work so hard to serve?…

Use Friday Focus memos to motivate and engage your staff every week, and help create a school culture focused on the growth of students "and" teachers. Easy to understand and implement, Friday Focus memos offer an effective and efficient way to improve student learning, staff development, and school culture from within. Written by educational…