People have several different reasons to learn a foreign language; people often learn a language for practical reasons while others have a particular love for the language and its people. Language teachers are often very aware of the career benefits that language proficiency can offer, but learning the language is just an abstract undertaking…

Decisions about instructional methods are becoming more complex, with options ranging from problem sets to experiential service-learning projects. However, instructors not trained in instructional design may make these important decisions based on convenience, comfort, or trends. Instead, this article draws on the knowledge management literature…

Digital technology has proven a beguiling, some even venture addictive, presence in the lives of our 21st century (millennial) students. And while screen technology may offer select cognitive benefits, there is mounting evidence in the cognitive neuroscience literature that digital technology is restructuring the way our students read and think,…

The notion of the road map, advocated by Black, Wilson, and Yao (2011), and the associated minutiae of the construct map have several powerful features. At one level these notions assist the teacher to select and embody a suitable sequence of constructs within a specified curriculum. Whatever disparate sequenced pathways individual learners may…

This article addresses the myriad of pedagogical and andragogical issues facing university educators in the student learning process. It briefly explores the proliferation of learning theories in an attempt to develop awareness among faculty who teach at the university/college levels that not all theories of learning apply to the adult learner. In…

Many teachers see major difficulties in maintaining academic standards in today's larger and more diversified classes. The problem becomes more tractable if learning outcomes are seen as more a function of students' activities than of their fixed characteristics. The teacher's job is then to organise the teaching/learning context so that all…

Many students find proofs frustrating, and teachers struggle with how to help students write proofs. In fact, it is well documented that most students who have studied proofs in high school geometry courses do not master them and do not understand their function. And yet, according to NCTM's "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics"…

The use of electronic audience response systems in university teaching is currently increasing rapidly. This paper describes how a consistent use of peer instruction facilitated by an audience response system has been introduced in an introductory engineering dynamics course. Data are presented that reveal that this teaching style leads to an…

New times demand new interpretations of what it means to be numerate in a global world. Policy and curriculum documents uphold notions of capable young learners, actively engaged in investigative learning processes that will carry them on to competent and confident participation in the social and economic world of tomorrow. However, as the author…

Considers the appropriate role of technology in higher education, particularly in teacher-education programs. Topics include problems with too much technology, preparing students for the use of technology, the need for backup plans if problems with the technology arise, learning processes, and teaching style. (LRW)

Great teachers have an intense passion for learning, which is reflected in their students. Teachers make learning enjoyable while teaching students to better organize their ideas, explore their curiosity, and glean the most from each lesson. Students mastering these skills reap the benefits throughout their lifetime. Even good teachers can get…

Argues that cognitive style diagnosis gives a strong and rational basis to a personalized approach to education. Discusses the relationship between information processing and learning style. Describes the National Association of Secondary School Principals'"Learning Style Profile," which assesses students' perceptual responses, cognitive…

Discusses problem areas in instruction, course development, and training administration, suggesting that a dominant factor in training effectiveness is an awareness of the limitations of the human mind to absorb material within a limited time period. Why the rule of seven can increase effectiveness of all training is explained. (MBR)

Behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, constructivist, and neuroscience theories of learning are briefly described. In the training of outdoor activity instructors/teachers, the curriculum should contain modules on various learning styles so that participants have equal opportunities to digest outdoor experiences and interpret them in a manner that…

The role of block building in children's learning was studied by a student teacher who observed a teacher's block building curriculum in a combined first and second grade class. The purpose was to clarify the linkage between thinking and doing, spoken intention and actual consequences, and planning and spontaneity in the curriculum. The cycle of…