Purpose: The concept of inclusive education is moved from the homogeneous perspective to heterogeneous perspective in developed countries and even in developing countries, the discourses on inclusive education are argued from the diversity perspective. Many scholars (Florian, 2010; Slee, 2010; Meijer, 2003 and; Allan, 2011) who are researching on…

In the effort to create a multiculturally sensitive citizenry, addressing issues of immigration is critical in today's schools and society. Mathematics and social studies are subjects sensitive to the cultural and population shifts of society. Since STEM subjects and skills are what drive the 21st century classroom today, it is important that…

Why encourage children to play board games? In the increasing disconnect of our digital lives, playing games provides a way to connect and relate with others on a human level. Strategy and role-playing games provide intellectual challenges and stretch creativity to keep the gifted mind engaged in solving problems. At the same time, the players…

To improve the teaching and learning materials for a curriculum it is important to incorporate the findings from educational research. In light of this, we present creative exercises and experiments to elicit, confront and resolve misconceptions in geometrical optics. Since ray diagrams can be both the cause and the solution for many…

Ordinary Differential Equations I, is one of the core courses for science and engineering majors. Practical problem solving in science and engineering programs require proficiency in mathematics. Improving student performance and retention in mathematics classes requires inventive approaches. At the University of Central Florida (UCF) the…

Assessment is fundamental to school psychology, but its purpose has shifted from making predictions about children to improving outcomes for children. This commentary on the special issue focuses on screening and progress-monitoring decisions that can be used to solve student problems. We outline several psychometric and practical issues that…

Steven Drouin writes that in his first years of teaching, he viewed the purpose of school to be what his childhood teachers and college instructors had instilled in him. School was simply a place for learning academic content and for developing skills needed later in life. Then he began to realize that any conception of schooling that required…

Students who are adept in modeling with mathematics have the capability to use mathematics in situations that arise in everyday life. The German Tank problem described in this article created the expectation that student reasoning was rooted in logical deductions (NCTM 2000). By engaging in this problem, students grappled with challenging…

Polymers are present in most organic materials in the field of cultural heritage science and art conservation. This makes the study of polymer chemistry necessary in art conservation graduate training programs. Given each program approaches this important topic in different ways, the present paper describes areas of common ground and problems we,…

In this article, the authors describe how a theoretical framework--the modeling cycle of Bliss, Fowler, and Galluzzo (2014)--came to life in their classroom as students struggled with an open-ended modeling task. The authors share their high school students' work--warts and all. They explain how they used their students' ideas and errors to help…

In the era of multi-tiered system of support approach to learning, identifying mathematical interventions that have been found to be effective for students who are struggling academically is imperative. Given the divide between instructional approaches in general and special education mathematical teaching approaches, it is important to bridge the…

The vision of mathematics learning advocated by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) for twenty-five years (1989, 1991, 2000, 2014) positions students as active learners, constructing their knowledge of mathematics through exploration, discussion, and reflection. World-class standards put into place by states and provinces over…

This latest installment in a series on teacher leadership describes how a learning cycle framework can provide a useful structure to support teacher leaders as they plan and facilitate powerful teacher-led professional learning. Teacher leaders have the potential to use learning cycles to strengthen teacher professional learning, making it more…

New competence-oriented learning goals can only be sustainably implemented if they are aligned with teaching and assessment goals. Within the fields of science, technology and mathematics education, one approach of competence-oriented teaching is based on the concept of inquiry-based education. Scientific inquiry in science, problem solving in…

The article presents comparative analysis of modular training as a teaching tool against traditional methods and techniques in educational institutions, particularly in higher education. Being one of the forms of interactive learning, modular training ensures efficient intermutual development of all members of educational process. It increases…