While standards and assessments demand that students be able to recall content information, planning guides direct teachers to prioritize the development of transferable skills and understandings, and scholars of education have spent the past century debating the purpose of history instruction without approaching consensus. The field is still…

The Compulsory Education Course Standards for Mathematics 2022 have highlighted the educational objectives of junior secondary mathematics by emphasizing the development of mathematical competence and practical learning. Model consciousness, as one of the fundamental mathematical competencies to be developed at the junior secondary level, can…

Education is getting more informed, digitalised and person-centred. The transition to active learning blurs the boundaries of traditional classroom teaching and encourages the development of new teaching formats. As a result, more and more teachers are turning from "rigid" teaching formats to ones that are more flexible. However, new…

As countries worldwide aim to reform their education systems and improve teaching and learning, lesson study (LS), which originated in East Asia, has recently attracted great attention. In order for international educators and policy makers to better understand the history and the state of the art of LS in East Asia, this article introduces three…

This article addresses the conceptual question "what is lesson study?" as an issue that arises in the context of the globalisation of lesson study as a method for improving teaching and learning beyond its presumed origins in the Japanese education system. To what extent can adaptations of the method in different national settings be…

This article discusses the opportunity that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) present for enhancing formative assessment (FA) in history and social studies classrooms. There is evidence that FA can enhance learning for students if implemented well. Unfortunately, teachers continue to be challenged in implementing FA in their classrooms. We…

This policy brief outlines the Common Core implementation plans for 15 states, including the professional development and resources/tools--such as instructional materials, toolkits, frameworks, crosswalks, and curriculum guides--that each state is providing. The authors suggest that supplemental resources like McREL's Common Core…

Why does professional learning for educators have such a mixed history? Why is it so hard to find solid research evidence of professional development programs that actually improve student learning outcomes? Part of the answer, writes Thomas R. Guskey, is that professional learning experiences for educators are rarely well planned. Consequently,…

We examine the distinction between teaching and teachers as it relates to instructional improvement. Drawing from work outside of education on improvement systems and from analyzing the Japanese system of lesson study, we contend that a focus on teaching can shape a coordinated system for improvement whereas a focus on teachers, common in the…

There is much research in the scholarly literature about using technology to support language learning, and particularly English as a Foreign Language, but the technology is rarely integrated into the curriculum, largely because the research is the product of the pressure on faculty to publish. The author explores curriculum integration, based on…

Ambitious teaching is a form of teaching that requires a high level of teacher responsiveness to what students do as they actively engage with the subject matter. Thus, a teacher enacting ambitious teaching is often confronted with uncertainties about how to advance students' learning while also building on students' contributions. In…

Administrators' classroom observations should be supplemented by more thorough evaluation techniques. This article describes a simple device for measuring teachers' progress toward completing instructional goals based on electronically submitted lesson plans. Repeated low "turn" rates may signify the need for extra classroom resources or problems…

In this position paper, reservations are presented regarding the potential of knowledge management (KM) as it is currently applied to the learning and teaching activity of schools. We contend that effective KM is contingent upon the explication of a deep and shared understanding of the learning and teaching process. We argue that the most…

This paper is intended to assist teachers in examining and altering their own teaching practices and in transforming the classroom from a place of "dull sameness" to an environment where excitement reigns and student growth is at the forefront. The teaching strategies outlined were chosen for three criteria: active student involvement,…

The process approach is an effective method of teaching clinical pharmacy clerkship orientation, the major advantage of which is increased student participation based on improved early identification of predetermined learning outcomes. The primary disadvantage is the difficulty of implementation. A lesson plan is appended. (MLW)