This paper describes the effect that assistive technologies, such as paper, printing, protractors, logarithm tables, computers, and the Internet, have on pedagogy. It reports the results of experiments with self-organising systems in primary education and develops the concept of a self-organised learning environment (SOLE). It then describes how…

The universal right to education has been enshrined in a range of international rights instruments. Yet despite the considerable secondary literature on the subject, there has been little discussion of the notion of education underpinning the right. This article presents a theoretical exploration of the question, leading to a normative…

Playful learning environments (PLEs) have been constructed in schoolyards in Finland with the aim of increasing learning through play in curriculum-based education. In order to better understand and inform this development, the Hyvonen sets out to ascertain how teachers view and use play in kindergarten and elementary education. Fourteen teachers…

In this column, the three authors address the teaching of ELs within the content areas. Specifically, they highlight the difference between having language and content objectives, utilizing small-group work to maximize involvement, and inclusion of beginning English speakers into the learning process. Currently there is a gap of 36 points between…

This article presents a review of the "Process Assessment of the Learner-Second Edition" (PAL-II), an individual or group-administered instrument designed to assess the cognitive processes involved in academic tasks in kindergarten through sixth grade. The instrument allows the examiner to identify reasons for underachievement and…

The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the range of outcomes of class visits to natural history museums. The theoretical framework is based on the multifaceted process of learning in free choice learning environments, and emphasizes the unique and individual learning experience in museum settings. The study's significance is in…

Handwriting has a low status and profile in literacy education in England and in recent years has attracted little attention from teachers, policy-makers or researchers into mainstream educational processes. This article identifies a substantial programme of research into handwriting, including studies located in the domains of special needs…

Introduction: This article deals with classroom assessment situations from a socio-cultural perspective. Some characteristics of classroom assessment are identified and described as they relate to the teachers' pedagogical intervention for the monitoring and improvement of students' self-regulation processes. Method: A qualitative methodological…

Drawn from the postmodern view of nature, this essay discusses the distinction between two kinds of knowing (grounded and technical) and explores the implications of this distinction for selecting and teaching science curricula. The concept of presence needs to be incorporated into a curriculum overly concerned with the observing mind and external…

The doctrine of localized brain functions has strongly influenced many educators. Gerald Edelman's recent research challenges this doctrine by advancing categorization and recategorization as the brain's overriding activities. Instruction that focuses overmuch on similarities is misguided and confusing. Instead, classroom instruction should employ…

The reasoning practices employed by students in the classroom are examined to display how they "know" something. Focus is placed on the interactional practices by which learning tasks are accomplished during classroom lessons. (JMF)

Examines the issues raised by photographs children took of reading in the home as part of a funded research project exploring the gendering of reading in the 7-9 age group. Focuses on the dilemmas the images pose for analysis, and what the images, considered in themselves, can be taken as evidence for. (SG)

Three Oaks Elementary School in Fort Myers, Florida, was the first school to adopt Core Knowledge, an articulated K-6 curriculum promoted by E.D. Hirsch, author of "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know" (1987). Hirsch feels that emphasizing skills over knowledge unintentionally injures disadvantaged students. Program…

When teachers provide opportunities for thoughtful learning, students will demonstrate the insight resulting from deep understanding of subject matter. Three methods of teaching for understanding include teaching with mental models, coaching for understanding performances, and teaching for transfer. These approaches also help reconnect the…

When carefully structured and appropriately used, cooperative learning can be highly effective at any grade level. To provide teachers with appropriate feedback, principals observing cooperative-learning classrooms must recognize whether the lesson is worth doing cooperatively, the students demonstrate positive interdependence and individual…