Recent Ontario provincial and federal education policy developments propose to increase the academic success of an ever increasing number of First Nation children attending urban and First Nation schools. Key to achieving that goal is increasing the number of Aboriginal educators who are skilled in teaching that is grounded in culturally…

Based on current research, many students in the middle grades (6-8) have not performed at their highest academic levels. In 2011, more than one-half of eighth graders in 16 Southern states scored basic or below basic on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Alternatively, effective principal-leaders strategically demonstrated…

This study examines the views of administrators (i.e., principals and vice-principals) in Ontario, Canada, with regard to the province's Teacher Performance Appraisal process. A total of 178 responses were collected from a survey that examined five areas: 1) preparation and training; 2) classroom observations; 3) preparing the formal evaluation;…

The Better Balance, Better Bones, Better Bodies (B-Better©) program was developed to disseminate simple home-based strategies to prevent falls and improve functional health of older adults using a train-the-trainer model. Delivered by Family & Community Education Study Group program volunteers, the lesson stresses the importance of a…

The early twenty-first century has seen increased attention to developing young children's social-emotional skills and competencies in preschool programs, including Head Start--the largest federally funded early-childhood education program in the United States. At the same time, there has been greater recognition of the importance of adapting…

This pilot project focused on improving teachers' understanding and use of effective feedback. Participating teachers tried to incorporate feedback into their lessons to help pupils understand their learning goals and become able to develop strategies to reach them. The project employed a cyclical action research design, through which teachers…

This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of a training program based on the post process approach in enhancing English prospective teachers' presentational communication skills and intercultural communication competence. Sample of the study consisted of thirty six prospective teachers. Written and oral presentational communication…

The Major Field Test in Psychology (MFT) is a standardised test designed to assess subject mastery at the conclusion of an undergraduate career. Eighty-one graduating majors completed the MFT and 56 of them also took a multiple-choice exam of questions drawn randomly from an introductory psychology test bank. Like the MFT, the constructed exam was…

We used qualitative methods to explore how a graduate literacy program prepares in-service teacher education candidates to support the literacy development of diverse learners in the United States. Using data from program evaluations collected in 2009 and 2010, coursework, rubrics, candidates' work samples, and surveys from 24 respondents (a 34%…

There is considerable debate both in Australia and internationally about the best way for schools to deliver the thinking skills required for university study and professional work life -- skills that are often referred to by the term "critical thinking". This article reviews the literature on the effective teaching of critical thinking…

This paper presents the results of a three-year research and teaching effort that focused on measuring the perceived effectiveness of Skype as a delivery platform for presentations made to students enrolled in a Professional MBA program by nationally acclaimed authors working in the area of social media. The research also investigated the authors'…

This paper presents our experience of integrating technological tools into our mathematics teaching (in both disciplinary and didactic courses) for student-teachers. In the first cycle of our study, a variety of technological tools were used (e.g., dynamic software, hypertexts, video and applets) in teaching two disciplinary mathematics courses.…

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare developed a national data standards strategy and implementation plan to enhance the comparability, quality and coherence of information across the Australian education and training sectors, including early childhood education, school education, vocational education and training (VET) and higher…

This mixed-methods case study examines parental motivation for participation in a Canadian university-based STEM outreach event. Parents responded to a post-event questionnaire that was followed by individual interviews. The quantitative part revealed how and why parents engaged with their children's STEM education. Surprisingly, neither…

This article explores the varied learning experiences among third-year students undertaking a structured work placement module in the furniture and wood manufacturing industries. Using situated learning theory, the article considers the outcomes of in-depth interviews with 10 students and offers an insight into the multifaceted interactions…