This study investigates the relationship between first-year higher education students' (N = 405) approaches to learning and academic performance on engineering mathematics courses. In addition, we study what combinations of approaches to learning students apply, how these combinations change over time, and whether they are linked to the…

In recent years, researchers have shown an increased interest in learner styles as one of the key factors influencing learning generally. During the last decade we have also noticed rapid advances in the field of technology enhanced learning and growing trend towards its application in formal education. Introduction of different forms of…

In this essay, the authors argue that understanding students' learning styles is likely to (a) help teachers recognize the causes of some academic problems, and (b) lead to better planned, differentiated instruction. Learning style, as defined by Dunn and Dunn, is highlighted, and research supporting its effectiveness is outlined. By citing…

The objective of this paper is to discuss how blind students learn basic concepts of probability using the tactile model proposed by Vita (2012). Among the activities were part of the teaching sequence "Jefferson's Random Walk", in which students built a tree diagram (using plastic trays, foam cards, and toys), and pictograms in 3D…

Understanding biological structures and functions is often difficult because of their complexity and micro-structure. For example, the vascular system is a complex and only partly visible system. Constructing models to better understand biological functions is seen as a suitable learning method. Models function as simplified versions of real…

Many members of the academy have tried to broaden the construct of scholarship to include activities that investigate pedagogy and student learning, the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Halpern et al. (1998) first established such a definition for the field of psychology. This article reports on a Society for the Teaching of Psychology…

This document is a Problem Based Learning project addressing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the achievement gap issue that lingers in public education. It centers on the ideas of cultural sensitivity as a means of educating all students in an era of accountability. The goal of the project was to address the problem of minority student…

In this special issue, readers were introduced to three powerful, evidence-based instructional practices that hold great promise for ameliorating many of the reading difficulties encountered by pupils in 21st century classrooms. Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), ClassWide Peer Tutoring (CWPT), and START tutoring have emerged from over…

This article on curriculum and instructional issues in teaching secondary students with learning disabilities discusses the impact of traditional secondary school programs on these students; promising research examining alternative program models and instructional interventions (including the Strategies Intervention Model, Integrated Strategy…

Encourages use of the newspaper for adults to improve their reading skills and to practice applying academic skills to problem solving. (NKA)

This project examines the development of programs and strategies to help teachers include a variety of instructional behaviors that will, in turn, stimulate many kinds of student thinking. A voluntary group of teachers formed study teams to learn the Dimensions of Learning Model and implement strategies from the model in their classrooms. The…

Special programs for learning-disabled students have limited effectiveness because learning outcome is not determined by remedial education setting. Effective programs must consider cognitive ability, strategic repertoire, previously acquired skills and concepts, and awareness of the goal each task must achieve. Psychological assessment provides…

Reviews theoretical developments in science education and integrates them into a humanistic constructivist model of science learning. Applies this model to the new English national science curriculum. Explains the changing focus in science curriculum and pedagogy. Discusses theories of science learning in relation to the Education Reform Act…

Commissioned by the College Board's National Task Force on Minority High Achievement, this report presents a history of the Emerging Scholars Program, a proven strategy for increasing the number of underrepresented minority students who achieve at high levels in freshman calculus (and in initial freshman courses in several of the sciences,…

This study evaluated an in-class service model for third graders at risk of school failure in 13 schools. The model included collaborative consultation, cooperative teaching, parent involvement, and strategic and adapted instruction. Significant effects were found on writing scores for students at risk (but not students with learning disabilities)…