Teachers play a critical role in student learning, however effective teaching and learning cannot take place without established rules, procedures, and routines for the classroom. If your goal as a teacher is to help students understand classroom expectations and how to apply these expectations within different situations then just presenting the…

It has been more than 35 years since Pearson and Gallagher's landmark study on the gradual release of responsibility. How has this instructional practice endured the test of time? In this article, the authors revisit the history of the gradual release of responsibility, explore current practices and challenges for educators, and provide…

Given the vast research on the existence of distinctive student-teacher expectations about their roles in the classroom and their significance in shaping prospective actions, there is a scarcity of studies that examine Arab student expectations and contrast them with their teachers' expectancies. Realizing this research gap, this study aims to…

"Just as every child is human, every child, no matter the circumstances, deserves an education that promotes his or her development to the fullest human potential." Using Cornerstone Montessori, a public Montessori school, as a case study, Liesl Taylor sets out to show the importance and impact that the Montessori approach can have on…

While recent state and federal education policies convey a sense of urgency in regard to the need for education reforms, there are teachers for whom this sense of urgency has long been woven into the fabric of their practice. Fortified by their high expectations for their students, these teachers utilize strategies that convey the message that the…

The shift to competency-based education expands the role of the teacher from that of a provider of information and into a shaper of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These roles are facilitated by establishing a social contract between the instructor and learner, a contract that clearly defines the rights and duties of each. Adopting greater…

This study explored the effects of a portable technology intervention, the Nook Simple Touch eReader, on student performance in Reading and English/Language Arts when included as an integral part of the teaching and learning process in an elementary third-grade classroom. This study used the participating students' end-of-year second-grade scores…

Background: Since 2010, French secondary schools with a high proportion of students in academic difficulty benefit from a compensatory education policy called "Ecoles Colleges et Lycees pour l'Ambition, l'Innovation et la Reussite" (ECLAIR). These students tend to behave poorly and frequently disengage from learning tasks, and thus one…

Each new school year brings high hopes, great expectations and challenges for both new and seasoned educators. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has developed a series called "Classroom Tips" to help educators start the year right and anticipate the year ahead. Over the past 40 years, most research studies on homework have found that…

The value of research-informed classroom practices is well recognized and thus this qualitative study was designed to explore, from multiple perspectives, the experiences and influences of classroom practices for students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The inductive analysis of 11 focus groups and three interviews involving 60…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Integrated Data Systems Link Schools and Communities: Researchers Combine School and Non-School Data to Inform Interventions and Policy (Patti Hartigan);…

Autonomy is basically described as an individual's taking responsibility for his/her own learning and seen as one of the most significant features of life-long learning process today. Therefore modern language teaching approaches and innovations in this area have made language practitioners focus largely on the concept "autonomy" in…

With the advent of communicative language teaching in East Asia, the idea of learner autonomy has become a topic of discussion and a goal among language teachers. The idea of autonomy raises important questions that need to be further explored, particularly in terms of students taking responsibility for learning. While examining the English…

The goal of installing laptop programs is to increase student learning in the classroom. In this article, the author offers eleven tips to get the most learning out of one's investment: (1) make students responsible and accountable; (2) make the activities authentic; (3) embrace one's surroundings; (4) make sure the technology extends the…

This 8-month qualitative study investigated 3 primary classrooms' implementation of a synthesized approach to comprehension instruction that incorporated vocabulary development, cognitive strategies, and responsive engagement. Three themes emerged, including successes and challenges in (a) the implementation of the separate components of the…