The demand for virtual learning environments in K-12 educational systems has grown exponentially in the past twenty years. The need for model K-12 learning environments became evident when the Covid-19 global pandemic caused an unparalleled closure to in-person learning environments that sent traditional school settings on a tailspin trying to…

The intentions with which hands-on simulations are used in vocational education are not always clear. Also, pedagogical-didactic approaches in hands-on simulations are not well conceptualised from a learning theory perspective. This makes it difficult to pinpoint the added value that hands-on simulations can have in an innovative vocational…

Researchers have found that middle school students undergo developmental changes that require unique educational structures and support. As a result, experts have suggested a number of specific strategies for organizing middle schools in order to best meet students' needs. This Information Capsule summarizes middle school redesign initiatives that…

"Placing Students at the Heart of Creative Learning" shows teachers of key stages 2 and 3 how to introduce creativity into what is often seen as a prescriptive and stifling curriculum, and addresses the tensions that can exist between the requirement to follow the curriculum and the desire to employ innovative pedagogies. It offers…

Operating Systems IV is a subject taught to fourth-year information technology learners at Technikon Natal, a tertiary educational institution in KwaZulu Natal (South Africa). During 1998, the need to introduce elements of flexibility in this course was identified. As a result, a virtual classroom was used as a communal resource base and a…

The availability of user-friendly tools for designing learning environments resulted in an innovative shift of design focus. This shift has been noticed from a user-centred, although passive and reactive, design approach to a participatory, at responsibility and self-directedness directed, design approach. This latter innovative and promising…

Addresses the need for teachers in socioeconomically disadvantaged schools to change classroom practice. Examines the disparity between home and school environments, using critical social theory. Describes curriculum negotiation as an active, relevant process, focusing on creating classroom environments that empower students. Discusses the skills…

This guide provides suggestions for using technology (i.e., computers and anything that attaches to computers) as instructional tools in environments that support learning. Chapter 1 offers an overview of learning principles based on constructivist theory, including what constructivism offers the classroom, the role of the student, the role of the…

A rationale and methodology for the use of student perceptions in educational decision making, and specifically in the area of curriculum, are presented. Four sections of the paper present ways in which student perceptions may be used: to describe and compare school environments, to compare perceptions of student subgroups within the same…