This article reports on techniques of teaching abstract algebra which were developed to achieve multiple student objectives: reasoning and communication skills, deep content knowledge, student engagement, independence, and pride. The approach developed included a complementary combination of inquiry-based learning, individual (not group) homework…

Potential employers require graduates to be able to demonstrate competent teamwork skills in initiating ideas and solving problems cooperatively. Teamwork is prevalent in educational institutions and often included as a way of enriching learning and assessment. Whilst group working can provide a rich opportunity for cooperative learning, its…

In the context of educational innovation, it is important to investigate how in-service teachers learn and adapt their knowledge to changing professional circumstances. The authors investigated the informal learning of a small number of experienced science teachers in their first few years of teaching a new science syllabus in secondary education…

With adolescents becoming physically inactive as they age, one must think of other activities to teach during the middle and secondary years in physical education. One lifetime activity that physical education teachers could promote is bowling, an individual sport that could be taught in the gym or in a bowling alley. By using an instructional…

In this paper we describe an instructional tactic of individually assigned homework that promotes and strengthens individual learning processes. We claim that current emphasis on the benefits of collaborative learning belittles the importance of individual learning processes and reduces the opportunities to require and assess individual learning…

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse an initiative to provide learners on "career-based" programmes with opportunities to reflect upon their values within the context of sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: An international literature review relating values and behaviour to the sustainability agenda led to the development of…

In this article, the author compares how her pupils responded to the same task when working individually and in small groups. She wants to look at communication and the effect that increasing the opportunities for collaborative group work has had on the quality of her pupils' understanding. She became concerned that the 23 "Level D" children (age…

The author examined the long-term effects of teacher instructional grouping practices on the early mathematical achievement of language minority students from various ethnic groups. The study used 3 longitudinal models. In the 1st model, English language learners (ELLs) displayed lower math performance than did English-only students in the…

Written for parents by the mother of two mentally retarded children, the booklet explains what it means to be mentally retarded and emphasizes the importance of play to aid speech development and walking. Parents are advised to set realistic goals and to encourage the child in learning social skills. Mental retardation is described in relation to…

Provided are sample lesson plans for a program to develop pre-language skills in profoundly retarded children and adults. Characteristic of the suggested activities is the stimulation of all sensory channels through structured infant-like play activities in five general areas: oral stimulation, sensory arousal, motor stimulation, vocal play, and…

A teachers' guide for social studies, this manual stresses geography curriculum and activities for the primary grades. It is suggested that a teacher work with one group while the other children work individually. Children first work independently for a team, and then progress to less structured small group activities. Positive reinforcement by…

Descriptions are given of activities teachers have used successfully in individualizing instruction in the following curriculum areas: (1) art; (2) business; (3) career education; (4) environmental education; (5) foreign language; (6) health; (7) language arts; (8) library; (9) mathematics; (10) music; (11) personal finance; (12) physical…

The diagnostic-prescriptive observation checklist is designed to allow the regular classroom teacher to diagnose and prescribe for each child's learning abilities or disabilities in the sensory-motor, perceptual, or language areas. Five to ten observable characteristics and five to eight suggested teaching strategies are listed for each of the…

Because teachers often do not use the small group mode, believing its academic performance is of poorer quality than that of individuals, a process has been developed that compares small group and individual performances. The procedure, which utilizes an objective test, group and individual responses, and teacher, self, and group evaluation, is…