Quality questions, directed inquiry, and authentic literacy are important tools that enhance students' comprehension, knowledge, and application of what is taught. Learn how to phrase and pose good questions that will ignite inquiring minds and enrich student learning during classroom instruction. Author Erik M. Francis shares a framework for…

This paper is a practical how-to guide to help you start using active learning or to have greater success and more fun with it. We categorize active learning techniques as Think, Pair, Share, Composite, Group, Move, or Lead and discuss how to implement activities in each category, along with advice on creating engaging, effective, and equitable…

The mathematical egg hunt is a hands-on activity designed to help students understand mathematical relations in an Introduction to Proofs course. This activity gives students the opportunity to practice selecting which ordered pairs do and do not belong to a given relation in a moderately competitive egg hunt. It is designed to be low-stakes, yet…

Science teachers face an incredible challenging task of combining research on how students learn best, the three-dimensions of the Science Education Frameworks that in themselves are complicated to understand, and instructional sequences that lead to deeper learning. "Activating Students' Ideas: Linking Formative Assessment Probes to…

Envisioned as a story, a guide, a resource, and an aesthetic experience, this book features the work of a multigenerational collective of K-12 educators, students, and teaching artists seeking educational justice. This multivocal approach illustrates how bringing together arts-infused writing pedagogies, with the visionary and intellectual force…

This is the fourth in a series of six articles about how research by psychologists, neuroscientists, robot engineers, and other scientists could help geography educators design better lessons. This article will focus on teaching about regions as narrowly defined: a region is a group of places that have something in common and are close to each…

Each location on earth has its own mix of climate, minerals, land cover, politics, religion, and other features. Geographic inquiry starts (but does not end) with careful observation of these conditions, because geographers assume that they can influence what happens in that place. Future articles in this series will look at different modes of…

The premiere book in the STEM for Our Youngest Learners Series introduces the Infant Toddler Inquiry Learning Model, a new way to think about how young children (birth-age 3) explore, think, and learn STEM concepts. The book also demonstrates how the Inquiry Teaching Model can guide teachers in implementing STEM experiences for this age group.…

The methods of teaching history in grades 6-12 have changed over the last few years to be more interactive and collaborative. More and more, teaching and learning revolves around an essential triad of inquiry, primary sources, and literacy in a collaborative classroom environment. "Teaching History Today" is about placing inquiry,…

Great teachers will tell you that you can learn a lot about students from the questions they ask. This book shares 400 of the most important questions kids ask about their brains, along with answers that can be shared with students from ages 3 to 18. "What hidden talents do I have?" "Where does our inner voice come from?"…

Cognitive science and teacher observations make it pretty clear: A strong sense of curiosity is the key for student engagement and developing a lifelong passion for learning. But how can teachers help students nurture their curiosity so that they ultimately take charge of their own learning? "Tools for Igniting Curiosity" answers that…

"Building a Curious School" uncovers the many subtle ways in which formal education seems to hinder our natural curiosity and reveals how rekindling a sense of wonder in schools can prime the pump for learning, foster a culture of engagement, grow better educational leaders, and prepare students and staff to lead more fulfilling lives.…

This exercise introduces students to reality creation processes in organizational life (e.g., self-fulfilling prophecy, Pygmalion effects, etc.) as a theoretical perspective that must be understood to design transformational organizational change. By comparing the differential effects of conventional and appreciative questions, the experience also…

According to the National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education (2018), only 16% of the elementary teachers surveyed reported including hands-on activities in all or most of their lessons. Strategies that engage students in hands-on investigations help improve student achievement (Minner, Levy, and Century 2010) and provide students with a…

Children are intrigued by switches that power a light source and by items that reflect light and sparkle, and they take notice of personal shadows cast on the playground. Many STEM fields draw upon understanding of light and shadow, such as astronomy, biology, engineering, architecture, and more. This book shows teachers how to engage children…