The current research examined the effects of teachers and classrooms environment on girls' learning skills in girls' high schools. The main objective of the study was to analyze the classroom as a key academic and learning site in which the nature of interaction between teachers and students and among peers have a strong impact on students'…

Primary school practices are often bound by traditions that perpetuate compliance and skills-based, decontextualized, rote memorization activities. These histories of practice, prevalent in schools serving mostly Black and Brown children, make it inordinately difficult for students to author themselves as knowledge builders (i.e., with epistemic…

This paper describes classroom activities to help students understand the publication cycle and the characteristics of major publication channels (textbooks, books, encyclopedias, and periodicals) for first-year physics students. When designing these activities, the author considered the intellectual development characteristics and the…

This paper presents a class activity which aims to help students prepare both for the intellectual and the interpersonal work. On the first day of class, students are asked to read and reflect upon "Listening to Understand." Subsequently, they are then asked to discuss their responses in a small group and then later on in a large group discussion,…

In this article, the author shares tips on how to develop a student's creative intelligence and provide activities that enable students to discover their innate abilities. These include making sure that the classroom is a home for students and reflects their hopes and aspirations, creating an effective classroom where every child has the…

Research and theory suggest that college students' motivation to learn is related to their epistemological beliefs. Faculty can promote student motivation by designing learning activities that facilitate student development of more sophisticated epistemological beliefs. Faculty developers can assist in this by giving special attention to the…

The idea of a special type of education for young children emerged in the United States in the mid-nineteenth century, with the kindergarten movement. The kindergarten was created by Friedrich Froebel, the German educator whose ideas, although no longer popular, can be traced to contemporary early childhood education. Froebel explicitly rejected…

The middle school grades are a period of transition: a time in the formal educational process when immature children develop into young adolescents who are better prepared for the rigors of higher education and life itself. In order to help children master the sophisticated social studies concepts and skills necessary for higher secondary…

Some children lack the framework of prior experience necessary for the comprehension and enjoyment of fanciful literature. Fanciful literature, though grounded in reality, deals not only with what is, but also with what could be or might have been. Since readers actively construct meaning by relating what they read to their conceptual systems,…

This book presents 350 classroom-tested activities for use with children to create an environment that will stimulate young children's brains. Designed to be used by families, classroom teachers, family childcare providers, or others caring for young children, the book includes information on current brain research and describes interest areas in…

Argues that, even for young children, analogies offer conceptual models for supporting the development of understanding. Compared children's understanding of current electricity after instruction with and without the inclusion of analogies. Children receiving the analogies exhibited a broader understanding, especially concerning the process of…

Describes an art exercise that helps students understand the abstract concept of line. Working in groups, students list things that can be found under the earth and then individually create layered earth drawings. A writing exercise follows that encourages analytical thinking and gives students a chance to explain what they discovered. (GG)

This study examined how three dimensions of college students' experiences affect critical thinking skills: (1) curricular exposure, (2) formal classroom and instructional experiences, and (3) out-of-class experiences. The study used a 1-year, longitudinal, panel study design using data collected as part of a pilot study for a national,…

This kindergarten curriculum guide describes children's learning and development in a play-based environment and the creation of such an environment. The first part of the guide discusses child development. Physical development is considered in terms of sensory awareness, motor skills, creative movement, skilled actions with objects, and the…

This paper investigates the teacher's role in discussion-intensive pedagogy, arguing that one of the teacher's roles is to support an atmosphere of intellectual ferment. It offers possible language and stance for examining, describing, and analyzing these aspects of classroom discourse; language that is capable of finer distinctions, and a stance…