Learning computer programming is typically difficult for newcomers. Demotivation and learned helplessness have received much attention. Besides the subject's intricacy, low in-class participation has been associated with poor student achievement. This paper presents a follow-up, stage 2 study on the novel instructional technique, Student-Driven…

In this column, I explore the relationships between identity work and the sense of belonging. I argue that the absence of critical conversations such as race may prompt students to fit in but does not warrant a sense of belonging. Using a research study on Asian immigrant students as a reference point, I propose that we consider students'…

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused considerable and drastic changes to teaching and learning, forcing many teachers to adopt an online pedagogical approach. This disruption has caused traditional universities to change how their curriculum is delivered and also revisit how learning occurs. While we are indeed living in challenging times, we…

Throughout a unit of study about survival, students and their teacher engaged in individualized learning. Discussions of teacher-dictated curriculum versus student-driven learning, design of the unit, and students' and teacher's experiences and takeaways from the unit are included.

Online discussions have been proliferating in US higher education. Due to its widespread incorporation into university courses, instructors have been making efforts to design effective online discussions to enhance student learning. Ground rules play an important role in regulating student behaviors and performance in online discussions. This…

Why should teachers bother with student-driven discussions? Elizabeth A. City offers three reasons: (1) talking and thinking reinforce each other; (2) dialogue is a necessary skill of democracy, so schools should teach thinking, speaking, and listening as "practices of freedom"; and (3) student-driven talk is fun. Yet student-driven…

Enjoyment is an important but often overlooked element in the music classroom. In this article, we review research literature related to enjoyment in musical interactions and discuss the role of enjoyment in the general music classroom. Drawing on research literature, our experience as general music teachers, and our research on enjoyment during…

The Common Core has brought a sharp shift in what it means to be mathematically literate. Becoming mathematically literate is now as much a matter of acquiring mathematical practices as of acquiring any defined set of content standards. This more ambitious definition of literacy presents a challenge not only for students, but also for teachers who…

The world of infants and toddlers is a world of unflagging curiosity and discovery. They are compelled to go, with boundless energy, after the skills that they need for the future. When they are allowed to accumulate as rich and as multifaceted a bundle of formative experiences as possible, teachers expand the material that they have to construct…

This article presents a "child-centered" model of the teaching-learning process--the challenge kindergarten model. The model is an attempt to deal with the limitations of the "child-centered" approach without giving up its benefits. In this model, the teachers enable the children to direct their activities and improve their…

New educators may feel overwhelmed by the options available for engaging students through classroom participation. However, it may be helpful to recognize that participatory pedagogical systems often have constructivist roots. Adopting a constructivist perspective, our paper considers three meta-practices that encourage student participation:…

Because video games are so popular with young people, researchers have explored ways to use game play to engage students in school subjects (Peppler & Kafai, 2007; Rockwell & Kee, 2011; Small, 2011). Motivating students in science is especially important because of declines both in the number of young people who choose science careers and…

This article aims to report on a pilot or proof of concept study with experienced Hungarian teachers who introduced mathematical concepts through a sequence of lessons utilising a pedagogical framework (Lavicza, Hohenwarter, Jones, Lu and Dawes, 2009a and Lavicza, Hohenwarter and Lu 2009b) for general technology integration. Our aim was to examine…

This comparative case study presents one key challenge that 2 experienced teachers faced when using simulations: control. Simulations are activities that place high demands on teachers, including the ability to anticipate pitfalls in advance, act in multiple capacities, shape the direction of the activity without unduly interfering, and to be…

The goal of this research is to examine how implementing a new pedagogical structure, Academic Choice, informs my understanding of my students as learners and individuals. Using a self-study methodology over the course of eight working sessions in my Kindergarten classroom, I collected multiple forms of qualitative data, including student work…