In this paper, we examine the complementary and differing state-defined roles of beginning schoolteachers in England and Norway by investigating centrally mandated initial teacher preparation programmes in both countries. Through comparative analysis, we get to see the roles that the policy-makers in London and Oslo seek to confer upon the…

Our pre-university chemistry students face problems achieving sufficient quality in chemical inquiry. To try to enhance the quality of student performance in chemical inquiry, Dutch pre-university chemistry students (age 17) carried out an authentic research project on "Diffusion of ions in distilled water." The learning materials for this student…

"Enciclomedia" is a Mexican project for primary school teaching using computers in the classroom. Within this project, and following an enactivist theoretical perspective and methodology, we have designed a computer-based package called "Dados", which, together with teaching guides, is intended to support the teaching and…

This article illustrates the use of newspapers as a resource for teaching and learning about science. Science teachers in Northern Ireland have produced a special edition news magazine, "Space Science News," to support the teaching and learning of aspects of space science in secondary school. The resource is based on authentic newspaper…

The experience of seven community college instructors was documented as they applied, for the first time, principles and characteristics of constructivist pedagogy to the design of learning activities. The instructors became a community of learners as they collaborated and shared their experiences among themselves. They reported improvements in…

This is the second of two papers that propose an expanded and enriched view of arithmetic problem solving by stressing the need to provide learning activities that include problems of varying structures. The first paper included a framework for the enhancement of text-based problems. This second paper proposes a scheme for the development of…

This study demonstrated how the tenets of positive behavior support could be used to teach an educational activity. Emphasis was placed on the implementation of practical strategies to minimize errors during instruction and maximize positive outcomes. A 9-year-old boy with Asperger syndrome served as the participant, and the skill targeted for…

DeVault shares strategies, enlivened with examples and anecdotes, for dealing with pressures for academic kindergarten. For example, teachers can embrace the positive elements in new methodologies; document children's meaningful activities and progress using photographs, videos, and slide shows to share with parents and administrators; share…

This article describes my efforts to improve student skills in solving unstructured problems in a junior-level undergraduate business course by employing a problem-based learning (PBL) design. A rationale for adopting a PBL approach for this course is articulated. A 7-step problem-solving model is then presented. The course's design is described,…

Interview skills is critical to a job seeker's success in obtaining employment. However, learning interview skills takes time. This article offers an activity for providing students with interview practice while sacrificing only a single classroom period. The authors begin by reviewing relevant literature. Then, they outline the process of…

This article describes an integrated activity that can teach students important lessons in recycling, manufacturing, measurement, art, and ecology, while at the same time putting old crayons to good use. The activity involved organizing fourth-grade students into a manufacturing company that would melt old crayons into molds to form a new product…

During a fieldstudy of children's gardens in the United States in 2005, the author became aware that possibilities for providing learning experiences in children's gardens are bountiful and different styles are emerging. Anecdotally this appears to be a contested area with some within the discipline favoring a narrower definition of children's…

A learning community is a relatively old phenomenon that has resurfaced; it is making educators at institutions of higher education stand up and take notice. Grounded in collaborative and cooperative learning theories, learning communities have created environments in which student learning is the center of attention. The social construction of…

In 2004, in response to the need to revise oral practice and assessment in the second semester of Beginners French at Monash University, an eight-week group-based theatre project was developed and trialled. A specially adapted version of Tardieu's absurdist play "Le Guichet" was used to give students the opportunity to focus on oral…

An abundance of research, by educational researchers and scholars of teaching and learning alike, can be found on the use of ICT to plan design and deliver learning activities and assessment activities. The first steps of the instructional design process are covered quite thoroughly by this. However, the use of ICT and quantitative methods to…