Research has established the importance of play-based experiences for young children's development and learning. Yet, facing the mounting pressure of accountability and standardized testing, some educators have turned to didactic methods of instruction. Guided play (Weisberg et al., 2016) provides a middle ground between play and instruction for…

This study investigated the effect of class practices on students' learning gains in reading comprehension in the 5th grade. A sample of 4,344 students in 283 classes in 176 schools was studied. Several class practices that have previously been demonstrated to be effective were tested while controlling for student characteristics and socioeconomic…

This article details how certain mathematical "discoveries" that Cavazos' fourth graders made were recorded throughout the year. Cavazos invited a math professor, a biologist, a literacy professor, a chemist, a statistician, and an engineering student, as well as their school principal and computer lab technician, both of whom are…

Researchers and practitioners have become increasingly interested in how early childhood programs prepare young children for science. Due to a number of factors, including educators' low self-efficacy for teaching science and lack of educational resources, many early childhood classrooms do not offer high-quality science experiences for young…

Most people have an innate curiosity about things and ideas, people and events. When they read stories, especially those concerning crime, love, or adventure, they not only want to find out what is happening or has happened, but they generally make some kind of guess as to what is likely to happen next. Where there is no such curiosity on the part…

The author always turns to children to be her teachers when she comes up against new ideas and challenges. She believes that observing closely and reflecting on how children engage in exploration and discovery reinforced the notion that children, in fact, do more with less! Supporting children in developing self-regulation is not an easy task in…

Mr. Smith and Ms. D'Amico are two veteran science teachers in a well-performing school district. Both teachers use weekly lab exercises and experiments as formative assessments. In their middle school classrooms, children are engaged and eager to learn. As students walk into Mr. Smith's classroom, a prescribed, step-by-step procedure of the day's…

The authors of the three papers in this issue discuss and analyze the practice underlying "critical exploration," a research pedagogy applied in common within their separate art, science, and teacher education classrooms. Eleanor Duckworth developed critical exploration as a method of teaching by involving students so actively and reflectively…

Suggestions and procedures are offered for an effective open classroom. (MM)

Two sets of low-cost instructional simulation materials for use in teacher education programs were developed, one dealing with problems of classroom management and one dealing with discovery teaching. An effort was made to expose students to certain principles of classroom management or discovery teaching before they used the simulation materials.…

Analyzes the results of an experimental study of a nontraditional style of teaching, a combination of lecture and group discovery methods. Concludes that students in the study performed better than those in traditional sections, their attitudes towards mathematics improved, and they were positive about the instructional approach. (Author/ASK)

Explains specific writing strategies that teachers from other disciplines have used effectively in their classes. Describes the interdisciplinary project from which these strategies evolved. Focuses on designing writing assignments linked to course objectives and responding to student writing for its value as discovery learning. (RL)

Education professor's intimate look at teaching through two high school teachers' eyes revealed gap between theory and practice. Instead of using student-centered pedagogical strategies they learned at University of Alabama, teachers ran traditional teacher-centered classrooms. Both taught to standardized tests and used mandated curricula. Felt…

Students who are involved in hands-on science activities are enabled to learn the processes of science, and thus become scientifically literate. (DG)