Contemporary instructional approaches expect students to be active producers of knowledge. This leads to the need for creation of instructional tools and tasks that can offer students opportunities for active learning. This study examines the effect of a computational experiment as an instructional tool-for Grade 12 students, using a computer…

At the beginning of my academic journey I held the belief that I would learn to teach simply by teaching. To my dismay, I had underestimated the complicated nature of teaching in higher education and gave little consideration to the ways students learn. Feeling overwhelmed by my situation, I began questioning my teaching practices and student…

This work describes a 2-year study in teaching school science, based on the stimulation of higher thinking levels in learning science using a highly student-centred and constructivist learning approach. We sought to shift and strengthen students' positive attitudes towards science learning, self-efficacy towards invention, and achievement.…

This article reports on a study that examined the effects of integrating corpus and contextualized lexicogrammar in foreign and second language teaching. The study was conducted in English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) courses at 1 Chinese university and 2 U.S. universities, involving 244 participants (236…

Research shows that mathematically gifted students learn differently from their same age group peers. They require curriculum to be differentiated to meet their specific learning styles (Johnson, 2000). Studies have shown that formal instruction in elementary school classrooms often lacks challenge for the gifted learner since courses in regular…

This document presents the proceedings of 16th Annual Research Forum held June 15, 2011, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Included herein are the following 25 action research papers: (1) The Effects of Prompted Math Journaling on Algebra 1 Students' Achievement and Attitudes (Heidi I. Arnold); (2) Group Work and Attitude…

No significant interaction was found between the field independent cognitive style and the level of guidance in mathematics instruction in a study involving prospective elementary school teachers. (Editor)

Discovery and expository learning were compared in a study of independent and dependent learners enrolled in a college chemistry course. Discovery learning was found to be superior for both groups of learners, with independent students performing better than dependent students using discovery learning. (Author/DF)

There is a place for the discovery model in science education, but it should not be the exclusive instructional model. Reception and discovery learning should be used. In reception, scientific concepts are sequentially transmitted to the learner followed by clarification and reinforcement. Reception has not been supported by teacher training…

This paper describes W.A.S.H. (We All Speak Here), an experiential learning strategy that provides learners (individuals or groups) with a means for exploring, discussing, and discovering their thoughts and feelings on any idea, issue, or concept. This strategy is part of a larger model in which students develop a deeper understanding of learning…

Describes a study performed in a microbial physiology course to increase students' self awareness of their misconceptions, promote sound research techniques, develop written and oral communication skills, stimulate metacognition, and improve team work and interpersonal relationship skills. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/YDS)

The author feels that traditional methods of imparting knowledge do not lead to the development of human potential and that what is needed is learning which people seek for themselves. (MKM)

A research project examined whether students in an English 104 freshman composition class would develop the ability to think analogically and divergently by using synectics as an aid to invention in composition, and whether these students would develop a more positive attitude toward writing. (Synectics is a highly structured group activity based…

The paper discusses the use of music-based experiments to illuminate teachers' understanding of their own and pupils' informal ways of learning. The major objective of the paper is to help teachers understand students' learning processes. Because one central problem in academic research is that of finding the right questions, researchers should…

Describes a problem to challenge students as they come back from summer vacation. Working in small groups, students discover Pick's Theorem, the formula to calculate the area of a polygon constructed on a geoboard. A writing assignment evaluates the students' efforts. (MDH)