The current study examined the impact of experiencing either a guided play or direct instruction learning environment on causal learning, curiosity, and divergent thinking. Forty-three children (age 4- to 6-years) participated in an online experiment in which they completed a causal learning task in either guided play or direct instruction…

As part of curriculum renewal in three introductory chemistry courses at the University of Sydney, a partially flipped classroom model was implemented. Content that is conventionally delivered in the in-class sessions was moved online through the use of web-based tutorials, videos and quizzes. During the in-class sessions, active learning…

Corpus of High School Academic Texts (COHAT), currently of 150,000+ words, aims to make academic language instruction a more data-driven and student-centered discovery learning as a special type of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), emphasizing students' critical thinking and metacognition. Since 2013, high school English as an additional…

A 9-month training experiment evaluated whether computer-assisted discovery learning of arithmetic regularities can facilitate kindergartners' fluency with the easiest sums. After a pretest, kindergartners with at least one risk factor (n = 28) were randomly assigned to either a structured add-0/1 training condition, which focused on recognizing…

Using a computer-based scientific discovery learning environment on buoyancy in fluids we investigated the "effects of goal specificity" (nonspecific goals vs. specific goals) for two goal types (problem solving goals vs. learning goals) on "strategy use" and "instructional efficiency". Our empirical findings close an important research gap,…

Two cycles of design-based research of a cognitive tool (CT) for teaching fractions have been completed. Following the success of a quasi-experimental study of the enhanced CT derived from the second cycle of design-based research, this article reports the findings of a pre-test-post-test control group empirical study using the enhanced CT in the…

Much educational software is designed from a specific pedagogical stance. How teachers conceive of the pedagogical stance underlying the design will affect how they utilize the technology; these conceptions may vary from teacher to teacher and from teacher to designer. There may be a conflict between the designer's pedagogical beliefs inscribed in…

This article describes a study into the role of heuristic support in facilitating discovery learning through simulation-based learning. The study compares the use of two such learning environments in the physics domain of collisions. In one learning environment (implicit heuristics) heuristics are only used to provide the learner with guidance…

This paper discusses a range of teaching styles possible for use in Intelligent Computer Aided Instruction (ICAI) and suggests that they may usefully be thought of as points within a framework of guided discovery teaching methods. The nature of guidance in tutoring and possible ways of providing guidance are discussed in the context of…

Describes the development of educational computer software called scenario software that was designed to incorporate advances in cognitive, affective, and physiological research. Instructional methods are outlined; the need to change from didactic methods to discovery learning is explained; and scenario software design features are discussed. (24…

ZAPs are short, self-contained computer programs that encourage students to experience psychological phenomena in a vivid, self-explanatory way, and that are meant to evoke enthusiasm about psychological topics. ZAPs were designed according to principles that originate from experiential and discovery learning theories. The interactive approach…

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the relationships between individual difference variables and discovery vs. non-discovery instructional treatments in learning of an imaginary science. All subjects were able to learn the material, but presentation of examples and rules (non-discovery) led to more rapid learning. There was no…

Describes computer simulation programs that take elementary and secondary students exploring. One has students act as Magellan commanding his ship to reinforce history, geography, decision-making, and resource management skills. Another has students use problem-solving skills to venture across oceans and find trading routes to the Orient. (SM)

Outlines some tools and tactics for the knowledge-elicitation process in multimedia design by facilitating communication between the designer and subject matter expert (SME). Defines multimedia SME and exploratory multimedia, and discusses the role of the SME, stages of SME consultation, as well as problems and tips to optimize SME consultations.…

The analysis and simulation of spiral growth in plants integrates algebra and trigonometry in a botanical setting. When the ideas presented here are used in a mathematics classroom/computer lab, students can better understand how basic assumptions about plant growth lead to the golden ratio and how the use of circular functions leads to accurate…