Instructional or teaching behaviors can be conceptualized as involving four distinct modes: the questioning mode, the oral mode, the support mode, and the critical mode. Each mode contains specific behavioral elements, and each mode contributes a particular or "selected" element to the quadrilateral structures (called quadrograms) in a given…

Outlines ways a teacher can promote and inhibit thinking in children, and provides a worksheet for self evaluation. (SB)

By following their wonderful ideas or critical exploration, three eighth graders learned how to do traditional Chinese painting, which is taught by copying old masters' work from the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century. The standard manual, which most learners have been using for these three hundred years, is the "Mustard Seed Garden Manual of…

Over the past 30 years, researchers at the Freudenthal Institute in The Netherlands have developed a mathematics curriculum and a theory of pedagogy known as Realistic Maths Education (RME). This curriculum uses "imaginable" contexts to help pupils to develop mathematically, with a strong emphasis on pupils "making sense" of…

Nearly 20 years after the release of The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics' video, "A Private Universe", much research has been done in relation to students' understanding of space-science concepts and how to effectively change these ideas. However, student difficulties with basic space-science concepts still persist. This article will…

This study investigates algebraic reasoning and self-regulation skills among elementary school teachers who participated in a professional development program either with IMPROVE metacognitive questioning (PD + Meta) or with no metacognitive guidance (PD). Sixty-four Israeli teachers participated in a 3-year program designed to enhance…

The present paper reports the design process and the experimentation of a teaching-learning sequence about the concept of mechanical wave propagation and the role played by media where waves are propagating. The sequence focuses on the central issue of the relationships between observable phenomena, like macroscopic behaviours of waves, and their…

Social cognitive theory emphasizes a dynamic interactive process to explain human functioning. This theory ascribes a central role to cognitive processes in which the individual can observe others and the environment, reflect on that in combination with his or her own thoughts and behaviors, and alter his or her own self-regulatory functions…

Sustaining and strengthening tribal cultures, languages and traditions is at the core of every tribal college's mission statement. To help attain these goals, many colleges use one of Indian Country's greatest assets--its elders. Traditionally, elders hold a place of honor in American Indian society. Without cultural input from elders,…

Today, the use of web-based videos in science classrooms is becoming more and more commonplace. However, these videos are often fast-paced and information rich--science concepts can be fragmented and embedded within larger cultural issues. This article addresses the cognitive difficulties posed by many web-based science videos. Drawing on concepts…

Recent research in psychology and neuroscience has demonstrated that co-speech gestures are semantically integrated with speech during language comprehension and development. The present study explored whether gestures also play a role in language learning in adults. In Experiment 1, we exposed adults to a brief training session presenting novel…

Reading difficulties and disabilities present serious and potentially lifelong challenges. Children who do not read well are more likely to be retained a grade in school, drop out of high school, become a teen parent, or enter the juvenile justice system. Building on the extant research and seminal studies, including the National Reading Panel and…