Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

This paper describes the findings of a survey of Higher Education teachers and students using the eLearning platform Claroline. This survey is enhanced by direct observation of the tools really used by teachers. Claroline was initially developed (in 2001-2002) to sustain and foster pedagogic innovation at the Universite Catholique de Louvain (UCL)…

The purpose of this study was to find out whether: (1) truancy, drop-out and failure rates was as a result of the teacher teaching strategy in Secondary Schools in Osun State, (2) If skill in instructional design has any relationship with failure rate; and (3) whether teachers that studied Educational Technology would perform significantly better…

A weak negative attitude towards learning science was noticed among the students in Qatar, a matter that was reflected on their achievement in national tests. To test if the use of PBL would improve the students' attitudes towards learning science, a sample of 25 nine graders from Hamza school were motivated to plan their own investigations and to…

This study investigates preservice teachers' trust levels and collaborative communication behaviors namely leadership, feedback, social interaction, enthusiasm, task and technical uncertainties, and task-oriented interactions in online learning environment. A case study design involving qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis was…

In an effort to improve active learning in introductory statistics, we introduce the use of concept mapping techniques as part of the course. While previous papers have touted the use of this and other interactive teaching methods in statistics education, we add to this literature by providing additional assessment of its efficacy. This comes…

This book presents strategies you can integrate into everyday instruction in every subject area and across grade levels. It shows teachers how to motivate and engage students with instructional strategies that promote learning. There are 26 chapters in this book, one for each of the letter of the alphabet. The practical examples make it easy to…

This article reports on the results of a mixed method case study investigating the relationship between professional learning community (PLC) activities and teacher improvement in a first-year middle school. Data were collected from core academic sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers using a professional development survey, teacher interviews,…

The current paper describes the design and development of a qualitative analysis course and an interactive web-based teaching and assessment tool called VSE (virtual structural environment). The widespread reliance on structural analysis programs requires engineers to be able to verify computer output by carrying out qualitative analyses.…

We present results from a comparative study of student understanding for students who attended recitation classes that used different teaching methods. Student volunteers from our introductory calculus-based physics course attended a special recitation class that was taught using one of four different teaching methods. A total of 272 students were…

With increasing pressures being placed on early childhood teachers to provide academic programs, many are turning away from programs that foster pretend play. This study examined two contrasting approaches to teaching preschool children and considered their effects on children's linguistic and social abilities. One of the teaching approaches…

This paper reviews the literature in three areas of change in college teaching--peer teaching or tutoring, individualized instruction, and cooperative learning. The focus of the paper is how knowledge is acquired, and acted upon, by students. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of teaching are explored, as well as the rates of successful…

A truly interactive approach in the classroom involves giving students the freedom to add their own "twist" to course materials and allowing them to decide to some degree how the information will be used. Two learning activities employed in a psychology course serve to illustrate how interactive techniques can encourage students to…

Supportive relationships between adults and young children are at the heart of the High/Scope educational approach. This guide assists viewers in using the videotape "Adult-Child Interactions: Forming Partnerships with Children" as a professional development tool. The guide describes Part I of the videotape, which introduces adult-child…

A red sphere is seen at the bottom of a sealed glass tube filled with a colorless, transparent liquid. Holding the tube for a short period makes the sphere rise slowly from the bottom until it finally floats on the surface of the liquid. Instructions for preparing the demonstration are given, together with an explanation of the phenomenon. A…