The use of humor in teaching has been linked to learning in several studies, although the research has been equivocal. The various types of humor used by teachers have also been investigated but not in terms of what students view as appropriate and inappropriate uses of humor. Participants in this study were asked to generate examples of…

Considering recent claims that groups are important to teaching and learning, the authors examine the differences between groups and collections of people to see how one might create learning groups when designing learning and instruction. Based on literature in the fields of group dynamics and education, characteristics of groups are listed and…

In this article, the author shares his experiences as a first-year teacher. He discusses many challenges that he faced, including dealing with an aggressive student, the fear of losing control of the classroom, criticisms from parents, and balancing school life with his private life. The author offers advice to first-year teachers including the…

The virtue of generosity--at least generosity in the context of world poverty--is conspicuously absent from most curricula in the field of moral education. This article explores generosity and its educational ramifications. I start by characterizing two types of persons who may seem to be generous but who do not really possess generosity as a…

Most biology students have the opportunity to look at protozoa under the microscopes or keep mealworms in a bowl. They may manipulate the heart rate of "Daphnia" or calculate the respiration of plants. They may even grow corn in the spring or keep fish and a small rodent or two. But once the class hamster grows testy from being awakened every…

This article synthesizes findings from previous research on instructional interventions in mathematics for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). A systematic search of the literature from 1985 through December 2005 yielded 13 studies that met the criteria for inclusion in this review. The review yielded several findings: (a)…

There is a great need to identify specific instructional methods that effectively promote positive skill development in young children with developmental disabilities. One method that has received strong empirical support with children with autism is Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT); however, the effectiveness of DTT has not been extensively…

This article examines cognitive models of peer learning in school and the implications that these models have for the teaching of science in primary schools. The article is a product of the European Commission, Socrates Comenius 2.1 funded project "The Implementation of Scientific Thinking in (Pre) Primary Schools Settings (STIPPS)" project…

This article intends to encourage teachers to explore ways "social and emotional learning" (SEL) and art education can enhance each other. Service-learning art projects were presented as one example, employing collaborate-and-create, asset-based methods integrated with SEL instruction. Advantages anticipated from combining these methods result…

The purpose of this paper is to identify strategies for preventing and managing classroom discipline problems that any teacher, even a student teacher, can use successfully. Sixty-eight student science teachers, during their first weeks of student teaching, each reported, in an account of a well-remembered event about classroom management,…

We investigated the role of motivational climates, teacher autonomy support, perceived competence and autonomy on pupils' self-regulated motivation in physical education (PE) classes of Norwegian 10th-graders. Path analyses revealed that a mastery climate and teacher autonomy support both (a) positively influenced intrinsically regulated…

In this article, the author describes how he tried to improve the mathematical learning behavior of his ninth grade pupils. He relates that in order to promote mathematical thinking and asserting behavior, it was necessary for him to instigate a change in milieu, with a corresponding change to the didactic contract that had previously been…

The research objectives were to identify the middle level mathematics teachers' conceptions of mathematics teaching and learning and ascertain changes in their conceptions and instructional behavior at the end of a three-year professional development (PD) project. These changes were studied through the qualitative analysis of their reflective…

Examining ourselves, why we do what we do, is the essence of human psychology and of ethics. The purpose of this book is to show how educators might choose among ethical approaches to decision-making as they face the choices they make each day. Features include the theory-based ethics and case studies of real and significant issues that teachers…

An in-depth investigation of the inner components of cooperative learning methodologies was made, concentrating on five basic research questions. These were: (1) Do teacher's focusing questions and interaction with students during cooperative learning facilitate students' critical thinking skills? (2) In what ways do cooperative learning groups…