The National Research Council (1996), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1993) and the National Science Teachers Association (2004) all posit that quality science instruction for all students is imperative in promoting scientific literacy that extends into adulthood. Hands-on, inquiry based experiences are effective means of…

There are a number of factors that can undermine a teacher's ability to respond successfully to behavior problems in schools. They include: (1) difficulty relating to an increasingly more diverse group of students; (2) lack of skills to adequately assess student behavior and to identify major factors associated with problem behavior; and (3) the…

With the growing inclusion of multicultural curriculum in social studies, educators must understand the issues students of color face when learning about their ethnic history and culture. Using personal document analysis and phenomenological interviewing, this study explored six Filipino American college students' experiences with Pinoy Teach, a…

This article describes a writing activity that is employed after graded exams are handed back to students. Students are asked to reflect on their performance and to demonstrate understanding of mathematics related to the exam and/or unit of instruction. The article provides examples of student writing, scoring rubrics, and suggestions for…

Traditional student evaluations of teaching do not adequately assess the essential constructivist-based practices that have been recommended for effective online instruction. There is a need for student evaluation of teaching instruments that are specifically designed to provide online instructors with valid feedback about the effectiveness of…

Alvermann urges teachers to "listen to their own students for guidance in adapting their instruction," calling it both "feasible and worthwhile." She says, "But having personal access to good directional ideas is not enough. Finding ways to turn those ideas into sound instructional practices (based on principles derived from equally sound…

The authors of this article present a synopsis of one simultaneous reform effort of a teacher preparation program and a partner urban elementary school. We have attempted to blend the realities of urban teaching and teacher preparation without compromising our beliefs in constructivist theories of learning, cooperative learning, and inclusion. We…

This study reports the analysis of the entire content (approximately 135 lessons) of 27 web-based units created by pre-school through 12th grade public school teachers. The investigation was conducted to assess the extent to which participant teachers integrated computer and Internet technologies into the web-based units as tools to foster…

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the dimensions underlying the instructional media preferences of learners and their relationships with their learning styles and motivational strategies. The sample is composed of 182 students in their first year of teaching college at the University of Valencia. The learning style was evaluated by…

While a voluminous lecture hall can present obstacles to effective teaching and learning, large classrooms containing more than 100 students also present teaching opportunities. The lecture hall offers an excellent arena for demonstrating concepts that lend themselves to demonstrations and something this author refers to as "group performances."…

Senior secondary mathematics students could justifiably question the relevance of subject matter they are being required to understand. One response to this is to place the learning experience within a context that clearly demonstrates a non-trivial application of the material, and which thereby provides a definite purpose for the mathematical…

This article uses a functional view of language to frame and analyze issues of language and content in mainstream classrooms. Describing a Western Canadian grade one/two science class, it examines how a teacher and her class of young ESL students were able to build up a simple theory of magnetism in a scientific register, link its technical terms…

Teaching and learning science through the use of familiar contexts has been advocated for several decades. Many take the use of context in science lessons to mean the use of resource materials that involve common scenarios or themes, or activities. This paper reviews a lesson identified by a teacher as a lesson taught in context. The data…

Struggling readers at the middle level need help using reading strategies effectively in order to become strategic readers. Middle level teachers need both to model and to teach how to use a variety of reading strategies that will help struggling readers become independent. This article deals with the development of the KWHHL strategy. The KWHHL…

Human geography can be taught by focusing on popular culture contexts with which undergraduate students may already be familiar such as rock music. The Geography of the Beatles introduced undergraduate students to concepts of "new" cultural geography such as space, place, representation, geopolitics, social space, and tourism-pilgrimage…