This article discusses "Learning by Leading," a multi-faceted, research-based workshop developed to expose at-risk and gifted middle school students to an enriched, collaborative learning experience that strengthened the learning process and provided a new focus on leadership training. These cross-curriculum lessons incorporated science and math…

All artists are chemists. Artists understand and study the properties of specific materials and find ways to explore these properties to express views of themselves and the world around them. This article discusses the Artist as Chemist unit and presents how students link art and chemistry through problem-based learning activities. In this…

This article describes a training program, Self-Regulation Empowerment Program (SREP), that school professionals can use to empower adolescent students to engage in more positive, self-motivating cycles of learning. It is a two-part approach whereby self-regulated learning coaches (SRC) (a) use microanalytic assessment procedures to assess…

This writing is an investigation into the use of action research methods and tools as a means for preparing 26 preservice teachers to effectively link assessment to instruction. Two concepts emerged from the data: the importance of developmentally appropriate practice and documenting and validating student learning. This study suggests the power…

Although authenticity makes one vulnerable, the author believes that its impact on learning and on enjoyment of the teaching and learning process justifies the risk. This chapter describes how to offer a relationship to each student, focusing on appropriate caring for individuals and for learning. (Contains 1 figure.)

Research in second language acquisition has shown that adjusting classroom discussions, textbook reading, and written activities to the language proficiencies of second language learners triggers second language acquisition in subject matter classrooms. Second language researchers find that subject matter teachers should systematically teach…

The beginning of the year is the right time to establish a climate of kindness, caring, and sharing for a teacher's group-time meetings. Group time is often a teacher's first "formal" introduction to the children, and a time when a teacher sets the stage for creating a sense of community. By demonstrating a teacher's loving acceptance for all…

Substantial disagreement exists in the literature regarding which educational technology results in the highest cognitive gain for learners. In an attempt to resolve this dispute, we conducted a meta-analysis to decipher which teaching method, games and interactive simulations or traditional, truly dominates and under what circumstances. It was…

During the last decade, the focus of innovation and research in the field of computers and education has shifted from stand-alone to networked computers. The rapidly growing educational use of networked computers raises questions about which approaches to research can tell us most about improving educational impact. A key aim of this paper is to…

This article discusses benefits of using literature circles with ELL students to strengthen literacy skills and student confidence. Highlighting one teacher's implementation of literature circles, the authors present a candid examination of areas of initial weakness and describe strategies used for improvements in subsequent "rounds." A discussion…

Education systems around the world are talking about "lifelong learning", "futures", "critical literacies", and so on. What do these things mean in the context of being a teacher of mathematics? In this article, the author attempts to put these things into perspective. She contends that, in clarifying any situation…

In this article, the authors discuss the plight of three very bright students, who have poor or limited English. The authors discuss how promising practices used to develop content-area reading, writing, and thinking can go a long way toward helping English language learners (ELLs) improve their literacy and learning. They discuss five sets of…

The research reported here tests the claim made in the Input Processing approach to second language (L2) acquisition that interpreting the meaning of language form is essential for learning. This claim has been put forward as an underlying part of the pedagogical package known as Processing Instruction (PI) (VanPatten, 1996, 2002a, 2004). Two…

Studies in language learning have addressed the necessity of classroom interaction or students' oral participation in class. However, getting students to respond in a language classroom--especially a foreign language class--is a problem that most language teachers face. This article suggests remedies to language learners' reticence, using…

In this study, the author adapted reciprocal teaching strategies for use with her kindergarten students. Using puppets to help model strategies, she implemented a series of lessons that showed students how to retell, ask questions, and predict what would happen in a story that was read aloud. The purpose was to provide students with comprehension…