Strategies are an important component of self-regulated learning frameworks. However, the characterization of strategies in these frameworks is often incomplete: (1) they lack an operational definition of strategies; (2) there is limited understanding of how students develop and apply strategies; and (3) there is a dearth of systematic and…

This study extends research on the effectiveness of creativity training and the importance of student engagement in higher education. Using data from the "Senior Transitions" topical module of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), responses from over 25,000 seniors at 266 different U.S colleges and universities demonstrate…

Among the challenges faced by educators in promoting critical thinking is that of cultural compatibility. Using Singapore as an illustrative case study, this paper explores the cultural challenges and recommended strategies for the teaching of critical thinking in schools. The research for this study is based on a theoretical framework that…

Quality learning in higher education is an impetus and major objective for educators and researchers. The student approaches to learning (SAL) framework, arising from the seminal work of Marton and Säljö (1976), has been researched extensively and used to predict and explain students' positive (e.g., critical reflection) and maladaptive…

The virtual Chemistry classroom is a learning environment for students that are willing to study Chemistry, but have no opportunity to do so at school. The program launched in 2015, and currently, there are 22 students in the 11th grade and 80 students in the 10th grade. This study investigates and characterizes the virtual learning environment,…

With the development of information technology and popularization of web applications, students nowadays have grown used to skimming through information provided through the Internet. This reading habit led them to be incapable of analyzing or integrating information they have received. Hence, knowledge management and critical thinking (CT) have,…

There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, "How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition" was published and its…

Building on an earlier 2008 summary prepared for OECD by Marlene Scardamalia and Carl Bereiter, this paper by Gesa S. E. van den Broek provides a more extensive discussion of approaches described as "research based innovation." "Fostering Communities of Learning" is a constructivist approach in which teachers help students discover important…

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have created a supportive environment for collaborative learning at the expense of student motivation and engagement. This study attempts to explore the development of a productive learning atmosphere in the context of Web-based learning. An experiment is conducted with university-level students…

With emphasis on developing competence in students, an activity-based learning environment, inspired by constructivist and situated learning theories, was piloted in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to improve student learning experience. The new learning environment, developed for a Lifeskills module (Career Development and Planning),…

Describes by vignette and analysis four primary instructional tasks necessary to develop inquiry skills in children. Such tasks are shown to be fundamental to the inviting classroom and to experimental science. Claims that inviting inquiry requires a tolerance of error, supportive environments that nurture intellects, and participation that…

This paper uses a theoretical framework for concept mapping as an instance of a learning environment - the knowledge arena - and examines it against an existing framework for active learning called REAL (Rich Environment for Active Learning). The paper is intended to help in the understanding of environments for learning. Section 1 defines a…

This article introduces systems thinking and identifies its implications for practice-based learning and improvement. The article defines systems, identifies fundamental aspects of systems thinking, and provides strategies for creating more practice-based learning environments in medical contexts. (Contains 1 table.)

Studies show that metacognitive strategies can increase learning skills and that independent use of these metacognitive strategies can be gradually developed in people. The school library media center is the ideal place for students to learn how to develop metacognitive strategies; that is, they can learn how to connect new information to former…

The varying impacts of three instructional environments for introductory chemistry on the inquiry skills of undergraduate students were studied. The first two environments were traditional (TR) and guided-inquiry (GI) laboratory-based instructional situations, and the third was a separate lecture course for nonscience majors that emphasized…