Discusses cross-cultural communication as it relates to the needs of trainers going abroad or working with international trainees. Highlights include interpersonal communication skills, self assessment, assessment of the target population, adapting instructional components, social roles and relationships, socioeconomic environment, teaching and…

Discusses the importance of attracting and maintaining student interest when teaching history. Argues that students learn best when they participate. Recommends using open-ended questions to motivate students to the process of studying history, making choices, and looking for answers. Emphasizes the value of mentoring, continuing education, and…

Reports a study of British teachers' and students' perceptions of effective teaching and learning. Researchers observed and interviewed 13 teachers and 235 students (ages 11-12 years) and found considerable agreement about what constituted effective teaching and learning. Both groups believed learning opportunities were heightened by the use of…

This study documented the teaching practices of 2 exemplary biology teachers of grades 11 and 12 by means of an interpretive research methodology. Teaching practices are identified that may be considered exemplary and worthy of attention and analysis by other science teachers and science teacher educators. (PR)

Discusses various factors involved in planning and implementing an introductory computer science course in an Indian secondary school located in Bahrain. Topics discussed include computer literacy; selection criteria for microcomputers; funding; computer laboratories; teacher training; criteria for student selection; students' viewpoints; teaching…

Finds that female students rated female faculty especially high across five teaching dimensions and male faculty comparatively lower, whereas male students did not evaluate male and female professors as significantly different. Finds that assessments of faculty were further influenced by the strength of students' gender schema and that gender…

Observations of 12 immigrant Latino mother-child dyads performing school-like and home-like tasks revealed that in the home-like task, mothers purposefully scaffolded learning, adjusted their scaffolding to variation in task, demonstrated a greater range and variety of scaffolding strategies, and accomplished scaffolding goals based on their…

This study reports on teaching practices in science classrooms of Indonesian lower secondary schools in rural areas. Using six schools from three districts in the province of Kalimantan Selatan as the sample, this study found that most teaching practices in science classrooms in rural schools were teacher-centred with students copying notes.…

We carried out an experiment to determine whether student learning gains in a large, traditionally taught, upper-division lecture course in developmental biology could be increased by partially changing to a more interactive classroom format. In two successive semesters, we presented the same course syllabus using different teaching styles: in…

High school principals are seeing increasing numbers of their graduates go to college. Nearly three out of four new high school graduates are continuing on to postsecondary education within two years of leaving high school. However, too many of those students do not finish college. Although high schools have worked hard to increase the numbers of…

In this article, the authors discuss three reform strategies designed to produce educational equity. The first strategy, heterogeneous grouping, does away with the controversial practice of placing students in different tracks based on their ability, which can polarize the student population into pro- and anti-school camps, create a "caste system"…

In the Peltier, Hay, and Drago (2005) article titled "The Reflective Learning Continuum: Reflecting on Reflection," a reflective learning continuum was conceptualized and tested. This is a follow-up article based on three extensions: (1) determining whether the continuum could be expanded, (2) further validating the continuum using…

Attrition in engineering programs continues to be an important issue for universities across the country. This study examined the connection between student performance in barrier courses and persistence in engineering. Quantitative results showed that high school academic experience, student behaviors (including study habits, work habits, coping…

Research has revealed that students' alertness and attentiveness are affected by time of day preferences. A review of relevant literature indicated that preferences are significant in predicting performance levels for school children, and that matching students with peak times is not only beneficial for academic subjects, but also influences…

This study examined how one elementary school physical education teacher in Chicago (Illinois) influenced the status and perception of physical education and established an important niche for herself within the school community. The teacher's use of strict ritual and routine in structuring classes, as well as her formal, serious demeanor…