In this paper an analysis is made about how awareness in digital learning environments relates to communication, coordination and cooperation and, consequently, collaboration. A collaboration model, where awareness occupies a central position, is presented. The awareness elements of the AulaNet environment are also analyzed, seeking to identify…

This longitudinal study explored the degree to which a required MBA course emphasizing experiential learning positively influenced student retention. Results from subgroup comparisons across multiple time periods suggest that this type of teaching methodology leads to enhanced retention effects. The improved retention is attributed to the…

New technologies are slowly making it into the early childhood classroom; however, many families expose their children to these technologies before they encounter them in the formal school setting. Thus, many parents serve as the first teachers of technological literacy to their children. Or, as it is more frequent, parents and children learn…

In this article we analyze the dialogic learning of one pair of students in order to investigate how these students cope with a collaborative learning situation in the classroom. Our aim is to substantiate the claims that not only are young students (8 year olds) capable of solving mathematical problems collaboratively, but that they also take an…

Numerous studies have shown that thinking aloud while reading can be an effective instructional technique in helping students improve their reading comprehension. However, most of the studies that examined the effects of think-aloud involve subjects reading individually and carried out in isolation away from the classroom context. Recently,…

Teachers can promote long-lasting learning, build higher-order thinking skills, develop individual student accountability, and increase student achievement by incorporating performance learning tasks into the curriculum. In this second edition of "Performance-Based Learning," Sally Berman demonstrates how this model can be modified for learners at…

One of the most effective ways to implement the research-based instructional strategies from Classroom Instruction That Works is to use them with educational technologies, such as word processing and spreadsheet applications, multimedia, data collection tools, communication software, and the Internet. This book shows you how and gives you hundreds…

Group work is a widely used learning approach in higher education where it is seen as encouraging the development of collaborative skills and attitudes while producing an assessable product. Group assignments can, however, create dilemmas and tensions for both staff and students. Students often seek academic intervention in the form of support and…

How welcome parents and carers feel at their children's school seems likely to have a significant influence on the degree to which they and their children engage with its educational programme. The ethos of the school and the nature of the classroom environment as determined by teachers are therefore significant and continuing features of its…

The benefits of online collaborative learning, sometimes referred to as CSCL (computer-supported collaborative learning) are compelling, but many instructors are loath to experiment with non-conventional methods of teaching and learning because of the perceived problems. This paper reviews the existing literature to present the seven most commonly…

This book describes outcomes of the Maine Academy for School Leaders (MASL) a professional development program designed to improve student-learning outcomes through improved leadership performance. It evaluates the impact of new leadership behaviors on the 58 participants' schools. One-half of the participants were teachers or other staff who held…

Cooperative assessment was investigated in a classroom setting, examining achievement outcomes as measured by a multiple choice posttest of course content, a posttest of knowledge structure representation, and student perceptions of the cooperative assessment procedure. Eighty-three undergraduate psychology students participated in this…

Critics suggest that ability grouping all too often limits the instructional experience of lower-track students and that students placed in low tracks at a young age may never be transferred to upper tracks where higher-order skills are typically taught. As a result of this growing criticism, schools are increasingly eliminating ability grouping.…

Information technology tools associated with various educational activities often rely on different models of the needed information, support different cooperative styles, and are based on different media and technologies. The architecture of an open software platform which supports educational activities is presented in this paper. The…

Research in recent years has demonstrated that cooperative learning is a highly effective classroom intervention that promotes student learning and development across a range of curriculum areas. This study compared the effects on behavioral interactions and achievement of: (1) cooperative learning in which members were trained to collaborate to…