East Timor has reached independence in 2002, after two periods of colonialism and after severe violence, especially following 1999. As a result, the country was almost destroyed, and lost its qualified workforce in all sectors, including education. To ensure national independence it is necessary to reconstruct and build the basic infrastructures…

Students experience a variety of challenges as they move from one level in school to the next. In this session, we consider and discuss two central questions related to students' progressions through their mathematical experience, particularly at transitions roughly characterized as elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, and…

We have applied the "practical paradigm" in teaching problem solving to secondary school students. The key feature of the practical paradigm is the use of a practical worksheet to guide the students' processes in problem solving. In this paper, we report the diffusion of the practical paradigm to university level courses for prospective…

In this paper, we assess students' performance in Elements of Statistics, one of the popular courses in general education, using data from UWF (University of West Florida) for fall 2008, fall 2009, and fall 2010 semesters. We analyze associations between students' performance in the course and several performance related factors including: college…

At the heart of competency education is the assumption that by maintaining a laser focus on learning, allowing time to be a variable, and powerful competencies to set the bar, an education system can be created that produces high achievement for students from all income levels and across all racial and ethnic communities. However, the transition…

A language course has two components: (1) the course content; and (2) the presentation of that content. This article deals with the presentation component. Its main thesis is this: Since the ultimate goal of language learning is communication, classroom presentation should, from the outset, be directed toward the development of communication…

"Rethinking Columbus," the book the author co-edited with Bob Peterson, had been banned in the schools of Tucson, Arizona, as part of that state's suppression of the Mexican American Studies program. The state superintendent of schools, John Huppenthal, had found the acclaimed Tucson program out of compliance with House Bill 2281, which…

Ten years ago, the author wrote a short piece entitled "Mathematics and numeracy--Is there a difference?". In mathematics, many put an emphasis on the content concepts and skills contained typically in strands such as Algebra, Number, Geometry, etc. Others argued that "mathematics" was about the "search for pattern" and that the key elements of…

For several years now, many have been agonizing over the sorry state of American higher education--indeed, of the entire educational system. Numerous causes have been cited for this state of affairs from poor high school preparation to inadequate governmental financial aid policies to postsecondary grade inflation. The most recent culprit "du…

This study examined the sense of community in an online course for special education teachers enrolled in a master's program. The sense of community in an online environment may contribute to students' success and satisfaction (Knapczyk, Chapman, Rodes, & Chung, 2001). This article provides an example of a process for online community development…

Portfolios are used for many purposes; however, data describing their utility in promoting student engagement and learning in large undergraduate survey courses have not been reported. A large survey course presents a number of teaching and learning challenges that portfolios help to address, such as the ability of the teacher to maintain student…

The Council on Social Work Education mandates that social justice content be integrated throughout social work curricula. Although much has been written about integrating social justice into practice, policy, and human behavior and social environment courses, little attention has been given to research methods courses. This study surveyed a…

In 2007 the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation placed a major bet on State University of New York at Stony Brook: $1.7-million to enroll 10,000 students in its news-literacy curriculum over five years. Alberto Ibarguen, president and chief executive of the foundation, expected the course to foster "a group of students who would simply…

Engineering Management courses are added to a traditional engineering curriculum to enhance the value of an undergraduate's engineering degree. A four-year engineering degree often leaves graduates lacking in business and management acumen. Engineering management education covers topics enhancing the value of new graduates by teaching management…

A capstone to the biology introductory curriculum was developed with the specific goals of enhancing integration of course content, promoting development of oral presentation skills and critical reading and thinking skills, and introducing ecological principles omitted from the rest of the core. Classes of 12 to 16 students were team taught by…