This paper distinguishes among "contextualizing", "conceptualizing", and "problem-centring" as three basic approaches to interdisciplinary curriculum. This typology is based on the type of inquiry that takes place in the classroom. For example, if the guiding epistemology in the interdisciplinary work is that of the humanities, the mode of…

Lab safety is a critical component of any science class, but it is certainly not the most popular. This is especially true for younger students who are new to lab-based science classes. Educators must teach them about the dangers of unsafe lab behavior without scaring them away from the lab entirely or boring them to the point that they don't…

It may be true that students are born with an innate interest in science and technology. However, teachers say many students do not sustain that interest through their school years. In this article, the author describes the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision program. One of the world's largest K-12 science and technology competitions, ExploraVision is a…

This research extends a continuing line of inquiry investigating how multimedia resources might be joined with other support structures to effectively implement problem-based inquiry (PBI) activities in secondary history classrooms. Two history teachers with experience in PBI implemented a technology-supported problem-based civil rights unit in…

Combining field experience with use of information technology has the potential to create a problem-based learning environment that engages learners in authentic scientific inquiry. This study, conducted over a 2-yr period, determined differences in attitudes and conceptual knowledge between students in a field lab and students with combined field…

This article presents the results of two studies on using an innovative pedagogical strategy in teaching mathematical modelling and applications to engineering students. Both studies are dealing with introducing non-traditional contexts for engineering students in teaching/learning of mathematical modelling and applications: environment and…

Although much has been written about the use of video cases--particularly, video cases in teacher preparation programs in the United States--little is known about what the consumers of video cases (i.e., preservice teachers) think about such cases and how they are implemented in teacher education courses. This research investigated preservice…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of video and group discussion in problem-based video instruction on learner perceptions of learning and knowledge transfer. To achieve this purpose, this study compared learner perceptions of learning and knowledge transfer in problem-based video instruction (PBVI) with those in two other…

There has been an increasing interest in the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in problem-based learning. One line of research has been to introduce synchronous, or simultaneous, communication attempting to create text-based digital real-time interaction. Compared with face-to-face (F2F) communication, CMC may be a poorer medium…

This study reports teacher and student experiences of problem-based learning (PBL) in three Asian countries. PBL was introduced to provide an education that would allow students to compete successfully in a changing world. Student and tutor experiences were positive and PBL was seen to work extremely well, despite the typical problems that…

Aim: In a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum, tutor's feedback skills are important. However, evaluation studies often show that students rate many tutors as ineffective in providing feedback. We explored whether this is related: (a) to tutors' skills, and hence a teaching intervention might improve their performance; (b) to the formulation…

This article reports on a small-scale research project (n = 56) that investigated student educational gain. For the purposes of this study, gain is defined as an increase in the score that students obtain for pre/post intervention tests. Students received authentic exposure to the process via a web-delivered problem-based scenario. The students…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student centered approach whereby students deal with ill-structured problems while working in small groups. In this study, a path model was utilized to model the relationships among reasoning ability, learning approach, prior knowledge, motivational variables, and achievement in genetics in PBL classes. 126 eighth…

High school teacher Jeff House and his students revamp their study of "The Grapes of Wrath" by creating a class website. Students practice traditional skills such as researching, organizing material, and providing focused ideas while pursuing areas of interest such as music, film, and journalism. The project enhances their understanding of…

GeoThentic, an online teaching and learning environment, focuses on engaging teachers and learners in solving real-world geography problems through use of geospatial technologies. The design of GeoThentic is grounded on the technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework as a metacognitive tool. This paper describes how the TPACK…