The close relationship between children's vocabulary size and their later academic success has led researchers to explore how vocabulary development might be promoted during the early school years. We describe a study that explored the effectiveness of naturalistic classroom storytelling as an instrument for teaching new vocabulary to 6- to…

Definitions and associated descriptions of the condition now commonly known as "intellectual disability" serve many functions. The "Atkins v. Virginia" U.S. Supreme Court decision (2002) has called attention to the importance of clear, objective, and measureable wording of the definition. This article discusses the potential for misunderstanding…

The concept of education has been evolving to include social concerns in the teaching and learning process (Kärkkäinen, OECD Education working paper, 2012), bringing about more attention to distinct contexts and realities in which schooling occurs. This has led to an expansion of the concept of curricular contextualization in educational,…

While a great deal has been written about the complexities of engagement for learners without severe disabilities, there is less for students with severe disabilities. Engagement as a complex construct, consisting of behavioral, cognitive, and emotional components (Finn & Zimmer, 2012; Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004; Skinner &…

"What is life?" This deceptively simple question lies at the heart of biology. In this activity, students work in groups to come up with their own definition using a set of prompting cards that differs for each team. In doing so, students gain an appreciation of the complexities of addressing this question. The activity takes approximately 60-90…

The current paper presented theoretical assumptions behind language learning strategies (LLS) and an overview of methods used to identify learners' strategies, first, and then summarized what have been reported from large number of descriptive studies of strategies by language learners. Moreover, the paper tried to present the variety of…

About 80 middle and secondary school teachers participated in the professional development sequence as a part of a larger professional development project. Sessions provided participants with half-day experiences in an inquiry-oriented classroom taught by a master teacher, in which they experienced examples of inquiry lessons as both student and…

While the evidence for the effectiveness of the use of stories in science teaching and learning is strengthening in current research and literature, the intervention itself, namely, the science story, still suffers from a lack of definition and conception. The purpose of this paper is to determine the amount of narrative relative to non-narrative…

Here we propose a conceptual distinction among "educazione," "istruzione" and "formazione" on the basis of the Italian socio-cultural heritage and we consider the role that teacher has historically assumed in this context. Then, we analyze the competences ascribable to the "teacher" today. Finally, we…

In the last decade, educational scholars have studied various aspects of adolescents' citizenship narratives. This paper reports on a qualitative study into the narratives about democracy of 27 adolescents from an urban area in the Netherlands. The aim of the study was to gain an insight into the type of democratic engagement that Dutch…

In this article, I explore some of the contested meanings of leadership coexisting within the context of higher education. I report from my study about how academics at one university in Aotearoa/New Zealand experience and understand themselves as leaders in their everyday working contexts. From the participants' accounts and their institution's…

The overall question addressed in this article is,"What kind of philosophy of education is relevant to educational policy makers?" The article focuses on the following four themes: The meanings attached to the term philosophy (of education) by philosophers themselves; the meanings attached to the term philosophy (of education) by policy…

Despite the ever-growing number of institutions using the e-portfolio, educators do not agree on a common definition of it. The authors of this article define the e-portfolio and explain the unique nature of its use as a tool for documenting and managing one's own learning over a lifetime in ways that foster deep and continuous learning. Jill…

Online charter schools are unique among K-12 online learning options for students. They are full-time, public schools that combine online learning with traditional and home schooling practices. They are often chartered by a state agency, supported in full or in part with state funds and most often managed by a private educational management…

This article addresses four models of leadership that Christian communities may want to adopt to help them assess and articulate a more vibrant and dynamic youth ministry. In particular, this article will demonstrate that authentic Christian leadership for youth ministry is much more than teaching young people about pastoral skills, but requires a…