A hands-on approach to introduce the chemical elements and the atomic structure to elementary/middle school students is described. The proposed classroom activity presents Bohr models of atoms using common and inexpensive materials, such as nested plastic balls, colored modeling clay, and small-sized pasta (or small plastic beads).

In this position paper we contrast a Dystopian view of the future of adaptive collaborative learning support (ACLS) with a Utopian scenario that--due to better-designed technology, grounded in research--avoids the pitfalls of the Dystopian version and paints a positive picture of the practice of computer-supported collaborative learning 25 years…

Background: "Teaching games for understanding" (TGfU) is a tactical-game approach to teaching, in which participants are learning via the processes intrinsic to the games themselves. Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a tactical-game model in promoting metacognitive behaviour in elementary-school students.…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of video modeling with a constant time delay procedure to teach social safety skills to three young women with intellectual disability. A multiple probe design across three social safety skills (responding to strangers who: requested personal information; requested money; and entered the participant's…

This study explored, from the perspective of intellectual passion developed by Michael Polanyi, the unintended learning that occurred in primary practical science lessons. We use the term "unintended" learning to distinguish it from "intended" learning that appears in teachers' learning objectives. Data were collected using…

The relevance of the article in question is that the success of pupils' learning depends not only on the aptitude of pupils, but also on the teaching technique, including universal educational technique of various complexities. This problem is relevant on all levels of learning--from nursery schools up to higher education, including refresher…

"WeBWorK" CLASS combines the best features of online homework and digital whiteboards to create a system that provides instructors with information on students' problem-solving processes, as well as their final answer. The system's utilization of tools that can sort students based on correct and incorrect homework and quiz answers and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to collect methodological strategies used in the training of future teachers to develop competences in sustainability and social responsibility (SSR). The proposal in this paper is to show how students learn and develop competences by performing practical activities and through a collaborative experience,…

A growth mindset has been found beneficial to students, particularly when they encounter academic setbacks (Dweck, 2000). Evidence suggests that teachers' own mindsets may influence those of their students. We assessed mindset among student teachers from different places of origin (UK and East Asia) in a UK university (N = 255). Although both…

Augmented Reality (AR) technology allows the inclusion of virtual elements on a vision of actual physical environment for the creation of a mixed reality in real time. This kind of technology can be used in educational settings. However, the current AR authoring tools present several drawbacks, such as, the lack of a mechanism for tracking the…

Few studies have explored how the cognitive differences associated with autistic spectrum disorder translate into everyday social behaviour. This study investigated pro-social behaviour in students scoring high and low on the autism-spectrum quotient (AQ), using a novel scenario task: "Above and Beyond." Each scenario involved an…

This set of seven experiments examines reasoning about the inheritance and acquisition of physical properties in preschoolers, undergraduates, and biology experts. Participants (N = 390) received adoption vignettes in which a baby animal was born to one parent but raised by a biologically unrelated parent, and they judged whether the offspring…

Background: Practitioners investigating cases of suspected child maltreatment often disagree whether a child is subject to or at risk of abuse or neglect in the family and, if so, what to do about such abuse or neglect. Structured decision-making is considered to be a solution to the problem of subjective judgments and decisions. Objective: This…

Computers, laptops, interactive whiteboards, and iPads make regular appearances in our daily lessons, but are they being used to their fullest potential? In an effort to use technology with students in a meaningful way, the authors incorporated a free app and online graphing resource into a second-grade lesson on the characteristics of a lake…

In this investigation, we examined how youth during learning conversations at an informal science education camp negotiated and authored identities as learners of science. Using identity theory as our analytical lens, we investigated by application of qualitative methodology the socially constructed nature of youth's identities. We focused on the…