The manner in which teachers mediate children's learning varies across early childhood classrooms. In this study, we used a multi-element design to evaluate the efficacy of three commonly implemented strategies that varied in teacher directedness for teaching color- and object-name relations. Strategy 1 consisted of brief exposure to the target…

The author builds on arguments he has made elsewhere that good commercial video games foster deep learning and problem solving and that such games in fact promote mastery as a form of play. Here he maintains that some good video games engage players with an important type of play, namely of play as discovery, of play as surmising new possibilities…

When state and local standards drive instruction, teachers often worry about compromising their creativity for a prescriptive curriculum with predictable outcomes. It is possible for creative teaching to flourish by using touchstone texts, or mentor texts, that engage both teacher and student in exploratory yet purposeful learning. (Contains 1…

In this article, the author discusses the advantages and the disadvantages of using surprise elements in teaching mathematics. According to the author, there are three key ideas concerning the element of surprise: (1) The ethical aspects of teachers' manipulation of their students in order to construct surprise; (2) Every mathematical task…

The article describes a new discovery experiment that uses thermodynamical analysis to study neutralization reactions based on neutralization of citric acid. The experiment would be able to reinforce students' understanding of stoichiometry and allow for the discovery of basic concepts of thermochemistry.

The concurrent improvement in average grades earned by college graduates would seem to indicate better quality students, although some observers attribute that to grade inflation. From the author's perspective derived from almost four decades of teaching at one institution, students are intellectually as good as ever; however, the author sees a…

This work describes a 2-year study in teaching school science, based on the stimulation of higher thinking levels in learning science using a highly student-centred and constructivist learning approach. We sought to shift and strengthen students' positive attitudes towards science learning, self-efficacy towards invention, and achievement.…

The first year course in Sociology at Mount Allison University introduced students to social issues via dynamic class interactions and assignments that are designed to build conceptual and applied skills. Developments to the course organization have maximized the opportunities for discovery learning and have made the class an enjoyable teaching…

The learning cycle is a way to structure inquiry in school science and occurs in several sequential phases. A learning cycle moves children through a scientific investigation by having them first explore materials, then construct a concept, and finally apply or extend the concept to other situations. Why the learning cycle? Because it is a…

Ship transportation includes various forms of technology. Ships have special designs to meet technological needs. They are used to transport people and cargoes and have been a major part of history throughout civilization. Products are available from around the world because they can be economically moved from producers to consumers. Not only are…

Much educational software is designed from a specific pedagogical stance. How teachers conceive of the pedagogical stance underlying the design will affect how they utilize the technology; these conceptions may vary from teacher to teacher and from teacher to designer. There may be a conflict between the designer's pedagogical beliefs inscribed in…

This article presents one educator's philosophic answer to the question "Why am I teaching?" During the course of this article, principles of servant teachership are presented. In addition, some teaching approaches used by the author are presented.

The authors see mathematics as an endless source of surprise, which excites and motivates them. Many writers have exploited this characteristic of the subject to nurture learning. The challenge is to create conditions for learners so that they too will experience a surprise. The authors tend to see surprise as a positive emotion; mathematics as…

We present a study on the effect of instruction on collaboration in a collaborative discovery learning environment. The instruction we used, called RIDE, is built upon four principles identified in the literature on collaborative processes: Respect, Intelligent collaboration, Deciding together, and Encouraging. In an experimental study, a group of…

The authors of this article introduce students in their department's construction course to a variety of energy-saving practices and processes. They describe activities that could give students an opportunity to apply design methodology in the creative pursuit of a solution to an open-ended problem. An introductory lecture gives students the…