Faculty mid-career sometimes become cynical about and disengaged from their teaching. The consequences can be severe, from alienating their students in the classroom to causing faculty to abandon teaching altogether. This paper explores this vocational disconnect; and, more importantly, proposes remedies for re-energizing faculty; for helping them…

Ever since Thomas Jackson introduced philosophy for children (p4c) to Hawai'i in the mid-1980s, one of the defining characteristics of his p4c Hawai'i program has been its commitment to working with classroom teachers in Hawai'i's public schools. Part of the program's mission has been to find every way possible to support these teachers, both in…

This experiment describes a discovery-based method for the regio- and stereoselective hydrochlorination of carvone, appropriate for a 3-h second-semester organic chemistry laboratory. The product is identified through interpretation of the [superscript 13]C NMR and DEPT spectra are obtained on an Anasazi EFT-60 at 15 MHz as neat samples. A…

This article describes the successful implementation of an oral examination format in the organic chemistry curriculum at the University of Toronto. Oral examinations are used to replace traditional written midterm examinations in several courses. In an introductory organic class, each student is allotted 15 min to individually discuss one…

The potential of replacing petroleum fuels with renewable biofuels has drawn significant public interest. Many states have imposed biodiesel mandates or incentives to use commercial biodiesel blends. We present an inquiry-driven experiment where students are given the tasks to gather samples, develop analytical methods using various instrumental…

The purpose of this study was to identify the obstacles to the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies as part of corporate learning solutions and strategies. The study followed a qualitative inquiry approach. The sample consisted of 20 corporate learning professionals who are members of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) social…

Action research is increasingly recognized as an important component in initial teacher education programs in different countries around the world. Either as an inquiry project conducted during a field experience, or as a research-inclusive course, action research processes are introduced to student teachers during their study period in order to…

The author has found over her 13 years of teaching that starting off the school year with a science investigation has been a great method to learn about her students, to engage them about science before the school year even starts, and to build a foundation for a year of engaging science experiences. This article describes four such activities…

In intermediate and college algebra courses there are a number of methods for factoring quadratic trinomials with integer coefficients over the integers. Some of these methods have been given names, such as trial and error, reversing FOIL, AC method, middle term splitting method and slip and slide method. The purpose of this article is to discuss…

Recent publications have documented positive attitudinal shifts on the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) among students enrolled in courses with an explicit epistemological focus. We now report positive attitudinal shifts in classes using the "Physics by Inquiry" ("PbI") curriculum, which has only an…

The author's thesis is simple and direct. Those in the mixed methods qualitative inquiry community need a new story line, one that does not confuse pragmatism for triangulation, and triangulation for mixed methods research (MMR). A different third way is required, one that inspires generative politics and dialogic democracy and helps shape…

Often research on the professional development (PD) of staff is framed within a problem-based context that focuses on the PD-related problems experienced by staff. This study pursued a different approach by using the appreciative inquiry (AI) theoretical perspective to study the positive experiences of staff in respect of PD and their desire to…

If academic development is to contribute to (re)shaping the purposes and means of pedagogy in higher education, then it has to be based on educational inquiry, for only inquiry will allow us to undertake a critical analysis of educational policies, practices and beliefs with the goal of transforming them. However, the conditions under which…

This documentary account explores the potential of public art pedagogy to co-construct imaginative spaces in pre-service teacher education. Based upon a collaborative venture between two professors and an arts-based educational organization, the present article describes and analyzes key features and relations that were influential in transforming…

This inquiry developed during the process of "quantitizing" qualitative data the authors had gathered for a mixed methods curriculum efficacy study. Rather than providing the intended rigor to their data coding process, their use of an intercoder reliability metric prompted their investigation of the multiplicity and messiness that, as they…