This study investigated how preschool children processed and understood critical information in Magical Garden, a teachable agent-based play-&-learn game targeting early math. We analyzed 36 children's (ages 4-6 years) real-time behavior during game-use to explore whether children: (i) processed the information meant to support number sense…

Cognitive load theory has challenged contemporary approaches to teaching by arguing that they are ineffective because of a neglect of the psychology underpinning learning and, specifically, the high demand placed on working memory. This paper challenges the presuppositions involved not only in arguments for guided instruction by those supporting…

Most current definitions of blended learning refer to a blend of online and face-to-face instruction. It seems that few authors notice the irony that the definition of blended learning does not include the concept of learning at all. The problem with these definitions is that they are devoid of theory and thus lead to trial-and-error research.…

This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically synthesize research findings on effects of gamification on cognitive, motivational, and behavioral learning outcomes. Results from random effects models showed significant small effects of gamification on cognitive (g = 0.49, 95% CI [0.30, 0.69], k = 19, N = 1686), motivational (g = 0.36, 95% CI…

Using neurodiversity as our theoretical framework, rather than a deficit or medical model, we analyze the narratives of five dyslexic research mathematicians to find common strengths and challenges for dyslexic thinkers at the highest level of mathematics. We report on 3 themes: (1) highly visual and intuitive ways of mathematical thinking; (2)…

This lecture reports on aspects of a larger research programme focused on studying mental mathematics in elementary and secondary mathematics classrooms. It specifically addresses an unplanned aspect that became salient through the work conducted in these classrooms. In this research programme, mental mathematics sessions are designed on a variety…

The topics of correlation and linear regression constitute a complex and subtle system of statistical and mathematical ideas whose teaching-learning raises numerous practical and theoretical problems. In this research paper, the patterns of reasoning that students exhibit, under the approach of informal inferences when they face problems of…

We report on and validate a system for ranking the cognitive demand of mathematical tasks. In our framework, task rankings are determined by the sequences of units and unit transformations students might use to solve each task. Using this framework, we ranked a set of 10 fractions tasks. We then interviewed 12 pre-service teachers to assess the…

Purpose: Introducing technology at work presents a special challenge as learning is tightly integrated with workplace practices. Current design-based research (DBR) methods are focused on formal learning context and often questioned for a lack of yielding traceable research insights. This paper aims to propose a method that extends DBR by…

The more you know about the brains of your students, the better you can be at your profession. Brain-based teaching gives you the tools to boost cognitive functioning, decrease discipline issues, increase graduation rates, and foster the joy of learning. This innovative, new edition of the bestselling "Brain-Based Learning" by Eric…

Teacher noticing requires listening to student sense-making, interpreting the mathematical understandings teachers hear, and deciding how to respond based on what they notice in a specific interaction. Teachers manage what they notice about students in instructional interactions to both make key teaching decisions and adjust their interactions…

Educational software can increase cognitive load and reduce learning in the K-12 classroom. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to compare the pretest/posttest changes in critical thinking skills and cognitive load in fourth-grade students after using multimedia software based on whether the design of the software product…

Some links between linguistic meanings and markers change systematically and cyclically in what are known as "grammaticalization paths." Although the empirical observations that give rise to these characterizations are cross-linguistically robust, the representations and cognitive processes that support these shifts are still not well…

Modeling is a scientific practice that supports creative reasoning, motivates inquiry, and facilitates community sense-making. This paper explores students' perspectives on modeling in an undergraduate laboratory course, Authentic Inquiry through Modeling (AIM-Bio), in which they proposed, tested, and revised their own models. We conducted…

The significance of illusion as a positive force in everyday life has been underestimated in both societal discourse and in empirical science. The objective of this study is to provide a synthesis of many academic disciplines' understanding of illusion and reality by proposing a taxonomy of functional and dysfunctional subjective realities as…