Studies that employed activity theory as a theoretical lens for exploring computer-mediated interaction have not adopted social media as their object of study. However, social media provides lecturers with personalised learning environments for diagnostic and prognostic assessments of student mastery of content and deep learning. The integration…

Technology is increasingly used to aid the teaching of statistics. Personal Response Systems (PRS) involve equipping students with a handset allowing them to send responses to questions put to them by a lecturer. PRS allows lectures to be more interactive and can help reinforce material. It can also allow the lecturer to monitor students'…

The paper explores the extent to which the entrepreneurship education component of the business education curriculum in Lesotho secondary education is being implemented. The study was undertaken in 18 schools during 1998, 1999 and 2000. Different research methods such as video recording, interviews and document analysis were used. Results indicate…

Ken Donelson looks back on two classes that taught him that students are willing to share ideas when teachers are honest and reveal their biases and when classroom experiences are based on trust. Additionally, he recalls how important free reading and thematic units became to inciting authentic student responses to literature.

This research investigated the impact of teacher questions, question types, and interaction patterns that coincide with high and low levels of constructivist teaching practices. Through both quantitative and qualitative methods the findings revealed that teachers facilitating classrooms with high levels of constructivist teaching practices (HLCTP)…

Inquiry is a goal of science education reform. Middle school science teachers and their students can develop understanding of inquiry by using an experimental design format. Facilitating this format with the four-question strategy helps students to design their investigations. An example of varying concentrations of vinegar and water illustrates…

Teaching children inductively is important as they will thus learn to apply and evaluate the concepts that they acquire. (CK)

Teachers are--rightly--exhorted to challenge children so as to help them maximise their abilities, broaden their horizons and increase their achievement. But what exactly are challenging activities? And how can teachers be sure they embed challenge in everyday school life? If teachers understand the principles of challenge they can improve…

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in novice and experienced mathematics teachers' questioning techniques. This study was conducted in Sarawak where ten (experienced and novice) teachers from two schools underwent the lesson study process for fifteen months. Four data collection methods namely, observation, interview, lesson…

Engaging all students in grade-level mathematics is often a challenge for teachers, especially in diverse urban classrooms. Too often in her role of supporting the development of effective practices with middle school teachers, the author observes traditional classroom instructors presenting information and demonstrating procedures. In this…

The American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" (2007), with their emphasis on multiple literacies and the social context in which information skills develop, embrace instruction that engages students' critical thinking about the changing communications environment. An inquiry-based approach to…

The teaching profession has come a long way in developing frameworks that encourage and structure student inquiry. This article features the KWL (We Know, We Want to Know, We Learned/Still want to learn) framework that the author has developed for over 20 years, as a graphic organizer tool to encourage inquiry and student questioning. This…

Much of the research on students' understanding of the greenhouse effect and global warming reports poor results. Students are claimed to hold misconceptions and naive beliefs, and the impact of teaching on their conceptions is also low. In the present study, these results are called into question, and it is argued that they may to a large extent…

The purpose of this article is to provide clinical instructors with information and ideas on how to utilize questioning and feedback during clinical experiences. Definitions, purpose, and examples of different questioning skills are provided. Corrective and directive feedback methods are defined with purposes and examples provided of each.…