Teachers at an urban elementary school developed and implemented a literacy instructional framework based on a gradual release of responsibility model. The framework included: (1) focus lessons; (2) guided instruction; (3) collaborative learning; and (4) independent learning. Over six years, literacy and math achievement at this school increased…

This article argues that an overhaul of undergraduate education in Ireland is needed. It asserts that at present most students leave university short-changed, never having been exposed to the riches of discovery and research. A framework founded on research and inquiry is designed to stimulate learning and innovation through action. It is argued…

This study represents an effort to construct a learning framework for knowledge building and collective wisdom advancement in a virtual learning community (VLC) from the perspectives of system wholeness, intelligence wholeness and dynamics, learning models, and knowledge management. It also tries to construct the zone of proximal development (ZPD)…

The importance of group learning has increased significantly in higher education in the past two decades (Houldsworth and Mathews, 2000). The primary focus of this study is to explore the feelings and experience of students regarding group work and group assessment in higher education. The study is exploratory based on a qualitative focus group…

Bioassays are commonly used to test the biological activity of chemicals and other exercises are presented in which students synthesize plant hormones. Lab exercise is conducted using commercially available auxins and auxin regulating compounds.

In an experiment conducted in 7 eighth-grade (Ages 13-14) classes in Singapore, the authors evaluated the effects of the group investigation method of cooperative learning versus the effects of the traditional whole-class method of instruction on students' academic achievement and on their motivation to learn. The authors also investigated…

Web-based learning has become an important way to enhance learning and teaching, offering many learning opportunities. A limitation of current Web-based learning is the restricted ability of students to personalize and annotate the learning materials. Providing personalized tools and analyzing some types of learning behavior, such as students'…

Noting that employers are increasingly demanding that educators modify their teaching methods to reflect trends in the skills necessary for entry-level positions, this paper briefly describes teaching strategies that involve active learning and then explains the benefits students gain by joining the Public Relations Student Society of America…

At the University of Southwestern Louisiana, an innovative course in college mathematics, Math 107, was designed to place mathematics into the context of everyday life and to use concepts from several disciplines within mathematics including algebra, geometry, statistics, probability, and data analysis. Inherent within the teaching of Math 107 was…

The study was designed to increase student commitment to Christian education and was conducted in a church youth group of 150 students in grades 6-12, located in a moderate-sized county. The Wednesday evening program for 6th-12th-grade students was attended by a larger number of youth each week than the Sunday A.M. christian education program.…

This study compared the content comprehension and logical reasoning ability in two groups of second-semester university computer science students. The control group (n=25) received instruction in a traditional lecture/discussion learning environment three days a week for nine weeks. The treatment group (n=24) met in a cooperative learning…

Through the process of critical thinking and in a collaborative learning environment, foreign language instruction can be more than a required skill; it is an integral part of a liberal education. Critical thinking is part of the basic process of learning, not a higher order of thinking to be saved for advanced courses. Students thinking in…

A longitudinal study of a cohort of engineering students has been conducted at North Carolina State University since 1990. The students were taught five chemical engineering courses in five consecutive semesters using several nontraditional instructional methods, including cooperative (team-based) learning. As part of the longitudinal study,…

For many years, writing centers have based their pedagogy on "collaboration." Now it is time to reflectively examine whether tutorial collaborations actually correspond to those definitions on which it is generally assumed they are based. Current practices assume that "collaborative" practices include non-authoritative pedagogy…

Cooperation in the classroom counteracts well-established routines and values that nearly all adults and many educators take for granted. Education remains a fiercely competitive enterprise, and individualistic notions of professionalism predominate. Despite the continued importance of independence, initiative, and personal achievement, today's…