Teachers want and need students to excel in the classroom. Cooperative learning is one method recognized to address this. Numerous researchers have shown that cooperative learning leads to improved skills in teamwork and communication in other fields (Johnson and Johnson, 2007; Slavin, 1995). Cooperative learning used in this study showed that the…

It has been reported (Lei, Barlett, Gorney, & Herschbach, 2010; Sikorski et al., 2002) that only a minority of college students actually read the course textbook or other assigned readings in preparation for examinations. Suggested strategies to remedy this situation include quizzes (Ruscio, 2001; Ryan, 2006), study worksheets (Aagaard &…

Background: Asynchronous discussion boards provide opportunities for participants in online courses to engage with course content and extend learning through the process of discussion. However, simply requiring online discussion does not guarantee high-quality discussion posts and interactions. Goals: This study examined the extent to which…

Problem Based Learning (PBL) makes use of real-life scenarios to stimulate students' prior knowledge and to provide a meaningful context that is also related to the student's future professional work. In this article, Paternity testing is presented using a PBL approach that involves a combination of classroom, laboratory, and out-of-class…

The present paper concerns the use of film for eliciting discussions of fundamental values in an upper secondary school setting. In this case, "Lilya 4-ever", a feature film about sex trafficking, is used. The present paper contributes some empirical knowledge about how young people are "doing gender" in a natural setting--an…

The current study examined students' perceptions of the effects of different forms of instructional feedback on their performance, motivation, and emotion. Forty-nine students attending an eastern US university participated in focus group discussions. The groups explored students' reactions to grades, praise, and computer versus instructor…

Business students should understand the relevance of professional attire as an indication of conformity. Of equal importance is the recognition that some companies have loosened their dress codes to a more flexible policy to recruit young talent. "Ugly Betty" could serve as a teaching tool to initiate the dialogue on conformity in a light-hearted,…

In this article, the author explores how a group of ten fourth-grade students who were avid readers became a community of inquiry. The primary goal of this study was to document the children's reading engagement: how they created, entered, and sustained the world of the story. This article also reflects the impact of three elements--data…

There is not yet a great deal of research in formal online learning environments focusing on the seemingly "off-topic" conversations that small groups engage in as they complete learning tasks together. This study uses the theory of common ground as a framework to explore what participants are talking about when not discussing the concepts to be…

The purposes of this study were (1) to develop a teacher training program that integrates knowledge management (KM) and blended learning and examine its effects on pre-service teachers' professional development in creativity instruction; and (2) to explore the mechanisms underlying the success of such KM-based training. The employed KM model was…

This article draws from an evaluative case study of a group work approach--Support Groups--designed by the author to support pupils perceived as having Social and Emotional Behavioural Difficulties within a Secondary school situated in an area of multiple deprivation in Scotland. The study, which is principally qualitative, draws from the accounts…

The Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Project at American River College (ARC) in Sacramento, California, was developed to improve retention rates among underrepresented students in math and science classes with high dropout rates. The project involved a group of 24 paid student Learning Assistants (LA's) who successfully completed the targeted courses…

THE PRINCIPAL EDUCATIONAL GOALS OF AMERICAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES BETWEEN 1833 AND 1964 WERE CIVIC ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, ACCOMPANIED AT VARIOUS PERIODS BY MORAL BETTERMENT, VOCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT, OR CURRENTLY, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. THE MAJORITY OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES PROVIDE NOT ONLY MATERIALS, BUT ALSO PERSONAL ASSISTANCE, STIMULATION…

Describes an upper-level undergraduate seminar on race, ethnicity, and social inequality that included an Internet discussion list consisting of over 300 faculty, students, and administrators from around the world. Discusses organizational and pedagogical challenges involved in creating and maintaining the list. (MJP)

A fifth-grade classroom teacher and a reading specialist changed the classroom structure from teacher-centered to student-centered, using flexible grouping, students' choice of literature, student journals, and student-driven discussion groups. They found that students' motivation and interest in reading improved over time. (SM)