The ability to navigate and understand the chemical literature is integral to the scientific research process. Learning these skills is therefore an important, though often overwhelming, part of an undergraduate chemical education. We describe an inquiry-based program designed to help chemistry students begin to learn to search and read the…

Pinnacle is the ANU's teacher training programme for full time PhD students. The Pinnacle Teacher Training Program provides a mentoring system that aims to equip postgraduate students with the skills and theoretical background that they will need to become high quality lecturers. This article describes Pinnacle, and discusses the assessment of its…

In the last decade the national "Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan" (SSA) programme has focussed on universaling access to elementary education (Grades I-VIII). Most recently the Right to Education Act provides the legislative framework to guarantee schooling to all children between 6 and 14 years of age. It remains the case however that less than…

The term "learning design" is used in this paper to refer to the process of designing effective learning experiences for a variety of contexts: in the classroom or laboratory, in the field, online and via standalone packages using a range of media. Learning design involves a wide set of knowledge, skills and competencies, including:…

There is a critical need to identify solutions to the unemployment of high school dropouts. When a student prematurely leaves school, the economic, social, and political impacts result in negative consequences for the individual and the community. Of the nearly 2.2 million students who drop out of high school every year in the United States,…

The American Physiological Society (APS) and APS Council encourage the teaching of physiology at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school levels to support the continued prominence of this area of science. One area identified by the APS Council that is of particular importance for the development of future physiologists (the…

As resources shrink, the need to do more with less becomes critical. As a business CEO turned superintendent, this author has seen firsthand that many options exist, but none are fun, easy, or politically rewarding. He contends that the challenge of managing declining resources is not the choice between doing less for children or discovering new…

Many schools see teaching African American boys as a daunting challenge. However, in many schools the primary focus of Black male children's educational experience is maintaining order and discipline rather than student learning and academic achievement. By the time Black boys reach the 3rd or 4th grade their teachers and other school personnel no…

General and special educators have used many instructional strategies to help students with learning disabilities (LD) succeed in school. One of those strategies is cue cards. As a vehicle for supporting evidence-based practices, cue cards help students (a) learn academic and behavioral steps, principles, procedures, processes, and rules; (b)…

This investigation examines the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) procedures to develop and validate scales to measure environmental responsibility, character development and leadership, and attitudes toward school for environmental education programs servicing middle school children. The scales represent outcomes commonly of interest to…

This article showcases a virtual interactive participatory design activity for building a digital entomology lab. Conceptualized as a virtual complement to a general entomology course at Kansas State University, the lab would allow learners to explore morphological aspects of insects--their various forms and functions--in order to understand…

In New Zealand, Maori (indigenous New Zealanders) and Pacific students tend not to attain the same levels of educational success as Pakeha (New Zealanders of European descent). Addressing this problem is a particular challenge in the sciences. The kaupapa (values-base) of Te Ropu Awhina (Awhina) is to produce Maori and Pacific professionals to…

The Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (WIMSA) has been working to improve conditions for San communities since 1996. San communities in Namibia have an extremely high dropout rate compared to all other populations in the country, and one of WIMSA's most important areas of focus is education. Early Childhood Development…

This article critiques learning design as a representation for sharing and developing practice, based on synthesis of three projects. Starting with the findings of the Mod4L Models of Practice project, it argues that the technical origins of learning design, and the consequent focus on structure and sequence, limit its usefulness for sharing…

In 2007 the Calvary Refugee Mentoring Program (CRMP) was initiated at Calvary Hospital, Canberra, to provide an affirmative and individualised learning placement in workplaces for individuals with a refugee background. This work placement was designed to enhance the participants' knowledge of workplaces and to prepare them for future career and…