In this paper, we discuss the theoretical foundation and implementation of two alternative instructional courses that aimed to support the development of elementary school students' early algebraic thinking. Both courses approached three basic algebra content strands: generalized arithmetic, functional thinking and modelling languages. The courses…

Much research has been executed to investigate how altering focus of attention impacts performance and feelings of fatigue. Using a within-participant design, the present study examined how an associative and dissociative attentional in addition to an internal and external attentional dimension influenced the running economy of nonprofessional…

Starting in 2009, the German state of Saxony distributed sports club membership vouchers among all 33,000 third graders in the state. The policy's objective was to encourage them to develop a long-term habit of exercising. In 2018, we carried out a large register-based survey among several cohorts in Saxony and two neighboring states. Our…

Once upon a time, nonfiction books for children routinely included concise, stodgy writing. Most of the books were text heavy, with just a few scattered images decorating, rather than enhancing, the content and meaning. But nonfiction has changed dramatically over the last two decades, evolving into a new breed of visually dynamic, engaging texts…

We examined how six gifted boys perceived the onset and development of their academic underachievement and what they identified as contributing aspects. Across the six boys' experiences, a similar pattern of onset and development of academic underachievement emerged. The boys discussed a lack of academic challenge, investment in hobbies, issues…

To improve students' interdisciplinary learning, it is necessary to find ways to support teacher candidates' pedagogical preparation for STEAM practices during teacher education. Thereby, in this study, the influence of a 5-week collaborative cross-disciplinary STEAM module on secondary mathematics, science, and English language arts (ELA)…

Teacher talk is a powerful pedagogical tool in the science classroom. Educators use their talk to provide information, guide discussions, check for understanding, and develop students' scientific identities. However, few researchers have investigated how teachers use their talk during an integrated science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)…

The goals of Healthy Campus 2020 are to improve health across college campuses for students. One of the focuses is to increase physical exercise and avoid weight gain and risks for obesity. During this time of transition, many college students do not partake in regular exercise and females are at lower levels of exercise participation compared to…

As part of the process for designing an online information technology (IT) course, hands-on activities may be included; however, the literature has not readily revealed the best practices and challenges instructional designers (IDs) face with including hands-on activities in an online IT course. Research has shown that hands-on learning increases…

Schools that operate on a four-day schedule typically shorten the school week by eliminating either Monday or Friday and add more time to each day to provide the same number of instructional hours as a traditional five-day week. In 2011, former governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, signed the optional four-day school week into law. The bill moved from…

The purpose of this dissertation study is to investigate how a cooking-infused early childhood mathematics program supports preschool students' learning of mathematics and how these students perceive the program. Children's early mathematical knowledge is essential for their later success in school. Recent evidence highlights the importance of…

This design case describes the implementation of the Human-centered Design process, developed by the world leading design firm IDEO and Stanford d. school. The process describes the technology integration onto a teaching credential program course at a university in Central California. It reports the thought process to adopting HCD in the course…

This classroom activity is designed to help students practice calculating percentiles. The approach of the activity involves physical sorting and full classroom participation in each calculation. The design encourages a more engaged approach than simply having students make a calculation with numbers on a paper.

When I was a freshman at Tokyo University of Science, my senpai (upper-class student mentor) took me to a certain skiing ground in his car, which was equipped with standard tires. He tried to enter the parking area there, but his car could not climb a short slope leading to the entrance. I would like to describe here how he dealt with the problem…

Matter is an essential science topic that is often challenging to teach at the early elementary levels. Learning about matter helps students develop a solid foundation for more complex concepts that are taught in later years. Make this abstract concept developmentally appropriate for children by engaging them in investigations that focus on…