Background: Blending collaborative learning and project-based learning (PBL) based on Wolff (2003) design categories, students interacted in a learning environment where they developed their technology integration practices as well as their technological and collaborative skills. Purpose: The study aims to understand how seventh grade students…

Classroom physical activity (PA) has been linked to a multitude of health and academic benefits. However, due to barriers such as lack of time and resources many teachers are not implementing classroom PA to the degree they would like to. One innovative solution is to integrate classroom PA into academic concepts. Based on self-determination…

Reform efforts that are designed to increase student achievement often include in-service teacher professional development (PD) as a foundational component. However, the content and activities included in PD sessions varies greatly. Guided by Desimone's (2009) Core Features of Professional Development, this study sought to describe agriscience…

In four years, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) increased sixth and seventh grade student achievement on the Maryland State Assessment (MSA) by 20% at Bates Middle School, a low performing school that had been targeted for restructuring by the state. This improvement positively correlates with the implementation of the arts integration…

In this new context concept approach, field research on the Trinidadian guppy is used as an appealing example of evolutionary change in populations. Pupils are asked to investigate the underlying mechanisms. In doing so, defects in their knowledge are revealed, in particular the role of meiosis in creating genetic variation. The reason for these…

Most people who are attracted to STEM-related fields are drawn not by a desire to take mathematics tests but to create things. The opportunity to create an algebra drawing gives students a sense of ownership and adventure that taps into the same sort of energy that leads a young person to get lost in reading a good book, building with Legos®,…

Unique integrative learning approaches represent a fundamental opportunity for undergraduate students and faculty alike to combine interdisciplinary methods with applied spatial research. Geography and geoscience-related disciplines are particularly well-suited to adapt multiple methods within a holistic and reflective mentored research paradigm.…

During the 2011-12 school year, a fifth grade class in a diverse San Francisco public elementary school collaborated with the Arts Resources In Action (ARIA) program of the San Francisco Opera's Education Department to create a teacher-guided opera. The students wrote the story, music and lyrics as well as designed and built the sets, props and…

Certain principles, processes and procedures inform the design and delivery of student's lessons in teacher education. In mentoring students, it was discovered that they exhibit "mental models" during evaluation and monitoring of their lessons that are different from what they were taught. This has a negative impact on the effectiveness…

This article discusses the results of funded research that investigated how an industry training organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand embeds literacy in the workplace. Results confirm a "common-sense view" that there is not one right way to embed workplace literacy. They also reveal a number of findings about what works effectively when…

What does interdisciplinary integration actually look like for students beginning their college studies? This article describes what a LaGuardia Community College teaching team, who typically share a theme and consult periodically but keep their classes distinct--discovered when they designed an integrative assignment for a paired developmental…

Using integrative grammar- and vocabulary-related activities, the high school English language development (ELD) teacher in this qualitative case study engaged her students by involving them in their own education. Drawing on research addressing student engagement (Kelley, Lesaux, Kieffer, & Faller, 2010; Norton & Toohey, 2001; Ryan,…

This paper explores the integration of art, literacy and science in a second grade classroom, showing how an integrative approach has a positive and lasting influence on student achievement in art, literacy, and science. Ways in which art, science, language arts, and cognition intersect are reviewed. Sample artifacts are presented along with their…

There has been concern around the lack of postgraduate qualified scientists and engineers (e.g., Gago et al., 2004; Koslow, 2005; Lovitts & Nelson, 2000). However, to be effective in increasing the number of science postgraduates, a greater understanding of why students go on to do graduate studies must be developed. Presented here is a study…

The objective of this study is to explore the perceptions of intern teachers and mentor teachers regarding the determinants of learning from success during the internship year. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 37 teachers: 17 mentor teachers and 20 interns. Data analysis brought up the following themes: communication…