Following the pioneering work of Randy Garrison and colleagues, online teachers in the US and internationally see their discussion boards as communities of inquiry (CoI) which promote sustained communication and higher-level learning. The CoI approach to online discussions is based on John Dewey's conception of education in which teachers and…

This article investigates the effects of teaching about metacognition in a sociological theory course. I created a series of teaching interventions to introduce students to the science of learning, including an interactive lecture on metacognition, a discussion that models metacognitive strategies, and activities for students to practice…

Students in middle school social studies classes are expected to learn content through text. Unfortunately, many students, particularly those with disabilities, struggle to comprehend grade-level texts (NCES, 2017). Implementing high-quality, text-based discussions is no easy task, yet it provides a way to support students with disabilities in the…

General education teachers are challenged with meeting the unique instructional needs of every learner in their classrooms, which increasingly include English learners (ELs) and students with learning disabilities (LD). This article uses vignettes to demonstrate how a middle school content teacher uses five strategies: building prior knowledge,…

Prior research found that without the naming cusp, children did not learn from instructional demonstrations presented before learn units (IDLUs) (i.e., modeling an expected response twice for a learner prior to delivering an instructional antecedent), however, following the establishment of naming, they could. The present study was designed to…

This article presents an update and extension of the research on instructional methods for vocabulary learning by secondary-age students with learning disabilities. Seven studies that have been published since the last comprehensive review of the research were located. Four instructional methods were found to be the most effective: mnemonic…

Although numerous studies have identified a correlational relationship between vocabulary and comprehension, we know less about vocabulary interventions that impact reading comprehension. Therefore, this study is a systematic review of vocabulary interventions with comprehension outcomes. Analyses of 36 studies that met criteria are organized…

The importance of writing is recognized in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). CCSS places emphasis on both foundational skills (e.g., spelling) and writing applications such as planning, editing, and revising a variety of texts (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010).…

"Language for Learning" ("LL") is an oral language curriculum that uses Direct Instruction (DI) methodology. DI is well researched, but only limited studies exists on the use of "LL" with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study used a multiple baseline research design, across four, four-year-old…

This case describes a qualitative case study of a yoga program which involved direct-instruction yoga practice for students at an urban, alternative school. It describes the general methodology of case study and the specific methods that we used. This project is the fruit of a collaborative friendship between Joanne Spence, a yoga service…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) approach to scientific literacy and social skills of students. The research is a quasi-experiment design of pretest and posttest control group. The research population were all students at 11th grade of natural science classes…

A randomized control trial compared the effects of two kinds of vocabulary instruction on component reading skills of adult struggling readers. Participants seeking alternative high school diplomas received 8 h of scripted tutoring to learn forty academic vocabulary words embedded within a civics curriculum. They were matched for language…

This systematic review provides an overview of the impact of early writing in preschoolers and the effectiveness of handwriting interventions between kindergarten and second grade. Seven experimental studies (pre-K-7 yo) and eight handwriting intervention group studies (pre-K-2) were reviewed. The results suggest that writing letters in late…

Over the last two decades, the significance of academic achievement for students with disabilities in K-12 education has increased. To meet the needs of this population, educators turned to innovative strategies and technologies for instructional support in the classroom. For students with a learning disability, the need for such solutions is…

In response to global assessment reforms, using assessment for learning (AfL) in various education jurisdictions is on the rise. However, using assessment as learning (AaL) appears to enjoy a low profile in language learning in general and in L2 writing in particular. To this end, the paper intends to describe what AaL is in relation to AfL, argue…