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The science of learning has made a considerable contribution to our understanding of effective teaching and learning strategies. However, few instructors outside of the field are privy to this research. In this tutorial review, we focus on six specific cognitive strategies that have received robust support from decades of research: spaced practice, interleaving, retrieval practice, elaboration, concrete examples, and dual coding. We describe the basic research behind each strategy and relevant applied research, present examples of existing and suggested implementation, and make recommendations for further research that would broaden the reach of these strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we examined change in students' situational interest as a function of student and task characteristics. Fifth- and sixth-graders (n = 52) were assigned to one of two task conditions that used a different version of a science simulation. The versions differed in how concrete vs. abstract the simulation elements were. Students' prior knowledge, achievement goal orientations, and subject-specific interest were assessed before the task and situational interest was measured repeatedly in different phases of the task. Post-task performance was assessed 1 day after the task. The results showed different mean-level changes in situational interest in the two task conditions; students working with the more concrete version of the simulation reported increase in their interest while the opposite was true for students working with the more abstract version. The ratings of situational interest were nevertheless rather stable over time, regardless of the task condition. Students' situational interest at the beginning of the task was predicted by mastery-intrinsic goal orientation and subject-specific interest. Post-task performance was predicted by prior knowledge and the task condition; students working in the more concrete task condition performed better. The importance of acknowledging both individual characteristics and task elements in the emergence of students' situational interest is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article draws from 199 sources on assessment, learning, and motivation to present a detailed decomposition of the values, theories, and goals of formative assessment. This article will discuss the extent to which formative feedback actualizes and reinforces self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies among students. Theoreticians agree that SRL is predictive of improved academic outcomes and motivation because students acquire the adaptive and autonomous learning characteristics required for an enhanced engagement with the learning process and subsequent successful performance. The theory of formative assessment is found to be a unifying theory of instruction, which guides practice and improves the learning process by developing SRL strategies among learners. In a postmodern era characterized by rapid technical and scientific advance and obsolescence, there is a growing emphasis on the acquisition of learning strategies which people may rely on across the entire span of their life. Research consistently finds that the self-regulation of cognitive and affective states supports the drive for lifelong learning by: enhancing the motivational disposition to learn, enriching reasoning, refining meta-cognitive skills, and improving performance outcomes. The specific purposes of the article are to provide practitioners, administrators and policy-makers with: (a) an account of the very extensive conceptual territory that is the 'theory of formative assessment' and (b) how the goals of formative feedback operate to reveal recondite learning processes, thereby reinforcing SRL strategies which support learning, improve outcomes and actualize the drive for lifelong learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

questionnaire was administered to 231 Hong Kong preservice teacher education students to examine their epistemological beliefs and conceptions of learning. Pearson correlation analysis showed significant pairs of epistemological beliefs and conceptions of learning. Regression and path analysis showed epistemological beliefs had significant predictor relationships with conceptions of learning. Four structural equation models were proposed to examine the predictive relationships between epistemological beliefs and selected pairs of quantitative and qualitative conceptions of learning, and the models were validated by confirmatory factor analysis. The results support the hypothesis that epistemological beliefs have significant predictive relationships with quantitative and qualitative conceptions of learning, implying epistemological beliefs play an important role in students' learning. The paper concludes with implications drawn for the future direction of educational practices and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on work examining differences in the emphasis faculty place on effective educational practices, this study uses data from nearly 8,000 faculty members from the 2007 Faculty Survey of Student Engagement to explore how disciplinary area moderates the effect of teaching a general education course (GEC) on the emphasis faculty place on deep approaches to learning. Results showed that the GEC effect was strongest in hard-applied-life fields and weakest in hard-pure-life and soft-applied-life fields, suggesting that proponents of general education reform need to temper their efforts by a clearer understanding of disciplinary differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated whether and how student performance on three types of spatial cognition tasks differs when worked with two-dimensional or stereoscopic representations. We recruited nineteen middle school students visiting a planetarium in a large Midwestern American city and analyzed their performance on a series of spatial cognition tasks in terms of response accuracy and task completion time. Results show that response accuracy did not differ between the two types of representations while task completion time was significantly greater with the stereoscopic representations. The completion time increased as the number of mental manipulations of 3D objects increased in the tasks. Post-interviews provide evidence that some students continued to think of stereoscopic representations as two-dimensional. Based on cognitive load and cue theories, we interpret that, in the absence of pictorial depth cues, students may need more time to be familiar with stereoscopic representations for optimal performance. In light of these results, we discuss potential uses of stereoscopic representations for science learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have reported on the economical, social, and educational difficulties encountered by Ethiopian Jews since their immigration to Israel. Furthermore, the overall academic underachievement and poor representation of students of Ethiopian origin (SEO) in the advanced mathematics and science classes were highlighted and described. Yet, studies focusing on differential achievements within SEO and on students who succeed against all odds are scarce. In this study, we explored success stories of five SEO studying in a pre-academic program at a prestigious technological university in Israel. Our goal was to understand how these students frame and interpret their success in mathematics and to identify elements perceived as fostering their mathematics and academic trajectories. Using qualitative methodology, we identified perceived personal motivational variables, effective learning and coping strategies, and students’ immediate environment as key elements contributing to achieving and maintaining success. We discuss possible theoretical contributions and practical implications of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an attempt to place mathematical thinking in the context of more general theories of human cognition. We describe and compare four perspectives—mathematics, mathematics education, cognitive psychology, and evolutionary psychology—each offering a different view on mathematical thinking and learning and, in particular, on the source of mathematical errors and on ways of dealing with them in the classroom. The four perspectives represent four levels of explanation, and we see them not as competing but as complementing each other. In the classroom or in research data, all four perspectives may be observed. They may differentially account for the behavior of different students on the same task, the same student in different stages of development, or even the same student in different stages of working on a complex task. We first introduce each of the perspectives by reviewing its basic ideas and research base. We then show each perspective at work, by applying it to the analysis of typical mathematical misconceptions. Our illustrations are based on two tasks: one from statistics (taken from the psychological research literature) and one from abstract algebra (based on our own research). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated curricular conditions and educational practices that influenced the development of life-long learning orientations among 405 undergraduate students. Results suggest that growth in life-long learning orientations was facilitated by instruction that included opportunities for reflection, active learning, and perspective-taking and that provided students with opportunities for positively interacting with diverse peers. Negative diverse peer interactions were found to stifle development. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a conceptual analysis of the technological dimensions related to the operationalization of CSCL macro-scripts. CSCL scripts are activity models that aim at enhancing the probability that knowledge generative interactions such as conflict resolution, explanation or mutual regulation occur during the collaboration process. We first recall basics about CSCL scripts and macro-scripts. Then, we propose an analysis of some core issues that must be made explicit and taken into account when operationalizing macro-scripts, such as the reification of some aspects of the script within the technological setting, the strategy within which students are presented with the technological setting and the uncertainties related to scripts and technological setting perception and enactment. We then present SPAIRD, a model that we propose as a means to conceptualize the relations between scripts and technological settings used to operationalize them. This model describes four points of view on the script (structural model, implementation-oriented model, student-oriented models and platform specification) and the underlying design rationale (learning hypothesis, pedagogic principle and design decisions). In order to exemplify SPAIRD’s usefulness we propose examples of how it allows drawing general propositions with respect to the couple script + technological setting. Finally, we present an analysis of current state-of-the-art technological approaches with respect to this conceptualization, and research directions for the design and implementation of technological settings that present the properties identified in our analysis. In particular, we study the interest of model-driven approaches, flexible technological settings and model-based script engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests new strategies for introducing students to robotics technologies and concepts, and argues for the importance of providing multiple entry points into robotics. In particular, the paper describes four strategies that have been successful in engaging a broad range of learners: (1) focusing on themes, not just challenges; (2) combining art and engineering; (3) encouraging storytelling; (4) organizing exhibitions, rather than competitions. The paper describes a new technology, called the PicoCricket, that supports these strategies by enabling young people to design and program artistic creations that integrate light, sound, music, and motion. The paper concludes with an analysis of robotics activities in three educational environments, examining how these new strategies and technologies can engage young people with diverse interests and learning styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changed funding arrangements and views of education have resulted in a re-prioritization of activities and practices in Australian universities. While considerable research attention has been given to the consequences of these changes for university policies and the activities of academic staff, less attention has been given to how students perceive these changes. In this paper, undergraduate students’ experience of the commodification of higher education sector are explored. The evidence suggests that the changed context is beginning to affect how students perceive university priorities and their effects on teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a descriptive case study of Terrascope, an innovative, year-long, project-based learning community at MIT. Each year, Terrascope students study a particular environmental or Earth-system problem from a multidisciplinary perspective. Terrascope includes both academic and non-academic components; this paper focuses on the academic components. The objectives of the academic subjects, and of the program as a whole, involve helping students develop their team-building, communication, problem-solving, and self-regulatory learning skills. This study focuses on cohorts of students from the first and second years of the program (2002–2003 and 2003–2004); it is based on end-of-semester surveys and focus groups, and on additional focus groups conducted when these students were upperclassmen. Students felt Terrascope helped them make significant improvements in their ability to work in teams and to take on complex, multidisciplinary problems. They felt that the program’s two-semester structure gave them an opportunity to develop and nurture these skills, and that the program prepared them well for their later work at MIT. They also felt that being engaged, as freshmen, in a distinct learning community, significantly eased their transition into MIT. We describe lessons learned in the development of Terrascope and offer suggestions for other institutions planning to develop similar programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ‘independent learner’ is a key construct within discourses of educational policy and practice in the UK. Government policy statements stress the importance of developing learner independence, and higher education pedagogical practices tend to rest on the assumption that students are independent learners. This paper draws on research with undergraduate students in a post-1992 university to offer a critical appraisal of the discourse of the independent learner. The paper examines students’ perceptions of independence in both their first year of undergraduate study, and in the later years of their degree courses. Support for learning and issues related to asking for help are discussed. Whilst students tend to both expect and want to be independent, it is suggested that dominant constructions of the independent learner are gendered and culturally specific, and as such are inappropriate for the majority of students in a mass higher education system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WebQuests are activities in which students use Web resources to learn about school topics. WebQuests are advocated as constructivist activities and ones generally well regarded by students. Two experiments were conducted in school settings to compare learning using WebQuests versus conventional instruction. Students and teachers both enjoyed WebQuest instruction and spoke highly of it. In one experiment, however, conventional instruction led to significantly greater student learning. In the other, there were no significant differences in the learning outcomes between conventional versus WebQuest-based instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the frequency with which Classroom Response Systems (CRSs) are used is increasing, it becomes more and more important to define the affordances and limitations of these tools. Currently existing literature is largely either anecdotal or focuses on comparing CRS and non-CRS environments that are unequal in other aspects as well. In addition, the literature primarily describes situations in which the CRS is used to provide an individual as opposed to a group response. This article points to the need for a concerted research effort, one that rigorously explores conditions of use across diverse settings and pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship-Centered Care acknowledges the central importance of relationships in medical care. In a similar fashion, relationships hold a central position in medical education, and are critical for achieving favorable learning outcomes. However, there is little empirical work in the medical literature that explores the development and meaning of relationships in medical education. In this essay, we explore the growing body of work on the culture of medical school, often termed the "hidden curriculum." We suggest that relationships are a critical mediating factor in the hidden curriculum. We explore evidence from the educational literature with respect to the student-teacher relationship, and the relevance that these studies hold for medical education. We conclude with suggestions for future research on student-teacher relationships in medical education settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic and applied research related to the effects of interspersing trials of maintenance (i.e., review) tasks among trials of acquisition tasks on academic skill development is reviewed. In general, empirical research suggests that interspersing procedures are effective in facilitating acquisition, learning rate, and maintenance. However, some inconsistency exists among the data that suggests student learning, in some instances, may be impeded. Research also suggests that interspersing procedures are not conducive to facilitating generalization. The discrepancy between various research findings and the consistent failure of research on interspersing procedures to increase generalization is critically reviewed in relation to a hierarchical learning theory set forth by Haring and Eaton (1978). From this hierarchical learning theory perspective, inconsistent results may be better understood and predicted. Implications for current practice and directions for future research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Oxford University students’ conceptions of the role of the tutorial in their learning. An analysis of interviews with 28 students constituted four qualitatively different conceptions of the ‘Oxford Tutorial’. These ranged from the tutorial involving the tutor explaining to the student what the student did not know, to the tutorial involving the tutor and the student in exchanging different points of view and both coming to a new understanding of the topic under discussion. These different conceptions also appeared to be related to variations in students’ views of the role of the work done in preparation for the tutorial, their view of the student’s and tutor’s roles in the tutorial, and the conception of knowledge that students adopted in relation to the tutorial. The implications of this study are discussed in terms of the relations between students’ conceptions of tutorials and their anticipated learning outcomes and its implications for contexts outside of Oxford in terms of students’ conceptions of academic tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student learning is a complex incremental cognitive process; assessment needs to parallel this, reporting the results in similar terms. Application of fuzzy sets and logic to the criterion-referenced assessment of student learning is considered here. The constrained qualitative assessment (CQA) system was designed, and then applied in assessing a past course in microcomputer system design (MSD). CQA criteria were articulated in fuzzy terms and sets, and the assessment procedure was cast as a fuzzy inference rule base. An interactive graphic interface provided for transparent assessment, student “backwash,” and support to the teacher when compiling the tests. Grade intervals, obtained from a departmental poll, were used to compile a fuzzy “grade” set. Assessment results were compared to those of a former standard method and to those of a modified version of it (but with fewer criteria). The three methods yielded similar results, supporting the application of CQA. The method improved assessment reliability by means of the consensus embedded in the fuzzy grade set, and improved assessment validity by integrating fuzzy criteria into the assessment procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As faculty, our goals for students are often tacit, hidden not only from students but from ourselves as well. We present a conceptual framework for considering teaching goals – what we want our students to achieve – that encourages us to think more broadly about what we mean by achieving in our knowledge domains. This framework includes declarative knowledge (“knowing that”), procedural knowledge (“knowing how”), schematic knowledge (“knowing why”) and strategic knowledge (“knowing when, where and how our knowledge applies”). We link the framework to a variety of assessment methods and focus on assessing the structure of declarative knowledge – knowledge structure. From prior research, we know that experts and knowledgeable students have extensive, well-structured, declarative knowledge; not so novices. We then present two different techniques for assessing knowledge structure – cognitive and concept maps, and a combination of the two – and provide evidence on their technical quality. We show that these maps provide a window into the structure of students declarative knowledge not otherwise tapped by typical pencil-and-paper tests. These maps provide us with new teaching goals and new evidence on student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of an experimental study investigating the influence of problem familiarity on learning in a problem-based psychology course are presented. Participants worked with either a “familiar” or an “unfamiliar” version of the same problem. The following measurements were taken (1) a measure of problem quality as perceived by students, (2) number of explanations of the problem put forward by the students while discussing it, (3) quality of learning issues derived from the discussion, (4) amount of time spent on self-study, and (5) the amount of knowledge acquired as indicated by a test. The results demonstrate that participants in the “familiar problem” condition perceived the problem to be of higher quality than the participants in the “unfamiliar problem” condition. No significant differences in learning were found. The findings do suggest, however, that problems may be improved by making them more relevant to the everyday experience of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first objective of this study was establishing to what extent metacognitive skill is associated with intelligence. As a second objective, the impact of hints on the execution of metacognitive skills was investigated. Both issues have major implications for the training and transferability of metacognitive skills during performance on a representative school task. First, a standardized intelligence-test was administered to a group of first-year secondary-school students. Next, these students solved six math word problems, three without metacognitive hints and three including these hints. Metacognitive skilfullness was assessed through systematical observation, while learning performance consisted of performance on a math task and grade point average (GPA). Results show that without hints metacognitive skilfulness is the main predictor of initial learning, while intelligence additionally enters the regression equation after the presentation of metacognitive hints. GPA also appears to be predicted by a combination of intellectual and metacognitive skills. Consequences for the early acquisition of metacognitive skills are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the discursive practice of participation in an elementary classroom community aiming towards collective meaning making and joint creation of knowledge. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is shaped by the sociocultural and sociolinguistic approaches. Through examining the communicative practices and discursive roles of the students and the teacher, the study highlights the participation rights and responsibilities of classroom members and demonstrates how these shape the location and nature of knowledge constructed during a lesson. The empirical data for this study emerge from a Finnish third grade class consisting of seventeen students. Detailed, multi-level analyses were carried out on transcribed video-recordings of classroom interactions located within the contexts of Collective problem-solving in mathematics, Group investigation in science and Open-ended dialogue in philosophy. The results show that the cultural rules for communicative participation in this classroom provided the students with a space to take authority in cognitive work, whereas the teacher’s responsibility was more directed to the management of interactional practices. The nature of knowledge negotiated during the lessons was by and large based upon view sharing and defining, as well as asking for and providing evidence, instead of mere information exchange. The study also shows that the communicative roles and responsibilities of the classroom members differed across the learning situations. Intentions of collective meaning-making did not always result in multilateral interactions that would invite all classroom members into active participation. Moreover, challenges were identified in the integration and application of the participants’ personal histories and experiences as resources for joint meaning-making. In all, the study shows how the discursive norms of the classroom can be aligned with supporting active participation and collective creation of knowledge, but can also be counterproductive in these domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research on student learning has given close attention to how students’ experiences and actions are mediated by the whole university learning-teaching environment in which they find themselves. The current article pursues this focus on learning-teaching environments in two stages. Guided by socio-cultural perspectives on learning, the first part:The second part of the article then engages with the task of illustrating how this general framework (which foregrounds disciplinary concerns) can be applied within a specific subject. The framework is employed to structure an account of the insights gained from an ongoing research study concerning: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building models to describe processes forms an essential part of molecular biology research. However, in molecular biology curricula little attention is generally being paid to the development of this skill. In order to provide students the opportunity to improve their model building skills, we decided to develop a number of digital cases about developmental biology. In these cases the students are guided to build a model according to a method that is based on expert analysis and historical data; they first build a simplified model based on the wild-type only and then they extend this model step by step based on experimental results. After each extension, the biological implications of the extension are evaluated. The first case was evaluated three times during a regular course at Wageningen University, The Netherlands and once at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. The analysis of audiotapes revealed that students did indeed engage in the reasoning processes, which are typical for model building. Furthermore, exam results seem to suggest that working with the case indeed facilitates model building in analogical situations and the students judged working with the case positively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past year we have been developing and implementing a program in which students design and construct remote operated vehicles. In this paper, we report on a pilot study that occurred over the course of an academic year in an inner city high school. Specifically, we have been investigating whether students learn meaningful science content through design activities. Through our teaching experiment methodological stance and analysis we found that (1) student attendance and engagement increased, (2) students learned physics content and recognized connections to their other coursework (3) teachers adopted an “organized chaos” posture and shifted their role from one of discipline keeper and content gatekeeper to one of coach and facilitator, (4) design projects need to be modularized if they are to be effective urban classrooms, and (5) teachers need to balance the tradeoffs between allowing students to develop aesthetically pleasing designs versus learning content and creating designs that are functional and useable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic collaborative learning environments for learning and working are in vogue. Designers design them according to their own constructivist interpretations of what collaborative learning is and what it should achieve. Educators employ them with different educational approaches and in diverse situations to achieve different ends. Students use them, sometimes very enthusiastically, but often in a perfunctory way. Finally, researchers study them and--as is usually the case when apples and oranges are compared--find no conclusive evidence as to whether or not they work, where they do or do not work, when they do or do not work and, most importantly, why they do or do not work. This contribution presents an affordance framework for such collaborative learning environments; an interaction design procedure for designing, developing, and implementing them; and an educational affordance approach to the use of tasks in those environments. It also presents the results of three projects dealing with these three issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study in the domain of statistics compares four information presentation formats in a 2 × 2 factorial design: timing of supportive information (before or during task practice) × timing of procedural information (before or during task practice). Seventy-two psychology and education students (7 male and 65 female; mean age 18.5 years, SD = 2.85) participated. The effectiveness of the learning material was measured by test performance. The instructional efficiency was measured by a combination of mental effort during practice and test performance (i.e., a high test performance combined with a low mental effort during practice denotes a high instructional efficiency). ANOVA showed a main effect for timing of supportive information: presentation during practice led to more efficient learning than presentation before practice. Moreover, an interaction effect was found. Simultaneous presentation of procedural information before and supportive information during practice led to the most efficient learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discussion forum is a significant component of online courses. Instructors and students rely on these asynchronous forums to engage one another in ways that potentially promote critical thinking, meaningful problem solving, and knowledge construction. In spite of the importance of these forums, predominantly used methods for the assessing the content and outcomes of these forums has often been limited to frequency counts and other quantitative measures. Only recently have researchers developed protocols for conducting meaningful qualitative analysis of online discussion forums. This study compares the application of two content analysis protocols for online discussion boards by applying both to the content of one-week student-led discussion. Our analysis provides a detailed description of how to use both protocols and evaluates each for its strengths and weaknesses toward the overall goal of providing educators and researchers with valid tools for assessing discussion forum content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of students' ability and type of instructional program, structured and unstructured, on easy and difficult posttest items. Seventh-grade students worked through 14 instructional activities in The Geometer Sketchpad, a dynamic geometry program, and accessed a Geometry tutorial developed to parallel the state geometry standards. Low-ability students scored higher in the less structured program, whereas high- and medium-ability learners performed better in the structured program. High- and medium-ability students outscored low-ability learners by a greater margin on the difficult items than on the easy items. Although their overall performance was poor in both programs, that low-ability learners performed relatively better in the less structured, less traditional, mathematics activities is an encouraging finding for mathematics educators and designers of open-ended learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students' misconceptions of shadows have been studied previously. However, most studies were conducted before and/or after formal instruction. They did not provide a description of students' conceptual change during the learning process. The aim of the current research was to fill this gap and to identify students' changes in conception about diffused shadows during Nussbaum and Novick's suggested sequence of teaching (Nussbaum, J., and Novick, S. Instructional Science 11: 183–200, 1982a; Nussbaum, J., and Novick, S. A study of conceptual change in the classroom. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Lake Geneva, Chicago, 1982b). Class discussions at different stages of the teaching sequence as well as pre-and posttests of six 10th-grade students were analyzed. The identified misconceptions were divided into concepts concerning the following: (1) the nature of light, (2) the light source causing the shadow, (3) the object's characteristics, (4) the screen, and (5) the nature of the shadow. The analysis revealed that (a) students' “entering” ideas were unstable, (b) the language and materialistic view of light influenced students' ideas, (c) students' ideas were influenced by the group concepts, (d) students' interpretation of demonstrations and experiments was problematic, (e) students' ideas of the nature of light influenced their understanding, and (f) the use and interpretation of diagrams of light rays were problematic. By analyzing small-group discussions at different stages of the teaching sequence, we increased our understanding of students' conceptual change processes of diffused shadow mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching and learning complex issues is often confounded by the presence of simplistic mental models that are held by students. These simplistic models can be described as “cognitive illusions” which hinder the development of correct understanding of such issues in science. Many current environmental issues, such as ozone depletion, are quite complex, and our understanding of the causal forces driving them is continually undergoing revision. Ozone depletion was chosen as such an issue to try to answer two questions. First, can a short-term intervention significantly improve pre-service elementary teachers' understanding of this topic? Second, can complex issues be dealt with successfully through such a short-term intervention? Survey results showed that understanding of this issue can be significantly improved through a short-term intervention using a mix of constructivist approaches. But, the actual scores are still below what is acceptable. Second, the study suggests that short-term interventions can produce some degree of knowledge gains, especially at the factual level, but cognitive illusions continue to be very resistant to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of an intervention program for students with difficulties learning mathematics are reported. Two kinds of math intervention, guided versus structured instruction, were compared to regular math instruction. A total of 75 students from regular and special education, aged seven to thirteen, participated. Ability and automaticity multiplication tests were administered before and after the four-month training period. The results show that the students in both of the experimental conditions improved more than the students in the control condition. Some additional differences were found between the two experimental interventions. Guided instruction appeared to be more effective for low performing students than structured instruction and especially for those students in regular education. Special education students appear to benefit most from structured instruction for the automaticity of multiplication problems. A three month follow-up test showed the acquired knowledge to be well-established in both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two important content areas associated with informal environmental science programs are ecology/natural science topics and awareness of environmental problems/issues. This study attempted to evaluate which of these content areas may provide a more optimum learning experience. A quantitative analysis was conducted on two field trips to a science center that represented an ecological oriented program and an environmental issue presentation. Two variables that were chosen as indicators of program success—knowledge retention and attitude change—are outcomes that have been found prevalent in informal, environmental science education. These programs were administered and evaluated during the 1996/1997 school year at the Paul H. Douglas Environmental Science Center at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The results of this study showed significant gains in science related knowledge following both the ecology and issue oriented treatments. The data indicate that the focus of the program (ecology or issues) did not significantly alter the way students responded to the knowledge section of the evaluation instrument. Results showed little impact on students' affect toward park site or related subject matter following either presentation type. Authors recommend multiple research methods to better evaluate affect changes following an informal environmental science experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mentions the extent to which contemporary science curricula include knowledge of the nature of science as a goal of science instruction; it outlines the crucial role played by the pendulum in the achievements of the scientific revolution and documents how little these achievements are included in standard textbooks; it describes a number of classroom pendular experiments and activities that reproduce some of the main 17th centuary experiments and indicates how students can relive the original scientific, procedural and methodological debates; finally the paper suggests ways in which the pendulum can be used in cross-disciplinary teaching thus giving students a more authentic understanding of the way that science has developed in conjunction with mathematics, music, religion and commerce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1990s have been a decade of great spending and great introspection, particularly when it comes to educational allocations. Citizens, corporations, and public officials are becoming increasingly inquisitive about where their money is going and if the dollars spent are making a difference. For 5 years, the multimillion-dollar Delaware Technology Innovation Challenge project has implemented LightspanTM educational software in the classrooms and homes of elementary school students. Program goals are to increase parent involvement, generate more time for learning, and improve student achievement. On the surface, the program seems to have met its goals. Parents report being more involved in their child's education. Students and parents describe the time spent on the software at home as not replacing traditional homework, but rather television watching. And, student achievement in both reading and mathematics has increased at rates higher than would be expected. However, a closer examination of evaluation results reveals the program has worked best for lower achieving students; students who scored below the 50th percentile in fall testing had much greater achievement gains than their higher scoring peers. This paper investigates whether evaluation findings are reflective of the program's implementation or rather reveal a limitation of the technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation assessed the effects of presenting non-target stimuli in the antecedent and consequent events on the future learning of responses to those stimuli. A 4-s constant time delay procedure was implemented to teach students with mild to moderate disabilities to read sight words. Future target stimuli (i.e., stimuli that were presented during instructional sessions of initial target stimuli, but were not directly instructed or targeted) were presented in one of two conditions; (a) in the antecedent event, or (b) in the consequent event portion of each instructional trial. Future target stimuli consisted of sight words that were unrelated to the target stimuli. An adapted alternating treatments design was used to assess and compare the two instructional conditions. Also, after students achieved criterion for reading target sight words, constant time delay was implemented to teach the future target stimuli. The number of sessions and the number and percentage of errors through criterion for teaching target and future target stimuli were assessed to measure the efficiency of the two conditions. All students reached criterion on the target stimuli and then acquired the future target stimuli when taught. Students required fewer sessions to achieve criterion on future target stimuli compared to initial target stimuli. There were minimal differences between the two conditions (i.e., antecedent versus consequent). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, this study analyzed the effects of using response prompting procedures within an embedded skill approach on skill acquisition by 4 preschoolers with significant disabilities. Two target skills were identified from each student's IEP and taught during three preschool activities. A multiple probe across subjects design assessed the effects of the intervention. All students made progress above baseline performance. More importantly, there was consistency in performance of the target skills across at least two of the three activities for all children. Second, the reliability with which paraprofessionals in the preschool setting implemented response prompting procedures was evaluated. Data indicated that the paraprofessionals implemented the procedures with a high degree of accuracy. The impact of embedded skill instruction is addressed, as well as the impact of using non-degreed personnel to teach students with significant disabilities within inclusive preschool programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The result of the series of East-West cooperative projects so far has been a continuous reflection on the nature of learning and a revitalization of the ancient question, how schooling efforts can help restructure society in general and an economic system in particular. The concise review of ongoing Tempus and Copernicus projects shows that the major appreciation of ICT is in its flexibility, its just-in-time nature, and its orientation toward students as customers. These opportunities and the articulations of unorthodox schooling paradigms make it quite complex for traditional institutes to integrate the benefits of ICT-supported learning into practice. Adjacent ongoing Tempus projects show that traditional state-driven universities need to be structured as entrepreneurial rather than academic organizations. At the same time there is general lack of commitment by the highly versatile commercial training enterprises. a third alternative is the so-called 'learning communities' that attempt to establish mutual learning as an ongoing process, without any institutional basis. It is unclear at this moment how the balance between the three will gradually evolve in Eastern European countries in the coming years. Having particutated in ongoing Tempus and copernicus projects and at the same time having seen the synamics of new, yoing, up-and-coming entrepreneurs that play a role in the free market, it is my expectation that they finally will become dominant on the propagation and dissemination of expertise. Looking from the aspect of societal reform, however, it is my estimation that further investments in EU projects should continue in the direction of traditional state schooling institutes as they are able to maintain the momentum of evolution of a learning culture in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this manuscript we describe an introductory astronomy course for undergraduate students in which we moved from the large-lecture format to one in which students were immersed in a technologically-rich, inquiry-based, participatory learning environment. Specifically, undergraduate students used 3-D modeling tools to construct virtual reality models of the solar system, and in the process, build rich understandings of various astronomical phenomena. For this study, primarily naturalistic inquiry was used to gain a holistic view of this semester-long course. These data are presented as two case studies focusing on: (1) the role of the teacher in this participatory learning environment; (2) the particular dynamics that formed in each group; (3) the modeling process; (4) the resources used, specifically student-developed inscriptions; and (5) the role of technology and whether learning the technology interfered with learning astronomy. Results indicated that VR can be used effectively in regular undergraduate university courses as a tool through which students can develop rich understandings of various astronomical phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the dimensions of any kind of work where there is interaction between the giver and the taker of goods or services is a set of definitions of the situation in which the interaction takes place, and of the role of each in it. Every student comes from some queer corner of American society, or Canadian, or some other. Each adds either a new dimension or a new case that has to be fitted into one's frame of reference, or perhaps requires a change in the frame to make place for the new information. Thus the teacher gets new data and new ideas from the students, and the students are getting something. If a student is moved by what he hears in class from the teacher or from other students, or by what he reads, it is because he sees it as relevant to his own experience, at the same time, he sees his own experience as relevant to the subject, that is, to the experience of others. The whole becomes a more generalized, more abstract way of seeing society, one that can lead on to hypotheses and perhaps to refined methods of investigation. But one must ask under what conditions this kind of reciprocal learning can go on, what conditions of mind of the parties, teacher and student and eventually also what condition of society.

The article presents author's information on integration at workplace learning and difficulty faced by students in applying workplace learnings. Topics discussed include linkage of medical practice with philosophical factory style schooling, learning cycle and modification of theory, and learning opportunities.

The use of social media across the educational landscape is on the rise. Subsequently, the body of research on this topic is vibrant and growing. In this article, we present findings from a review of 103 peer-reviewed scientific studies published over the last decade (2007–2017) that address the use of Twitter for educational purposes across formal and informal settings. The majority of the studies reported in the literature are descriptive case studies carried out with students in North American and European higher education settings. Analysis of these studies signals Twitter as a useful tool for communication due to high accessibility, novelty, and real-time format. Students, teachers, and other stakeholders use it as a pedagogical tool to gain information, interact and engage with each other, participate in their respective communities of interests, and share their insights about specific topics. Moreover, Twitter has the potential to enhance students' learning capabilities as well as improve their motivation and engagement due to its unique features and non-traditional teaching approach. Finally, our analysis advocates for carrying out further empirical studies focusing on digital trace data and inference, particularly in the developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]