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The teaching of first-degree equations is a key point in secondary school curricula and requires the careful planning and selection of appropriate teaching materials. On the other hand, dyslexia, a specific learning disability, is increasingly common in the classroom. Thus, in the context of inclusion, the teaching methodology used by the mathematics teacher to present the concept of equation is a crucial factor for ensuring the equal and active participation of all students in the educational process. In this article, we present a two-month teaching intervention on first-degree equations that we carried out with forty students with dyslexia randomly divided into two classes, who were attending a special vocational high school in Greece. In one group, we used manipulative materials, while in the other group, we used traditional teaching methods. The results, which are derived from a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, showed that the students in the first group achieved better results in the final test than did the students in the second group, while at the same time, they showed increased engagement in the learning process and, to some extent, improved their social skills and gained confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Studying real-time teacher-student interaction provides insight into student's learning processes. In this study, upper grade elementary teachers were supported to optimize their instructional skills required for co-constructing scientific understanding. First, we examined the effect of the Video Feedback Coaching intervention by focusing on changes in teacher-student interaction patterns. Second, we examined the underlying dynamics of those changes by illustrating an in-depth micro-level analysis of teacher-student interactions. The intervention condition showed significant changes in the way scientific understanding was co-constructed. Results provided insight into how classroom interaction can elicit optimal co-construction and how this process changes during an intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two separate studies have been undertaken in order to evaluate a hypermedia application designed to help children with learning and communication difficulties acquire pre-mathematical concepts. First, an intervention study with six cases of children who had learning and communication difficulties is described. Second, a separate study examined twenty five educator''s perspectives after having used the application. Overall, it was evident that the application has the potential to serve as an assistive teaching tool, but there are concerns emerging from the empirical evaluation regarding its usability and utility. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An open-source management system of Web-based teaching interventions is presented that can be used in general for science curriculum courses and especially for computer science courses. The proposed solution is called System of Teaching Intelligent Interventions (STII) and facilitates the authoring, deployment, and evaluation of Web-based metaphors. This paper discusses the use of metaphors for assisting students to comprehend the substance of cognitive concepts and their basic background. STII has been applied in a particular educational scenario during the learning process of 228 students attending the course "computer applications." The presentation of results from a pilot evaluation of two metaphors demonstrates the usefulness of the system. The evaluation focuses on the impact of the two metaphors on student learning, and on detecting potential correlations between metaphors and students' groups. STII evaluation conclusions strongly support that multimedia metaphors can be used as an alternative instructional tool to assist students in confronting their cognitive constraints and developing functional understanding of curriculum courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The project aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning of pharmaceutics by combining didactic pedagogy and student analysis of research articles in the field of pharmaceutics as a teaching intervention. The students were assigned to groups, and research articles were given to each group together with questions to develop lines of thought. Each group then made a presentation to the class. Students' reactions to the teaching intervention were measured using a Likert-type scale (“strongly disagree” = 1 to “strongly agree” = 5) and five statements related to the use of research articles in the course. Overall results indicate that students' reactions were positive. Seventy-five percent of the students reported that the use of the research articles increased their knowledge and understanding of the subject matter that was being taught. Eighty-seven percent of the students agreed that the questions prepared by the professors on each of the research articles were helpful and should be used in the future. Ninety-two percent of the students agreed that the research articles were connected to what they were learning in the various courses in pharmaceutics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]