When engineering students are unable to evaluate the validity of their solutions, they are unprepared to solve complex, real-world engineering problems that require decomposition or knowledge transfer. A proper framework is key to successful implementation and can encourage more institutions to adopt problem-solving engineering labs. This paper…

Among different transitions that happen in a young person's life, transition to adulthood can be one of the most challenging. The new post-school environment requires increased self-determination, including self-awareness, self-advocacy, self-management, and other important skills that help one function as an independent adult. Because it takes…

The purpose of this paper is to review the utility of think alouds in writing instruction and highlight the function of think-aloud modeling in the development of cognitive and metacognitive strategies that support learners' independence. For these purposes, modeling with coping is also explained. Coping models, in which teachers encounter…

Music teachers may be tasked with documenting ways in which broader literacy skills have been embedded in music teaching. As a result, musical goals might seem to take a secondary role in support of broader language-literacy skills. Enhancing music literacy should be the goal of well-designed integration. The suggestions here provide music…

Are you cultivating the real-world creative problem-solving skills today's diverse learners need for future success? Or have we leaned so far into test preparation that we have left no room for developing our students' unique talents, leaving them disengaged and unmotivated? With the new brain-based Talent-Targeted Teaching and Learning model…

Special educators can play an essential role in the development of students' understanding of and capacity to do mathematics. Whether a special education teacher's goal is to help kindergartners develop counting skills or to support 10th graders in constructing geometric proofs and whether instruction will occur in co teaching, consulting, or…

"Nurturing Students' Character" is an easy-to-use guide to incorporating social-emotional and character development (SECD) into your teaching practice. The links are clear--elementary and middle school students have better odds of academic success if you nurture their social and emotional skills. Drawing on broad field experience and the…

Student learning communities (SLCs) are more than just a different way of doing group work. Like the professional learning communities they resemble, SLCs provide students with a structured way to solve problems, share insight, and help one another continually develop new skills and expertise. With the right planning and support, dynamic…

Parents in the United States expect their students to have homework; and students, especially in middle school and high school, expect daily homework assignments from their teachers. However, it is difficult to create effective homework assignments. Despite the challenges involved, the authors believe that homework "can" be an important…

This book helps teachers support and engage the many different kinds of learners in schools. It examines the most effective strategies for leading diverse students in developing the skills they need inside and outside the classroom. By understanding and exploring students emotional, cultural, and academic needs, educators will be better prepared…

This guidance report focuses on the teaching of mathematics to pupils in Key Stages 2 and 3. It is not intended to provide a comprehensive guide to mathematics teaching. We have made recommendations where there are research findings that schools can use to make a significant difference to pupils' learning, and have focused on the questions that…

The ability to memorize facts is not enough to equip students to solve problems or navigate an evolving world. If we educate young people to become flexible, metacognitive thinkers--and model that behavior for them--they will understand how to adapt their learning and successfully find their way in new territory. This book shows school leaders how…

The development of fundamental movement skills in physical education is an important contributor toward children's' lifetime interest and participation in physical activity. Physical education teachers and their curricula follow national and state standards to provide learning experiences and instruction that support the acquisition of…

The Common Core State Standards clearly define the skills students need for success in college and the 21st century workplace. The question is, how can you measure student mastery of skills like creativity, problem solving, and use of technology? Laura Greenstein demonstrates how teachers can teach and assess 21st century skills using authentic…

Graphic organizers are powerful visual tools. The representation provides dimension and relationship to ideas and a framework for organization and elaboration. The LIBRE Stick Figure Tool is a graphic organizer for the problem-solving application of the LIBRE Model counseling approach. It resembles a "stick person" and offers the teacher and…