Several studies have explored the use of iconic gestures to improve the learning of foreign vocabulary. In this quest, words for abstract concepts have been largely neglected, under the assumption that abstract concepts have poor or non-existent sensory-motor representations. Yet, the Conceptual Metaphor Theory suggests that they are grounded on…

Covariational reasoning (or the coordination of two dynamically changing quantities) is central to secondary STEM subjects, but research has yet to fully explore its applicability to elementary and middle-grade levels within various STEM fields. To address this need, we selected a globally referenced STEM assessment--the Trends in International…

Policymakers, educators, and families throughout the world are concerned about the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on school-aged youth. Schools are working to help students readjust to school routines and regain lost ground on academic skill development while also addressing the wounds caused by the pandemic. This study describes one…

The author argues for a functionalist understanding of autism. Instead of explaining autism as an inborn or otherwise neurological deficit, autism may be understood as a functional disturbance: the impairment of the abstract attitude. The abstract attitude is a concept developed by German neuropsychiatrist Kurt Goldstein (1987-1965) to describe…

Building scientific arguments is a central ability for all scientists regardless of their specific domain. In organic chemistry, building arguments is a necessary skill to estimate reaction processes in consideration of the reactivities of reaction centres or the chemical and physical properties. Moreover, building arguments for multiple reaction…

Over half a century has passed since Bruner suggested his three-stage enactive-iconic-symbolic model of instruction. In more recent research, predominantly in educational psychology, Bruner's model has been reformulated into the theory of instruction known as concreteness fading (CF). In a recent constructivist teaching experiment investigating…

The construct of metacognition appears in an ever increasing number and range of contexts in educational, developmental, and cognitive psychology. Can it retain its status as a useful construct in the face of such diverse application? Or is it merely an umbrella term for diverse mental phenomena that are loosely if at all connected? Here I argue…

In this report, we present an analysis of two prospective secondary mathematics teachers' generalizing actions in quantitative contexts. Specifically, we draw from a teaching experiment to report how Lydia and Emma engaged in different generalizing processes for the same task. Based on these differences, we found Lydia's generalizing actions…

Due to growing interest in twenty-first-century skills, and critical thinking as a key element, logical reasoning is gaining increasing attention in mathematics curricula in secondary education. In this study, we report on an analysis of video recordings of student discussions in one class of seven students who were taught with a specially…

This study aims to develop a computer program for the identification key to insect orders (Arthropoda: Hexapoda) and to investigate its effectiveness as teaching material. Secondly, this study is aiming at whether this program improves students' computational thinking skills or not longitudinal quasi-experimental design. Firstly, the study is…

This study aims to investigate the relationship between learning styles and the efficacy of routine and non-routine problem solving. It also compares these relationships with respect to routine and non-routine problem types. The study sample consisted of 356 eighth-grade students in four different schools. In this study, correlational and…

Mathematics teaching and learning goes beyond computations and procedures; it rather includes complex problem-solving and critical thinking. Kilpatrick, Swafford, and Findell (2001) identify five mathematical competencies that are present in mathematics learning: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, adaptive reasoning, strategic…

Despite the critical role of teachers in the educational process, few advanced learning technologies have been developed to support teacher-instruction or professional development. This lack of support is particularly acute for middle school math teachers, where only 37% felt well prepared to scaffold instruction to address the needs of diverse…

Ambridge argues that the existence of exemplar models for individual phenomena (words, inflection rules, etc.) suggests the feasibility of a unified, exemplars-everywhere model that eschews abstraction. The argument would be strengthened by a description of such a model. However, none is provided. I show that any attempt to do so would immediately…

In the "Republic," Plato developed an educational program through which he trained young Athenians in desiring truth, without offering them any knowledge-education. This is not because he refused to pass on knowledge but because he considered knowledge of the Good as an ongoing research program. I show this by tracing the steps of the…