Tape diagrams, also known as strip diagrams, bar models, fraction strips, or length models, are linear representations that can be used to effectively model quantitative relationships during problem solving. Tape diagrams are a powerful model recommended by the Common Core, but they are relatively new to teachers and students in the United States.…

The intent of this paper is to make sense of and share with a broader community of teachers and teacher educators a professional development phenomenon that is peculiar to the Chinese elementary and secondary school context. This practice, known as the Open Class, has at least three forms: intra-school, inter-school, and competitive. These forms…

"The Effectiveness of Mathematics Teaching in Primary Schools: Lessons from England and China" provides a unique insight into the mathematics classrooms of these two countries and arrives at a time when the world is eager to know how Chinese learners consistently excel at learning mathematics and other core subjects. Showcasing the kinds…

The key underlying developmental concepts and skills requisite for early literacy learning appear to be easily achieved among most young English language learners (ELLs). These strengths, however, may merely mask the need for enhanced vocabulary development, the key variable in successful transitioning from early to academic literacy development…

The rise of China, as well as any of the emerging economies, has much to offer students and teachers of social studies--especially in the fields of history and economics. Traditionally, history education in the United States has emphasized Western civilization and provided instruction for educators with that end in mind. In an era of increased…

This edited book documents practices of learning-oriented language assessment through practitioner research and research syntheses. Learning-oriented language assessment refers to language assessment strategies that capitalise on learner differences and their relationships with the learning environments. In other words, learners are placed at the…

In this article we examine the activities of 2 public lessons prepared and conducted by a group of elementary school teachers in China. We employ the conceptual lens of deliberate practice to understand how the public lesson activities possibly contributed to improvement of the teachers' knowledge and instructional performance. We found that…

The author describes her two-year experience of living in China and how this molded her attitudes about English language learners in Texas. Examples drawn from the Nanjing International School show how one school worked to meet the needs of a diverse group of students, with more than 70% learning English as a second language. The practical…

One way that people learn, remember and communicate is visually. We combine past experiences with new visual information to construct meaning. In this study, elementary teachers introduced their students to the peoples and places of the ancient silk routes using illustrations from two children's picture books, "Marco Polo," written by…

This paper examines bilingual education policies and practices in China and the interconnection and influences of the west in the new developments in bilingual education in this country. It focuses on bilingual education in Tibetan areas considering the sociopolitical context, the Tibetan tradition, and the current developments and new knowledge…

This article explores bullying in mainland China. The authors conducted a study to determine the existence of a problem with bullying in younger Chinese children. Samples included 40 randomly selected, early childhood educators serving children ages 2 through 6, located in 10 different urban school settings along the Yangzi River. The authors…

Communicative and task-based teaching hold central places in contemporary language pedagogy, yet their feasibility as pedagogic innovations in Chinese contexts remains open to question. Examinations are generally perceived as a particular factor militating against the implementation of communicative approaches. This study uses four case studies of…

This research tends to make the experimental study on the mathematics teaching model of "situated creation and problem-based instruction" (SCPBI), namely, the teaching process of "creating situations--posing problems--solving problems--applying mathematics". It is aimed at changing the situation where students generally lack…

Compared with standard arithmetic word problems demanding only the direct use of number operations and computations, realistic problems are harder to solve because children need to incorporate "real-world" knowledge into their solutions. Using the realistic word problem testing materials developed by Verschaffel, De Corte, and Lasure…

Teaching social studies concepts and skills through an introduction to world languages is a powerful vehicle for student learning. Simultaneously, teachers can increase student awareness of language diversity by teaching students about the world and its many countries and supporting English language learners. Fortunately, for linguistically…