In this article, the author argues first, that critical-thinking skills do exist independent of disciplinary thinking skills and are not compromised by interaction effects with the major; and second, that standardized tests (e.g., the Collegiate Learning Assessment, or CLA, which is his example throughout the article) are the best way to measure…

If there is one thing all educators know and many studies have confirmed for decades, it is that there is no single answer to educational improvement. There are no grounds for the claim made in the past decade that accountability all by itself is a silver bullet, nor for the oft-asserted argument that choice by itself is a panacea. This article…

Starting from the contribution on the "ten principles of effective pedagogy" by James and Pollard, we critically reflect on some of the principles and assess whether these principles can be grounded in the wider European research literature that has accumulated internationally. We conclude that these principles can be supported and…

Discusses whether distance education can serve as an effective medium for teaching business communication content, much of which is interactive, and whether distance education can motivate students to be good business communicators. Argues the interactive features of distance education should be utilized to their maximum potential, and that…

The point of Choi and Clark (2006) was that after many well-designed studies, they have no evidence for either the learning or the motivational benefits of pedagogical agents. In their study, they found compelling evidence that when agents are found to enhance learning, a less expensive and less distracting pedagogical method has equal or greater…

Four elements of a model of effective instruction are instructional Quality; Appropriate levels of instruction; Incentive; and Time. In the QAIT model, all four elements must be adequate, and improvements in multiple elements may produce larger learning gains than improvement in any one. (SK)

In this article, the author describes his experiences when he decided to teach university-level mathematics to Year 8. Handling a particularly able class who had investigated the isoperimetric problem, he was confident that the class was more than up to the challenge and adequately motivated. Using a Powerpoint, he delivered the lessons to the…

Exploring the use of the prefix "meta" and the use of "meta" terms in the context of Lev S. Vygotsky's theories demonstrates that students need to use language to learn about language. "Writing about writing" is already part of many classrooms, but by establishing a connection between metadiscourse written informally…

This book describes what is wrong with the western schooling process and shows how it manipulates learners through grading them. It also describes what an education process requires to be truly educative. The chapters of section A, "The Relation between Motivation and Meaningful Learning," are: (A1) "Meaningful Learning and…

Paul Lehrman mentioned in Mix Magazine that school music programs, which traditionally have given students the precious opportunity to hear what real instruments sound like from both player's and listener's perspective, are in the toilet. Some within the profession have voiced similar concerns. K-12 music teachers have historically have had very…

This article is an open letter to English teachers by the author, a second-year graduate student in English education doing substitute teaching. She argues that as a substitute teacher, expectations of her teaching abilities and those of most substitute teachers are incredibly low, and that low expectations often result in low performance. Here,…

Discusses teletraining as an instructional delivery system and provides recommendations for making it more effective. Topics discussed include distance education; research on teletraining; instructional effectiveness; motivational factors; acceptance of technological innovations; perception of teletraining by adult learners; and the importance of…

Choi and Clark (2006) argue that learning is attributed to the instructional method rather than the specific medium used to deliver instruction (i.e., the pedagogical agent). Additionally, they consider pedagogical agents as unnecessarily expensive tools, whose instructional affordances can be replicated by less expensive options. In this response…

Journal writing in science can be productive and stress basic skills. Students need to be highly motivated to engage in journal writing, and since the world of science fascinates most learners, chances for motivation are good. The subject matter to be written about needs to relate directly to the ongoing unit of study. Dramatizations, both formal…

Presents a synthesis of key principles of successful classroom management and instruction for second-language educators. This summary of practices, verified in classrooms from the elementary to the postsecondary levels, describes what effective second-language teachers do in both the short- and long-term to enhance student learning and to motivate…