The study of classroom processes that shape students' motivational beliefs, although fruitful, has suffered from a lack of conceptual clarity in terminology, definitions, distinctions, and roles of these important processes. Synthesizing extant research and major theoretical perspectives on achievement motivation, I propose Motivational Climate…

Agentic engagement represents students' constructive contribution into the flow of instruction they receive, as students express their interests and offer their input. It is a purposive, proactive, and reciprocal type of engagement that is integral to promoting important student outcomes (e.g., learning, achievement), but its essential purpose is…

Game-based learning has become increasingly popular in recent years and has drawn an increasing level of attention in education. While the preliminary findings of educational gaming impact are quite promising, the current dilemma is the disconnect between what is available on the market and what is needed in the classroom. There has been an…

A detailed characteristic of teaching and learning approaches used within the new concept of Learning by Being (LBB) is given. The evolution of educational paradigms from Learning by Doing (LBD) and Learning by Understanding (LBU) toward LBB is analyzed. The basic idea of LBB is students' ownership on cognitive goals, or the assumption of learning…

Intentional learning occurs in formal and informal settings throughout an individual's life time. Intentional learning can be deemed as an ideal learning process where all the necessary elements for achieving a goal of effective learning are in place and in order. Intentional learners take an active role in and responsibility for their own…

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…

In order to be successful in problem-or project-based learning (PBL), students must take responsibility for the learning process by setting goals, monitoring, reflecting, and sustaining their motivation from the beginning of the project until the end. However, for many students, these processes do not occur naturally or easily. Therefore, the…

This article offers wisdom to those seeking to better engage young adolescents: children are inherently curious and eager to learn, and will be more so when adults step aside and give them room to stretch. The author describes tools and suggested practices on how to advance student empowerment to learn. Allowing students to make choices about…

Motivation, one of the leading problems in education, is an ongoing issue for teachers. Motivation is important because it highly contributes to achievement. Teachers have to be certain that their students are being motivated in order to develop a positive outcome. This article suggests some strategies to sustain students' classroom motivation.

Curricular reform efforts are underway in many countries, focused on adopting inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning. Therefore, it is increasingly important to understand what outcomes students attain in inquiry environments. Derived from a literature review, a 23-item, criterion-referenced inventory is presented for theoretically…

In this article, the author outlines briefly what he calls the three C's--a set of tools that can be used to improve urban science education. The author then describes ways that these tools can support students who have traditionally been marginalized. These three aligned and closely connected tools provide practical ways to engage students in…

This article suggests that educational psychology should pay more attention to the role of the curriculum when the optimal motivation to learn in school is considered. The curriculum frames the teaching-studying-learning process in school. This fact has several implications on the motivation to learn in school. After the child starts school, his…

In this article, the author discusses the psychosocial benefits of cooperative learning. She discovered that when she relinquished traditional autocratic control and allowed her students to collaborate interactively with classmates to achieve common goals, her students became more invested and engaged in their learning. She also discovered that…

The research on formative assessment and feedback is reinterpreted to show how these processes can help students take control of their own learning, i.e. become self-regulated learners. This reformulation is used to identify seven principles of good feedback practice that support self-regulation. A key argument is that students are already…

Describes some of the ways children in a kindergarten, grade one, and grade two combination class learn math by choosing to do it in real, sensible, and interesting ways. This whole math approach has children develop their own problems to investigate specific topics that combine math, science, problem solving, and the language arts. (MDM)