Active learning strategies engage students productively in the process of learning through problem-solving activities and discussions, over and above the routine method of listening passively to the instructor. This work highlights the redesign of a medicinal chemistry course by augmenting traditional lectures with active learning sessions in…

A new curriculum is set for implementation in Wales from September 2022. Preparation for change is already underway in Gwaunmeisgyn Primary School in South Wales. Various development teams are preparing for the new curriculum, including the three teachers in the science and technology team. The team met to plan and design a bespoke pilot project…

Today's students are motivated to understand the world around them, and in so doing, they question things that their professors take for granted. Students are naturally drawn to question the world around them, and as they do so, they are developing frameworks to better organize their questions and the answers. The author understands that students…

This document outlines the Michigan Department of Education's (MDE) efforts to improve literacy achievement by providing guidance regarding the establishment of diverse classroom libraries. It also answers the why, what, and how of establishing or refining a diverse library.

Students' valuing of academic content impacts their engagement in learning and plays a pivotal role in shaping their future academic and career choices. Fortunately, practicing educators can integrate many readily applicable strategies into teaching to enhance students' valuing of academic content. Drawing from expectancy-value theory, Eric M.…

Embodied cognition theory underscores the importance of the interactions among the mind, body and environment, and instructors can make use of these connections to support learning through body-based learning activities. However, synchronous online learning presents challenges to this type of embodied pedagogy, as learning through physical actions…

Recent work in science education has emphasized the importance of the conceptual, social, and epistemic dimensions in science learning. But what about the material dimension--the actual physical materials that students use? The way their characteristics and affordances limit or determine instruction has thus far not been as thoroughly explored.…

This paper discusses several linear algebra activities designed to help enhance students' skills in collaborating, exploring mathematics, and linking together abstract and visual ways of approaching mathematics. Most of these activities are short, accessible, engaging, and easy to incorporate into any classroom. In addition, we discuss some…

Inoculation theory, which applies the biological concept of vaccination to misinformation, provides a range of ways to effectively build resilience against misinformation. In this article, we define and organize the various types of inoculation, which includes three delivery mechanisms that can be useful in the classroom--passive, active, and…

Online learning has provided pathways for access to flexible educational experiences, but can also feel isolating and impersonal, lacking authentic relationships with instructors and peers. Centering the discussion of humanizing distance education through the lens of three core pedagogical components of teaching and learning (i.e., instruction,…

Motivation is repeatedly found to be a determining factor for achievement in language acquisition at school. Decades of Self-determination theory (SDT) research has shown that students exhibit higher levels of engagement and positive learning behaviours when their basic psychological needs of competence, autonomy and relatedness are satisfied,…

Good stories, literary or mathematical, have the ability to keep the reader engaged and wanting for more. However, poorly designed stories may also elicit a negative aesthetic reaction and thereby reduce engagement. By drawing on literary theory and Dietiker's ("For the Learning of Mathematics" 33(3):14-19, 2013; "Educational…

Researchers have suggested that initial attempts to change mathematics instruction often leave educators "with no framework for the kinds of specific, constructive pedagogical moves" they might make (Chazan & Ball, 1999, p. 2). The intent of this article is to introduce a framework for teaching and learning mathematics that is robust…

This team of authors collaborated to transform a middle school-focused informal STEM learning experience to a virtual platform that engaged students in authentic STEM learning experiences while simultaneously promoting discourse.

Humour is discussed in this article in relation to drama education in Ireland. Humour is identified as a potentially important feature of children's engagement in drama, and this is explained by an exploration of humour theory. Examples of how humour positively affects the experience of drama participation are also considered. The discussion is in…