Mastery learning can be described as a set of group-based, individualized, teaching and learning strategies based on the premise that virtually all students can and will, in time, learn what the school has to teach. Inherent in this description are assumptions concerning the nature of schools, classroom instruction, and learners. According to the…

This paper reports a research practice of engaging middle school students to be multimedia designers using a project-based learning approach. Specifically, it addresses two questions: whether a learner-as-multimedia-designer environment can increase middle school students' motivation toward learning; and whether the middle school students'…

This study focused on providing insight into online teaching and learning by analyzing the electronic discourse and examining its context--the design, development, and implementation. The inquiry used a case study methodology on a sample of 15 participants to discover theoretical positions. The framework was based on one main question with two…

This paper describes the ways in which the learning context with technology is "co-constructed" by teachers and learners, and investigates students' response to technology and how the beliefs and actions of students influence the use of technology in their classrooms. The research is a longitudinal case study of a school and its implementation of…

Behaviorism was the dominant epistemology in education approximately 20 years ago, while constructivism has most recently been the dominant epistemology in the field. In this paper, differences between the assumptions of behaviorism and constructivism are briefly identified, and the behaviorist pedagogy of Individually-Guided Education and the…

This study examined the consequences of establishing e-mail communication between two classes in different schools: a fifth grade of children with hearing difficulties and a fourth grade of children without hearing difficulties. The arrangement provided an opportunity for children to interact with peers whom they would not normally meet at school.…

Operating Systems IV is a subject taught to fourth-year information technology learners at Technikon Natal, a tertiary educational institution in KwaZulu Natal (South Africa). During 1998, the need to introduce elements of flexibility in this course was identified. As a result, a virtual classroom was used as a communal resource base and a…

Reviews past research on teacher expectations, student motivation, classroom management, and process-outcome research. Discusses the newer trend toward research on teaching for understanding and use of knowledge and its application for curriculum development, particularly in social studies. Contains detailed tables summarizing the author's…

Constructive controversy has many benefits in the classroom. The benefits of constructive controversy, however, depend on the way the teacher structures the controversy, the skill level of the students, and the materials and resources available. The controversy model involves eight steps: (1) introducing the controversy; (2) assigning groups and…

The effect of language variation on language teaching is considered. It is suggested there has been a shift away from the notion that a language can be perceived by learners as a fixed system to an emphasis on its negotiability in a social context. This is not precisely the shift from grammatical concerns to functional ones, for it arises out of…

In a mandatory fee setting it is important to develop a program that educates students on health center services so as to insure their continuing financial support. The Colorado State University Student Health Center receives no state funds and so has created techniques to fill this fundamental need. Students other than full-time, such as…

"Who needs the student council?" The student needs the student council. Secondary school youth need practical experiences in doing those things expected of adults in a democratic society. The school needs the student council because the quality of education is improved when students are involved in an assessment of the educational experiences…

The learner's role in acquiring cognitive and interpersonal skills in a first-year medical school course in neurobiology (12 students) that used a small-group, problem-based teaching method. Objectives of the study were to: (1) determine the cognitive and interpersonal skills the students believed were important; (2) evaluate how well the students…

This study addressed the use of Professional Development Schools (PDSs) as a component of the teacher preparation program at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. The study measured differences in perceptions of all groups involved in the PDS process. The five groups under study were PDS students, university faculty, and PDS onsite…

A multiple, embedded case study research design was employed to describe and explain the case method pedagogy used by two veteran practioners. The units of analysis were two graduate courses, one a teacher ethics course and the other a business policy course. Information was gathered utilizing precourse and postcourse interviews and a…