Despite the advocated importance of twenty-first century competences in education, it appears that they are not systematically integrated in national curricula, school curricula and classroom activities. Potential explanations can be found in the current ambiguity of definitions for twenty-first century competences and the absence of educational…

How can a teacher make learning vocabulary and academic content meaningful to students from diverse cultural backgrounds? The author shares strategies for incorporating dynamic participatory processes into the classroom.

In this article, the authors explored how laptops used in 1:1 classrooms affect cooperation and collaboration practices. Based on an observational time study, the authors found that the most common activity in 1:1 classrooms is group work using the computer. They also found that, despite what the concept 1:1 alludes to about one student working…

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for integrating knowledge and practice in learning experiences in K-12 science education. "PlantingScience" (PS), an ideal curriculum for use as an NGSS model, is a computer-mediated collaborative learning environment intertwining scientific inquiry, classroom instruction, and online…

Substitute teachers are an important part of students' K-12 educational experience and can have an impact on students' learning. However, without proper training or guidance, substitute teachers are often asked to merely monitor students as they complete worksheets or watch videos. Finding substitute teachers for foreign languages (such as…

Reports on 128 subjects interviewed about their recollections of school field trips during their early years of school. Ninety-six percent could recall school field trips, with the majority recalling when they went, with whom they went, where they went, and three or more specific aspects of what they did. The study reinforces interrelationships…

Describes a way to enliven vocabulary lessons by combining them with two effective teaching strategies--cooperative learning and story development by students. (SR)

Discusses the definition of cooperative learning; cooperative-learning groups and learning disabilities; cooperative-learning methods used in reading and in writing; and perspectives on cooperative-learning groups. (RS)

This unit was designed to encourage students to identify and analyze local, national, and global environmental problems. The emphasis of the unit is on the cause-effect relationship humans have with the environment. It is made up of four sections of learning activities and suggestions, one for each of the core disciplines: language arts, social…

This paper discusses cooperative learning, a technique in which students work in small heterogeneous learning groups. Following a definition of cooperative learning, the paper describes the most widely used cooperative learning methods, including Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD), Teams-Games-Tournament (TGT), Jigsaw, Learning Together,…

Presents a potpourri of environmental education activities for grades K-12. Activities are grouped according to the subject areas of science, social studies, mathematics, language arts, and fine arts. (AIM)

Describes a jigsaw puzzle activity, a two-part cooperative learning activity useful at any level of mathematics instruction, intended to teach students to become "strategic readers" of their mathematics textbooks. (SR)

Examines major principles and characteristics of cooperative learning, various instructional approaches, and the findings of cooperative learning studies in elementary and secondary schools. The relationship between cooperative learning and language learning is discussed. An annotated bibliography is included. (46 references) (LET)

Discusses the positive effects of cooperative learning on students' academic achievement, attitudes toward each other, and social and affective development. Describes two cooperative learning techniques with broad utility and adaptability: the jigsaw strategy and student teams achievement division. (SV)

Cooperative lesson plans are presented for the following: current events for middle and high school; lessons on group process for elementary school; cooperative collage making to summarize a unit; group thank-you letters after an excursion; a team-building/language development lesson; and a values lesson on "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." (JD)