Issues emerging from instructional innovation are inevitable, yet basing any curriculum shift on a theoretical framework is paramount. This paper grounds the case-based pedagogy in three learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. The three theories are described and situated in relation to the case study method. An…

The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act's focus on raising standardized test scores for underachieving students has created a national education system where teacher time and resources are often not directed to students in the top percentiles and those identified as gifted and talented. As resources for gifted students continue to be limited,…

This article begins with the perspective that teacher education programmes are cultural institutions and are thus compelled to respond to the societal push for teachers to be conversant in so-called twenty-first-century skills, grounded primarily in the ability to use digital technologies for pedagogical purposes. The results of an attempt to…

This book evaluates the origins of processes of change in language teaching in China, and the factors influencing their success. Examining diverse experiences and drawing on the perspectives of academics from the top institutions in the country, the authors analyse the complex interplay between global and local influences on language policies.…

Universities are currently undergoing a significant amount of changes of a conceptual and methodological nature, in compliance with the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). This new scenario promotes new learning and teaching methodologies under specific criteria. In a global sense it can be stated that the main outcome of this new approach is…

Designed in response to an expressed need for assessment measures of teacher preparation programs, this exploratory study presents one method to assess and improve teacher-educator practices (Crowe, 2010; Gardiner, 2007). Teacher-educators have discovered that conducting a personal assessment or a self-study of one's practice is a way to improve…

This study explores the effects of a student tutoring programme focusing on self-regulated learning. Ninety-three Flemish fifth- and sixth-grade tutees at-risk due to their socio-economic and/or non-native background participated. A pre-post test design was used and the "Learning Motivation Test", "Junior Metacognitive Awareness…

Online learning is used for different purposes such as the actualization of equal opportunity in education or excellence in education. In Korea, nationwide online learning has been launched since 2005 to boost the self-directed learning capabilities and academic achievement of underprivileged students. The purpose of this study was to examine…

This paper reports on the use and potentials of Learning Platform (LP) technologies for organising learning in English primary and secondary schools. It reports on the findings of qualitative research on the benefits of LPs based on data from case studies in 12 "early adopting" English primary and secondary schools. The paper reports…

This paper traces the historical origins of formal and informal lifelong learning to argue that optimal twenty-first-century education can and should draw on the traditions of both the school and the coffee house or cafe. For some time now, educational policy documents and glossy school brochures have come wrapped in the mantle of lifelong…

Even though creativity is often included as one criterion for identification of gifted students, its development is not standard practice in many schools. What can teachers do to address creativity in the classroom? How can a teacher add one more thing to an already overcrowded curriculum? Rather than adding, creativity should be embedded into the…

This study examines the effectiveness of handbook preparation as a method in the self-directed learning process of student teachers in teaching endocrine glands, and increasing their levels of knowledge. Thirty student teachers were selected from a biology department. A pencil and paper test and a clinical interview procedure were used to collect…

In recent years there has been a growing recognition of the importance of learner autonomy and the role of individual learners in directing their own learning process, both inside and outside the classroom (Alford & Pachler, 2007; Benson, 2000; Breen, 2001; Conacher & Kelly-Holmes, 2007). However, in practice it is not always clear how to support…

Recognizing and documenting problems in practice and engaging in self-study are not necessarily the same thing. Acting on the problems, issues or concerns that attract attention in teaching and learning about teaching requires an acceptance of the need to seek alternative perspectives and to seek data that is outside of the self. It is in the…

Fear of public speaking is the most common social fear experienced by the general population and can have far-reaching academic effects, including lower course grades and even an increased likelihood to drop out of college. The typical curricular approach to remediating public speaking fears in college students is to provide training in basic…