Powerful Environments For Promoting Deep Conceptual And Strategic Learning

Over the past years a substantial amount of research has been undertaken relating to the development of powerful learning environments for the acquisition in students of worthwhile educational objectives focussing on conceptual understanding, higher-order cognitive and metacognitive skills, and self-regulated learning. This research has been mainly undertaken from three distinct, but related perspectives in the study of learning and instruction, namely instructional psychology, instructional technology, and instructional design. Against this background a "research community" involving 14 European research teams has recently been initiated with the aim of interactively contributing to the advancement of theory and methodology relating to the design, implementation, and evaluation of powerful learning environments.This volume, based on the plenary lectures and working sessions during the community's third workshop, constitutes a collective output of this research community, focussing on the identification and analysis of major components and dimensions of powerful learning environments aimed at the promotion of deep conceptual and strategic learning in major domains of school curricula, like mathematics, physics, history, and social sciences.In Part I of the volume three chapters present general perspectives on the central theme of the third workshop. In Part II six studies are reported wherein novel learning environments for elementary and secondary mathematics education have been designed, implemented and evaluated. In Part III of the volume another set of five investigations is presented relating to the design, implementation and evaluation of powerful learning environments in other subject-matter domains (physics, history, social sciences) and in teacher training.

The Handbook of Mathematics Teacher Education, the first of its kind, addresses the learning of mathematics teachers at all levels of schooling to teach mathematics, and the provision of activity and programmes in which this learning can take place. It consists of four volumes. Volume 2, Tools and Processes in Mathematics Teacher Education, focuses on the “how” of mathematics teacher education.

International Academic Conference on Teaching, Learning and E-learning and International Academic Conference on Management, Economics and Marketing and International Academic Conference on Transport, Logistics, Tourism and Sport Science

Threshold Concepts within the Disciplines brings together leading writers from various disciplines and national contexts in an important and readable volume for all those concerned with teaching and learning in higher education.

This book explores successful transition strategies to, within and from university for students from around the globe, with Macquarie University, a large Australian university, studied in depth. It addresses the meaning of success taking a variety of perspectives, including student, staff and employer views. The chapters present a series of initiatives that have proven to be successful in assisting students in developing their academic potential throughout university and beyond. The authors of the chapters use a variety of methodologies and approaches reflecting the diverse local contexts and requirements. These international perspectives demonstrate a triumph of practice that has led to the empowerment of individuals and groups. The approaches from twelve universities located in eight different countries stem directly from the coalface and provide many valuable lessons and tools that colleagues in the sector will be able to consider and adapt in their own contexts. Small interventions matter, from a mentor of a nervous student who goes on to achieve greatness, to the use of a curriculum design model that hooks a whole group of students into learning and achievement. This book covers both the small, individual victories and the larger scale strategies that support success. Contributions emanate from Australia, Bangladesh, India, China, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Uruguay and South Africa.

The 21st century has seen an expansion in digital technology and the ways in which it affects everyday life. These technologies have become essential in the growth of social communication and mass media. Fostering 21st Century Digital Literacy and Technical Competency offers the latest in research on the technological advances on computer proficiency in the educational system and society. This collection of research brings together theories and experiences in order to create a common framework and is essential for educators and professionals in the technology fields.

This book brings together the lessons of research on both the nature of learning and different educational applications, and it summarises these as seven key concluding principles.

In working with integers, students have difficulties that may extend into middle school and even adulthood. However, even young children can display insights into negative numbers well before receiving formal instruction. Using a pre-test, instruction, post-test design, this study explores how 61 first graders reason about negative number properties and operations and how their understanding changes depending on the instruction they receive. Results of the study indicate that children build on their existing whole number understanding to develop a central conceptual structure for integers. Furthermore, the process by which they extend their numerical central conceptual structure differs among students; their initial schemas, together with the form of the integer instruction, influence how they reason about and solve integer addition and subtraction problems. These results highlight the need to revisit the placement, duration, and content of integer instruction in curricula.