The Use and Effectiveness of a Question Exploration Routine in Secondary‐Level English Language Arts Classrooms

This purpose of the study was to determine the effects of teachers using the Question Exploration Routine (QER) in regularly scheduled secondary‐level English Language Arts classes to help students answer questions about the development and use of main ideas in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Questions were posed in both multiple‐choice and written formats. On average, students representing diverse groups who received instruction with the QER correctly answered a significantly higher percentage of total questions than students receiving traditional lecture‐discussion instruction (effect sizes were very large). Results are reported for total scores, subscores of multiple‐choice and written responses, and for responses of subgroups of students. Students’ mean satisfaction and confidence responses are reported.     

Helping children value and appreciate nature

Summary Integrating nature education into the curriculum teaches children many important concepts, such as aesthetics, respect, caring for the earth, and the interrelationships among humans and the habitat. As the world becomes more populated and polluted, and as some animal and plant life becomes endangered and extinct, the role that we all play in protecting or destroying the earth can be reinforced. Through nature study, children can learn how they affect the environment as well as how the environment affects them. By having rich and varied opportunities to experience and explore nature, children can begin to value and appreciate their immediate world and will hopefully generalize this knowledge to other situations and places.     

Children's Metacognition About Reading: issues in Definition,Measurement, and Instruction

Metacognition has become a popular term in theories of cognitive development and reading. What children know about the goals, tasks, and strategies of reading can influence how well they plan and monitor their own reading. Despite the appeal of metacognition and the emphasis on executive management of reading, there have been relatively few empirical studies that measure or promote children's metacognition about reading. This article briefly reviews some key studies of children's knowledge about reading and identifies some difficulties in defining and measuring metacognition. An Index of Reading Awareness (IRA) is offered as an informal assessment of metacognition derived from both theory and empirical data that can be used to measure children's understanding of reading comprehension processes. Data are presented illustrating that the instrument is sensitive to developmental and instructional differences in children's metacognition about reading. It is argued that the usefulness of the term metacognition depends on the development of both formal and informal tests of children's knowledge about reading and effective instruction that promotes metacognition.     

How Framing Climate Change Influences Citizen Scientists’ Intentions to Do Something About It

How we communicate the dangers of climate change may influence attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Here we test two pairs of positive and negative framing statements with North American citizen scientists interested in gardening and birdwatching. Mentioning dangers for humans did not increase participants’ interest in taking personal action on climate change, but mentioning dangers for birds was highly effective. Highlighting the positive collective impacts of small behavioral changes also increased participants’ interest in taking personal action. These results suggest that while some dire messages are ineffective, those evoking concern for target species of significance to the learners may be as successful as positive messages.     

Mapping Changes in Science Teachers’ Content Knowledge: Concept Maps and Authentic Professional Development

Two studies were conducted to examine content knowledge changes following 2 weeks of professional development that included scientific research with university scientists. Engaging teachers in scientific research is considered to be an effective way of encouraging knowledge of both inquiry pedagogy and content knowledge. We used concept maps with two cohorts of teachers to assess changes in science teacher knowledge. In study 1, 34 teachers developed pre- and post-concept maps in one of the nine different content areas. A repeated measures analysis of six quantitative scores showed statistically significant increases in knowledge representation. Quantitative and qualitative scoring methods indicate that concept maps are effective for assessing teacher knowledge gains from professional development. Study 2 replicated the results with 24 teachers and provided further information about how knowledge changes.     

Integration of information literacy into a revised medical school curriculum

The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California's newly revised Year I-II curriculum integrates information literacy components based on the AAMC's medical informatics objectives throughout the two-year continuum. Students are required to participate in various components taught by librarians from the Norris Medical Library including (1) an information skills workshop, (2) a yearlong literature search project, and (3) an evidence-based medicine resources workshop. Critical appraisal of literature also is included in the curriculum to ensure that the students are familiar with the various research study designs. Librarians also provide resources to assist students in researching learning issues related to cases presented in the curriculum. To encourage the faculty mentors to serve as good models of information users, librarians offer brief training sessions on information resources to faculty.     

Social media: How the next generation can practice argumentation

In this article the authors share how social media, paired with gaming and in-class supports, can facilitate the practice of scientific argumentation and report data that show how students can learn and practice argumentation through these highly interactive and engaging mediums. Social media will continue to evolve and fluctuate in popularity, but no matter the service or software, there will continue to be online spaces for communication, collaboration, learning, and future career growth. Since the role of education is to prepare students to be college and career ready, the use of social media as a component of schooling should be explored. This work has parsed out specific strategies and methods to support higher order thinking through gaming and social media.