For students to gain the most out of education, they need to form long-term memories from experiences gained through active learning. The greatest distinction between active learning and traditional approaches involves the types of tasks and problems the students are challenged to solve. Active learning activities should be structured with student…

Action research is a cyclical research process that may be used to improve instructional practice, assessment tools, and student outcomes. Action research always focuses on local problems and takes place in the natural setting of a classroom, laboratory, or school. Unlike traditional research, action researchers are primarily "committed to…

Assessments are generally categorized as being either formative or summative. Summative assessment takes place periodically through the school term as well as at the end and typically takes the form of formal tests and high-stakes quizzes. Summative assessment tends to be used for purposes of assigning grades and for evaluating the effectiveness…

A classroom culture that features clear procedures will produce a safe learning environment for students. By establishing a class with clear procedures and effectively managing the learning environment, an educator can reduce discipline issues (Erdogan, Kursun, Tan Sisman, et al., 2010). A well-managed class will allow maximum instruction to take…

Knowing as much as possible about a student's needs, preexisting knowledge, and interests is just as important as knowing the curriculum content. An effective teacher must possess content mastery in order to be able to link course content skills to show workplace relevance. In addition, teachers should adapt and develop instruction according to…

Technology, engineering, and design (TED) education is replete with hands-on projects and activities to engage students in project- and problem-based learning. TED design briefs provide a realistic context for problems so that students are immersed in as realistic a problem scenario as possible. This article provides a model of best practice for…

Quality classrooms provide opportunities for students of all different abilities and backgrounds to learn. Designing interaction to be participatory, deliberative, and active empowers students to have more control of their own learning and enables educators to be adaptive and responsive. Quality classrooms that foster democratic values, risk…

Being able to accurately evaluate students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development at the beginning of a course is critical for teachers to create meaningful learning experiences for them. Initial student evaluation provides teachers with quick perceptive and practical knowledge of student characteristics as well as a diagnosis of what…

Countless research studies have shown that employing a variety of instructional methods results in greater student engagement, higher graduation rates, and better student achievement overall (Shernoff, et al., 2003). In order to incorporate a large variety of methods into the classroom, it is important to make use of external resources to help…