Transforming science learning through student-centered instruction that engages students in a variety of scientific practices is central to national science-teaching reform efforts. Our study employed a large-scale, randomized-cluster experimental design to compare the effects of student-centered and teacher-centered approaches on elementary school students' understanding of space-science conce...

Many graduate and professional programs include Problem Based Learning (PBL) as a mainstay in their curricula. For many undergraduate students, this is a change from a teacher-centered to a student-centered learning method. This study was undertaken to learn about perceptions and test performances of college students (N=116) enrolled in liberal education classes when PBL is used vs. traditional...

Assessment of student learning is an important task in a teaching and learning process. It has a strong influence on students’ approaches to learning and their outcomes. Recent development in tertiary education has shifted its emphasis from teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning. In a student-centered learning environment, criterion-referenced assessment techniques are often use...

There exists empirical evidence proving that students who are given the freedom to explore areas based on their personal interests, and who are accompanied in their learning by a supportive, understanding facilitator, not only achieve superior academic results but also develop socially and grow personally. However, pure Student-Centered Teaching is more demanding in terms of communication, orga...

WINSTON CHURCHILL said “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to have changed often” (4). For educators, change is a constant. We adapt our teaching constantly to new discoveries in education and science, new students, and new technologies. However, current reform efforts are driving significant change at a rapid pace (1, 2, 5, 17, 20). The movement of K–12 and undergraduate education towar...

Narrative-centered learning environments hold significant promise for K-12 STEM education. Much of the appeal of narrative-centered learning arises from the capability of narrative to provide a meaningful structure for integrating pedagogical objectives into a unifying, coherent form that serves as a powerful motivating force for students. This chapter explores the relationship between narrativ...

The American Physiological Society (APS) Teaching Section annually honors an educator through its Claude Bernard Distinguished Lecture at the Experimental Biology meeting. Since I knew about my selection for almost a year, I had a long time to think about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. The theme of my presentation was "nothing in education makes sense except in the light of st...