Progress in Education

Four contributing factors are essential for student metacognition, educationally sound curricular design, instructional delivery characterized by interactive lecturing and active learning, and formative and summative assessments of learning. In this collection, the authors open with the proposition that all teachers must ensure students develop their metacognitive skills, reflect deeply about thinking, and learn how to apply concepts, while continually encouraging students to question their understanding and ask questions to gain clarity. Next, the authors attempt to advance the argument that effective pedagogy of school mathematics requires teachers deep knowledge of the subject matter, appreciation of historical perspectives, awareness of the current worldwide teaching standards, and integration of using concrete problems with fostering growth mindset as the psychological foundation of productive thinking. A study is presented which was conducted in two provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal in South Africa in two male correctional centres. The authors report on some of the strategies used at the two facilities to overcome educational challenges concerning the teaching and learning of offenders. The chapter recommends that these centres should address their infrastructural challenges while incorporating computer-based learning as part of their curriculum practices. In another study, this compilation examines how explicit instruction on text structure and the use of authentic texts as writing models helped a class of second graders learn to write sequential text. Sequential text is categorized as one text structure used by authors writing informational text. Students as young as second grade are expected to know the sequence text structure and to provide textual evidence within their sequential text. Following this, students perceptions, practices and performance were examined while using a LMS (Moodle) in a blended learning environment