In this article, we consider the phenomenon of improvisation by small groups of middle years students while engaged in rich mathematical tasks in a classroom setting. Working from the premise that improvisation comprises a spectrum of behaviour, we propose that there is a range of improvisational behaviours that may be observed as the students…

When we give meanings to a physical space, we engage in place-making. With technologies, the place-making activities can be extended to virtual and hybrid spaces. In games, actual or virtual space can gain narrative and meaning transforming into a playce (i.e., a place for play). We suggest that playce-making (i.e., transforming a space into a…

In the present study, students' perceptions of their self-directed and collaborative learning with and without technology were examined in ICT-supported middle school classrooms. Three hundred and twenty middle school students from eight schools across Alberta, Canada participated in the study by completing a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics,…

The Zen concept of beginner's mind describes how one's level of awareness can open one's mind to growth and possibilities, an attitude that would be beneficial for many mathematics students. In this naturalistic case study, two small groups of middle years students engage in the same mathematical task, one group demonstrating the characteristics…

This article reports on the evolution of a STEAM-based teacher professional learning program designed to focus on maker pedagogies. Design-Based Research methodology was used to frame three iterations of professional learning sessions, which collectively involved more than 85 teachers in Ontario, Canada. The article describes the three iterations…

This study describes the literacies practices of three bi/multilingual fifth-grade students attending a French-language school in an urban community in Canada during a digital-physical Maker activity that included three phases: Plan Making, Instrument Making and Multimodal Making. Framed by theories of new literacies and embodied/sensory…

Adolescents develop skills and ideas from their interest-driven practices, which shape a type of literacy that may differ from the traditional ideas of literacy. This paper takes a qualitative approach to identify adolescents' activities through interest-driven participatory design. We interacted with grade 9 students at a Western Canadian school…

Peer collaboration in schools can be a locus for negotiation of power and cultural norms. Set in the context of ethnically and linguistically diverse urban schools, this study discusses the possibilities and limitations of utilizing video-mediated interviews to reveal multiple voices. Our research method is based on video-recorded peer-to-peer…

This paper addresses the student support systems available in Chinese schools, with reference to those available in Canadian schools, in order to understand the most effective foundations for academic success and student motivation. The focus of educational support within Chinese and Ontario schools is rooted around times of high-stress exams,…

In the current study, the researchers examine the validity of a questionnaire assessing students' perceptions of their self-directed and collaborative learning with and without technology with a group of Canadian middle school students. Lee and colleagues (2014) developed the 18-item questionnaire to assess high school students' perceptions of…

This paper tests a new theoretical framework for engaging students by evaluating two project-and-design-based pedagogies: "Arts Integrated Collective Creation (AICC) and Educational Social Enterprise (ESE)." Findings provide statistical support for benefits with middle school students when instruction is designed around Socially…

This study addressed computer-supported collaborative scientific inquiries in remote networked schools (Quebec, Canada). Three dyads of Grade 5-6 classrooms from remote locations across the province collaborated using the knowledge-building tool Knowledge Forum. Customized scaffold supports embedded in the online tool were used to support student…

With respect to cooperative learning, one aspect of particular interest to educators is its inclusive nature in terms of ensuring that all team members in group work are more or less equally involved in the task. Despite the inherent relevance for second language teaching, however, research is scant. To contribute to this area, the present study…

In this paper I focus on observations made regarding students mimicking of each other's gestures in face-to-face conversation while problem solving. The data supports the idea that the students may use such gestures to subconsciously signal acceptance. Through talk, gesture, prosody, and intonation, combined with context, the interlocutors may…

There has been a longstanding assumption that gifted, high-ability, or high-performing students prefer working alone; however, this may not be true in every case. The current study expanded on this assumption to reveal more nuanced learning preferences of these students. Sixty-nine high-performing and community-school students in Grades 5 and 6…