Evidence of the effectiveness of active learning has resulted in a shift in post-secondary classrooms towards student-centred teaching, often relying heavily on peer-to-peer interactions. While the overall benefit of these teaching methods is established, it remains unclear whether all sub-populations of students benefit similarly. Given the…

In this expository essay, four faculty members co-reflect on the pedagogy used within one first-year course at a small Canadian university. We discuss the responsibility of facilitating five process-based pedagogical approaches. These complex and interrelated processes include: i) self-directed learning, ii) reflexive intra-personal learning, iii)…

Focusing on the context of linguistically and racially heterogeneous Canadian schools, this article describes the "figured worlds" as discussed by Holland, Skinner, Lachicotte Jr, & Cain (1998, p. 52) of group work: the stories, characters, and roles that students envisioned in the setting of group work. The study was conducted in…

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…

The focus of this qualitative study is upon 15 Grade 12 students situated in an English Communications (ECM) classroom in rural Nova Scotia and the impact a daily classroom circle had upon their academic engagement. ECM is intended for students who may require further support to develop their skills as readers, writers, and language users as they…

Grassroots organizations have a critical role in supporting learning within many urban communities (Sobeck, Agius, & Mayers, 2007). Unfortunately, many informal organizations are short-lived as funding disappears and volunteer participation wanes. The Unspun Heroes, an informal fibre arts group committed to learning and developing skills…

Mathematics itself is a living and creative act (Boaler, 2008), and mathematicians themselves often collaborate in their work (Burton, 2004). What, then, is holding school mathematics back? Are educators so conditioned to expect the act of mathematizing in school to proceed in a certain abstract, formalized way that they are neglecting other means…

Collaborative group assignments in undergraduate education are important for promoting skill development and preparation for the workplace; however, they are subject to the challenges associated with group dynamics. This research sought to determine the effectiveness of a Group Work Contract to facilitate professional behaviours and positive…

Active learning techniques, such as peer instruction and group work, have been gaining a lot of traction in universities. Taking a natural next step in re-evaluating current practices, many institutions recently started experimenting student-centred group exams. In order to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of collaborative assessments, we…

An annual undergraduate project called Mission Impossible is designed to reduce issues of power and status that hinder the effectiveness of cross-cultural teams. Domestic students often think they must compensate for international teammates, and international students understand that they are seen as a burden by domestic teammates. To prevent…

Adventure therapy (AT) is defined as "the prescriptive use of adventure experiences provided by mental health professionals, often conducted in natural settings, that kinesthetically engage clients on cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels". Despite an increase in research and evaluation in recent years examining the relative…

Journal writing is a common practice in outdoor education (OE) and there is a long-standing claim that OE programs enhance sense of community (SOC). However, there remains a call for additional evidence to support the relationship between participation in outdoor programs and SOC. This study examines students' perceptions of the role of a group…

Does participation in a reflective teaching development program transform educators? In a three-year teaching development program, faculty met in small interdisciplinary groups with peer facilitators and used online resources to complement their learning activities. The first two cohorts of participants found that involvement in a teaching…

Learning through a collective experience by taking part in group activities, such as hunting, gathering, and sharing, has always been a natural, "organic," and "experiential" process where new skills and knowledge, if benefitting the whole group, are accepted, shared, and propagated. Nevertheless, in industrialized societies…

The film "Bones of the Earth" (Riglin, Cunninham & Correa, 2014) is an experience in collective inquiry and visual creation based on arts-based research. Starting from the meeting of different subjectivities and through dialogue, planning, shooting and editing, an audiovisual text that reconstructs a reflexive process of collective…