Classroom-based assessment (CBA) takes place in learning environments influenced by myriad individual and contextual factors. Nevertheless, factors related to individual differences and learner psychology are seldom considered in creating instructional environments designed to facilitate learners' use of CBA. This article introduces the concept of…

In enacting a quasi-ecological approach to observing young children at both home and school, this study explored young participants' drawing transactions in and out of school in diverse communities around the globe. We applied a qualitative, visual, 'Day in the Life' methodology that films one full "Day in their Lives." Using examples of…

This article describes the ways transformative curriculum making led to the creation of an immersive urban classroom ecosystem installation in a second-grade classroom. Both teachers and students engaged in science-based learning experiences through this immersive installation. Students' sensory learning experiences yielded a robust ecological…

The internet and informatization have brought a great impact on English classrooms in ecologically fragile areas, bringing convenience to the teaching of some colleges and universities, but also negatively affecting some colleges and universities in ecologically fragile areas that still use traditional lecture-style classroom teaching methods. The…

Ecological literacy in the elementary classroom typically focuses on abiotic and biotic relationships, without including how human activity and ecosystems interrelate. A possible way for students to make these connections is through their school building. To that end, we examined ecological literacy outcomes for 5th-grade students in two…

This article traces how multiple equity-focused goals were negotiated in collectively designing a classroom that centered joyful fandom literacy practices, considering how teacher-researchers and youth use expanded conceptions of equity trails in a social design experiment to reset harmful but normalized classroom, disciplinary, and fandom…

Over the past few years, we have worked together in a citizen science project called "Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet" (see also Goldin et al. 2021, Goldin et al., 2023). In this project we engaged with 420 young learners in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. We came to see participating schools as collaborative ecosystems where…

When teachers and students are both engaged in the educational enterprise, every day has the potential to be transformative. "Lesson Planning with Purpose" takes readers on a journey through many pathways to engaging and meaningful educational experiences. The text first discusses "perceptive teaching:" the belief that teachers…

Supportive classroom environments are associated with improved student outcomes, particularly during early adolescence (ages 10-14 years). Applying Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to further investigate the microsystem of the school (Bronfenbrenner and Morris in The ecology of human development, Harvard University Press, Boston, 1998),…

Reflecting on the complementary pedagogical models on teaching courses related to religion and the environment presented in this issue of the journal by Kevin O'Brien ("Balancing Critique and Commitment") and Jennifer Ayres ("Learning on the Ground"), I suggest ways in which these essays form a conversation about teaching.…

Background: In the debate about how to evaluate students suspected of having a learning disability, the role of context in learning has been consistently minimized in the United States. Objective: This article explores the implications of the current, deficit-based approach to the definition and assessment of learning disabilities and offers a…

This paper examines the respective contribution of two theoretical approaches to teaching and learning: the classroom ecology (CE) framework from Anglo-American research and the joint action in didactics (JAD) framework, which is part of French "didactique" research. This theoretical comparison is grounded in data from a case study in a…

When new learning environments are built, numerous variables are taken into consideration. For example, school systems consider the instructional needs of the students they serve, enrollment, and whether to replace or remodel an old building. The concept of "going green" encourages school system planners to consider the natural…

Prompted by international concerns about school and postschool participation in mathematics, the authors of the present study sought to investigate factors predicting "switching on" and "switching off" in mathematics, operationalized through measures of future intent and disengagement, respectively. They drew from…

Preparing teachers who want to "listen to their students' lives"requires creating opportunities for prospective teachers to perceive and learn about their students' lives and how those unfold within and as part of complex systems. That means supporting prospective teachers not only in understanding students as complex beings who have to…