This paper presents a course design model created in response to the pedagogical challenges inherent in a 'Big Questions' course in the humanities. We conceptualize the model as an Open Dynamic Educational Project (ODEP), namely, a carefully designed learning environment--physical, intellectual, and digital--which comprises "both" a…

Team-based learning (TBL) is a form of student-centered active learning in which students independently study new conceptual material before it is treated in the classroom, and then subsequently spend considerable classroom time working in groups on increasingly challenging problems and applications based on that new material. TBL provides…

The availability of reliable evidence for teaching practices after professional development is limited across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, making the identification of professional development "best practices" and effective models for change difficult. We aimed to determine the extent to which…

Previous studies indicated that the technology integration practices of teachers in the classroom often did not match their teaching styles. Researchers concluded that this was due, at least partially, to external barriers that prevented teachers from using technology in ways that matched their practiced teaching style. Many of these barriers,…

Research suggests discipline-specific, educative mentoring can help preservice teachers develop more sophisticated pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). However, there are few studies examining the nature of mentors' practice and "how" mentors influence preservice teacher's (PST) PCK. The purpose of this case study was to describe the…

National and state educational mandates require students achieve proficiency in not only science content, but also "science inquiry", or those process skills associated with science (National Research Council, 2011; Next Generation Science Standards, 2013). Science inquiry instruction has been shown to improve student achievement and…

In this article, I will examine the use of picture books as a means of supporting the intellectual pursuits of young children. Theoretical frameworks will be discussed as they pertain to the integration of these books in the Municipal Infant Toddler Centers and Preschools of Reggio Emilia and Pistoia, Italy. The pedagogical framework of these…

This article aims to report how teacher education may promote active learning which is demanded by the current educational reform of Turkish teacher education (TE). This article also examines the effectiveness of the recent reforms in Turkey from a student's perspective, and provides an understanding of the concept of active learning, how it is…

Accountability is a fundamental concept that underpins our approach and expectations of professional practice, though academics have struggled to define what accountability is. In spite of the lack of consensus on a definition for accountability, we have endeavoured to develop our students' understanding of the legal, ethical and professional…

Background: Many innovative teaching strategies have been developed under the assumption that documenting successful student learning outcomes at the development site is enough to spread the innovation successfully to secondary sites. Since this 'show them and they will adopt' model has yet to produce the desired large-scale transformation, this…

In this essay I explore the tensions between the static nature of standardised assessment and the dynamic student-focussed approach to appreciating literature that I value. I have closely analysed two of a series of lessons on the gothic literary genre taught by a student teacher on her first placement. By reflecting critically on my own journey…

This study investigated, via quasi-experiments, the effects of student-centered project-based learning with initiation (SPBL with Initiation) on the development of students' computing skills. In this study, 96 elementary school students were selected from four class sections taking a course titled "Digital Storytelling" and were assigned…

Teachers' belief systems about the nature and purposes of a phenomenon such as teaching and learning influence strongly how they teach and what students learn and achieve. A sample of 891 Chinese middle school teachers from 15 middle schools in a province in China responded to a 48-item questionnaire which explored their conceptions of approaches…

Akshar Forum, an experimental livelihood school in the semi-rural village of Pamohi, Assam, in Northeast India, tests cutting-edge methods in education in the context of underserved communities and rural development programs. Started in 2015, the school links 42 children and their parents to the vast knowledge resources of the Internet to teach…

The research aimed at investigating the implementation teaching pedagogies suggested in new ADE/B.Ed. (Hons.) programs in teacher education institutions of Baluchistan. Moreover, it was focused to find out the challenges faced by teacher educators in implementation of these pedagogies. The research was conducted in seven teacher education…