Active learning classrooms (ALCs) support teaching approaches that foster greater interaction and student engagement. However, a common challenge for instructors who teach in ALCs is to provide adequate assistance to students while implementing collaborative activities. This study examined the impact of teaching assistants in a large ALC. The…

Background: The Classroom Observation Project employs direct observations of geoscience teaching across the USA using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) to quantify the use of reformed teaching practices. We report on 345 RTOP observations used to evaluate the extent of teaching reform when curricular materials developed as part of…

In this study, we closely followed two teacher candidates (Scott and Dan) and their mentors through their student-teaching residencies using the following two questions to guide our investigation: (1) what did teaching look like in Scott's and Dan's classrooms? and (2) how did key student-teaching residency structures and forces enable and…

This paper focuses on the implications of the transformative student-centred curriculum being developed in Wales for tackling educational inequalities. Informed by long-standing debates within the sociology of education about the role of school knowledge in social and cultural reproduction, our research outlines some of the challenges that those…

The aim of this study is to design and develop a user-centered, smart-tool prototype that could be used to assist teachers to practice differentiated instruction (DI) in their classrooms. This study also demonstrates how user-centered design process for the development of teacher's tools might be useful to identify system features and to…

Science-learning research has addressed the analysis of discourse dynamics in classes oriented towards student-centred learning environments. One aspect not much investigated is the progressiveness of that discourse. For progressiveness to exist, interactions must tend to be symmetrical and power imbalances in dialogue must be reduced to a…

Developers and designers of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) products are expressing concerns regarding accountability for ethical design and use of VR/AR products in virtual learning environments. Within the field of education, more research is needed to determine how VR/AR designers make decisions regarding ethical issues, and particularly…

This study examined how one set of instructors' stated classroom teaching philosophies did or did not manifest during their first day of class. Data included classroom observations, interviews, and content analysis of syllabi. Findings suggest that instructors employed "learner-attentive" rather than "learner-centered"…

We examined teachers' pedagogical reasoning for and the technological knowledge underlying their most-valued technology-supported activities for teaching and learning. Data from 140 preservice and 100 inservice teachers included open-ended, narrative responses to survey questions. Qualitative research methods guided analysis of the data that…

Across the country, states are adopting and implementing either Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or new state standards inspired by NGSS. Educators and researchers play a key role in the reform process as we design professional development (PD) and curriculum to support teachers in transitioning to NGSS. In this time of transition, close…

Community college teaching is a complex endeavor requiring not only the mastery of disciplinary knowledge but also the pedagogical skills needed to serve this diverse population of students. While many community college faculties are hired with advanced academic degrees, professional experience or both, many often have not had formal pedagogical…

This article shares the experience of three teachers, who teach and learn at thriving community schools in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles. Their experiences challenge traditional ideas about what it means to learn and be a teacher. In their schools, teaching is a community effort where all the adults--teachers, social workers, parents,…

In this era of instructional transformation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses at the postsecondary level in the United States, the focus has been on educating science faculty about evidence-based instructional practices, i.e. practices that have been empirically proven to enhance student learning outcomes. The…

The inclusion agenda has influenced education systems around the world, resulting in better access to mainstream education for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). While numerous studies have compared outcomes of pupils with SEN in mainstream and special educational settings, research on the specific characteristics of these settings…

The use of student-centered instructional strategies is a common practice in engineering classes. Instructors often use such strategies to promote greater learning outcomes and student engagement. However, prior research studies also acknowledge students' resistance and lack of motivation towards such innovative strategies. In both cases, the…