Brain growth and change are key factors in adolescent development and influence cognitions, emotions, and behavior. Much of the research on the adolescent brain is fairly recent, and mental health practitioners working with adolescents must have knowledge about these changes to more effectively engage their young clients in therapy. The…

In this paper, we outline a pilot project aimed at exploring the role of contextual factors in the facilitation of creativity and innovation within a range of South African art forms. Interviews with 11 people who have rich experience of the South African art domain delivered an insightful perspective on the contextual factors driving lifelong…

Finland has been among the very first nations to apply for practice theories of innovation journalism--journalism covering innovations. This essay is based on deep interviews since 2004 of all former Finnish innovation journalism fellows (N = 9), and two surveys of undergraduate journalism students (N = 16) who took part in the world's first…

In July 2010, the Association for Science Education won a bid to run a "Sharing innovation network" for the Triple Science Support Programme, which is delivered by the Learning Skills Network on behalf of the Department for Education. The network involves schools from the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Greenwich. In this article,…

Efforts recently attempted to integrate various aspects of economic progress, environmental sustainability and social welfare into an aggregate measure of well-being share one major weakness concerning the identification of key aspects of well-being and of weights to aggregate these dimensions, they all suffer from lack of legitimacy. In this…

At education conferences, as well as in professional association reports, as a target area of funding for nonprofit foundations and in the literature of industry vendors, the term, "personalized learning" has taken center stage in an arena already crowded with complex and long-standing issues and concerns. While personalized learning is making…

As we approach the second decade of the new millennium, there is a renaissance of innovation in education, a resurgence of interest and experimentation that begs for analysis and review. To that end, the League for Innovation in the Community College proposed to conduct a national study on the nature of innovation in the community college using…

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…

This paper describes a social partnership model based on the living lab concept to promote the professional development of educators through formal and informal capacity-building initiatives. The aim is to have a broader impact on society through community outreach educational initiatives. A Living Lab is an environment for user-centered…

Classroom management is commonly believed to be the key to the success of an instruction. Many student teachers, however, might find it very challenging to handle their classrooms. It is, therefore, necessary to advance their professional practice in the context of a real classroom such as through teaching practicum and reflective practice. This…

Higher education institutions are evolving and technology often plays a central role in their transformations. Educational changes benefit from a supportive environment. The study examines the relationship between organisational culture and teachers' perceptions of and responses to technology-enhanced innovation among Chinese universities. A…

The purpose of this three-year case study was to understand how a beginning biology teacher (Alice) designed and taught a 5E unit on natural selection, how the unit changed when she took a position in a different school district, and why the changes occurred. We examined Alice's developing beliefs about science teaching and learning,…

English language learning (ELL) websites and digital resources have been recognized as an important source of linguistic and cultural knowledge for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to explore. The up-to-date information carried by authentic materials is invaluable for learners to develop an understanding of the target language/culture.…

The phenomenon of the use of a mobile learning (m-Learning) platform in educational institutions is slowly gaining momentum. However, the enthusiasm with which mobile phones have been welcomed into every aspect of our lives is not yet apparent in the educational sector. To understand the reason, it is important to understand user expectations of…

In many institutions of higher education worldwide, faculty members manage lessons based on information transfer whereas their students become passive listeners. According to international research, passive learning has disadvantages mainly because students do not engage in the lesson. The study introduces a new model for higher education called…