This developmental study explores the process and outcomes of creating an active learning classroom within a higher education setting. To support student success, institutions have increasingly redesigned their learning spaces to promote active learning. Early initiatives often aimed to facilitate collaborative learning and reduce reliance on…

Historically, classrooms have utilized stationary furniture, facing front toward a centralized instructor position, and limiting student-to-student interactions. Such classrooms often stem from design processes that tend to focus on building codes and feedback from investors, architects, and planners, which leaves little input from instructors and…

This paper critically examines the systemic harm inflicted on Black students through anti-Black classroom management and disciplinary practices, positioning Pro-Blackness as a transformative framework for healing and justice. Grounded in healing justice and African Diaspora Literacy, the discussion highlights the pervasive impact of the…

Academic integrity is often a concern instructors have when teaching, with past research indicating the classroom environment is one of the largest factors in determining students' likelihood to cheat. In this commentary, we intend to start a dialogue with instructors regarding the importance of creating a classroom environment that values…

Students are often placed in alternative education schools or settings (AES) for behavioral issues that cannot be effectively supported in a general education setting. A large portion of students educated in AES have a diagnosed emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD). An AES teacher is required to provide students with the most effective behavior…

This article discusses classroom conditions that support the co-creation of dialogic space--where our different ideas and perspectives are in conversation with others such that we might take in what other people are saying and be open to it affecting our thinking. Drawing on ethnographic case study data, we provide context to illustrate ways this…

The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the extent to which the relation between teacher reported (N = 26) teaching efficacy and observations of classroom quality varied as a function of a specific classroom characteristic, classroom adversity, a measure of classroom level hardship that includes factors such as student challenges with…

Having observed and coached in hundreds of K-12 classrooms since 1994, Ron Nash has come to a few conclusions about what makes teachers tick and classrooms click. The best teachers attend to those seemingly little things that cost nothing, even as they create classroom climates where students can't wait to walk through the door every day. The big…

Arousing and sustaining young students' curiosity within school environments is an important concern in contemporary education. Our study investigated the triggers of curiosity in elementary classrooms centered around social constructivist discourse, specifically knowledge-building. To this end, we performed longitudinal network analysis on 4166…

Communicating in dialogic space in our classrooms prepares us to participate in a democratic, inclusive, and civil society. Dialogic space is that elusive shared space of possibilities that exists among participants as we commit to engaging in ways that new knowledge can be created, presented, questioned, and developed as interpretations of our…

Object exploration is considered a driver of motor, cognitive, and social development. However, little is known about how early childhood education and care settings facilitate object exploration. This study examined if children's exploration of objects during free play was facilitated by the use of particular spatial components (floor, tables,…

More than forty years ago, Dan Lortie famously lamented the lack of a common language with which to describe teaching and noted this scarcity as a key problem within studies of teaching and teacher professionalism. I argue that recent developments in video technology and supporting methodological designs have paved the way for a new generation of…

The classroom is an important resource for effective teaching and learning. The classroom does not only address the physical structure but also the emotional parameters of the room. However, focus must be placed on the physical aspects of classroom design. This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to explore the perceptions of higher…

Factors that support learner engagement and achievement are vast. School learning environments can promote care for learners. The present year-long study examined the "Designed Caring Classroom Intervention" in 17 s grade classrooms in a large school district. To examine the effect of the intervention on second grade learners'…

For coaches, access to classrooms isn't straightforward and is far from guaranteed. Access is a prerequisite for coaching, yet there are many barriers beyond a coach's control, making their job difficult to impossible. In this article, the authors detail how five administrative and structural forces shaped coaches' access to teachers' classrooms.…