Researchers increasingly identify virtual reality (VR) simulations as a potentially effective professional development tool. However, simulations used in education and behavior analysis typically require active oversight from technicians and instructors. "Smart" VR integrated with artificial intelligence could independently administer…

Critical thinking skills are needed to face the challenges of living in the 21st century. Education must be able to foster students' critical thinking and enable them to think independently. This study aims to investigate the development of students' critical thinking skills during the learning process using an e-module based on problem-based…

The current study employs a qualitative, exploratory case study method examining the classroom practices of three 5th grade science teachers from two intermediate campuses within a school district in the Southwest. The study explores opportunities and barriers to high level questioning by teachers leading to critical thinking. Qualitative data…

Manding is an important skill for children to learn to access not only preferred items but also information that can be crucial to their success in academic, professional, or social settings. There is a need to continue research to best teach mands for information. The current study examined the effectiveness of using incidental teaching to teach…

Learning theories provide philosophically informed, basic principles for understanding the mechanisms through which people learn based on a combination of field or laboratory studies. Unfortunately, however, there are several clear conflicts between theoretical approaches and common methods in teaching. Consequently, key challenges among teachers…

In early childhood education, nurturing curiosity is essential. It is widely recognized that encouraging students to ask questions is crucial. This practice fosters meaningful connections with literacy and language and boosts engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, especially among economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This…

Design thinking is a critical and creative process understood to support innovation and creative idea generation in a wide variety of contexts. Increasingly, it is being used as a pedagogical approach by educators interested in supporting divergent thinking skill development. This study evaluated the effects of the use of design thinking practices…

The Thinking Folk project introduced Socratic dialogues as a pedagogical construct to develop critical thinking skills by drawing on the lived experiences of learners in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes. The resulting conversations were soon described as "real" talk by learners, which, in a process that not only…

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies offer unique capabilities for preservice teachers (PSTs) to engage in authentic and real-time interactions using natural language. However, the impact of AI technology on PSTs' responsive teaching skills remains uncertain. Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to examine whether…

This study aimed to examine the instructional designs prepared by the prospective counselors to develop critical thinking skills. The holistic single case study design was used. A total of 82 students participated in the current study on a voluntary basis. The data collection tools of the study consist of instructional process designs developed by…

Effective questioning and discussion are fundamental instructional skills for science teacher candidates to master. These skills are important for teacher competence that aids student achievement. Opportunities to practice these skills in traditional teacher preparation programs may be limited. This embedded single case study focused on an…

Becoming critical thinkers and collaborative learners is important for today's students as they develop the skills needed for success in the 21st century (National Research Council, 2012; Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2019). One instructional strategy used to develop critical-thinking skills through collaboration is Socratic seminar. A…

Studies have shown that learning mathematics through programming can be complex and that the programming itself might even hamper students' learning. However, few studies have focused on the role of the teacher and the teacher-student interaction that aims to support students' learning when using programming. The present study examines a didactic…

Reflective practice (RP) is a widely accepted approach for facilitating experiential learning within the professional development of service delivery practitioners. However, a dearth of empirical evidence exists to support the potential efficacy of RP for improving applied practice effectiveness. This study examined whether improving…

This paper explores the pedagogical potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in secondary education through a dialogic approach to teaching, learning and assessment. It presents an ongoing action research project in collaboration with a high school in Western Australia, involving four teachers to integrate GenAI in their classrooms.…