Self-directed learning enables students to take charge of their educational journey by selecting their own paths, thereby fostering intrinsic motivation. Traditional educational models often rely on extrinsic motivators like grades and rewards, whereas self-directed approaches emphasize personal satisfaction and curiosity. Review of existing…

Implementation of blended teaching (BT) practices is in- creasing rapidly in K-12 classrooms. This trend creates an urgent need for professional development to support BT. An understanding of how experienced teachers implement BT can inform teacher educators and professional development leaders as they develop training to support this practice. We…

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative, non-experimental study was to determine if there is a difference in reading self-efficacy and perceived learning among fourth- and fifth-grade inner city students who participated in experiential learning and those that did not participate in experiential learning. Experiential learning is…

The current study examined Connect Science, a service-learning program that incorporates social and emotional learning lessons and science lessons developed around Next Generation Science Standards. Guided by Self-Determination Theory, focus groups with 8 Connect Science classrooms and 8 control classrooms investigated fourth graders' experience…

In 2017, the Department of Biology at Virginia Wesleyan University modified its two-course introductory sequence in response to high DFW rates (>50% scoring a D, F, or withdrawing) in the first semester. The revised curriculum created a new third course and moved content that many students struggled with from the first semester to the third…

Virtual escape rooms (ERs) require learners to solve puzzles and answer riddles while trying to "escape" a digital room. Although the educational merit of such gamified learning activities continues to be realized, guides on the development of ERs are lacking, as well as student perceptions on how, if, and where they should be integrated…

Transforming schools through mastery learning may solve education's existential crisis, offering today's learners the relevance and individualization they need while returning to the most ancient form of assessment, proving that learning has occurred. Mastery learning requires significant change to all the norms and practices of school, altering…

Higher education institutions identify and support practices that enhance student engagement and increase student success. In this article, we explored student learning facilitated through High Impact Practices (HIPs) (i.e., in-class undergraduate research, service learning, internships) integrated in the Sustainability & Conservation…

Being a subject matter expert does not make someone a good ins­tru­ctor. Most institutions do little to prepare first-time instructors. The Marine Corps puts new instructors of graduate-level programs through a rigorous 4-week program to prepare them as first-time instructors. They are exposed to adult learning theory, assessment processes, and…

The distressing events of 2020 challenged the United States to reimagine how our social institutions can and should respond to demands for racial justice. These demands impacted higher education and debates arose about whether the classroom is an appropriate place for teaching abolition. I address this debate by introducing a senior-level elective…

As experiments and models of participatory, sustainable living, ecovillages demonstrate how to enact just, cooperative, and regenerative economic and social constructs, as alternatives to 'unsustainable' capitalist economies and consumerist/individualistic lifestyles. Work is central to these enactments, which provides an opportunity to examine…

When COVID-19 first disrupted the routines and traditions that constitute school, many teachers grappled for the first time with online instruction, often with little experience or support. The experience of the past months has demonstrated that those who could transition seamlessly to online or hybrid models were already delivering authentic,…

The pandemic forced divisions to develop new approaches to educating students. Division officials had to consider the needs of their students and their resources at home, as well as the capacity of their workforce and existing infrastructure to provide instruction outside of the school building. We collected and coded over a thousand documents…

Previous research has proposed a crucial role for critical experiences in language learning to better understand how learners understand and discursively construct their self-concept (Mercer, 2011, 2016; Serafini, 2020a; Thompson, 2020). However, studies have mainly explored critical experiences in the narratives of foreign language learners of…

METRICS was a 5-year grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Education designed to immerse elementary school students in computer science. METRICS components included 1) creation and implementation of rigorous computer science curriculum units and assessments to support STEM coursework connected across all subjects through problem-based…