As part of a longitudinal study focused on mathematical play, we (Melissa, Amy, and Anita) are often faced with questions about what counts as play and what mathematics (and other learning) we see in play, and whose play is most likely to be seen or dismissed. Rather than discuss our findings from classroom videos of kindergarten children engaged…

Advances in technology have made it increasingly easy for teachers to film and share video recordings from their own classrooms, and much research exists highlights the rich learning that can occur when teachers watch and discuss video. Here, Miriam Gamoran Sherin, Jennifer Richards, and Mari Altshuler examine the opportunities for learning that…

The synchronous hybrid learning model, which involves simultaneous face-to-face and remote learning, suffers from a disparity in the lesson experience and outcomes provided by the different learning modes. Moreover, the online medium allows little opportunity for teachers to exhibit non-verbal immediacy behaviours to improve cognitive engagement…

"Seeing Teaching Through a Different Lens: The MyTeachingPartner-Secondary Coaching Model" highlights the voices of coaches and teachers to provide information about an instructional coaching program that is helping educators improve interactions with students in ways that increase student engagement and achievement. The…

This paper describes the use of screencast feedback to enhance teaching presence and weekly self-reflection surveys to enhance social presence among students and build a community of learners. These approaches were found to diminish the feeling of isolation in online learning environments. Further findings indicated that this multimodal approach…

Helping teachers become more effective in the classroom is a high priority for school leaders and policymakers. This Study Highlights presents key findings from a study that examined a promising strategy for improving teachers' effectiveness: providing individualized coaching using videos of teachers' instruction for reflection, practice, and…

In 1982 I began using classroom videos as cues for ethnographic interviews. My colleagues and I asked practitioners in three countries to respond to videos shot in their own and each other's preschools. The video cues worked to produce conversations that we used in our 1989 book "Preschool in Three Cultures" to present perspectives on…

This article demonstrates how the original Preschool in Three Cultures method can be extended and modified. Modifications to the method include using videos not only as interviewing cues but also as data for microanalysis; conducting multiple return interviews with the same informants; re-editing videos to draw more explicit attention to key…

This article examines developments in the 'smart classroom' as a new frontier for the university. It provides a conceptual map of the scope and limitations of smart classrooms, contextualized to smart university initiatives. First, it introduces the notion of 'smart' technology in cities, campuses, and classrooms. Next, it examines how the smart…

In this article, the author describes collaborative work with four teachers through the Lansing School District's participation in a multiyear project to implement and study the effects of the My Teaching Partner-Secondary 1:1 Video Coaching model. The model is a collaborative, individualized coaching program that focuses on effective…

We describe a new approach to the use of video-based technology for conducting controlled experiments in classroom contexts. Specifically, we describe a process for editing video recordings of live classroom lessons to create multiple versions, such that only one aspect of the lesson is systematically varied. Other aspects of the instruction are…

Selective mutism is a relatively uncommon, yet significantly impairing anxiety disorder that causes difficulties in young children when communicating in social situations (such as school) even though they speak normally when they are comfortable (such as at home). Early childhood educators play a unique role in helping to identify selective…

Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) is a global phenomenon that represents one of the greatest advances for autonomous language learning outside the classroom in the past few decades. The power of IDLE lies in its capacity to compensate for inherent problems in language learning in classrooms, due to the "authenticity" of input…

Student engagement continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing academia today. Educators often possess the knowledge needed to teach a class but lack the technique or approach with which to make the content engaging. In addition, students face myriad distractions as part of their everyday lives, complicating our ability to better connect…

Teaching middle school mathematics, I have found that classroom dynamics have a profound impact on the quality of mathematical discussion. Wanting to improve classroom discussion in order to better facilitate both small-group and student-driven learning, I started the school year by randomly grouping students every week for their small groups. I…