Professional learning may be the most significant when the teacher feels fundamentally challenged and questioned about their practices, beliefs, or identities. In this paper, the elements that cause such fundamental challenges and questions -- disruptions -- are called 'disruptive hooks'. In the process of addressing such disruptive hooks,…

Earlier approaches to sense-making in mathematics have looked at the ways students comprehend a mathematical concept. Recent research suggests that some students make sense not only of mathematical objects that have a being, but also of objects that have yet to become. In such cases, learning mathematics is not just an act of comprehending a given…

Based on historical sources and publication records in the early 20th century, we suggest that Vygotsky's recognition of the 'paradox' in human learning and his conceptualisation of advanced thinking were largely influenced by Stanislavski's work in theatre. In this paper, we offer some evidence for this argument on Vygotsky's nascent system of…

In this theoretical article, we explore the possibility that instead of a mathematical connection arising "in-between" two (or more) pre-existing ideas or objects, which have presumably been known or understood, that connection is itself the motor of understanding. The standard view of connection, in which two existing ideas or concepts…

In 'The role of play', the fifth article we are highlighting from the extensive "FORUM" archive available online, Maggie Gracie draws on material and observations she had collected during a year of study in an infant and reception class in the mid-1970s to develop ideas about the need to enable pupils to develop genuine autonomy of…

There is a disconnect between neuroscience research on concept learning and representation (focusing on categories of concrete objects), and concept learning challenges in science education (which concern systems of causal relationships among objects and events). Bridging this gap will both inform theories of science learning and expand our…

This article reflects on the author's experience of developing a standalone geographies of sport module that is taught using an active blended learning (ABL) approach. The article argues that an ABL pedagogy is an effective way of teaching meaningful sports geography to undergraduate students. It discusses how the approach allows a diverse range…

Big ideas, sometimes referred to as key, core, fundamental or threshold concepts, are widely applicable concepts at the heart of disciplines that are or have been central and influential for their fields. Attention here is particularly directed to meta-concepts common to sister disciplines in the sciences. "Learning thresholds",…

The gamification of learning has increased in popularity in recent years as a tool for enhancing student engagement and attainment. In undergraduate chemistry courses, hybridization is a fundamental concept that students need to master in order to understand introductory organic and inorganic topics. This study focused on the development of a card…

The threshold concepts framework provides educators with a useful way of thinking about the struggles students have in coming to know essential, hard to grasp knowledge. A threshold concept is often best understood through reference to eight characteristics that together describe what is critical to effective knowledge acquisition. This conceptual…

This paper uses evidence-centered assessment design (ECD) to structure and analyze a laboratory activity where students collect and represent titration curve data to determine acid strength in terms of molarity and dissociation constant. Following principles of multidimensional learning, the activity prompts students to demonstrate knowledge of…

This work aims to evaluate the evolution of chemical bonding concepts of high school students at public schools in southern Brazil. For this, we built the epistemological profile of each student who took part in a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) about this topic, based on the foundations of Bachelard's theory. Following the principles of the…

A new didactical approach named "Learning by Being" (LBB) is proposed and its correlation with current educational paradigms in science teaching is analysed. The key idea in LBB is the assumption by the students of cognitive goals, and three components are mandatory in LBB: a) student's personal learning effort, b) student-teacher mutual…

According to a widespread view, one of the most important roles of education is the nurturing of common sense. In this article I turn to Gilles Deleuze's concept of sense to develop a contrary view of education--one that views education as a radical challenge to common sense. The discussion will centre on the relation of sense and common sense to…

"Where Mathematics Comes From" (Lakoff & Núñez 2000) proposed that mathematical concepts such as arithmetic and counting are constructed cognitively from embodied metaphors of actions on physical objects, and four actions, or 'grounding metaphors' in particular: collecting, stepping, constructing and measuring. This article argues…