This paper documents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an online learning community (OLC), within the Republic of Ireland, which set out to support student teachers in a hybrid space during their school placement experience. Guided by qualitative research, data collection methods included interviews and analysis of students' forum…

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore improving first semester training practices for graduate teaching assistants (TAs) in the Spanish program at Arizona State University's (ASU) Tempe Campus. Adding to research on TA training in higher education, a communities of practice (CoP) framework was combined with concrete…

The problem addressed is that inclusive classrooms lack consistent, collaborative learning opportunities for students with an identified learning disability (LD). A qualitative narrative inquiry was completed to collect teachers' stories and experiences. This study was framed by Vygotsky's social development theory, Bandura's theory of…

The paper reviews teacher candidates' use of action research and the Professional Learning Community (PLC) concept to support their work in their pre-student teaching field experience. In this research study, teacher candidates are involved in a professional development school relationship that uses action research and PLCs to support candidate…

Students represent the majority of the people in a school organisation, but are rarely considered as participants in literature on professional learning communities (PLC). This article explored a PLC with the legitimate participation of students in the classroom. Data was based on interviews with 11 teachers. Community of practice theory provides…

This small study examines how one group (n = 59) of first-year undergraduate students developed their knowledge through co-construction using an online forum as a platform as part of a three-year Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programme. Professional dialogue at the online interface supported them to cope with the challenges they faced during…

In this article, the focus is on task construction and the importance of this process to develop and promote classroom communication in mathematics. The students' tests, examination of students' mathematical work, the teachers' lesson plans, and reports of the lessons' instructions are the basic data for this article. The analysis indicated that…

The inclusion of statistics and probability in the mathematics curriculum has always generated challenges to mathematics teachers of elementary schools. This article discusses activities that promote the professional development of such teachers. We present part of a doctoral research study of 16 teachers in which we discuss two case studies of…

"Lesson study" is a professional learning approach in which teachers work together to: formulate goals for student learning and long-term development; collaboratively plan a "research lesson" designed to bring to life these goals; conduct the lesson in a classroom, with one team member teaching and others gathering evidence on…

For more than 20 years, the American public has grown accustomed to the drumbeat of bad news about their schools. Poor performance on standardized tests, gaps in achievement between minority and white students, and high student drop-out rates have become part of the modern lexicon. Although college- and university-level science educators are not…

This paper proposes a model for building pedagogical knowledge and improving teaching based on the practice of lesson study. In lesson study a small group of instructors jointly designs, teaches, studies and refines a single class lesson called a research lesson. We describe how college teachers can do lesson study in their classrooms. We explore…