In the fall of 2012, the University of Tampa dance program proposed its first dance major. The vision was to build a unique curriculum that would strengthen our approach to teacher training and offer the tools to teach a wide variety of populations. Much of the inspiration for this approach came from our training with Anne Green Gilbert, the…

This qualitative action research study examines how middle and high school STEM teachers create and implement lessons that connect concepts to the real-world and develop student metacognition. The researcher collected data through interviews, focus groups, document analysis, and survey questions. Participants from vocational, private, and…

In this study, a technology-supported teaching module was designed to support the advancement of critical thinking as determined by Facione (1990). The lesson plans of the designed teaching module were applied to future mathematics teachers in primary schools. In the study, worksheets constitute teaching model applications lesson plans and it is…

Academic literacy has evolved significantly over the past two decades, expanding beyond basic reading and writing skills to include a broad range of competencies essential for successful modern education. These competencies - skilled communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and digital literacy - are crucial for preparing students to…

This study examines teachers' perspectives on using local folk stories and narratives in social studies education. Utilizing a qualitative research approach and a phenomenological design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 social studies teachers working in middle schools in the central district of Elâzig, Turkey. The findings…

Limited research exists on the factors that contribute to community college students' development of self-efficacy (SE) while serving as preservice teachers (PSTs) during their early childhood education (ECE) practicum. This lack of research is concerning because educators who have high SE enhance the educational well-being of all children. The…

This research aims to: (1) develop a feasible Android-based comic media of Gajah Mungkur Dam, and (2) reveal the effectiveness of the developed comic media in improving mathematical representation and critical thinking abilities on the materials of work and energy. The research subjects are senior high school students, consisting of 262 students…

Creative writing encourages imaginations to take flight, and when adults use the right approach, building literacy skills becomes a form of play that gets kids excited to create their own stories. Packed with ready-to-use lesson plans designed for kindergarten- and early elementary-aged children, this book will help librarians add creative writing…

Ensure your students develop the complex, higher-order thinking skills they need to not just survive but thrive in a 21st century world. The latest edition of this best-selling guide by James A. Bellanca, Robin J. Fogarty, and Brian M. Pete details a three-phase teaching model and dives deep into how to teach seven key student proficiencies:…

Reasoning about graphical representations representing dynamic data (e.g., distance changing over time), including interpreting, creating, changing, combining, and comparing graphs, can be considered a domain-specific operationalization of the general twenty-first century skills of creative, critical thinking and solving problems. This paper…

Purpose: The construction of learning scenarios is a way to plan for teaching activities, promoting the development of skills related to problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. Using learning scenarios as a lesson planning strategy becomes a powerful tool in initial teacher education. On the one hand, it mobilizes…

Argumentation has long been promoted as a core scientific practice in which students should engage, yet science classrooms still often omit it. One remedy is to incorporate socioscientific issues (SSIs) in the curricula. SSIs are open-ended and complex, typically subject to multiple perspectives and solutions. These issues, influenced by science…

Reflection is a high impact practice that develops teacher candidates' learning. Critical reflection requires teacher candidates to continually examine their own thoughts, perspectives, biases, and actions. Reflective practice facilitates the development of new knowledge, skills, and dispositions in teacher candidates by fostering critical…

Critical thinking is thought-focused on how to solve a well-defined problem when several alternatives solutions to the problem exist. Because critical thinking may help to build tolerance toward others, the author believes it is a worthwhile subject to investigate, given that people are living in an increasingly multicultural society full of…

A little imagination, a little drama, a little mystery. Using the guided inquiry model in this updated, second edition, students become detectives at Information Headquarters. They solve a mystery-and enhance their problem-solving and literacy skills. Middle school is a crucial time in the development of problem-solving, critical-thinking, and…