Due to their pivotal role in developing quality teachers, student teacher placements have been considered a cornerstone of initial teacher education (ITE). International preservice teachers in Australia must simultaneously make sense of the local culture, adjust to new pedagogical practices at university, and negotiate the complex regulatory and…

Sometimes, innovation means recognizing and acknowledging when an approach needs to be refined and expanded in order to reflect new understandings about ourselves and society.

In the diverse society of the United States, approximately 50% of children ages 0-17 are from a racial-ethnic background that is non-White or Hispanic. In pursuit of equality, it is critically important for educators to be culturally aware and to implement culturally inclusive strategies that can help close the achievement gaps that are affecting…

Innovations in content delivery abound in the world today, providing very effective tools for engaging students in meaningful learning. Social studies teachers have long known that having students memorize names and dates is a fairly useless exercise. Good teachers present material so that students can understand its application in their lives.…

Journey Around the World is an innovative elementary school curriculum that bridges global and prosocial education. The goal of the Journey is to teach children to be open to cultural diversity, have knowledge and understanding of other cultures, and accept others' views in a non-defensive and curious manner. It further focuses on educating young…

In 2014, an international, interdisciplinary group of experts came together under the auspices of the PISA Governing Board to consider a novel question: can an international assessment evaluate, the global competence of 15-year-old students? The experts recognized the need for data to understand how well students are prepared for life in…

In this article, Jennifer Jones describes how at Pine Street School in New York City, they have dispensed with the traditional industrial model of schooling and are looking ahead to the future. The entire school was designed with optional learning environments. Jones describes innovative elements from varied seating (floor cushions, modular…

This comparative study explores the verbal communication between museum educators and young children, based on principles of developmental psychology. In early developmental stages, when student learning is greatly dependent on verbal communications from the teacher, observation skills may be developed through purposeful instruction. Through the…

When parents get together, the subject of appropriately addressing the behavior of their children often comes to the forefront of conversations. Parents share various challenges they face with their children, including issues associated with listening, eating vegetables, doing chores, and a host of other discipline-related situations. The plethora…

This article presents a selective review of the literature on cross-cultural art studies, with the aim of identifying their commonalities. The article includes a specific cross-cultural case study, the Art Lunch Project, which the author attended as a representative of Turkey, that aims to exchange practical teaching experiences. The participants…

In Canada, as around the world, large numbers of Indigenous children encounter culturally dissonant learning environments in preschools and schools. Many of these children experience serious challenges, in part because of a striking mismatch between their early learning experiences in the family and community, and the expectations, perceptions,…

Parent-educator partnerships are an important element of effective early childhood, K-12, and special education programs (Dunst, Trivette, & Snyder, 2000; Tabors, 2008). While early childhood and other classrooms in the United States are increasingly diverse, the teachers in those classrooms are unlikely to be of the same linguistic or cultural…

One of the top reasons immigrants give for coming to the United States is a desire to provide better educational and economic opportunities for their families and children. Immigrants voice this sentiment regardless of their educational level, financial standing, or country of origin. Immigrant children express the same intentions about education…

The quest for understanding the dynamics of language and the related sociocultural aspects of students with autism continues to be a challenge. Today, the term "autism" refers to a set of descriptions that profile a wide range of children who have impairments in their abilities to initiate and sustain healthy, normal social relationships…

Much thought must go into preparing children for the transition from home or a child care environment to school. Transition experiences need to consider the whole child, including children's cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical readiness for learning. It is equally vital to explore ways to involve families, who are children's first and most…