Playful practices have been linked to increased motivation, engagement, learning and skill development. However, limited research has explored what playful music learning might look like for primary schools, and how teachers might incorporate a range of playful music practices within their classrooms. Our conceptual model for playful music…

An area of ongoing debate among bilingual scholars and practitioners is the extent to which instructional languages should be separated in dual language bilingual education (DLBE). This article contributes to and extends this effort by proposing critical translanguaging space as a conceptual lens to guide the design of translanguaging pedagogies…

Since the first curriculum reform in the 1990s, education reforms in China have aimed at creating a student-centred education model based on creativity. The effectiveness of such strategies is, however, questionable. This paper explores the current level of supportive learning environment at elementary schools. Through empirical research conducted…

Africa is the cradle of civilization, yet its rich history and culture is undertaught--especially in elementary P-5 classrooms. In this article, we share Adinkra symbols from West Africa which can be used for interdisciplinary instruction and classroom management. We offer Adinkra symbols as an organizing theme for teaching in the spirit of not…

This practical resource will help K-5 teachers incorporate digitally supported disciplinary literacy practices into their classroom instruction. With an emphasis on reaching "all" learners, the authors present Planning for Elementary Digitally supported Disciplinary Literacy (PEDDL)--a six-phase framework that introduces readers to an…

Herein, Leland Spencer provides a review of four book selections while reflecting on paradoxes regularly faced by feminist teachers (and scholars, activists, and thinkers). The books include: (1) Bradley, Harriet. "Gender." Cambridge: Polity, 2012. Print; (2) Murphy, Michael J., and Elizabeth N. Ribarsky, eds. "Activities for…

Teachers have many problems transferring theoretical knowledge into practice. That's why teacher educators seek ways for connecting theory and practice in their pre-service teacher education programs. This study describes the activities and the effects of these activities for connecting theory and practice, as well as the recommendations of major…

This article elaborates on the Inquiry Cycle as an appropriate model of learning for the digitally enhanced classroom. Its goal is to provide a useful link between theory and pedagogic practice. This involves taking a new look at the concept of digital literacy. The authors propose a conceptual framework connecting classroom practices and elements…

Across the globe, governments of different countries have recognized the importance and value of digital technologies in language learning. This article is based on the pilot project of Save the Children using information and communication technology (ICT) in education. Through this initiative, interactive multimedia software based on national…

The article presents an ethnographic study conducted in a class in a government-run primary school in Delhi. It was found that a chief concern in the school was that of disciplining children. In the observed class, this took the shape of controlling children's bodies and motor movements. It is argued that through disciplining, teachers were…

Get your students motivated! As a teacher, you know how essential student buy-in is to instructional effectiveness: It is not enough to merely have students participate in the classroom activities you select--you need to get them to want to participate. In "Fun-tastic Activities for Differentiating Comprehension Instruction, Grades 2-6", you will…

This paper examines the extension of active learning pedagogical practices familiar in preschool settings to the first class of primary school. Policy and practice guidance in the UK is advocating the benefits of experiential learning as a way of engaging young children as they move into primary school but for teachers this means a move to new…

This book offers practical recommendations to reach every student in a K-8 classroom. Research-based and written in a teacher-friendly style, it will help teachers with classroom organization and lesson planning in math and science. Included are math and science games, activities, ideas, and lesson plans based on the math and science standards.…

The purpose of this study was to create a conceptual awareness in science education for accurate observation of what is happening around us. To correctly understand the conceptual framework of the curriculum currently being implemented and to make us aware of our need to know how to put this framework into practice will serve as a guide for…

Not too long ago, on a visit to two sixth-grade classrooms, the author saw very clearly the challenge teachers have before them when they try to differentiate reading. In both classrooms, 11-year-olds who read like fourth graders shared tables with classmates who read like the average ninth grader--a five-year span. How teachers approach this…