A social skills training has previously resulted in positive improvements in social skills among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This pilot study developed a play-based social skills training protocol for first-grade elementary children with ASD in Taiwan and determined its efficacy. Using a single-group…

How do you take the passion and chatter that K-5 students bring to the classroom and turn it into conversation skills that make them better learners? Academic conversation can help hone speaking and listening, critical thinking, and social-emotional skills, as well as deepen content knowledge. But despite its effectiveness, this kind of…

This research aims to explore the latent effect of elementary student engagement in a Spherical Video-based Virtual Reality (SVVR) environment for a school-based course on higher level competence development. Student engagement and higher level competence development were investigated using a valid sample of 324 students from five elementary…

Purpose: To determine the impact of a training program on the ability of preservice teachers (PTs) to negotiate with their students while teaching through the skill themes approach during an early field experience. Method: Participants were 11 PTs who were given specific training on how to negotiate with their students. Data on their ability to…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have difficulties initiating and maintaining reciprocal conversations with others. In this study, we examined if an interdependent group contingency would improve reciprocal conversation of children with ASD when they were paired as conversational partners. We also assessed children's social…

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have marked deficits in social communication skills, which can challenge their ability to participate in academic and social activities. Music therapy is a popular intervention for children with ASD, and although research evidence supporting its effectiveness is growing, methodological flaws limit…

Math coach, Kassia Omohundro Wedekind, and literacy coach, Christy Hermann Thompson, have spent years comparing notes on how to build effective classroom communities across the content areas. "How," they wondered, "can we lay the groundwork for classroom conversations that are less teacher-directed and more conducive to…

The authors share a sequence of lessons that teachers thought were especially useful to produce effective science discourse and promote student understanding. The first lessons teach social and emotional skills. The later lessons focus on energy sources and systems, requiring students to apply their social and emotional skills to conversations…

This paper shares ideas with teachers about the integration of students' social and emotional skills with science instruction to fully implement the Next Generation Science Standards. In this article, we share a sequence of lessons that teachers thought were especially useful to produce effective science discourse and promote student…

Oral language skills underpin children's educational success and enhance positive life outcomes. Yet, significant numbers of children struggle to develop competence in speaking and listening, especially those from areas of high economic deprivation. A tiered intervention model, graduating the level of provision in line with levels of need, has…

In order to further understand what educators can do - and are doing - to build strong relationships, Transforming Education (TransformEd) has produced a series of briefs or "stories from the field" that are intended to share student and educator perspectives about developing and sustaining strong relationships within the classroom and…

One of the sports for the Special Olympics is snow-shoeing. In Hong Kong training for this sport occurs in the sand and is called sand-shoeing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a sand-shoeing training program (STP) of the Special Olympics Hong Kong (SOHK). Two hundreds and thirty-two Grade 1 to 12 special school students with intellectual…

In physical education (PE), children frequently participate in teams and the exchanges that transpire shape their perspectives and subsequently, influence learning. While Sport Education is one pedagogical model designed to enhance social exchanges through team membership, we previously identified the need for additional research to monitor these…

This book is about inclusivity and open education in the digital age. It reports the latest data on this topic from the 2021 Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA) conference. This annual conference focuses on challenges pertaining to the evolution of the learning process, the role of pedagogical approaches and the progress…

The present study sought to examine the impact of the Sanford Harmony and Inspire programs as implemented in 10 "showcase" elementary schools during the 2018-19 school year. This study is a continuation of Phase I of the Sanford Harmony and Inspire Demonstration Site program evaluation, which was conducted during the 2017-18 school year…