Prosocial and Active Learning (PAL) Classrooms is a year-long teacher professional development program designed to increase students' prosocial behavior and engagement in 5th grade mathematics and science classrooms that use active, team-based lessons by altering the way that teachers interact with students using research-based strategies. The…

This qualitative study uses an emergent design to explore the experiences of faculty teaching in a newly renovated, large-capacity Active Learning Classroom (ALC). The present study takes first- and second-order barriers (Ertmer, 1999) into consideration for a specific type of technology-integrated classroom, the ALC, and looks at faculty barriers…

Teaching with inquiry-based learning (IBL) can be used to increase high school students' science proficiency levels. Teachers must also be equipped and prepared to teach inquiry-based learning concepts. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate how prolonged professional development (PD) about IBL impacts science and agriscience teachers' intent to…

Active learning has been a growing trend in education for decades based on its impact on student learning and success. As such, schools, colleges, and universities have invested resources into expanding this teaching approach, including active learning classrooms. But why have some schools been successful at rapidly growing their active learning…

Tier 1 Instruction provides the essential foundation for all students to succeed, alleviating the need for more intensive support later. This Spotlight will help readers learn from schools implementing multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS); analyze new laws on math supports for struggling students; evaluate the long-term benefits of early…

Flexible classrooms are designed to support active learning through movable tables and chairs that can be rearranged into different layouts and through technology such as wall-mounted monitors and whiteboards. This paper investigates how instructors experienced with active learning use the furniture and technology of a flexible classroom to…

Professional development (PD) programs for science and agriculture teachers designed around the inquiry-based learning (IBL) teaching strategy could help to improve science proficiency amongst our high school students. PD that continues over a longer period of time is more effective than short-term workshops. The purpose of this study was to…

During this action research study of Algebra I teachers at a high school in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, I have presented information related to the implementation of inquiry-based learning (IBL) and the findings from classroom observations and a focus group interview. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of IBL instructional…

We describe four design principles that guide the Mosaic Fellows Program at Indiana University, a program focused on supporting faculty pedagogy in active learning spaces. The design principles focus on exploring a variety of classrooms with faculty Fellows, engaging Fellows' individual goals, creating shared learning experiences, and encouraging…

The purpose of this research was to examine how learning space design and implementation of an active learning pedagogy based on the 5E Instructional Model influence university faculty's teaching practices and students' engagement. Faculty Fellows were recruited from a public, medium-sized university in the United States to teach courses,…

This study investigated science classroom discourse in terms of the types of teacher discursive moves (TDMs) and the relationships between the types of TDMs and student-led cognitive contributions in different science concepts by considering the classroom context. An experienced seventh-grade science teacher and her 19 students were engaged in…

Classroom-based physical activity (CBPA) is an emerging strategy for increasing youth physical activity, as well as improving academic achievement and on-task behavior. This paper describes the rationale, development, implementation, and evaluation of a professional development training designed for classroom and physical education teachers to…

Since 2011, we have been working at an independent high school with a small group of teachers interested in studying their own teaching practices in ways that support both their individual and collective learning. The participating educators are engaged and challenged by their personal interests in deepening formative assessment practices while…

This guide is a revised and updated edition of "Making It Count." This version contains much of the information from the earlier publication but also includes strategies for using project-based learning and Web-based instructional programs to support the development of mathematics proficiency for youth in short-term juvenile correctional…

This study was an exploration of the conceptions of inquiry science held by exemplary elementary teachers. The origins of these conceptions were explored in order to establish how best to improve elementary teachers' understanding and implementation of inquiry science teaching. Four focus group sessions were held as well as classroom observations.…