Since the turn of the century, there have been frequent expressions of concern about a perceived lack of creativity in UK schools, in both curriculum content and in teaching. Recently, as the emphasis on mathematics, science and technology has strengthened, serious concerns have also been expressed about the marginalisation of the arts and…

This study investigates the knowledge that experienced teachers draw on when fostering students' reflections. Reflective skills are crucial for advancing students' learning. In order to promote students' reflection productively, extensive support and scaffolding from teachers is indispensible. However, teachers are in need of more guidance in this…

This article arises out of an initiative to implement a curriculum designed to enhance the literacy learning of elementary school children in Portugal. Researchers explored students' perspectives about the experienced curriculum through the enactment of group interviews. Thematic analysis of the conversations revealed positive opinions and…

This study examines the impact of dialogic teaching as core pedagogy in the higher education context. It investigates how instructional design informed by Alexander's dialogic principles and educational linguistics encouraged pre-service teachers and in-service teachers to develop professional capabilities to first recognise and then harness the…

This research investigates how three Government-funded Normal Students constructed and reconstructed their identities in a pre-service teacher education programme in China. Drawing upon data from interviews, field observation and the pre-service teachers' written reflections, the study explores the cognitive, social and emotional processes of…

Supporting and upskilling teachers are essential to enhancing the quality of learning in developing contexts -- the focus of Education For All -- yet little evidence exists concerning what kinds of teacher education are actually most effective and what changes in "quality" are desired and feasible. This paper illustrates how a concrete,…

This paper explores cultural inclusion--the extent to which schools accommodate the needs and experiences of minority cultural groups to make the schools equally welcoming--and optimal learning places for all children, specifically through the curricular and pedagogical practices which contributed to the secondary school experiences of…

The view that vocational education and training is central to economic prosperity and social well-being is one that is widely held by policy-makers in many countries. Delivering this agenda requires skilled and professional teachers. Ensuring that vocational teachers are able to maintain and develop both their "craft" skills and…

This paper outlines a theoretical framework which offers an explanation of the complexity of how teachers define their effectiveness in relation to their classroom practice. The research from which this framework emerged was a two-year, mixed method study of 81 primary and secondary school teachers. The use of repertory grid interviews combined…

This paper presents an analysis of ethnographic data collected by researchers as part of the process of rewriting an institutional learning and teaching strategy in an English university. The research was driven by a desire to understand what work a learning and teaching strategy might accomplish, and the form/s of address in strategy documents.…

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the teaching, learning and assessment strategies conceived and implemented in a higher education chemistry course promote the development of higher-order skills as intended. Thus, our main aim is to analyse the approaches to learning in chemistry undergraduates. This research was carried out in a…

This article reports on an ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) doctoral study which investigated how teachers consulted pupils about teaching and learning in classrooms. Interest in consulting pupils has increased over the last decade; existing research suggests pupils have valuable perspectives on teaching and learning which teachers can…

This paper reports on a national study, involving a mixed-method research design comprising a randomised controlled trial (RCT), text analysis, student and teacher interviews and lesson observations. It set out to investigate whether contextualised teaching of grammar, linked to the teaching of writing, would improve student outcomes in writing…

This paper draws on some of the findings from a research study which examined the current structure of assessment for citizenship in secondary education in England and considers the rationale for the assessment of citizenship. The research included an empirical evaluation of citizenship assessment from the perspective of the key user groups,…

This article argues that whilst there have been substantial advancements in the ways in which learning is conceptualised, theoretical understandings of assessment, and practices that contribute to meaningful statements of learners' achievements, have not mirrored these changes in certain learning contexts. The authors challenge contemporary…