What comes to mind when one thinks about building? One may envision constructions with blocks or engineering activities. Yet, constructing and building a number system requires the same sort of imagination, creativity, and perseverance as building a block city or engaging in engineering design. We know that children invent their own notation for…

In the realm of mathematics education, geometry problems assume a pivotal role by fostering abstract thinking, establishing a connection between theory and practice, and offering a tangible portrayal of reality. This study focuses on comprehending problem-solving methodologies by observing the eye movements of 45 primary and multi-year grammar…

This article explores the usefulness of detective role-play as a research method to facilitate young children's critical thinking. The study examines four specifically designed detective play experiences, adopting an ethical rights-based approach to research with children. This qualitative multiple-case study is grounded in play-based pedagogy…

The standby wooden blocks that are prevalent in most high-quality early childhood classrooms are missing from most primary and elementary grades. The goal for block play in early childhood is to support learning in mathematics, science, art, literacy and language arts, physical development, social studies, and social and emotional growth. This…

Research has suggested that system-wide professional development needs to embrace ongoing and sustainable processes such as critical reflection, being within a community of practice and the co-creation of new practices within and across early childhood systems. However, there is little research on how professional development can be designed in a…

Background: Creativity is one of the key competencies for the talent of the 21st century to meet future challenges in a complex world. It is also an innovative basis for students to discover and pose questions. Purpose: This study aimed to explore which two interventions of the problem-oriented teaching model, teacher-guided problem finding (TGPF)…

This study aims to conceptualise a drama-integrated curriculum devised from process drama as an approach to play-based pedagogy and curriculum to realise the policy initiative of learning through play. By investigating teachers' perspectives and practices in relation to the curriculum of a local kindergarten, examples of effective…

Pretend play leads to real-life learning. By imitating a firefighter using a horse, a doctor checking a patient's ear, or a construction worker building a skyscraper, children learn about community roles and services and feel proud and satisfied. When they pretend, children create pictures in their minds of past experiences and use their…

The aim of this study is to investigate the imagery and creativity of the 7th grade students using guided discovery method. The research group was made 77 (age=12.7922+0.52158) 7th grade students, 37 females and 40 males studying in Imam Hatip Secondary School, Konya province, Eregli county. To achieve the purpose of the research,…

The purpose of this case study was to examine how one high-performing California TK-6th grade public elementary school had committed to the development of 21st century skills. Specifically, this study sought to identify the practices and structures at Utopia Elementary that allowed students of low socio-economic status and students with an…

Ever try to captivate students with real-world applications only to discover that they live in a very different world? Assigning an Extreme Word Problem activity to students alleviates this dilemma by placing the authorship of a problem squarely into the hands of learners. Rather than trying to be hip and finding word problems that resonate with…

Walter Humphries and Kathryn Evans outline the aims of the new Welsh curriculum and demonstrate how neatly the Thinking Actively in a Social Context (TASC) problem-solving approach dovetails with the aims of the new 2015 curriculum for Welsh schools.

This case-study explores the impact of a 12 week in-class intervention designed to encourage creativity, inquiry and exploration as a normal and expected part of mathematics lessons, with a particular focus on supporting the learning of highly capable and gifted students. Fred is a mathematically highly capable grade five student whose personal…

Teachers and researchers have known for decades that the use of storybooks can have a positive impact on students' experiences with mathematics. This article describes how first graders in an urban public school actively engage with mathematics by using the story "Bean Thirteen" as a context for developing number sense. This…

The learning experiences of young children cannot be conveniently separated into the areas of cognitive, social/emotional and physical development. They are integrated and interdependent. This balance can be achieved through creative, interactive play that supports and scaffolds all developmental and content areas of the curriculum. Despite the…