Progressivist approaches to teaching and learning are rare in the Italian school system. Equality of inputs, whole class teaching and curriculum transmission are preferred. However, the case of a vocational education and training (VET) programme, run by a private State-recognised school, shows a way forward to introduce personalised approaches in…

This participatory design-based research study addresses the relational character of the physical learning environment and pedagogical practice in the context of a design project carried out at a Swedish upper secondary school. Three teachers initiated the project with the intent to introduce student centred pedagogy and increase active learning.…

This article conceptualises how disruptions to conventional teaching models may lead to innovative practice. We have identified a gap in current knowledge around how innovations in higher education teaching and learning are initiated in times of crises. Disruptive Innovation Theory and Roger's Diffusion of Innovation Theory are used as lenses to…

It is widely believed that critical thinking is vital for academic success or effectiveness and innovation in the workplace. However, there is insufficient knowledge about how language teachers conceptualise critical thinking and implement it in teaching. This is especially true in EFL contexts and at the secondary level. Against this background,…

It has been argued that conservatoires in England have a responsibility to train music educators. This article proposes that alumni could have an important role to play in contributing to their former institution's instrumental music teacher education provision and explores how two UK conservatoire graduates with at least three years teaching…

This qualitative study seeks to explore how two university English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers learned to teach critical thinking (CT) through lesson study in China. Informed by relevant literature on CT and teachers' learning to teach CT, and drawing on data from interviews, classroom observation, artefacts and research journals for one…

Sixty seven secondary students from two kindergarten through grade twelve schools participated in this study, which explores the value of using picture books in secondary classrooms. Students unanimous support suggests that including picture books in secondary classrooms has far reaching impacts for the teacher and learner as it presents reasons…

This study seeks to investigate the scope and quality of reflective practice in ELT in contemporary Ukraine. 56 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers were surveyed to gain a better understanding of reflective practice in the country. Data were collected using both a quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interview) method. The…

Beginning to teach after teacher education is commonly depicted as an emotionally challenging period. Beginning teachers deploy strategies to cope with the emotionally challenging transition from teacher education and starting a position as a teacher. One way of coping is trying change the origin of the challenges. The aim of the study was to…

The aim of this paper is to describe an international project aimed at building a knowledge base between Canada and China and beyond for cross-cultural educational understanding and harmonious relationships. The overall purpose of this work is to move beyond cross-cultural comparison and competition to collaborative reciprocity. Reciprocal…

Drawing on the capability approach to human development and Bourdieuan reflexive sociology, this paper explores the interplay of teacher agency and professional practice. The paper names five facets of teacher agency. It shows that teachers with a strong sense of agency actively seek learning opportunities--inquisitive agency; think effortfully…

This study examines how a cohort of 32 Chinese student teachers experience a 3-week Intensive Study Abroad Programme in Canada, which focused on facilitating understanding of teaching and learning from an international perspective. Research findings underscore the effectiveness of a context responsive approach to cross-cultural teaching and…

This research project sought to comprehend how a group of graduates from an Initial Foreign Language Teacher Education (IFLTE) programme in a national teacher education college in Uruguay constructed a personal stance towards social justice as a result of having completed a curriculum intending to promote such a stance. Data were collected through…

This article reports the findings of a small-scale, follow-up investigation into the transfer problems encountered by first-year teachers in China, and the interactions that emerged among the teachers' preconceptions of teaching, university teacher preparation programmes and teaching school contexts in their first year. Participants were surveyed…

Scholars have called for new conceptualisations of teachers' learning that capture the complex, contextualised, and dynamic nature of professional growth. In this article, we describe the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI) that portrays teacher learning as inseparable from the complex and dynamic processes by which teachers form their…