Reading is seen by many as an essential ingredient for learning to write. Is the relationship between reading and writing reciprocal? Does the path to better reading involve becoming a good writer? The answer to these questions presents a paradox. One does not have to learn to write in order to learn to read, as learning how to write or type words…

This design case discusses the complex collaborative design reasoning processes involved in developing an online interactive learning tool for learners of all ages to explore and understand the role of flagellate plants in our society. The learning tool consists of a main website (the "Voyager") and an interactive, dynamic map of the…

Income inequality is a central social justice concern, and hence excellent motivation for real-world applications in mathematics classrooms at every level. We describe the "Mathematics for Social Justice" course at Saint Michael's College, giving a specific example of one of the typical social justice projects for the course, and showing…

The world demands individuals with knowledge and skills in agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR) paired with proficiency in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts. Current models for STEM education call for interdisciplinary approaches in which learners address real-world challenges, indicating high potential…

The multi-disciplinarity of visual literacy has become even more pronounced in an age of digital information. What shared questions do we ask in our research, where does our work intersect and how do those intersections define the field of visual literacy? Through an analysis of the articles published in the "Journal of Visual Literacy"…

Education for sustainable development (ESD) and higher education for sustainable development (HESD) are complex, multidisciplinary fields of enquiry, drawing on concepts and terms from different disciplines and languages. Although the fields are advancing in their acceptability within educational systems worldwide, they are currently struggling to…

Ryerson University theatre professor Natalie Alvarez is currently helming a large, interdisciplinary team in southern Ontario that is testing the power of Forum Theatre to build better, more responsive scenarios for police officer training in de-escalation and mental crisis response. In this interview, Alvarez sits down with issue editor Kim Solga…

In this commentary, we reflect on the articles in this special collection from our lens as scholars who have chosen to conduct research with a focus on climate change education. We start with statements of positionality, as certainly our own experiences and philosophical stances shape our work and reflections included here. Afterwards, we present…

Scientific problems of the twenty-first century involve complex research questions that require an interdisciplinary approach. Educational research suggests that overall student achievement is greater in an interdisciplinary science curriculum than in a discipline-specific science curriculum. Regardless, the secondary school science curriculum in…

Design and design thinking are increasingly being taught across several disciplines--ranging from arts, architecture, and technology and engineering to business schools--where expertise plays a central role. A substantial corpus of literature on research in regard to design expert and design expertise has accumulated in the last decades. However,…

The 'Future of Jobs' report from the World Economic Forum highlights that creativity is one of the most important skills needed by the workforce. One way of enhancing the creativity of students undertaking STEM subjects is by taking inspiration from design disciplines. The product design curriculum has creativity at its heart and follows a product…

Electrostatic potential energy is a topic of great difficulty for many students. In this paper, we empirically test the utility of two approaches for laying a foundation for developing an understanding of energy in an electrostatic context, with interdisciplinary relevance. We examine student responses to a question about how the potential energy…

Setting primary science in an everyday context supports learning in a number of ways. Exploring the science associated with everyday people, places and materials helps to access pupils' prior knowledge and experience and thus facilitates a more constructivist and pupil-centred form of pedagogy. This account looks at various examples from the…

The article assumes that the expansion of cultural content in basic education implies a qualitative change in the entire curriculum system. It rescues the idea of social micro spaces of common curriculum selection and reconfiguration and underlines the role of decision-makers in different groups. Namely, experts and specialists who, within the…

This contribution will outline the development of a specific approach of theoretical educational thinking in Germany, associated with the notions of "Didaktik"/didactics and "Fachdidaktik"/subject-matter didactics as well as its comparative, generalized form called "General Subject Didactics" (GSD). The first one…