Our ways of living together, communicating, and learning shape social life and our responses to problems such as economic injustice, racism, or climate change. That insight led John Dewey to identify democracy and its engine, democratic education, as the best means for assembling the knowledge necessary to address complex challenges and to ensure…

Context-based learning (CBL) has influenced teaching and learning science in many countries over the past decades. Twelve years ago, a special issue on CBL was published in this "Journal," focusing on CBL curriculum development. Seven papers in this current special issue on CBL now address the question of how a context influences the…

That happiness leads to lack of harm and suffering, representing both a good and a means to good, is promoted, for example, by educational philosophers such as Nel Noddings. But happiness should not be seen as an unproblematic goal, for education or otherwise. In this article, we critically investigate the importance of happiness in the…

In many ways, higher education has not changed in the nearly 1,000 years since the first university was founded in Bologna, Italy in 1088. Many courses still have professors or "masters" lecturing in front of students, with exams being reproduction of facts learned in lectures. But in other ways, higher education changes daily. A brief…

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to provide a framework for reflecting on how different ways of configuring spaces in higher education (HE) condition the possibilities of learning. Second, the purpose is to construct a storytelling approach for the configuration of such spaces. Design/methodology/approach: The paper's conceptual purpose is…

This dissertation explores some of the ways the bodies of faculty members function in built educational environments. Faculty bodies have been typically rendered invisible in the built educational environment, but the bodies of educators are not only present, but they actually serve pedagogical purpose. Using autoethnography to learn more about…

This edition of "Equity Dispatch" aims to reimagine a school environment where student-led activism, towards social justice, of oppressive school systems is legitimized rather than marginalized.

This chapter provides an orientation to both the book series, "Understanding Teaching-Learning" Practice," and this book, "Spaces of Teaching and Learning." It begins by situating the idea of "practice" in educational research and emphasises our interest in the individual and the mind and the links between these…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the hitherto unexplored strategic potentialities of blockchain as an intangible resource for open and distance learning (ODL) to attain and sustain competitive advantage by creating a more learner centric learning ecosystem. Design/methodology/approach: Research design included review of the…

Positive self-esteem is linked to academic success for K-12 students. However, self-esteem declines during adolescence, especially for African Americans. Positive perceptions of school climate are well-studied predictors of self-esteem. Given the risk for greater declines in self-esteem experienced by African American students, this study sought…

In this study, we aim to widen the understanding of how students' collaborative knowledge practices are mediated multimodally in a school's makerspace learning environment. Taking a sociocultural stance, we analyzed students' knowledge practices while carrying out STEAM learning challenges in small groups in the FUSE Studio, an elementary school's…

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the inquiry-based learning method supported by metacognitive strategies on students' problem-solving and problem-posing skills. The research was conducted in two stages using an exploratory sequential design, which is one of the mixed methods research. The case study design was used in the first…

Numerous open distance electronic learning (ODeL) institutions have embraced a virtual learning environment as a platform to facilitate e-learning. Although ODeL institutions have embarked on the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE), there is still a need to rethink e-learning processes to make content delivery exciting and interactive. The…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate vocational teaching behaviours in facilitating pedagogical practice concerning students' classroom engagement. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-method approach with quantitative classroom observations and qualitative field notes was conducted at two higher vocational institutions in…

Fostering student academic leadership in an online environment can be challenging. How can a program provide peer support to students while equipping them for current and future leadership roles? Discussion will include an analysis of the Doctoral Graduate Assistant Program and Doctoral Advisory Board opportunities at American College of Education.