This paper describes a faculty development project in which four teacher educators, who were part of a larger Faculty Learning Community, used an innovative model called the Faculty Learning Lab to support each other in critical reflections about their teaching. Within the learning lab, which was guided by Knowles' adult learning theory, each…

Formative assessment has been shown to be a critical activity for promoting meaningful understanding in the classroom. Systematic engagement in formative assessment helps instructors to develop a clearer picture of where students stand in relation to the learning objectives of the course. However, college instructors teaching large-enrollment STEM…

Teaching is often seen as an isolated profession in which individual teachers work behind closed doors independently from other teachers. However, this view of teaching as primarily an individual activity belies the reality of modern, collaborative educational practices that most significantly impact student learning. In this study, we examine…

We investigated the feasibility of our novel evaluation system for use with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We prepared the experimental setting with two humanoid robots in reference to the birthday party scene in the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS). We assessed the relationship between social communication ability…

The Classroom Strategies Assessment System-Observer Form (CSAS-O) is a classroom observational system that combines direct observations and rating scales to assess teacher instructional and behavioral management practices, inform goals, plan professional development interventions, and monitor progress. CSAS-O Strategy Rating Scales yield scores…

Curiosity is not about passive receiving of knowledge. Being curious involves action, a desire to know, discover or learn. Children's curiosity should be a central part of their science education. Often in science, curiosity can stem from an everyday occurrence that encourages an observation and promotes a 'what if?' or 'why?' reaction. The…

When superintendent Rudy Hernandez first arrived at Cicero School District 99, he knew he had challenges to address across the district. With a near-90 percent poverty level and a student population made up of 50 percent English language learners, he knew he needed to work with teachers to build a data-driven support system to affect change.…

Teachers and administrators are dedicated to serving students by providing high-quality instruction and continuously improving their practice. This mixed-methods study examined the value of instructional rounds as a tool for professional development of teachers and administrators. This cycle of instructional rounds focused on the problem of…

Students often have differing perceptions of their school's climate. Although these subjective perceptions can be meaningful outcome predictors, discrepancies create challenges for those seeking to globally characterize or intervene to improve the climate of a school. Trained, outside observers can provide insights on perceptible and ostensibly…

While research has investigated risk-taking in play for children from the age of four years upwards, less is known of risky play with children under four years. A small-scale observational study with children from five childcare settings with differing characteristics was undertaken to explore the occurrence and characteristics of risky play for…

The number of articles showing dissatisfaction with the null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST) framework has been progressively increasing over the years. Alternatives to NHST have been proposed and the Bayesian approach seems to have achieved the highest amount of visibility. In this last part of the special issue, a few alternative…

In two studies, Providence Children's Museum investigated caregivers' observations and perceptions of their children's play and learning at the museum. In the first, caregivers (N = 40) were interviewed about what they observed children doing, what they believed children were thinking about, and their own thoughts and actions while watching…

Feedback is powerful. Everybody needs feedback. The need for feedback includes teachers. It's time to transform delivery of instruction and teacher-education with a powerful, 2-step observation-feedback process. Clarity of expectations set the stage for observation. Feedback is delivered instantaneously and regularly. Actionable feedback gets…

As the field moves toward adaptive and individualized behavior intervention, it is important to identify and consider relevant student characteristics as potential levers (i.e., critical factors) for improving intervention effectiveness. Motivated by previous findings suggesting that behavioral profiles and teachers' perceptions of students with…

Early experiences with planning and guiding children's learning can be exciting for preservice teachers in undergraduate teacher training programs. In this article, observations of a preschool play session guide four preservice teachers to design a series of play-centered lessons addressing serious science concepts (Hall 2010). While the concepts…