Many researchers would like to be helpful to out-of-school time programs, and practitioners see a need for good research. Yet communication between researchers and practitioners can be a challenge. In a recent series of Roundtables to discuss program needs and research evaluations held with program practitioners, Child Trends obtained important…

This research identifies effective, inclusive approaches to teaching and learning. Specifically, I identify spaces in discourse on teaching and learning where resistances to oppressive power relations can emerge, by identifying how power operates within the classroom at a relational level within different discourses. This involves examining my own…

Participatory web-based technologies have the potential to change the way scholars engage in scholarship. One reason Web 2.0 technologies, such as online social networking, are not widely integrated in PreK-12 and postsecondary education is the lack of modeling by educators. Their lack of research-based best practices limits the ability to…

This paper reviews the use of extended case studies as a teaching method to deeply engage students in the learning and understanding of policy theory. Discussion commences with a review of the literature on the use of case method as an approach to teaching and learning and then critiques the results of student surveys that questioned their…

In this article I argue that the concept of personalisation is simply rhetorical unless it facilitates theory and practice which takes seriously and engages with the value of the human person. The idea of human value is a fundamental theme in social and cultural life and the motor behind many psychological and social processes. Traditionally,…

What are the basic things that compose curriculum, and what are the questions that may be posed about these things? Joseph Schwab's conception of curriculum is used to introduce a scheme of questions concerning the nature, elements, and practice of curriculum. Formulations of questions by other curriculum theorists are reviewed and analysed in…

The present article reports on a cooperative research with a small group of teachers studying for a professionally accredited master's degree (MTeach), leading to the professional award of Chartered Teacher status, at a Scottish university. The aim of the study was to explore teachers' perceptions of the impact made on them and their practice as a…

Adolescents learn best when actively engaged with the content; yet, many teachers rely on passive learning strategies in their classrooms. This study investigated teacher (n = 6) use and adoption of an active learning instructional strategy (Role, Audience, Format, Topic). The study purposes were to: (a) determine how and to what extent teachers…

Much of what is taught in the family and consumer sciences (FCS) classroom is based on scientific research. The existing knowledge base is so broad that overlooking research as a teaching resource and tool happens often. Research enhances what is taught, thereby improving the effectiveness of teachers. Whether it be applying or translating…

Redressing educational inequity requires taking a comprehensive and systemic approach to education reform, a practice increasingly framed as "social justice (in) education." However, while state and federal accountability mandates require any reform intended for K-12 classroom implementation to have a demonstrable impact on student…

This paper explores an aspect of the knowledge of teaching required by teacher educators and how that knowledge might be developed if teaching (about teaching) is to be conceptualised as a distinct and important field in its own right--with its own forms of knowledge, ways of working and perspectives on the world. The paper focuses on…

How mentors in their role as assessors appraise practice teaching lessons may strongly influence their student teachers' learning of how to teach. It can be contended that an assessment for learning (AfL) perspective on process and criteria of appraisal will support a shared valuation of student teachers' practice teaching and acceptance of…

We discuss how K-12 teachers can put motivational principles from self-determination theory into practice. To explain the "how to" of autonomy-supportive teaching, we answer eight frequently asked questions from teachers: What is the goal of autonomy-supportive teaching? How is autonomy-supportive teaching unique? Does autonomy support mean…

In this article the aim is to challenge essentialist ontological assumptions surrounding the impairment category of "learning difficulties" as it was previously conceptualized in social theory and practice. I ground my knowledge production in self-advocates connected to the self-advocacy movement in Flanders (Belgium) and in critical…

With this paper, our main aim is to contribute to the realisation of the chemical reactivity concept, tracing the historical evolution of the concept of chemical affinity that eventually supported the concept of chemical equilibrium. We will concentrate on searching for the theoretical grounds of three key chemical equilibrium ideas: "incomplete…