Completing a jigsaw puzzle can be a fun activity, but it can also be a learning experience. Here an exercise is presented that involves student teams completing a simple puzzle while at least one of the members is blindfolded. The blindfolded member is the only member allowed to touch the puzzle pieces, and the other team members have to…

The well-known benefits of collaborative learning have prompted the development of active learning classrooms that are designed to facilitate peer interaction. Given the expense of designing active learning classrooms, examining student perceptions of these learning spaces is critical. Furthermore, it is not well understood how the type of…

This study explores the relationships between self-efficacy and observed quality of classroom interactions of EFL teachers in Niger and how they compare to their American counterparts. We collected and analyzed self-efficacy data from 609 EFL teachers using the Teachers' Sense of Self-efficacy Scale (TSES). In addition, classroom interaction data…

Risk-taking in honors education entails not only anxiety about grades and intellectually disturbing ideas but also painful emotional responses to course materials. Rather than censoring such "dangerous" materials, faculty should compassionately encourage vulnerable students to acknowledge their pain safely in an open and accepting…

Thinking about students in terms of participation instead of "high" or "low" achievers is more than replacing one term with another; it encourages us to shift our focus to student activity as well as barriers to and supports for productive activity. It encourages us to create classroom spaces that draw on student strengths and…

With an increased focus on using social discourse to enhance students' mathematical thinking and reasoning (NCTM 2014, Staples and King 2017), teachers are looking for discussion strategies that encourage middlelevel students to make sense of mathematical concepts. However, structuring these valuable discussions is complex. Teachers must carefully…

This article describes the practices the authors use to promote learning mathematics through social interactions that they cultivate in their classrooms throughout the year. The design of their instruction is guided by two productive discourse practices that they have found to be the most powerful. The first practice involved posing open…

The constructivist smart classroom learning environment is quickly emerging as an alternative classroom model that integrates active learning with advanced technology to improve learners' socialization and achievement. This research examines pre-service teachers' (n = 462) preferences toward this learning environment, as well as the predictive…

Background: Classroom-based physical activity (CBPA) breaks are a common strategy to increase elementary school children's physical activity (PA) levels. There is limited research examining how teacher-level factors impact teacher implementation of CBPA breaks. In this study, we assessed the relationship of teacher-level factors with teacher use…

The Framework for Teaching (FFT) is one of the most widely used observational systems for evaluating teacher effectiveness and driving professional development conversations in schools. This study contrasts reliability and validity evidence relevant to the FFT as traditionally scored with evidence relevant to a composite scoring approach that…

In recent years, the trend in science education is toward scientific processes rather than scientific knowledge. An effective science education not only requires the active involvement of students in scientific investigations, but also the development of engagement in discussions about scientific and social issues. To develop students' discussion…

The focus of the classroom karaoke study was to determine if singing could help Japanese EFL students improve their English pronunciation skills. Five students from a private English language school in Japan were the main participants. They ranged in age (from 20-50) as well as in English proficiency level (from beginning to advanced). After the…

Increased attention is being paid to the role that engagement with scientific practices plays in undergraduate biology education. Particularly important, and understudied, are social aspects of scientific practice (i.e. collaboration, communication, and critique). Social aspects of scientific practice are critical to both the success of practicing…

This study explores the arising and unfolding of class mood with a focus on the students' agentic contributions to classroom interaction. The study is based on empirical video-data that were collected in four secondary school Italian classrooms. We identified three forms of qualitatively distinct class mood, whose unfolding in classroom…

Despite the worldwide increasing prevalence of students with disabilities (SWD) in the general education environment, pre-service educators (PSE) are still reporting negative attitudes before and after taking coursework regarding SWD. Service-learning may be one method for improving the perceptions of PSEs towards SWD. Prior research has not…