This dissertation describes and analyzes the work of a semester-long teacher research study of inquiry-based and reflective teaching and learning strategies and their impact on students' preparation for future learning. I explore relevant scholarship on knowledge transfer, classroom ecologies, and student agency to set the stage for a discussion…

The HIV/AIDS pandemic's dramatic impact on African life and culture has influenced educational sector significantly. As a result of the chronic crisis, teacher retention in Zambia has reached abysmal lows. This qualitative narrative inquiry study explored teacher retention in a Zambian school through the lens of social constructivism. The study…

The effective implementation of any educational reform is largely dependent on teachers' preparation. In the case of the National English Program in Basic Education (NEPBE), implemented in secondary schools in Mexico by the Secretariat of Public Education in 2009, teacher preparation strategies have been designed by both public and private higher…

This article promotes project-based learning in English education as a way to combat the loss of cultural relevancy under the pressures of standardization. Project-based learning, a specific pedagogy consistent with Paulo Freire's problem-posing theory of education, is one way to create student-centered learning experiences that allow students to…

Dr. Malcolm Shepherd Knowles popularized andragogy as the theory of adult learning and was referred to as the Father of Adult Education in the United States (US). As his doctoral students, the authors had extensive personal contacts with him. This paper utilizes the method of autoethnography to explore how cross-cultural learning and…

This paper presents a theoretical argument for the introduction of Philosophy for Children (P4C) in schools for the realization of quality education in Africa. While I acknowledge that there is a multiple range of attributes of quality education, I isolate open-mindedness as a value that strives to prepare learners to engage in inquiry and equip…

A kindergarten class learns about inventions, inventors, and how to be an inventor. Engaging students in learning about pencil sharpeners led to researching and developing a lesson plan designed so students could learn how inventions are solutions to problems. Through identifying, researching, and brainstorming new inventions, the students…

Plastics are more prevalent in our society than ever before, yet the general public has a limited understanding of why plastics have properties that are vastly different from other common materials such as glass and ceramics. This lab is designed to introduce students to several introductory principles of polymer science and their relation to the…

This qualitative study charted the implications and potentialities of embracing a design culture within contemporary education. Unlike the positivist scientific paradigm which dissects and analyzes, a design philosophy offers a unifying logic that facilitates change, acknowledges complexity, and shapes possibilities (Nelson & Stolterman,…

Donald B. Bartalo reveals the experiences of school leaders and teachers who have discovered that meaningful school improvement does not necessarily come from the top--it comes from effective teaching and leaders who support it. Based on eight fundamental tenets, the text features a clear how-to process, success stories, and methods for bridging…

As part of a collaborative study of the science preparation of elementary school teachers, we investigated the quality of students' reasoning and explored the relationship between sophistication of reasoning and the degree to which the courses were considered inquiry oriented. To probe students' reasoning, we developed open-ended written…

A schoolwide class called Excursions helped a rural Wisconsin school create an environment where everyone could achieve whatever they were comfortable achieving without the restrictions of time. The purpose of an Excursion is to provide students the ability to take charge of their own learning, reflect on what they do, evaluate their work, make…

To teach young children, teachers choose topics in science that children are curious about. Children's inquisitive nature is reflected through the activities as they make repetitive sounds to find the cause and effect relationship. Teachers can make best use of those invaluable moments by incorporating those activities into science lessons on…

An undergraduate biochemistry laboratory experiment is described that will teach students the practical and theoretical considerations for measuring the equilibrium dissociation constant (K[subscript D]) for a protein/DNA interaction using electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs). An EMSA monitors the migration of DNA through a native gel;…

This paper explores the potential of sketchbooks as a pathway for developing ideas for writing in high school English classrooms. This paper examines how shifting between drawing and writing impacts students' ability to develop ideas for writing and create meaningful texts. Specifically, this paper explores four types of visual sign making that…