For many students, the journey from middle school to high school is marked by significant social, emotional, and behavioural changes. Undetected student needs and lack of parental engagement can contribute to a negative transition experience. When students struggle to adapt to new challenges and demands without supports, they are at a greater risk…

Global education is needed in American K-12 education, yet few teacher preparation programs (TPPs) provide preservice teachers (PSTs) induction on global pedagogies, and less so in math and science. This qualitative case study explored the use of classroom-based global collaboration (CBGC) pedagogies among 12 science and mathematics PSTs in a TPP.…

Finnish legislation and policy on early childhood education and care (ECEC) express sustainability as a basic value. The national core curricula state that, during their years in ECEC, all children have the right to develop necessary values, knowledge and skills for living a sustainable life. Furthermore, early years education should be permeated…

The discussion of moral dilemmas has long been a teaching strategy for moral education. However, the questioning techniques teachers use to lead moral discussions are not fully understood. With reference to a collaborative teaching research project on a values education video-story, this study explored the authentic practice of teacher questioning…

In this position paper, we explore the potential of social networks for teacher professional development. Networking is a crucial skill in professional careers, supporting the individual's personal and professional learning. Collective teacher interactions online can facilitate collaborative professional development and support collective…

To facilitate the professional learning of teachers and bring about changes in pedagogical practices, it is necessary to understand the process by which teachers grow professionally. Professional growth can be achieved when teachers work together to engage in professional experimentation and see results in terms of salient outcomes for their…

While collective teacher efficacy has potential to improve teacher practice and student learning, there's a risk this concept will be used to further burden teachers through assuming a positive, confident attitude can overcome all barriers to learning--even without good conditions for teaching in place. France argues that collective efficacy must…

Modern concept of education is based on students' centered learning approaches where collaborative instructional strategy is an emerging approach. It has been tested in different subjects and its effectiveness has been proved. Therefore, this experimental study investigated the effects of Collaborative Instructional Strategy (CIS) on mathematics…

While school closures resulting from the pandemic in spring 2020 created challenges for every school district, districts serving predominantly rural communities faced even greater obstacles. Lack of access to broadband internet connectivity in rural and remote areas complicated many students' efforts to participate in remote learning. In addition,…

School leaders are continually looking for ways to improve instruction and increase student achievement. Collective teacher efficacy has shown to have a high effect size on student learning. However, as educators focus on building collective teacher efficacy and helping students, these same teachers may not be completely engaged in their work.…

Trends in teacher education increasingly emphasize the need for quality ongoing teacher professional development that is accessible, flexible, fosters advanced skillset development, and has the power to change teachers' practice. Participatory approaches to learning that are situated, collaborative, dialogic, and inquiry-oriented promote the…

The aim of the study was to test the effect of teachers' professional development upon students' mathematics academic achievement levels with the help of lesson study. In this manner, the study aimed at increasing students' mathematics learning levels via lesson study. Action research was used as research method in the study. The sample of the…

The number of English Language Learners in the United States continues to increase, yet the number of teachers trained to support ELLs does not. The lack of expertise in this area could have a negative impact on academic achievement. Teachers across the nation, including those at Driscoll Middle, a mid-size suburban middle school in the…

This dissertation in practice created a new form of educator development called the Virtual Educator Network (VEN) and examined its impact on educators' attitudes towards inclusion, feelings of support, and incorporation of new strategies to solve problems of practice they find important. The VEN is a form of professional development that pulls…

This Dissertation in Practice (DIP) was a group dissertation as required by the Doctorate in Educational Leadership program and created a new form of educator development called the Virtual Educator Network (VEN). This DIP examined the VENs' impact on educators' attitudes towards inclusion, feelings of support, and incorporation of new strategies…