For a science teacher in a city, it can sometimes be a challenge to find curricula that are geared specifically toward urban students. The author tackled this dilemma by creating a unit that focused on the urban surroundings experienced by his second-grade students in New York City. The inquiry-based unit centered on unifying concepts such as the…

For music educators, the first three years of in-service teaching are often the toughest. They are the years when teachers are still learning their craft--or, perhaps more accurately, learning how best to apply that craft in real-life situations. Dealing with students, parents, administrators, even fellow teachers, is still a novel and sometimes…

Drawing on the work of one teacher candidate, I demonstrate what can be learnt about the process of discursively constructing a teacher identity through the close study of written plans and portfolios. This teacher candidate positioned herself differently over time in relation to discourses from her teacher education programme about the importance…

In this article we report on an innovation project developed with a group of eleventh graders at a public school in Bogotá. Its aim was to encourage students to improve reading comprehension of texts in English. It was conducted taking into account students' needs, interests and level of English. To do it, we implemented two reading strategies:…

Supported by critical theoretical frameworks, this book is a purposeful engagement with bodies of knowledge rooted in popular culture, yet routinely excluded from "common sense" visions of curriculum. Aimed at teachers as well as teacher-educators, the book examines areas such as Disney, African American stand-up comedy, intersections of…

When Caren Holtzman and Lynn Susholtz look around a classroom, they see "a veritable goldmine of mathematical investigations" involving number, measurement, size, shape, symmetry, ratio, and proportion. They also think of the ways great artists have employed these concepts in their depictions of objects and space--for example, Picasso's use of…

For those who are committed to Lesson Study as a means of developing teacher capacity and bringing about innovation of mathematics teaching and learning, there is value in looking at related strategies, now widely in use in several countries, which aim to achieve similar goals. In this paper, three related strategies will be examined alongside…

Teacher behavior research has shown that teacher behaviors, as well as specific teaching strategies, make a difference with regard to student achievement. Ten durable instructional strategies are discussed: set induction, stimulus variation, reinforcement, questioning, recognizing attending behavior, lecturing or direct instruction, planned…

The purpose of this article is to explore the use of a lesson-planning template designed to support and scaffold pre-service teachers' lesson-planning techniques for a wide range of learners in inclusive classrooms. This template is currently used across the final three semesters of a dual certification inclusive elementary and special education…

Pedagogical content knowledge, especially at the undergraduate level, is vital to the development of competent physical education teachers. Thus, physical education teacher education (PETE) programs provide opportunities for developing and improving pedagogical skills. This article describes the educational potential and benefits of using novel…

Green chemistry is the design, development and implementation of chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use of sub-stances hazardous to human health and the environment. This article reports on the integration of green chemistry and sustainable development concepts (SDCs) into an existing teaching methods course for chemistry…

Young children's capabilities continue to be revealed through brain and other scientific research. These advances in knowledge have led to the implementation of more progressive learning experiences in preschool programs. More in-depth explorations accommodate young children's intellect and they help children develop life skills as competent…

In this article, the authors demonstrate how they modified a well-known game to use it as an educational simulation to help students understand difficult material, specifically critical theory. The goals for the simulation focus on improving the comprehension levels of critical theory for students in a course on the Sociology of Deviance, although…

This paper explores one district's attempt to implement a blended science and English Language Development (ELD) elementary program, designed to provide English language learners opportunities to develop proficiency in English through participation in inquiry-based science. This process resulted in blended program that utilized a combined…

Implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles can provide solutions for general educators in inclusive mathematics environments. Any lesson can be planned to provide learning experiences appropriate for meeting diverse learning needs. This article explores an example of both how to approach a topic in middle school mathematics and…