This research seeks to introduce concepts for programming, a key element of computing, to K-12 students. A central goal is to better understand the benefits of concept-integrated game mechanics in teaching basic programming concepts. The context of this research is also one of broadening participation. Thus the studies have been conducted in…

One of the stated goals of higher education is to develop leaders who will make a positive impact on society. This goal is accomplished in various ways, including involving students in co-curricular activities. This study explores one such activity, involvement in a student philanthropic organization, and its relationship to student leadership…

The purpose of this study is to examine the support elementary and middle school teachers need to implement high quality movement (embodied pedagogies) in their classroom practice. High quality movement is an effective learning and teaching tool because it is based on students' nature to learn, it improves students' physical health, mental health,…

Provided the need to improve and demonstrate student learning, administrators frequently look to strategies such as high-impact practices. These are educational activities (e.g., capstone experiences, internships, study abroad, etc.) beyond the core curriculum positively linked to student gains. While high-impact practices offer promising results,…

This study investigates agency-structure dynamics in students and teachers' social activity in a novel design and making environment in the context of the Finnish school system, which has recently undergone major curricular reform. Understanding that agency is an important mediator of educational change, we ask the following questions: How are…

This article reports on a learning community that requires acting together in order to perform and to learn, an organization of shared activity across people and through time that we call ensemble learning. We present a descriptive analysis of ensemble learning in a high school marching band performance season, following how "The Show"…

Practices such as making connections between topics, prioritizing content, and identifying broad themes are essential to learning mathematics. This paper describes a project designed to integrate these synthesizing activities into an abstract algebra class. Students used a classroom wall to record and organize their collective learning and…

Many preschool teachers may be aware of the need to support motor skills and physical activity for their students but they are not sure how to actually achieve this goal. Often preschoolers' only motor time includes recess or a short movement with music activity during circle time, with limited or no structured motor curriculum. This article…

In classrooms, it can be difficult to implement adaptive activities that span social planes (e.g., whole class, group, individual) due to the demands on teacher attention. To make these activities more feasible in classrooms, orchestration tools, which support the classroom management, can be integrated. We present findings from co-design sessions…

In this article, we report how a geometric task based on the ACODESA methodology (collaborative learning, scientific debate and self-reflection) promotes the reformulation of the students' validations and allows revealing the students' aims in each of the stages of the methodology. To do so, we present the case of a team and, particularly, one of…

We provide an overview of a recently published, edited book in a rapidly emerging field of research, policy, and practice for physical activity: "Sedentary Behavior and Health". In this commentary, we highlight the broad perspectives provided in the 27 chapters of "Sedentary Behavior and Health" and suggest a research strategy…

Although rituals are considered central to human life, scholarship on rituals in music education is sparse. This may be due to a more general emphasis on the individual and private at the expense of the social and public aspects of music in education. This article highlights the educational value of school rituals in festivities and celebrations,…

Drawing is recognized as a powerful tool to learn science. Although current research has enriched our understanding of the potential of learning through drawing, scarce attention has been given to the social-cognitive interactions that occur when students jointly create drawings to understand and explain phenomena in science. This article is based…

As obesity and physical inactivity rates continue to rise in the United States, Kentucky ranks third in childhood obesity rates (10-17 year olds) and 50th in physical inactivity. The public school environment is a logical place to examine practices and closely discern how time is spent. Federal legislation over the past 50 years has largely…

There is a disconnect between neuroscience research on concept learning and representation (focusing on categories of concrete objects), and concept learning challenges in science education (which concern systems of causal relationships among objects and events). Bridging this gap will both inform theories of science learning and expand our…