Schools are the basic environments where learning takes place. The quality of these environments and acquirement of the knowledge and skills expected by societies have caused the disconnection between real life and the school. One of the main subjects of education circles in the 21st century has been what to do in order to ensure the connection…

The SPECTRA program was introduced to Pennant Hills Public School as an extracurricular activity to help support the science and technology discipline, and more broadly STEM connections, for students in Stage 3. There are currently 35 students of mixed ability completing the program. Throughout their involvement in the SPECTRA program, these…

Social studies instructional experts have called for a move from a knowledge-based curriculum to conceptually-driven inquiry, though tools for educators in meeting this challenge are lacking. Simulations are potentially a powerful inquiry tool to transform students' ways of seeing the world through realistic interactions with complex social…

While primary studies on technology-mediated informal foreign language (FL) learning are increasingly popular, research synthesis on self-directed FL learning in incidental, out-of-class contexts are scarce. Therefore, this article seeks to address this gap in the literature through a qualitative research synthesis (QRS) on language learning in…

Authentic learning tasks, resembling life-like situations, have been effectively used in this research with Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) of English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). The present study also focuses on the implementation of the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach in ESL/EFL teaching comparing two…

This research is about investigating authentic learning experiences for elementary-age English learners' (ELs) engagement and attitudes toward learning. Oftentimes, EL instruction is siloed in its approach and is interdependent on what students are learning in the classroom. Moreover, due to potential limitations in language acquisition skills…

Limited access to undergraduate research experiences for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students has led to creation of classroom-based opportunities for students to participate in authentic science. Revising laboratory courses to engage students in the practices of science has been shown to have many benefits for students.…

Learners have different values that could affect their learning and eventually their performance in mathematics. However, many teachers are unaware of these values. Therefore, this paper reports on a study that established the values learners consider as important in the learning of mathematics. The participants were 274 Grade 9 learners, selected…

Authenticity is a term that has become ubiquitous within the field of science education, particularly when it relates to the practices of science. These practices are a key feature of science education reform documents in the US. However, a common definition of just what makes for the authentic doing of science is hard to come by and certainly…

Today, many literacy scholars have accepted that there is a continuum of legitimate literacy practices. In view of this, this study explored the effects of schools' literacy practices on eight high school students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), juxtaposing these practices against the 'knowledge processes' framework to determine the extent to…

This paper draws on the author's experience of developing a short-term, intensive international learning experience within the framework of a one-semester course. This paper is aimed at faculty members who are interested in implementing a short but effective and authentic international learning opportunity, but who may not have expertise in issues…

Few will argue that great schools are the by-products of great teachers. What is less obvious to most people is that the best teachers do not manage their students, they lead them. Far too often, teachers are characterized as managers, which explains our educational system's focus on classroom management, rather than leadership skills. Improving…

There is a strong focus to connect theory with practice in initial teacher education (ITE). This discussion paper explores how we shifted teaching modes and assessment tasks in light of the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) when digital technologies were unexpectedly catapulted to the main delivery mode for the preparation of future teachers. During…

This study explores the perceptions of secondary school teachers about the use authentic material in Pakistani English language classrooms. For this quantitative study, data was collected through a survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was adapted from Yeung Ting-fai (2011) and was modified according to the needs of Pakistani educational system.…

Framing, implementing, and engaging youth in authentic scientific inquiry are highly valued in science education; however, we have very limited knowledge of the nature and use of tools that accomplish these. Therefore, we proposed that board game design is a meaningful tool for engaging youth in understanding environmental issues. We reported…