This study explores how Black girls express their "Black girl imagination" while participating in a critical, informal science learning program, Empowering Girls Through Art & Science, designed to prioritize the positive visibility of Black girls and promote the critical exploration of scientific histories. The goal of the research…

In response to the maker movement, administrators are adding 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, and other computer-controlled machinery into school-based makerspaces at a rapid rate. These digital fabrication tools can potentially engage students in hands-on learning across all subject areas. However, adding these extra tools into schools…

This study explores student agency in the context of a culturally authentic computer science (CS) curriculum implemented in an introductory CS course in two high schools. Drawing on focus group and interview data, the study utilizes qualitative research methods to examine how students exercise critical agency as they engage in the course and how…

Students often enter chemistry laboratory courses with a well-documented disconnect between their experiences outside the classroom and the procedures, concepts, and techniques that occur in our courses. Strong base, weak acid titration experiments are present in general chemistry laboratories but also relate to foods our students are familiar…

Case studies are helpful teaching tools that can bring scientific concepts to life. Here, we present a case study related to protein-ligand interactions, amino acids, protein structure, and protein modification. While protein-ligand interaction is a foundational concept within Biochemistry, there are few available case studies that focus on this…

In 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted schools around the world to quickly shift their instruction from in-person learning to online or hybrid learning to limit the spread of the virus. These changes drastically altered the educational experiences of students, and many teachers lacked adequate time and training to prepare for this…

How can teachers engage students in participatory civic education in a state like Texas where education policy is interfering with the Rights of the Learner by refusing to allow educators to support students in becoming active participants in vital democratic processes? Texas Senate Bill 3, passed in 2021, prohibits teachers from directly…

Background and Context: Learning to create self-directed and personally authentic programming projects involves encountering challenges and learning to get unstuck. Objective: This article investigates how one U.S. fourth-grade classroom engaged in practices which emphasized community supports, in the context of the classroom's implementation and…

This project engaged Ghanaian secondary pupils in authentic science and engineering activities by using model biodigesters that reduce organic waste and produce biogas and fertiliser. The pupils' activities paralleled scientists' activities, such as asking research questions and designing experiments. Our study included two cohorts of Ghanaian…

In literature, teaching for an authentic learning experience is seen as rewarding and interesting, promoting better understanding of for example sustainable development and fostering students' independence. Some upper secondary schools emphasise authentic teaching and learning on their websites, showcasing how students engage in authentic tasks.…

This study presents the research that Pramling Samuelsson's keynote at the 32nd annual EECERA conference in Brighton 2024 drew upon. The study addresses an important but understudied feature of early childhood education and care for sustainability (ECECfS), namely engaging children in prospective or what-if thinking. Our reasoning is founded on…

This paper proposes an updated framework for the evaluation of the computer-assisted language learning (CALL) framework, further developed from Chapelle (2001) and González-Lloret and Ortega (2014). Based on a review of prominent previous CALL evaluation frameworks, an exploration of relevant literature in formal evaluation and my own first-hand…

This paper examines the transformative potential of performance-based assessment (PBA) in mathematics education across Sub-Saharan Africa when integrated with Ubuntu philosophy. Through a conceptual analysis of existing literature and pedagogical frameworks, this study explores how PBA can be integrated with Ubuntu philosophy to address…

This theory paper proposes "Involving Students in Participatory Research in Education" (INSPIRE), a pedagogical framework for curriculum-based citizen science (CS) activities within citizen humanities at high schools. From an instructional perspective, this framework can support teachers, researchers and CS educators in developing an…

Critical thinking is integral to English language teaching (ELT) as it enhances both linguistic competence and higher-order cognitive abilities such as analysis, evaluation, and problem-solving. This paper explores how critical thinking can be systematically embedded in ELT to foster intellectual maturity and independent learning. It examines…