The empirical research on dialogue-based pedagogies shows that they improve student outcomes and, thus, teachers should make more use of these methods. However, deeper analyses about whether certain modes of dialogue are better than others is under-researched, resulting in little information about which models best help teachers develop effective…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have traditionally evaded or been silent on issues of (in)equity and, thus, critiqued for their lack of attention to how social injustices create different outcomes for different groups (The Education Trust, 2020). Furthermore, these efforts have been criticized for placing the burden on individual…

This study contributes to the knowledge and planning that impacts the efforts and staffing of instructional specialists. This investigation contributes to having a better understanding of what an instructional specialist possesses in terms of qualities when interacting with teachers. Further implications can help determine how to shape and develop…

Special education teachers employ a variety of strategies to support the needs of students in their classrooms. This research focused on the beliefs that special education teachers have on the incorporation of dance to support academic, behavioral, physical, sensory, medical, social-emotional, and communication needs. Included in this study was an…

Traditional education has a history of examples and experiences of the disconnectedness in the relationship between teacher preparation and standardized achievement scores. The present investigation underscores the intertwined conflict within teacher preparation and its relationship to standardized achievement in the context of special education.…

Critical literacy--which I define briefly here as a lens that assumes no text is neutral and therefore an important goal of reading and writing is to evaluate and critique the power and perspectives that all texts contain--has been continuously well-theorized over the past half-century but is less frequently taught or studied in practice,…

Academic achievement in elementary science achievement scores throughout Title One schools in metro-Atlanta could be identified through analphabetism and improper vocabulary instruction to accommodate students' learning styles. Teaching words explicitly entails extensive time and patience when exposing new science vocabulary. However, teaching…

Because of the inconsistencies in the current literature on literacy instructional approaches, there remains uncertainty about how to implement guided reading instruction most effectively. This research study explored and examined how teachers perceived the Next Step guided reading approach impacted their literacy instructional practices through a…

The ability to write well is inextricably linked to reading comprehension, acquisition of content knowledge, and college and career readiness. Many adolescent students, especially those from economically challenged (EC) households, struggle in their ability to communicate in writing, especially in writing to explain or inform across subject areas.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomena of play by exploring kindergarten teachers' perceptions of play, specifically investigating teachers' perspectives on the importance of play, the role of the educator in play, and the changing face of play in response to evolving academic standards. This study utilized the qualitative approach…

Studies have shown that culturally responsive teaching and its praxis appear very differently in various K-8 classrooms, while addressing race and racism are often absent from the classroom. However, these studies also support that pedagogical theories and practice such as these address the needs of students of color. Therefore, through a critical…

Through further consideration of data emanating from the author's original research into ways in which children are predisposed to learn in approaches to religious education influenced by Jerome Berryman's Godly Play method, a new disposition has been identified, "connecting to life." It comprises three elements--(1) making connections…

The past decade has witnessed the rise of ethno-nationalist sentiments around the world, around the claims that globalization is an ideology that has undermined the sovereignty of nation-states and created conditions that have produced wide-ranging social inequalities. And yet there seems little prospect of turning back from the facts of global…

The idea of making as a form of activism or, as we refer to it in this paper, "craftivism," underpins our ambition to transform pedagogical environments into spaces of possibility through sensory and affective making practices. A craftivist agenda pushes for open teaching and learning with materials so that students can inhabit a…

While time spent on anatomical education in medical school curricula has been diminishing over the last decades, the recognized role of anatomical dissection has expanded. It is perceived by many students and faculty not only as the means of learning the structure and function of the human body, but also as an opportunity for the acquisition of…