Nature-based learning within the primary school curriculum offers numerous potential benefits. However, there is a lack of clarity about how school grounds can be designed to enable effective nature-based learning. There is also little knowledge of how specific features within green school grounds contribute to specific desirable outcomes, such as…

Learning standards such as the "Common Core State Standards for Mathematics" [CCSSM] (NGA Center & CCSSO, 2010) advocate that we develop students' algebraic thinking "beginning in kindergarten." Such a tall order requires innovative approaches that re-imagine what teaching and learning mathematics means for the elementary…

Background: Despite the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994, most black schools in the country still embrace coloniality through policies and practices. This leads to disempowerment, loss of identity, inequalities and inferiority in the learners, which are nurtured till their adulthood. It is therefore important to decolonise the inherited…

Biographies are one of our best tools for diversifying the curriculum. In this article, we describe The Biography Clearinghouse, a free resource designed to inspire teachers to use high-quality biographies in their classrooms. We then elaborate on curricular possibilities in K-8 classrooms. We end with a discussion of the Investigate, Explore, and…

Sustaining changes in teachers' practices is a challenge that determines the success of curricular reforms, from which Digital Education (DE) is not exempt. As the literature on sustainability is considered "scarce" and "scattered", long-term studies modelling the factors impacting teachers' sustained uptake of DE pedagogical…

The authors of this self-study set out to examine their own process of developing queer counternarrative lesson plans for use in early elementary social studies classrooms. Having designed and tested a set of kindergarten lesson plans about Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's, we sought to answer the question: As teacher…

This study investigates the integration of sustainability concepts, as outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), into Arabic-medium (Kindergarten-Grade 4) elementary school textbooks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A content analysis has been conducted in 33 textbooks systematically coded to identify and categorize…

The objective of this research was to determine the factors and actors involved in the emotional support of children in Peruvian elementary schools. Based on a descriptive design with a qualitative approach, the system was analyzed with the participation of six educational leaders using a structural analysis and cross-impact matrices (a…

Purpose: There is a lack of clarity about what constitutes Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education and what the arts contribute. In this paper the authors discuss a distinct model, theorised from a five-year study of a particular, innovative STEAM education project ("The Imagineerium"), and developed by…

This article will provide a guide for physical educators to implementing play-based learning within their curriculum, including how play-based learning can be implemented, how to create a conducive environment that allows for play-based learning, and examples of activities that involve play-based learning.

The authors argue that with the continued marginalization of social studies in the elementary classroom, integration has become a popular and effective method for the inclusion of social studies content in the daily curriculum. Using controversial issues, they highlight a model for this integration with a focus on children's literature.

Growing emphasis on elementary STEM education has pushed elementary teachers to face curriculum changes that focus on standards with which they are largely unfamiliar (Smith, 2020; Trygstad et al., 2013). As a result, elementary students are not always exposed to STEM subjects or integration and miss out on opportunities to access and enjoy the…

The purpose of this study was to examine California preservice teachers' experiences and beliefs with music and music integration in elementary school settings. Preservice elementary teachers (N = 149), currently pursuing a Liberal Studies degree at one of several universities in California, consisted of the participants in this investigation.…

Written for K-12 educators, this e-book brings together contemporary approaches in science, STEM, and language education, with a specific focus on multilingual learners. Incorporating learnings from studies like A Framework for K-12 Science Education, "Next Generation Science Standards," and "English Learners in STEM Subjects,"…

Effective continued professional development (CPD) is critical in preparing teachers for implementing curricular changes. Utilising the professional design framework [Loucks-Horsley, S., Stiles, K. E., Mundry, S. E., Love, N. B., & Hewson, P. W. (2009). "Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics."…