This systematic literature review explored the impact of integrating AI tools in higher education using the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) by Lev Vygotsky. It examined how AI tools assist the students in identifying and operating within their ZPD, how to create and facilitate a collaborative learning environment, and how to provide the…

In "Equity Learning Communities," Daniel Reinholz recommends sustained, collaborative professional development group meetings as a launchpad for higher education instructors to enhance classroom equity and inclusivity. In Reinholz's approach, community members make use of debrief sessions, collaborative problem solving, and empirical…

As part of its project on instructional leaders at the middle tier, International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) and Education Development Trust (EDT) conducted case studies in five jurisdictions, exploring the professional practices and perceived impacts of instructional leaders and the enabling factors present in the systems in which…

This study examines the effectiveness of the Center for Civic Education's Project Citizen teacher professional development program and curriculum intervention in producing positive student learning outcomes that support civic engagement. Through Project Citizen, students identify and research a problem in their community, explore solutions,…

This study explains the impact of a leadership intervention in collaborative problem-solving on the behaviour of eight middle leaders, on the teachers of those leaders, and on the reading achievement of their target students. A theory and practice of collaborative problem-solving, which integrates deliberative problem-solving with interpersonal…

This paper reports on a project that sought to enhance problem-solving practices within a cluster of primary schools. In-service teachers' description of their approach to problem-solving suggested it was treated as an isolated practice that occurred after concepts had been taught; often focusing on teaching particular problem-solving strategies…

Teachers are struggling to transfer newly acquired knowledge and skills from professional learning experiences into their classrooms. This study aimed to explore teachers' perceptions of how professional learning communities (PLCs) enhance elementary teachers' instructional practices based on interviews with teachers in a rural school district.…

In this reflective methodological paper we focus on affordances and challenges of video data. We compare and analyze two research settings that use the latest video technology to capture classroom interactions in mathematics education, namely, The Social Unit of Learning (SUL) project of the University of Melbourne and the MathTrack project of the…

Problem-solving is of importance in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Nevertheless, a baseline investigation conducted in 2016 revealed that mathematical problem-solving is virtually missing in South African classrooms. In this regard, a two-cycle design-based research project was conducted to develop a professional development (PD)…

The shift from traditional education to maker-centered learning calls for an analysis and evaluation of the current studies on professional development in maker-centered learning. The current systematic literature review was conducted to examine existing literature on teacher professional development for maker-centered learning. It aligns the…

More than 85% of federally funded research initiatives fail to produce significant positive results (Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, 2013). Moreover, of the less than 15% that do yield positive results, none show replicability outside of their original setting (Pogrow, 2017; Kizilcec et al., 2020). Mixed results are present in even the most…

This case study aimed to investigate teachers' reflections on the transfer of makerspace activities into classrooms. Primary and secondary STEM teachers participated in a Continuous Professional Development programme about makerspaces. Data were collected in the form of written reflections and semi-structured interviews after the teachers…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate, through the lens of Adult Learning Theory, the perceived influence of TeleNGAGE on educators' and families' capacity to collaborate in equitable and transformative ways. Findings suggest that educators' and families' capacity for collaborative problem-solving was enhanced through…

Problem-based learning (PBL) offers a powerful approach to engage students in meaningful learning experiences by connecting classroom content to real-world challenges. This Spotlight explores how PBL can be implemented across K-12 to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. From preparing students for the workforce…

This exploratory case study examined the nature of problem solving in terms of the types of problems posed, instructional approaches and collaborative learning, in first-year and second-year post-secondary computing education. Participants included faculty across three computing programs. Instructional classroom and laboratory observations,…