This dissertation investigates secondary educators' participation in a community of practice to determine how educators' discourse reveals a discerning stance of cultural humility and an understanding of culturally sustaining pedagogy. Applying critical race theory and Chicana feminist framework to a qualitative auto-ethnographic study, the author…

Student teaching is recognized as the culminating and seminal experience of preservice teacher education. It is a unique time when preservice teachers are fully engaged in daily responsibilities of P-12 music educators, while under direct supervision of a mentor, often referred to as the cooperating music teacher (CMT). CMTs have immense influence…

It is critical to provide inservice elementary teachers the opportunity to advance their science instruction, which in turn can positively impact not only their practice but also their perceptions towards science teaching and learning. Too often, science-specific professional development (PD) programs are scarcely provided as a result of an…

A strong sense of community is linked to higher levels of student retention, wellness and quality of education in counselor education doctoral programs. This is particularly true for marginalized students (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, motherhood status, and international students). Strong, positive faculty relationships with students as well as…

An increasing number of international graduate students who learn English as an Additional Language (EAL) pursue advanced academic degrees in the United States. Previous studies have indicated that international graduate students often face several challenges as EAL learners while socializing in English academic communities and negotiating…

The purpose of this study was to provide recommendations to solve the problem of a lack of computer skills among Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 and 5 learners at the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) Center. The problem was that CLB 4 and 5 learners do not have basic computer skills. When the school switched to online mode…

One of the primary aims of this action research study was to understand what happens when engineering faculty, staff, and faculty mentors engage in a professional development opportunity focused on improving instructional practices and faculty-student interactions. Since action research is aimed at using innovation to engage with a local problem…

The authors investigated the benefits and pitfalls of social media use for schoolteachers. The benefits included opportunities for teacher agency, a resource for teacher wellbeing, and an efficacious communications and marketing tool for schools. However, along with these benefits were associated pitfalls including challenges to esteem and threats…

This study examines an initial attempt of two literacy and educational technology teacher educators to establish an inter-university partnership among 58 teacher candidates learning to integrate educational technology to support literacy instruction by creating an online professional learning community. This study uses self-study as a form of…

The use of social media platforms to promote social interaction in a digital classroom is a common approach used by many educators. However, implementing such a platform is met with many challenges, the biggest being student shyness and reluctance in participating publicly. In this paper, we introduce the Supplementary Discourse (SD) model,…

Teachers of students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) may face obstacles and feel isolated when implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programming with students. The teacher study group (TSG) offers an effective way to overcome barriers and improve SEL. These groups provide a gathering space for teachers to…

Research on learning communities has developed as a perspective radically different from teacher-led instruction. This might be a main reason for why scaffolding is rarely foregrounded in work on learning communities. This contribution analyzes how four recent approaches to learning communities address scaffolding and identifies three different…

In 2018 a teacher education program at a small research university implemented three initiatives to improve the practicum experience for teacher candidates. This program evaluation focusses on one of three initiatives, specifically, peer-oriented triads during practicum. The faculty members used the Spiral of Inquiry (Kaser & Halbert, 2017) as…

Although enrollment in online courses continues to accelerate, challenges exist in online learning. A failure to experience collaboration and interaction can impact student retention and success. While peer review activity promotes student interaction, a collaborative community of learners, and critical thinking skills, higher education…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived effectiveness of a virtual community of practice (vCoP) designed to support knowledge and expertise sharing between K-12 teachers during COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, it aimed at exploring the potential of such vCoPs in delivering effective professional development, in general, and during…