This paper shows how peer observation of learning and teaching (POLT) discussions can be augmented through the use of a dynamic visual notation that makes visible for interpretation, elements of teacher-learner and learner-earner nonverbal interactions. Making visible the nonverbal, physical, spatial and kinesics (eye-based) elements of…

Implementing social media in college classrooms can substantially enhance learning: facilitating teacher-student and student-peer communication; providing access to the professor- and student-posted information along with the resources of the internet; and promoting collaborative and responsive learning in many forms. But the excessive, unwise, or…

This article examines the issue of hidden curriculum as it pertains to the experiences of individuals with disabilities, primarily those diagnosed with autism disorders. Examining the assumptions regarding the hidden curriculum, this article explores the challenges these assumptions create for individuals with autism. We provide suggestions for…

Drawing from a social network perspective, we examined the extent to which children with and without disabilities play with each other in preschool inclusive classrooms and identified malleable child characteristics that would support children forming these cross-status play interactions. A total of 200 children with disabilities and 301 children…

At Rushton Manor School, a small independent school in the South West of England, the proportion of young people with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC), a form of Social, Communication and Language Need (SCLN), was substantially higher than regional averages: 15% at the school versus 5.4% in primary schools and 8.7% in secondary schools regionally…

Learning communities, the co-registration of student cohorts sharing curricular goals, are often associated with greater academic achievement, retention, inclusivity, and engagement. While not all previous studies unequivocally demonstrate a positive learning community effect on performance, many suggest that students participating in learning…

This paper examines play as a fundamental children's activity, giving particular attention to the inclusion of children with impairments at play and children's shared constructions of their playworlds. Children with impairments are customarily portrayed as incompetent, unskilled or deficient in their play, thus being positioned on the margins (or,…

This paper uses conversation analysis (CA) to examine telephone conversation openings in an unwritten and understudied language, Rushani, spoken primarily in remote, mountainous areas of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. In a sample of three telephone conversations, examples are sought of the four opening sequences of telephone calls originally…

Design research was conducted to investigate the development of dynamic conceptions of area. Students used simple physical instruments, squeegees, and paint, to generate rectangular areas continuously as a sweeping motion of one length through another. Then, they dissected the resulting swept space into discrete units of measure by coordinating…

Physical education teachers have been criticized for not implementing progressive or innovative instruction resulting in enhanced student knowledge and skills for lifetime participation in physical activity. Purpose: To investigate how teachers with varying dispositions toward change perceive socializing agents and teaching context as barriers to…

This paper examines how WhatsApp can be used to build learning communities and facilitate interaction, through the lens of Ubuntu -- an African concept of humanness, which means that an individual person owes his or her existence to the existence of others. The Afrocentric concept of Ubuntu and interaction work concomitantly towards the…

Quality early home literacy experiences, specifically young children's shared storybook reading experiences, have been identified as critical for establishing the foundations of reading and writing skills. Despite this, literature reports that children with complex communication needs (CCN) have limited exposure to literacy material. There is,…

This article explores the place-making and identifications practices of two high school girls in the out-of-classroom spaces of their school. We employ Henri Lefebvre's spatial triad, consisting of the interaction between the physical, social and mental dimensions of space, as the conceptual foundation for understanding how these girls turn space…

Research indicates that when instructors interact with students online their academic engagement increases, yet there is little research on student peer interactions and its effectiveness in terms of academic engagement. This study evaluates peer deliberations on a collaborative website for students enrolled in an American politics course at two…

Abstract For students to meaningfully engage in science practices, substantive changes need to occur to deeply entrenched instructional approaches, particularly those related to classroom discourse. Because teachers are critical in establishing how students are permitted to interact in the classroom, it is imperative to examine their role in…