One of the goals of teacher education is to prepare our citizens to communicate in a variety of ways. In our present society, communication using digital media has become essential. Although online discussions are a common component of many online courses, engaging students in online discussions has been a challenge. This study queried 86…

In this article, we demonstrate ways in which teachers, working within the context of rapidly changing demographics in our country, can create inclusive classroom environments that promote the development of engineering literacies and identities, particularly among bilingual students. We draw on our experience working with two projects funded by…

Background: A new national physical education (PE) curriculum has been developed in South Korea and PE teachers have been challenged to deliver new transferable educational outcomes in character development through PE. In one geographical area, in order to support teachers to make required changes, a Communities of Practice (CoP) approach to…

The "Educational Media and Technology Yearbook" has become a standard reference in many libraries and professional collections. It provides a valuable historical record of current ideas and developments in the field. Following an introduction by Karah Zane Hagins, the book is arranged into five parts. Part one of this updated volume,…

The Tennessee Achievement School District (ASD) was created in 2011 to rapidly turn around the lowest performing schools in the state by authorizing high performing charter management organizations to operate the schools. A lack of enough quality applicants, however, led the district to directly run a group of schools. This research investigates…

Developing excellent principals who can set direction, develop people, redesign organizations, and lead instruction requires a system of high-quality preparation and professional development. This paper summarizes the elements of high-quality principal preparation and professional development programs that have been associated with positive school…

This study examines a group of four teachers engaged in a professional development focused on understanding students' mathematical thinking. Using activity theory as a theoretical framework it sought to determine what pedagogical tools associated with a reform mathematics curriculum (i.e. Cognitively Guided Instruction) teachers appropriated…

Technological developments have altered pedagogies in classroom teaching but approaches to teacher professional development have remained largely unchanged. The purpose of this paper is to describe an evolving learning process that spans the last decade and draws from three different investigations into professional development. The author…

This dialogical article reflects stories of encounter. The unexpected collision of our worlds and thoughts, and the familiarities and tensions we came to recognize in each other's experiences when facilitating collaborative research in two communities of dance teachers, has given birth to this shared line of inquiry. We have come to acknowledge…

In this article, the authors argue that successful learning communities are built on the stakeholders' clear understanding of how a learning community model is fundamentally different from traditional curricular approaches and cannot simply be overlaid onto traditional pedagogy. Especially in difficult economic times, well-functioning learning…

Researchers and educators have long argued for the importance of providing time and space for rich conversations around literature. This column draws on research to consider how teachers make room for these discussions inside their classrooms. Particularly, the authors consider different dimensions along which teachers might examine and grow…

Hyperbonding can be a disruptive force in the learning community classroom characterized by nonproductive student behaviors. Research has not identified how frequently hyperbonding occurs in learning communities or why. However, studies have begun to link hyperbonding to the presence of cohorts. I explain how cohorts form and develop, and how they…

Good assessment is part of all good learning communities, and this article provides a useful set of best practices for learning community assessment planning: (1) articulating agreed-upon learning community program goals; (2) identifying the purpose of assessment (e.g., summative or formative); (3) employing qualitative and quantitative assessment…

Learning communities are widely recognized as a powerful pedagogy that promotes deep learning and student engagement, while also addressing a range of challenges that plague higher education. The Completion Agenda represents a complex set of intersecting priorities advocated by federal and state government, nonprofit organizations, colleges, and…

The Professional Learning Network (PLN) is gaining momentum in the education lexicon. It records and reflects the personal development of a community of learners--primarily online through a variety of platforms and social networks--in which educators share resources, provide support, introduce and debate ideas and celebrate learning. These…