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Social studies have been marginalized in early childhood education amid the prevalence of standardized testing and political issues. However, a comprehensive approach to early education, including social studies, is gaining attention. This article emphasizes the significance of incorporating social studies into early childhood curriculum, illuminating its potential to enhance children's cognitive and social-emotional development. The second important aspect of this article focuses on the role of social studies in literacy skill development through building background knowledge, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills of young children.

This mixed methods study investigates student learning outcomes from undergraduate STEM and non-STEM courses, employing farm-situated place-based experiential learning (PBEL) modules at a private liberal arts university in the Midwest. Given that these courses occurred during both COVID-19 and U.S. police brutality protests, this study critically interrogates the influence of this "dual pandemic" on student meaning-making. The study examines how student scores on environmental science literacy, civic-mindedness, sense of place, and scientific reasoning measures changed throughout the PBEL courses. With the exception of scientific reasoning, change in each measure was statistically significant (p<0.001). A stepwise linear regression determined whether any measures predicted civic-mindedness. Environmental science literacy and university place attachment were found to be predictive of civic-mindedness. Focus group data revealed how PBEL modules affected student learning outcomes and how the dual pandemic affected student civic-mindedness and place attachment.

This research sought to explore how creative writing university students' knowledge aligned with published authors and marketing professionals within the publishing industry. Participants from all three groups were recruited for semi-structured interviews, and the transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Overall, both published authors and creative writing students' knowledge was misaligned with industry perspectives, practices, and expectations, despite both authors and students generally believing marketing was important. Both the authors and students overall possessed a limited understanding of marketing and so their marketing knowledge did not appear to greatly increase after graduating. Given that authors found it difficult to build their marketing knowledge and skills due to time constraints, it would appear useful to embed marketing and entrepreneurial knowledge in creative writing university curricula to ensure students graduated with knowledge that would enhance their entrepreneurial and marketing skills and their income opportunities.

The domestication of plants to make them suitable for consumption is a cultural event in many Indigenous cultures. The cultivation and production of food forms an important part of the worldview of Indigenous peoples. Its inclusion in formal education therefore addresses several cultural issues, fostering understanding of Indigenous life systems, on the one hand, and, on the other, strengthening their perceived legitimacy as valid, necessary processes that are in dialogue with other knowledge imparted within the school system. At the same time, the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives is necessary for a new social contract for education, advancing a paradigm in which Indigenous peoples and organizations participate directly in the creation of educational content, as opposed to what has been happening: states defining and establishing school programme design and content.

Facility placement is of strategic importance to most organizations as a well-placed distribution center minimizes delivery costs and reduces fulfillment lead times, thus improving customer service levels. Because organizations value the location planning process, this teaching brief offers an exercise that analyzes the planning process using the center-of-gravity algorithm, a service area map, and real-world constraints. The objective of the exercise is to identify two locations within a service area that minimize total network distribution costs. Our exercise is intended to complement standard course content and support instructors developing curricula for undergraduate operations management and supply chain management courses. Student-based survey results indicate that the assignment enhanced classroom engagement and helped students better understand the complexities of location planning.

The 21st century is an exciting time for integrating technology in schools. Technology can help educators close digital use, digital design, and accessibility gaps by allowing us to tailor educational experiences to meet every learner's needs. However, technology can feel intimidating and overwhelming to many educators. Like other kinds of coaching, the secret lies in building relationships. By listening to a teacher, being flexible enough to prove that you listened, making them comfortable so that they can both talk and listen, and being responsive to their expressed needs, technology coaches can help teachers confront and address their technology challenges. One of the most important outcomes of the author's approach is that it has nurtured a new mindset among teachers, which manifests when teachers ask themselves, a colleague, or the author, "How can technology enhance this lesson?" This mindset shift helps educators provide equal access to all students to create, iterate, learn, communicate, and collaborate, using instructional technology, instead of being passive consumers of technology.

Student agency theorising traditionally positions individuals as sovereign and under-theorises the role non-human material elements play in enacting agency. We recognise the role of the material but to honour our research participants and context we adopt an asymmetrical view of the agency of the material non-human in relation to the human in co-shaping agency. We apply this view to students learning in nature, and data from a developmental evaluation of visitor experience of an outdoor learning centre. Student and teacher participants took photographs representing their connection to nature on two occasions. Intrigued by the role the camera, the site and its material elements played in participants' photographs, and photo-elicitation interviews, we conceptualised the relationships at work as joint human/non-human material collaborations. We argue educators' recognition of the material agency of settings can assist them in understanding students' agentic positioning within the political imperative of connecting humans to nature as curriculum.

Students entering contemporary higher education have the question of employability at the forefront of their minds, both when deciding which institution to study at and which subject to study. However, the notion of the "employability agenda" is not often welcomed by academics. Focusing on teaching and learning in the UK, this article draws on Daubney's (2022) concept of "extracted employability" to ask what students of Politics and International Relations can expect in terms of employability outcomes from their degree and how that employability value can best be communicated. Highlighting resistance from academics and students to integrating employability into a demanding curriculum, this article, referencing the 2023 QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Politics and International Relations, offers a subject-specific employability proposal. This suggestion could enhance Politics and International Relations degrees and be incorporated into institution-wide curricula and student recruitment activities. The Subject Benchmark Statement is utilized as a common understanding of the nature and standards of study in a subject area; one that can be applied in the delivery and promotion of degrees to help answer the call for those delivering Politics and International Relations teaching and learning to be more confident in their articulation of the employability value of a degree in the field.

The objective of this study is to investigate diverse methods of enhancing learning in the field of accounting while bridging the gap between academic knowledge and the practical skills required by accounting professionals. The research employed a systematic literature review and utilized bibliometric analysis to assess enriching learning in accounting. Through methodological mapping, this research sheds light on emerging trends in the global adoption of new technologies, the integration of technology-enabled practices among accounting professionals, and the prevailing preferences influencing revisions to academic curricula in universities and colleges. Most studies emphasize the importance of integrating technology into accounting classrooms to enhance the learning experience. Beyond pinpointing the disparity between academic theories and practical accounting needs, this paper provides a robust framework for further research into enriching learning in accounting. The findings of this study hold significant implications for academia, higher education institutions, and policymakers. They underscore the importance of understanding enriching learning in accounting, as effective technology-enabled teaching and learning strategies play a pivotal role in equipping new graduates with the skills necessary to pursue their career goals and meet industry standards.

In 2018, the BYU ARTS Partnership Native American Curriculum Initiative (NACI) was developed in response to teacher questions regarding the teaching of Native topics. Despite increased movements towards reconciliation, Native groups continue to be marginalized in Westernized educational settings. Additionally, teachers lack clear guidelines regarding the respectful teaching of Native topics. Describing the challenges we, the NACI team members, faced in our six-year journey partnering with Native groups in Utah, we outline key instructional design decisions we made and identify the culturally responsive principles that guided those decisions. We also advocate for the application of culturally responsive principles and practices in education including the amplification of Native voices in the classroom.

This article discusses the use of the Quality Matters Rubric for Higher Education, 6[superscript th] ed. to self-review an asynchronous information literacy course. In this instance, the authors acted as reviewers and subject matter experts (SME). The Rubric proved to be a useful tool that encompasses several instructional design best practices. After the official self-review period, the QM Rubric influenced the enhancement and updates to the course. The authors recommend more use of the QM Rubric by teaching librarians, collaboration with instructors going through a QM Review, and training for online teaching in Library and Information Science graduate programs.

The call for fostering digital literacies and use of digital technologies in the early childhood classroom is fairly ubiquitous in current times. Open-ended tools can be especially supportive for promoting child-initiated conversation, enhancing multilingual learners' vocabulary development, and increasing accessibility for all learners. In this article, the authors share two innovative technologies that are not costly, do not require teachers to be tech experts, and do not demand an inordinate amount of time either outside of class for planning or during the instructional day. A digital microscope is a relatively straightforward and inexpensive way to allow explorations that simply cannot be done with a magnifying glass. With some extra preparation and technological know-how, students can acquire the ability to digitally edit themselves into videos of their work with the use of green screen (known also as chroma key) technology. The practical examples provided here illustrate ways early childhood educators can integrate technology to support existing instructional practices and positively impact the overall learning experience for all involved. The Triple E Framework can be useful when making decisions about when certain tools might be used to engage, enhance, and extend learning.

Traditional commercial textbooks at the college level are slow to update, often have problematic language or content related to queer and trans identities, and are likely to be prohibitively expensive. As an alternative, I explore the benefits of using open educational resources (OER) and free-to-access resources for a human sexuality course. I argue that using OER gives instructors the ability to customize content that is relevant to their students and location while spotlighting experiences that are frequently left out of commercial textbooks. Further, using OER provides opportunities for instructors and students to depathologize queer identities and challenge systems of oppression. Using my own experience, I present a case study of redesigning a human sexuality course with OER, including the process of evaluating and selecting sources. Finally, I offer suggestions for instructors who want to utilize OER and related free-to-access resources in their own classes.

The digitization of library and archive collections over the last two decades has enabled efforts to reform history education through the integration of primary sources. Currently the Library of Congress provides one of the largest digital collections of its kind. The authors' project, with support from the Library, provides social studies teachers with explicit guidance for teaching historical thinking. The authors, a group of university-based researchers and experienced social studies classroom teachers, conducted an iterative, action research study to identify learning trajectories in history education. In this article, the authors describe their process, introduce the learning trajectories matrix, and provide suggestions for integrating it into the classroom.

This project emerged from the voices of eight female teacher candidates of color, who wanted to address the inequitable representation of historically underrepresented groups within elementary school education. Using the Participatory Action Research (PAR) advanced by Fals-Borda, the teacher candidates designed instructional units that used archival resources to create an accurate representation of historically underrepresented groups, such as Blacks, Indigenous, and Chicanx groups, through instruction. The findings illustrated that involvement in PAR helped teacher candidates implement instruction guided by sociopolitical consciousness. The opportunity for designing and implementing instruction that counteracts the inaccurate representation of historically underrepresented groups provided emerging educators with educational empowerment to transform those instructional practices that failed to acknowledge the experiences of historically underrepresented groups. These findings indicate that emerging educators of color can use action research to create a more diverse and equitable experience within elementary school instruction.

Purpose: This paper presents two educational gamified virtual labs and investigates different methods of including gamified elements in virtual labs used for teaching. The purpose of this study is to investigate if immersive gamified virtual labs can be used as effective pedagogical tools by properly incorporating them into higher education curricula to assist low-risk active learning and student engagement. Design/methodology/approach: This research design comprises two gamified virtual labs including nine essential experiments of biology and chemistry integrated into the higher education curriculum of the Foundation of Science at an international University. Students filled in a survey after participating in the lab to shed light on appropriate ways of using gamification approaches in virtual labs. Findings: From the predominant findings of the study, gamified virtual labs increase student involvement thereby enhancing knowledge development with active learning and may be a potentially suitable pedagogical tool for low-risk interactive learning. Research limitations/implications: Limitations of the study include findings based on gamified virtual labs but not comparing the gamified virtual labs to simple virtual simulations to further investigate the pedagogical approach and understand the student perceptions in a simple virtual simulation and a gamified virtual lab. Practical implications: The findings of this study will provide evidence that gamified virtual labs integrated into higher education curricula as supplementary tools for laboratory experimentation improve the educational delivery process. Originality/value: This research highlights an appropriate way of integrating 3D virtual labs into practical curricula while discussing the benefits.

TeachersPayTeachers.com (TpT) is an influential online education resource marketplace where users download, buy, and sell education content. How and why educators use platforms like TpT has received only limited scholarly attention. This research therefore addresses a gap in the literature by exploring educators' (N = 1359) self-reported uses and perceptions of TpT. Participants reported intensive and multifaceted TpT use, in particular to address curriculum gaps and time pressures. Most respondents perceived TpT content to be of high quality, but many also noted challenges with TpT. We discuss implications related to education resource production, distribution, and consumption in a digital era.

Despite intense interest in how social capital can facilitate informal learning, few attempts have been made to synthesize the interface between social capital and informal learning. Social capital is an important factor in the application of informal learning, especially in postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. This paper first presents a review of the literature that has explored the relationship between social capital and informal learning in STEM education. We then present two case studies illustrating how social capital plays a pivotal role in enhancing informal learning outcomes in postsecondary STEM education. These cases offer insights on how to promote optimal informal learning in STEM education. Implications for understanding the importance of social capital in informal learning are discussed.

Society has always understood individuals with intellectual disabilities from a stance of deficiency, resulting in limited expectations and prospects for school-going adolescents with intellectual disabilities. The study used the social model of disability to explore teachers' perceptions of enablers to enhance school-based adolescents with intellectual disabilities' learning and took cognisance of a wave of policies aimed at including adolescents with intellectual disabilities in mainstream education. A qualitative narrative approach was used for the study. Using a narrative methodological framework, unstructured interview questions were posed to elicit teachers' perceptions of enablers to enhance adolescents with intellectual disabilities' learning. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select teachers working with school-based learners with intellectual disabilities. Five themes emerged from the analysis: therapeutic setting; learners' resilience; parental support; teaching strategies; and community involvement as enablers for enhancing learning for adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Policy implications are also provided in the study.

School district administrators must address structural racism and inequitable access to advanced learning opportunities in their school districts. District administrators in one large district in the northwestern part of the United States sought research-based advice by asking the authors to provide the answer to the "million-dollar" question, "What is the most effective and equitable way to deliver services to advanced learners?" This paper shares the response provided to the school district and discusses the complexity of the question. Based on a systematic literature review of best practices in the field of gifted education, we share our findings in three categories: (1) administrative structures, (2) pedagogy of gifted education, and (3) social and emotional considerations for advanced learners. We conclude by offering recommendations drawn from this review to develop a holistic view of programming and serving all students with advanced academic needs.

The authors, both university faculty in construction management programs, desired to use available resources to develop new material for students. The authors' goal was simply to create a substitute for a traditional textbook with digital content that offers a unique way for students to visualize and learn new concepts. While student engagement is a critical component of the process, it is ultimately a means to the goals of understanding content, long-term retention, and deeper learning. Matching student preferences and expectations is a helpful way to get there, but one of the educator's roles is to thoughtfully curate the materials to be used. Finding what works best in teaching and learning context and implementing some novel approaches, even if in small steps at first, has the potential to engage students at a deeper level, enhance classroom time, and lead to better learning outcomes.

This study introduces a novel framework designed to enrich mathematics teaching guides from a competency-based perspective. First, we narrow down the concept of a teaching guide in mathematics education, grounded in the documentational approach to didactics. This definition offers an updated perspective on the structure and function of math teaching guides in educational settings. Second, we provide a comprehensive definition of 'richness' in math activities, encompassing content, processes, cognitive demand, and classroom management. Lastly, we introduce an analytical tool developed for assessing and enhancing the richness of math teaching guides. This tool, formed through theoretical analysis and empirical testing, assists educators and curriculum developers in creating more balanced and integrative teaching guides. The results suggest that the tool holds potential for broader applications in curriculum design and teacher education. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of how teaching guides can effectively capture and communicate the richness of activities, thereby serving as a valuable tool for improving mathematical education resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]