The authors in this volume offer a new set of lenses that brings into focus the possibilities offered by different pedagogical approaches. With these lenses, this volume recognizes and answers the growing call from learners, parents, educators, communities, and national leaders for a re-imagined way to educate. This volume creates a vision of the future of education that calls for engagement in such pedagogies as blended learning, disruptive technology, connected and personalized. Contributors are: Vinita Abichandani, Fatma Nur Aktaş, Anastasios Athanasiadis, Anastasios (Tasos) Barkatsas, Seth Brown, Athina Chalkiadaki, Grant Cooper, Carlos García Cuadrado, Kimberley Daly, Yüksel Dede, Zara Ersozlu, Andrew Gilbert, James Goring, Anne K. Horak, Kathy Jordan, Katerina Kasimatis, Gillian Kidman, Peter Kelly, Manolis Koutouzis, Alex Koutsouris, Huk-Yuen Law, Susan Ledger, Kathy Littlewood, Simone Macdonald, Elisa Arranz Martín, Tricia McLaughlin, Juanjo Mena, Claudia Orellana, Anastasia Papadopoulou, Vassiliki Papadopoulou, Kate Park, Scott K. Phillips, Ioanna Skaltsa, Micah Swartz, Hazel Tan, and Lisa Williams.

STEM Teacher Preparation and Practice for the 21st Century: Research-based Insights introduces the reader to a collection of thoughtful, research-based works by authors that represent current thinking about the future of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM as it known today, as well as STEM education for a rapidly evolving global society and the preparation of STEM teachers to meet the educational needs of a changing educational landscape. Each chapter focuses on STEM teaching and the preparation of teachers who will enter classrooms to instruct the next generation of students in STEM. Research in the learning sciences focuses on the cognitive, epistemological, and socio-cultural characteristics of scientific and engineering research communities in their efforts to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. STEM education is a means to help individuals develop different strategies in order to solve interdisciplinary problems and gain skills and knowledge as they are engaged with STEM related activities through formal and informal learning programs. Research also suggests that STEM may well stand as the new general education for the 21st century. In much of the current discourse on teacher quality and preparation, two essential points for consideration have emerged: the strength of the relationship between teacher content knowledge and student achievement, and the specific representations of knowledge that are most conducive to effective teaching. Add to these two points one additional: the nature of transforming a chaotic system of discreet preparation and clinical experiences into a coherent, aligned and logical system of continuous and progressive development and support throughout a teacher’s career. These three points apply to STEM teacher preparation, induction and professional learning as well as to teacher preparation, induction and professional learning in general. Importantly, the contributing authors to this book have brought to the foreground research-based insights concerning STEM teacher preparation. Each chapter presents clear paths to understanding and reimagining STEM teaching and the importance of STEM teacher preparation, acknowledging the value of STEM literacy and the interdisciplinary nature of STEM teaching.

Technology has developed at a tremendous rate since the turn of the century, but educational practice has not kept pace. Traditional teaching practices still predominate in many educational settings, and educators are often intimidated by new technology. However, as tragic as the COVID-19 pandemic has been, it has caused many people to rethink education and opportunities provided by new technologies for effective teaching and learning. How can educational communities of practice be reimagined to support a growth mindset for learning? This volume explores innovative visions for 21st century learning. The content explores the experiences of teachers with new technology, presents research studies that highlight effective strategies and technologies, and shares lessons learned from a unique researcher-practitioner mentoring model. Educational approaches that worked well, challenges that were difficult to overcome, and potential benefits of effective technology integration will encourage readers to reimagine education and implement practices that can strengthen the future of online education.

Drawing on 30 years of teaching experience, author Timothy Cheek demonstrates how a university lyric diction class—traditionally specialized and Eurocentric—can become transformative, through engaging students with other languages and cultures, and promoting diversity, equity, inclusivity, and antiracism. Raising new possibilities for traditional lyric diction pedagogy, this book explores how to provide students with experiences that speed their growth, help them to see the big picture, spark their curiosity, clarify and expand their digital resources and skills, and set them on a path of international collaboration. Arguing against compartmentalization in voice curricula, and exploring opportunities for creativity, the author provides a guide to new approaches that will aid schools’ decisions about diction curricula in the challenging but promising era of 21st-century pedagogy. Voice faculty, diction instructors, curriculum committees, graduate students in related fields, and music school administrators should all find this book insightful and thought-provoking as it goes to the heart of issues critical to the long-term development of today’s voice students.

Students typically lose knowledge and skills during the summer, particularly low-income students. Districts and private providers can benefit from the evidence on summer programming to maximize program effectiveness, quality, reach, and funding.

Educators all over the world are being challenged to provide effective instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse learners and immigrant communities while valuing and celebrating students’ cultural backgrounds. This task requires training, professional development, cultural sensitivity, and responsibility to promote positive outcomes. Beyond Language Learning Instruction: Transformative Supports for Emergent Bilinguals and Educators is a critical research publication that bridges linguistics theory and practice and comprehensively addresses all fundamentals of linguistics through the English language learning lens. Featuring topics such as curriculum design, immigrant students, and professional development, this book is essential for educators, academicians, administrators, curriculum designers, instructional designers, researchers, policymakers, and students.

African American Young Girls and Women in PreK12 Schools and Beyond: Informing Research, Policy, and Practice presents a comprehensive viewpoint on preK-12 schooling for African American females. This volume offers readers compelling evidence of the educational challenges and successes for this student population.