This book advocates for teacher professional development done differently. The author introduces a process described as ‘crystallizing conscientização’, which restores agency to teachers. Looking beyond incremental improvements in teacher micro-skills promoted by neo-managerial approaches to professional development, the book considers the wider impact of teachers’ personal, professional and political identities on their work. This critical reflective practice combines crystallization as method with Freirean principles of conscientização, asking questions that reveal the impact of whiteness in schools and the role that education performs in replicating whiteness and perpetuating injustice. The book will appeal to academics in the diverse fields of sociology of education, critical race theory, critical whiteness studies, curriculum and pedagogy and teachers’ work, as well as providers of initial teacher education programs and pre-service teachers.

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically transformed the classroom by keeping students and teachers apart for the sake of safety. As schools emptied, remote learning rapidly expanded through online services and video chatrooms. Unfortunately, this disrupted many students and teachers who were not accustomed to remote classrooms. This challenge has forced K-12 teachers to think differently about teaching. Unexpectedly and with little time to prepare, they have been confronted with redesigning their curriculum and instruction from face-to-face to online virtual classrooms to protect students from the COVID-19 virus while ensuring that these new online initiatives remain sustainable and useful in the post-pandemic world. As teachers learn to take advantage of the affordances and strengths of the multiple technologies available for virtual classroom instruction, their instruction both in online and face-to-face will impact what and how students learn in the 21st century. The Handbook of Research on Transforming Teachers’ Online Pedagogical Reasoning for Engaging K-12 Students in Virtual Learning examines the best practices and pedagogical reasoning for designing online strategies that work for K-12 virtual learning. The initial section provides foundational pedagogical ideas for constructing engaging virtual learning environments that leverage the unique strengths and opportunities while avoiding the weaknesses and threats of the online world. The following chapters present instructional strategies for multiple grade levels and content areas: best practices that work, clearly describing why they work, and the teachers’ pedagogical reasoning that supports online implementations. The chapters provide ways to think about teaching in virtual environments that can be used to guide instructional strategy choices and recognizes the fundamental differences between face-to-face and virtual environments as an essential design component. Covering such topics as K-12 classrooms, pedagogical reasoning, and virtual learning, this text is perfect for professors, teachers, students, educational designers and developers, instructional technology faculty, distance learning faculty, and researchers interested in the subject.

A fascinating introduction to the research into, and theories, of exceptional achievement. Topics covered include the arguments around personal dynamics and biological processes, the IQ issue, and how family and learning experiences are related to achievement.

This book provides a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the Israeli educational system, with a specific focus on the pivotal role of mathematics education in its improvement. The book emphasizes the importance of holistic learning and teaching of mathematics, encompassing various aspects, including innovative teaching methods and modern approaches aimed at promoting deep understanding and critical thinking among students. By drawing upon cutting-edge research and successful educational practices, the book offers valuable insights that are applicable to both educators and policymakers. These insights play a significant role in the continuous development and enhancement of the overall educational landscape. This book serves as an essential resource for those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the broader process of education system improvement and, more specifically, the enhancement of mathematics education within the Israeli context, as well as in various other educational settings.

This guidebook helps university personnel design or revise teacher preparation courses in gifted education to align with the new standards required by NCATE for program accreditation.

The image of a teacher and of teaching has recently gone through far-reaching changes. However, to reflect prejudices and well-established habitus and to find ways to disclose them in a professional way has always been a central topic of practical pedagogy. The same applies for methodological and methodic scientific questions. In this treatise, the professional field in question is reconstructed in theoretical as well as in methodological distance. The book addresses teachers and, professionals in the field of school development as well as researchers. Anja Kraus, PhD, studied Educational Sciences, Philosophy and Arts Education in Berlin. From 2004 to 2013 she was Assistant Professor for Educational Sciences at the Pädagogische Hochschule Ludwigsburg and since 2013 she has been Assistant Professor for Educational Sciences at the Linné-University Växjö/Sweden. Main research: pedagogical learning theories, physicalness in schools, integration of artistic positions into didactical concepts and into empirical teaching research, heterogeneity in schools and anthropological issues. Dr. phil. Anja Kraus, phil. mag., Studium Erziehungswissenschaft, Philosophie und Lehramt Kunst in Berlin. 2004-2013 Juniorprofessorin für Erziehungswissenschaft an der Pädagogischen Hochschule Ludwigsburg, seit 2013 Ass. Prof. für Bildungswissenschaft an der Linnéuniversität Växjö/Sweden. Forschungsschwerpunkte: Pädagogische Lerntheorien, Körperlichkeit in der Schule, Integration von künstlerischen Positionen in didaktische Konzepte und in die empirische Unterrichtsforschung, Heterogenität in der Schule, anthropologische Fragen