Section archive - Theories & Approaches

In this article, the author uses the framework of prek-3rd as a vehicle for exploring the implications of more closely linking Early Childhood Education (ECE) and schooling, focusing especially on philosophical and practical issues raised by this objective. He will examine the reasoning of proponents and raise questions about their assumptions. The prek-3rd posits a heterogeneous population of children moving up through a matrix of diverse learning and developmental tasks at different rates. The author concludes that the example of prek-3rd suggests that there are many positive aspects to the idea of bringing ECE and early schooling closer together, such as a complex view of the child and sensitivity to individual differences; the balance in attention to teaching and learning; and the broadened time frame for considering the transition to school.

The authors present new approaches to describing and understanding user behavior in massive open online courses (MOOCs). They argue that the data from massive open online courses (MOOCs) are not only plentiful and different in kind but require reconceptualization—new educational variables or different interpretations of existing variables.

The purpose of this review is determining what and how student teaching experiences contribute to preservice teachers’ development as future teachers of students in urban and/or high-needs schools specifically. Furthermore, the article also considers the implications of student teaching for the schools that play host to it and for the students who attend those schools. Anchored by sociocultural perspectives on learning and learning to teach, the review highlights a disproportionate emphasis on belief and attitude change, a relatively slim evidence base concerning the development of actual teaching practice, and a tendency toward reductive views of culture and context.

Design thinking is generally defined as an analytic and creative process that engages a person in opportunities to experiment, create and prototype models, gather feedback, and redesign. The literature has identified several characteristics that a good design thinker should possess. The authors’ overarching purpose is to identify the features and characteristics of design thinking and discuss its importance in promoting students’ problem-solving skills in the 21st century.