ABSTRACT: This article shares what Swedish preschool teachers are working with in the field of early childhood education for sustainable development (ESD) as emerged in talks with their children, aged two to five years. The tasks carried out as the basis for the present
analyses were informal child talks about a topic related to sustainability that the teachers and children had worked with in practice. The teachers themselves chose what content to talk about. The 200 teachers participated in the Swedish research and development program Sustainable Preschool. The aim of the present study was to make visible the content of teacher-child talks about sustainable development in early childhood education. The research question is as follows: What content areas do teachers communicate about with children 2–5 years of age related to ESD? The teacher-child talks were initiated by the teachers, but through the use of interpretative content analysis the children’s voices were also made visible. The main result is narratives about the content, the most common topics being recycling, growing plants and animals, areas which have long been common topics in Swedish preschools. For many preschools, however, the talks show an integration of transformative and transactional perspectives in how the content was handled together with the children. ESD in early education in Sweden is no longer dominated by the environmental dimension, as earlier content studies have shown; a new common content relates to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4.7 regarding sustainable lifestyles and human rights, and sustainability is a long process, founded in empowerment, action competence, and changed policy.

ABSTRACT: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, design education experienced a significant shift as traditional studio teaching went online. This transition coincided with industry demands for adaptable, technology-proficient graduates prepared to work and collaborate as part of a decentralized workforce. This study examines how design educators in seven countries adapted their post-pandemic studio pedagogy to align with these industry needs. An online survey was used to efficiently reach the wide, geographically dispersed participant pool of educators. Findings indicate a rising acceptance of online technologies in studio teaching. The majority of design educators are now incorporating online elements into their design teaching. Pre-recorded lectures, online feedback and critique sessions, self-paced learning activities, and the use of cloud-based collaboration tools are among the most frequently employed methods. Nearly a third of surveyed educators are even considering teaching fully online design courses. This shift reflects a forward-thinking approach aimed at better aligning design education and industry. However, the study also highlights the importance of remaining open to disruptive technologies like generative artificial intelligence which is currently reshaping the design industry and work practices.

ABSTRACT: Online collaborative conversation is one of the crucial approaches to promote students’ collaborative skills and cognitive development. Students’ social roles in collaborative learning have a key impact on the process of collaborative learning activities and the
development of students’ cognition. What are the differences in the cognitive structures and processes between rotated-role and fixedrole in students’ groups? This paper explored this question by empirical research. The results of epistemic network analysis showed that the rotated-role groups had more high-level cognition and more complex cognitive structure, while the fixed-role groups had more management activities. In the rotated-role groups, the leaders can better mobilize the atmosphere, organize, and coordinate the cognitive processes of the team, to contribute more to the collaborative conversations. The cognitive depth and efficiency of fixed-role groups significantly decreased over time. These imply that in online collaborative conversation activities, role-rotation can be used to promote higher-order cognitive development, and fixed role can be used to improve management efficiency. Teachers should encourage team leaders to take on more cognitive activity organization and coordination tasks in online collaborative conversation activities. In the later stages of online collaborative conversation activities, teachers should strengthen intervention and support for fixed social role groups.

ABSTRACT: School leaders are integrating social and emotional skills content into their academic curriculumto create a supportive learning environment and improve the implicit curriculum. The Generation Schools Network (GSN) Advocacy Program is a comprehensive, multi-component schoolwide initiative designed to promote students’ social-emotional competence, college and career readiness, and academic success. Overall, theGSN Advocacy Program represents a holistic approach that promotes the interconnectedness of social-emotional development and academic success, aiming to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities they will encounter. The study aimed to test for baseline equivalence between the comparison and intervention groups regarding school climate, leadership, school connectedness, emotional distress, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. This quasi-experimental process compared secondary students in the intervention group (125) participating in the yearlong GSN Advocacy Program with students in the comparison group (115). After controlling for preassessment variables of social-emotional competence, the analysis of covariance revealed significant improvements among students in the intervention group for total social-emotional competence and constructs of school climate and school connectedness. The program’s multicomponent approach, including structural support through professional development for implementers and specific social-emotional learning lessons, helped students develop social-emotional skills. Accordingly, students also demonstrated increased interaction with others, an improved sense of school connectedness, and an enhanced ability to handle emotional distress, which is crucial for academic stressors. This study suggests that the multi-component approach, including student-centered social-emotional competency instruction and environmental focus, engendered the intervention group’s acquisition of social-emotional skills. Accordingly, by adopting a multi-component approach that addresses these various aspects of social-emotional programming, school leaders can create a holistic support system that nurtures students’ social-emotional competence, resilience, and overall well-being. This comprehensive approach enhances students’ academic success and equips them with the skills and attitudes necessary for success beyond the classroom.

ABSTRACT: This study investigates the crucial interplay between the motivation of pre-service teachers and the academic performance of primary school pupils in basic science and technology subjects within the Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey method was used. The sample comprised 200 pre-service teachers and primary six students in government primary schools in Oyi Local Government Area. The researchers also constructed questionnaires and administered them to the sampled population inOyi Local Government Area of Anambra State. Preliminary findings underscore the significance of pre-service teacher motivation in shaping the academic success of primary school pupils. These attributes contribute to a more conducive and effective learning environment, ultimately benefitting the academic performance of primary school pupils. However, challenges persist in providing consistent settlements, recognition, instructional materials, and retraining opportunities for pre-service teachers. Addressing these challenges is crucial for sustaining teacher motivation, improving teaching quality, and enhancing the educational experience for students.

ABSTRACT: Automated writing evaluation systems are formative assessment systems that provide immediate, automated feedback on L1, L2, and EFL students’ writing in the form of writing quality scores and suggestions for revising. As such, these systems have the potential for alleviating some of the persistent barriers teachers face to implementing evidence-based writing instruction practices. However, simply adopting this technology without careful attention to how it is implemented will not guarantee instructional benefits. In this article, we draw on prior research to make recommendations to effectively integrate automated writing evaluation alongside evidence-based writing instruction practices to improve writing instruction and intervention, leveraging the affordances of this technology while addressing its limitations. Specifically, we discuss how researchers, interventionists, and educators using automated writing evaluation should develop students’ knowledge of underlying evaluation criteria; teach strategies for planning, drafting, and revising; supplement automated feedback with effective teacher-provided feedback; and enact goal setting and progress monitoring.