Aim:

Even though pedagogical practices are intertwined with the larger society and community (Alexander, 2008), there seems to be a lack of engagement in understanding the cultural context and the pedagogical practices in which schools operate in Nepal. The study aimed to explore and understand the experiences of teachers and learners in Nepali primary schools. It seeks to understand how their contexts shape the experiences and practices of both teachers and learners while engaging in the teaching-learning processes on a day-to-day basis. It looks to locate or identify contextually appropriate pedagogical practices that may or may not be aligned with Learner-Centred Education (LCE) minimum standards (Schweisfurth, 2013).

Methods:

The study used a Comparative Case Study (CCS) (Vavrus and Bartlett, 2017) as a research design. The study took place in three different primary schools across Nepal. I spent eight to ten weeks in each of the schools and ‘immersed’ myself in the context. I collaborated with a total of 25 primary school teachers across the three schools and children from ages six to thirteen in these schools. Data was generated through semi-structured and unstructured interviews both with teachers and students (individually and in groups), and participant observation during lessons and in school. Conversations with children through creative approaches such as storytelling and drawings.

Preliminary Results and Conclusion:

Through the presentation, I will highlight some of the key findings of the study. These include how teachers' values drove and influenced their conduct and practices, some innovative pedagogical practices in resource-constrained contexts, the teacher-student relationships., and the deep friendship shared by learners with each other. I aim to highlight how these practices are culturally grounded in their specific contexts

This presentation sits well with the conference theme in general. It particularly fits with the sub-theme, Characteristics of Quality Teaching.

As a domestic top journal in the field of teacher education, the journal of Teacher Education Research published articles to witness the modernization process of teacher education in China since it founded in 1989. In order to scan the realistic image and future vision of this journal in three-dimensional and omni-directional, this paper uses software to carry on the measurement visualization analysis and summarizes seven topics ，including theory and history, policy and system, pre-service training, post-service training, teacher professional development, rural teacher training, and international comparison of teacher education. More attention should be paid to preschool teachers, special education teachers, vocational education teachers and higher education teachers in the future. And the research on policies and institutions with empirical value orientation should be strengthened.

There are major policy and programme drives in education to encourage education to be more socially just – but where is the voice of the teacher in all of these initiatives and curriculum directives? This PhD research explores the perceptions, views and instructional practices of secondary teachers engaging with social justice issues in their daily teaching practice, implementing the HEADSUP framework as an intervention to shape and deepen experiences in an Australian secondary school. Using Critical Participatory Action Research as the methodological approach, this study uses recursive cycles of investigation in collaboration with participants to gather qualitative data through focus groups, field observations, semi- structured interviews and document analysis over the course of one academic year. Conclusions drawn from this research may point to: a process for exploring social justice in praxis that could be useful to schools in similar contexts; developing and encouraging teacher agency in promoting the teaching of social justice issues within the existing curriculum; providing a potentially useful resource that does not add to existing curriculum content to address complex and potentially controversial issues for teachers across many secondary subject areas. This research specifically addresses the conference theme and sub-theme of “Research on Equitable Teaching Practices” by examining the connection between quality teaching and social justice issues and providing a small, but powerful, insight into what equitable teaching looks like in praxis.

This two-part usability study investigated undergraduate students’ and writing tutors’ perceptions and use of WCOnline, a widely used writing tutoring interface, at a large research university in the Midwest. We consider the following question: How do students and tutors experience elements of participatory hospitality within a WCOnline writing tutoring platform?

Our study analyzes this question through Eodice’s (2019) participatory hospitality. A framework viewing hospitality as collaborative participation between students and practitioners, focusing on equity and accessibility rather than material comfort.

For the study's first phase, we interviewed undergraduate students enrolled in a writing-intensive course at the university. In Zoom online interviews, students were asked to log on to WCOnline, interact with multiple pages, and provide feedback on the process. The study’s second phase recruited undergraduate and graduate peer tutors at the writing center. Four participants chose to participate in the open-ended in-person interviews (Miles et al., 2020), which invited tutors to share their use and evaluation of the WCOnline platform.

We identified three themes of participatory hospitality: community development, inclusive design, and effective communication. The interface provided positive community building through welcoming techniques and automatic translations. Inclusive design appeared through the interface’s universal symbol use and help features. The interface communicated effectively through clear, straightforward language, layout, and tutor guidance. We found opportunities to improve across all themes.

This study provides an innovative approach to analyzing visual rhetoric in virtual writing education by considering inherent biases, accessibility, and roadblocks to equity in the WCOnline interface. Our approach guides examining interface challenges and best practices for developing virtual hospitality.

Eodice, M. (2019). “Participatory hospitality and writing centers.” The rhetoric of participation- participatory hospitality and writing centers., Computers and Composition Digital Press, ccdigitalpress.org/book/rhetoric-of-participation/eodice/participatory-hospitality.html.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook (Fourth edition). SAGE.

This IRB-approved research study investigates possibilities that arise when a teacher education program provides opportunities for pre-service teachers to actively engage with a community organization. The university partnered with a community organization from the local area that aims to support k-12 multilingual students outside the public school system, helping to promote equity and inclusion through effective partnerships with schools and the community. Researchers collaborated with teacher educators from the higher education institution to pair pre-service teachers (PSTs) with this innovative community-based project. The symbiotic partnership met the needs of multiple stakeholders: the community organization, the children it serves, and the PSTs, for whom completing fieldwork hours during a traditional school day was challenging. One of the unique benefits of this opportunity was that it allowed PSTs to receive mentoring from a teacher on staff, which empowered PSTs to develop their capacity for lesson-planning and relationship building while seeing how students and teachers cultivate relationships outside traditional k-12 classrooms. This partnership was devised based on Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth framework, which asserts that communities hold vital value and knowledge. This project provides concrete opportunities for PSTs to learn from and work side-by-side with community members who are engaged with educating children. We have collected data from PSTs (n=4) who needed a fieldwork placement as a part of their teacher education program. Our lead researcher conducted two or more semi-structured interviews with each participant at the beginning and end of their fieldwork semester. Interviews sought feedback on the program, while encouraging participants to reflect on their experiences. Initial findings suggest that community placements offer PSTs critical understandings of learning in community and opportunities to build relationships with students, as well as the potential for pre-service teachers to learn how to personalize instructional practices to fit student needs.

Research Aim

This presentation will outline the findings of a recent dual case study (Larkin, 2024). This study suggests that cultural, policy and physical spaces continue to reflect the religious, cultural and educational interests of the majority ‘white, Irish’ student population; a situation that marginalises this vulnerable group.

Theoretical Framework and Methods

Qualitative data based on documentary analysis, a semi-structured walkthrough, photo elicitation and semi-structured interviews was interpreted using Gramscian and Bourdieusian conceptual frameworks to explore how students for whom EAL were construed and included and/or marginalised. Choosing two contrasting socio-economic school settings allowed a comparative exploitation that brought into greater relief how these students’ cultural identities were constructed in each setting and how policy and practice developed in each.

Findings

Findings suggest that the origin and circumstances of immigration and social class seemed to be a significant factor in how these learners were construed by their teachers. Moreover, school and teacher autonomy played a significant role in responses and innovations designed to respond to post-primary learners for whom EAL. Educators who may be in similar contexts may find relatable features from this study to their own settings. From a methodological perspective, researchers may find some of the theoretical underpinnings and data collection methods utilised beneficial to future research projects. Research pertaining to students for whom EAL is an under-explored educational space.

Relevance to the Conference Theme

In addition to challenging current discourses from a neo-liberal perspective, this paper aligns with the ISATT’s conference strand “Reconciling tensions for a new social contract in education” by looking at innovative ways of exploring the ever changing topography of Irish schools. This study innovates by incorporating visual methods within a qualitative approach to critically investigate how students learning EAL are construed and included within under-explored policy, cultural and physical spaces in secondary schools.

The Super Smart Society, in a literal translation of Society 5.0, uses IoT, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, for the development and inclusion of individuals in situations of social vulnerability, in Brazil. The objective is to present the reflections on the teaching-learning process, from the digital information and communication technologies in education (TDICE) combined with the socio-emotional skills for teacher training for an evaluation of meaningful learning and the reflective curriculum that take into account the integral formation of the student in Brazilian schools, through a Teaching Methodology, namely the Fedathi Sequence. This is a qualitative research of exploratory procedures. To this end, bibliographic studies are carried out on documents, articles in qualified journals, theses and dissertations on the Capes platform. The main field of study is in the public school with students and teachers from the elementary school. The results indicate that teachers and students in situations of social vulnerability need to democratize access to TDICE and this involves changes in assessment and curriculum. The relevant themes are considered, and, thus, it is intended to expand the study, for which it is supported by the research support by the Ceará Foundation for Research Support (Funcap), which articulates improvements for education that reverberate in the teaching-learning process.

In teaching and learning processes, error has long been considered negative, hindering its transformation towards more positive and constructivist horizons. Recent studies, however, emphasise its educational value, seeing it as a crucial step in the learning process and in the professional development of teachers.

Indeed, the ability to manage and transform errors is a key competence for teachers' professional development, as highlighted in international education policies promoting equitable assessment and inclusive learning.

The research explores the effectiveness of the "mediation model" in managing error into learning opportunities for teachers in initial and in-service training. The model analyses error by considering content meaningfulness, learner competence and didactic intentionality, offering a multi-level approach that connects learning content with organisational strategies.

Conducted at the University of Bergamo during the 2022-23, the study involved 21 students and 7 internship tutors from the Primary Education Sciences course. The training was structured into three phases: stimulus, case analysis and feedback of the interventions. The research focused on the mediation model’s effectiveness in developing systemic knowledge and a multi-level approach to error. Data were collected through reports and analysed using MAXQDA software.

The results show the mediation model effectively helps teachers analyse errors and manage interventions at multiple levels, promoting an understanding of personal (students' preconceptions) and environmental (formulation of assessment evidence) factors.

This approach reflects the international community's increasing focus on fair and inclusive assessment. Although further research with larger samples is needed to confirm these findings, the study highlights the importance of fostering positive and professionally prepared teacher attitudes towards students' experiences of error in the context of 'for learning' teaching and assessment. The research fits into the "Curriculum Design for Equitable Teaching" strand as it highlights how a constructive approach to error can improve teaching practice and promote greater equity in teaching and assessment.

Research Aim:

This study aims to enhance assessment literacy in the initial training of future teachers. It investigates how formative assessment strategies, such as feedback and peer assessment, can aid pre-service teachers in developing crucial skills like reflective learning and critical judgment. Additionally, the study seeks to adapt and validate an international tool (Lipnevich et al., 2021) for the Italian context to assess feedback receptivity and its impact on learning goals, supporting the development of assessment competence (Andrade, Heritage, 2018; Vinci, 2021; Perla, 2019).

Theoretical Framework:

Grounded in formative assessment, the research emphasizes feedback as a key tool for improving learning (Hattie, Timperley, 2007). Assessment competence is defined as the combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to design and implement effective assessment strategies (Popham, 2004; Volante, Fazio, 2007). The study also incorporates participatory assessment models (Grion, Serbati, 2021) and the IMPROVe model (Serbati, Grion, 2019), which support complex cognitive skills through structured peer review.

Methods:
The study involves pre-service teachers from the Primary Education degree program at the University of Foggia, engaging them in peer review activities using co-constructed rubrics and exemplars. Although the survey adapted from Lipnevich et al. (2021) is still under development, the research will detail the adaptation process for the Italian context, consistent with prior participatory assessment experiments at Italian universities.

Findings:
The focus will be on the tool's adaptation process and its potential to explore the relationship between feedback receptivity and achievement goals. The study will also investigate how peer review and feedback experiences can help pre-service teachers transition to more formative assessment practices.

Relevance:
This research aligns with the conference theme "Equity and Inclusion in Teacher Education" by highlighting the role of feedback in developing assessment literacy and reflective practices essential for effective and inclusive teaching (Brevik et al., 2017; Agrati, Vinci, 2022).

Teachers play a crucial role in students’ learning and school improvement. Hence, this paper investigates the selection assessments used for teacher selection. The selection assessments and process aim to predict future performance and ensure high teaching quality in schools. This study examined the teacher selection process in centralized education systems. Greece was identified as a case study, since it is a highly centralised system. This study had two key research questions:

a) What criteria and methods assessing teaching quality have been used in Greece for the selection of elementary school teachers?

b) How valid are these assessments for teacher selection?

Analysis of policy documents and legislation in Greece was conducted to identify the criteria and methods that have been used for hiring decisions since 2000. This stydy focused only on state-funded schools because the study was interested in the centralised hiring processes. Furthermore, approximately 95% of schools in the country are state-funded.

This paper will present the different methods and criteria identified. The usual selection criteria identified in policy documents were the subject and pedagogical knowledge, the academic qualifications and the previous teaching experience. A standardised assessments and a hiring process based solely on years of teaching experience were used, whilst now there is a ranking system.

Following the presentation of the results of the qualitative content analysis, an interdisciplinary discussion will explore the validity of these assessments for predicting teaching quality. Evidence both from education research and human resources literature were used to evaluate each of the assessments and selection criteria.

This study recommends that these assessments should focus solely on the important purpose of selection. A combination of different assessment methods and criteria is recommended. Finally, more research is needed to investigate the teacher selection methods and predict future teaching quality.

Research Aim:

This study aims to explore the characteristics of quality teaching within the context of creating inclusive learning environments by implementing critical thinking in educational settings. The research seeks to enhance understanding of how educators can foster inclusivity and promote student engagement in diverse classroom settings by examining how to integrate critical thinking into teaching practices.

Theoretical Framework:

This research is grounded in the belief that by promoting critical thinking skills, educators can empower students to become active and engaged learners who can navigate complex issues and contribute positively to a diverse and inclusive society. It draws on theories of critical pedagogy, social constructivism, and multicultural education.

Methods:

This qualitative study utilized a combination of literature review, classroom observations, and interviews with educators to explore the implementation of critical thinking in educational settings. Data analysis involved thematic coding and interpretation to identify key themes related to the characteristics of quality teaching and the promotion of inclusive learning environments.

Findings:

The findings of this research highlight the importance of integrating critical thinking skills into teaching practices to create inclusive learning environments. Educators who actively incorporate essential thinking strategies reported increased student engagement, improved critical reasoning abilities, and a greater sense of belonging among diverse student populations.

Relevance to the Conference Theme and Specific Strand:

This research contributes to the conference theme of advancing quality teaching by emphasizing the significance of creating inclusive learning environments through implementing critical thinking. By promoting critical thinking skills in educational settings, educators can enhance the quality of teaching and support the development of a more inclusive and equitable learning environment for all students. This study aligns with the specific strand of promoting diversity and inclusivity in education, offering practical insights for educators seeking to create more engaging and supportive classroom environments.

Typical academic notions of pedagogy assume separate participatory roles, teachers as providers, pupils as receivers. Increased cultural diversity calls for inclusive and teaching practices that are flexible and equitable. Inclusion and social integration of newcomers are in focus where general education is crucial. Ideology considering personal knowledge as valuable funds that can enhance learning, has been developed, benefitting perhaps mostly children and youth. Adults among immigrants on the other hand often have limited access to formal education. This raises questions about whether informal education might be understated and should be considered as an option for socially just learning environment for newcomers.

For many, craft knowledge is an important part of their funds of knowledge.

In this study I wanted to explore the educational potentials of informal gathering of craft practices among strangers with different cultural backgrounds. The main research question was: What mutual educational potentials might informal craft gatherings have for locals and newcomers? Four open craft gatherings were advertised through Facebook. Data was collected through participant observation, qualitative interviews and field notes. Content analysis was conducted.

Preliminary findings indicate that practicing and sharing craft knowledge informally, can have multiple educational potentials for people with diverse cultural backgrounds. The education taking place seems to exceed learnings about methods and materials in crafts. Additional learnings are learning about one another in a way that might enable mutual integration beyond assimilation in a typical one-way process of the formal, from teacher to pupil or local to immigrant. This education happens through the social magic of actual face to face interaction and sharing funds of knowledge outside of that frame.

In this presentation I argue how the very nature of craft knowledge, being tacit and best transmitted through active participation, may hold realistic and promising potentials for equitable teaching in contemporary society.

The last decade has produced significant conceptual research related to the importance of humanizing pedagogy (HP) in the equitable and inclusive education of multilingual learners (MLLs; e.g., Flores & Rosa, 2015), but much of this conceptual work has yet to be translated to substantive pedagogical action (Authors, 2022a). The gap between these rich conceptual theories and ways of leveraging them in practice has meant that attention to equity and justice is not yet deeply woven into the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) expected of teachers of MLLs (Authors, 2024). Further, teacher educators are ill-equipped to develop the kinds of practices that comprise HP when preparing teachers of MLLs (Authors, 2024; Chang-Bacon, 2021; Faltis & Valdés, 2016). These challenges offer an informative case for all educators attempting to engage in more equitable education.

Both teachers and teacher educators need assistance with moving equity-oriented concepts to actionable practice. An important site for developing teachers’ humanizing PCK is the MLL methods course. A review of methods courses reveals that our approach to teaching MLL methods has remained relatively static for several decades (e.g., Kayi-Aydar, 2023), focusing on historical methods, skills in the four domains (listening, speaking, reading, writing), objectives and lesson plans, and assessment. While these remain important aspects of teachers’ PCK, teacher preparation for HP also requires deliberate focus on how to underpin these practices with principles that support equity, advocacy, and justice. Drawing from course documents, student interviews and assignments, and teacher educator debriefs, we use the constant comparative method (Corbin & Strauss, 2015) to ask: How have we have leveraged core practices for teaching MLLs (Authors, 2022b) to engage in humanizing praxis in our MLL methods courses? We offer examples from our classroom practice regarding how our curriculum and teaching have shifted, and suggest how this might inform teacher education.

This study aims to increase academic equity among the growing immigrant/refugee population in Norwegian schools. In 2022 the immigrant/refugee population in Norway rose to over 16% of the total population and Norwegian teachers now educate an increasing number of immigrant/refugee students. The Norwegian Education Act stipulates adapted language instruction for immigrant/refugee students, but the methods for providing adapted instruction are not clearly defined, and the majority of teachers are not prepared (Arnesen et al, 2023; Næss et al, 2023.). Despite efforts to increase academic achievement in immigrant/refugee students in Norway, these students continue to perform below their native language speaking peers in English, reading, and mathematics, and drop out of school at a higher rate (Norozi, 2023; Rambøll, 2016; Nordic Research Center 2021).

This study implemented and investigated a specific methodology derived from the United States, emphasizing comprehensible language-content instruction, and students’ native language and culture. Using self-study methodology (Samaras, 2011; Feldman, Paugh, & Mills, 2004), and Educational Research Design (McKenny & Reeves, 2019), researchers and practitioners conducted collaborative research to help practitioners improve their own effectiveness (McKenny & Reeves, 2018, pg. 17). Teachers used self-study methods to film themselves using the methods and journal about their experiences each day. Teachers and researchers then met bi-weekly in a critical teacher-researcher group to discuss and analyze adaptations teachers made to the strategies to fit the cultural context of Norway. Teachers and researchers collaboratively developed a revised version of the methodology, and field-tested this version using further self-study and Educational design research. Key findings include: unique culturally responsive adaptations that heavily emphasized collaborative community classrooms and equity while concurrently addressing the diverse needs of language learners. The outcome resulted in a Framework for equity education of immigrant/refugee teaching in Norway, thus directly addressing the conference theme of quality teaching to increase equity.

This self-study explores my experiences as a Professional Learning Community (PLC) facilitator in a large urban district, with a focus on how transformational leadership and the ethics of care contribute to promoting equity, quality teaching, and socially just classrooms. Guided by the Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices (S-STEP) methodology, this research examines the impact of my leadership practices on the creation of inclusive and supportive learning environments. Data were collected through reflective journaling, analysis of meeting transcripts, and feedback from PLC participants and district leadership over the 2023-2024 academic year. The analysis utilized a triple coding methodology, including an additional layer focused specifically on the ethics of care, which categorized instances of aesthetic care, authentic care, hard care, and uncaring behaviors.

The study's findings highlight several key successes, including the positive influence of transformational leadership and authentic care in fostering a collaborative and trusting PLC environment. These successes facilitated deeper discussions around equity and social justice, leading to more engaged and productive planning sessions. However, the study also identified significant challenges, such as time constraints, inconsistent support from higher-level leadership, and behavioral issues within schools, which hindered the full realization of equity and social justice goals.

The significance of this self-study lies in its demonstration of the critical role that reflective practices, supported by transformational leadership and a deep commitment to care, play in advancing equity in urban education. The findings suggest that while these elements are vital, they must be supported by sufficient time, resources, and consistent care frameworks across all levels of leadership to be truly effective. This study contributes valuable insights to the discourse on educational leadership, offering practical strategies for educators and leaders aiming to create inclusive, equitable, and socially just educational environments.

This self-study examined the reciprocal mentoring relationship of three professors with different areas of expertise through several novel course structures. The authors unintentionally began a small community of practice that has now spanned over fifteen years and developed into a reciprocal mentoring relationship. Seeking to provide students with unique opportunities to bridge the content between academic areas, the authors mentored each other through multiple course and pedagogical changes. Along the way, however, their co-mentoring relationship extended through professional tribulations and personal lives.

This work aimed to describe how we were changing as teacher educators while engaging in several collaborative projects focused on providing teacher education students unique opportunities. Reciprocal mentoring provided us with both support and challenge in ways that supported professional growth and changes reflected in our educational philosophies and practices (Costa & Kallick, 1993; Drehar, 2016; Mullen, 2000).

Based on the characteristics of self-study (LaBoskey, 2004), self-study was chosen to study the effects of engaging with critical friends on maintaining a growth mindset and the process of life-long learning. Documentation was coded and analyzed. Artifacts included emails, class artifacts, observation notes, syllabi, and teaching evaluations.

Findings support the belief that reciprocal mentoring is complex and non-linear. The benefits of engaging in reciprocal mentoring that evolves into professional and personal friendship can help one feel a sense of belonging even when in an unsupportive environment. The relationship showed varying degrees of both support and challenge in ways that positively affected teaching, research, and, professional growth.

This study gives clear recommendations for professors looking to develop co-mentoring relationships with peers focusing on the benefits and challenges of being in a reciprocal mentoring relationship.

High-quality teaching is pivotal in addressing the complexities of contemporary education, as it fosters social justice and aligns with Goal 4 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which seek to guarantee equitable, inclusive education for all by 2030, including children with special needs such as autism. Achieving this ambitious goal demands teaching methods that cater to the unique needs of autistic learners. Teachers in classrooms with students without special needs can make assumptions about the general teaching approaches for the entire group, but autism students may exhibit different and diverse forms of spectrum, that require applying different teaching methods.

This paper review strategies for autistic learners in inclusive classrooms across two contexts: the United States, and Saudi Arabia. In the US, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) mandates the use of Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) for students with special needs in inlcusive settings, these practices frequently clash with school policies and classroom realities. Guldberg (2019) argue those practises can be applied in the classroom, not all of them were initially conducted and tested within a school setting.

Saudi Arabia, historically lacking an inclusive educational approach, has recently mandated IEPs for students with special needs. The introduction of inclusive education is relatively recent, begun in 2016. The Saudi system has largely adopted aspects of the US model, particularly the IDEA (2004), and incorporated EBPs from the US into its educational framework, including scheduling and IEP strategies. However, adapting these Western practices requires careful consideration of the cultural, linguistic, and religious characteristics unique to Saudi society. Successful inclusive education in non-Western settings depends on culturally responsive strategies and a thorough understanding of local teaching challenges and educators' perspectives. This paper will emphasize the importance of integrating cultural considerations into teaching practices to ensure High- inclusive quality teachin in Saudi context.

Research Aim: This study examines the challenges in training special education teachers in Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish schools in Israel, focusing on tradition, modesty, and gender segregation. The research addresses adolescence issues among students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), comparing teachers' perceptions with families' retrospective experiences to identify gaps and improve training programs.
Theoretical Framework: The research integrates culturally sensitive teacher training approaches with the social model of disability. It explores the intersection of religious norms, educational practices, and inclusive teaching challenges within the unique cultural context, impacting special education pedagogy and practice.
Methods: The methodology employs a mixed-methods approach, including ten in-depth interviews with special education teachers, 20 retrospective interviews with Haredi families (10 adults with IDD, 10 parents), classroom observations, and an analysis of existing training programs. This approach aims to address cultural sensitivities and provide a comprehensive view.
Findings: The study identifies three key challenges:

1. Practical Readiness Challenge: A gap between formal training and the need for real-time adaptive solutions, especially in addressing sensitive issues like sexual behavior of students with IDD in a modesty-centric community.
2. Cultural-Educational Balance Challenge: Complexities arise in developing curricula that balance individual needs with strict cultural-religious norms, such as gender segregation and limited exposure to external content, while meeting educational standards.
3. Value-Educational Mediation Challenge: Teachers must navigate traditional modesty values, modern therapeutic needs, and education system requirements while managing internal conflicts and external pressures.

Relevance to Conference Theme: This research aligns with ISATT 2025's focus on teaching quality and educational equity in diverse contexts. It provides insights into quality teaching in unique cultural settings, equitable practices in conservative communities, and innovative approaches to teacher training for inclusion.

Research aim: As the number of identified neurodivergent learners increases across all educational environments, educators are encouraged to teach through an inclusive lens. Student teachers also include neurodivergent individuals amongst their number. A previous study by the researcher identified that autistic/ADHD student teachers face disproportionate barriers to qualification than even their otherwise neurodivergent peers. This paper (in progress) reports qualitative findings from interviews with autistic/ADHD student primary teachers from seven of the nine Scottish Higher Education institutions offering Initial Teacher Education (primary) programmes leading to professional qualification. It explores their lived experience whilst undertaking the school placements required to successfully complete programmes, identifying ways to reduce barriers and improve the capacity of this cohort for sustained, successful programme attendance and subsequent professional qualification.

Theoretical Framework: Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) was used with a critical realism phenomenological approach incorporating the lead researcher’s own neurodivergent lived experience as a methodological lens.

Methods: Participants responded to calls for participation shared through their institution email systems. Following participants meeting eligibility criteria established through a short online survey, semi-structured interviews were conducted by the neurodivergent researcher via methods best suited to participant communication needs. Data collected was coded, themed and analysed using RTA.

Findings: Autistic/ADHD student primary teachers can face additional challenges to qualification based on requisite professional placement experiences including being impacted by attitudes to/ignorance of neurodivergence in supporting staff/schools; disclosure reactions; consistency of support; inflexibility of qualification pathways; and peripheral concerns diminishing capacity. Future changes are suggested to improve outcomes for autistic/ADHD student primary teachers and increase positive representation of this community within the profession.

Relevance to conference: The aim and scope of this research is to increase equity of access to professional qualification and opportunity for neurodivergent student teachers.

Strand: Equity and inclusion in teacher education.

Successful accommodation to children with special educational needs and their families is often dependent on collaboration, teamwork and good coordination of services, particulary in the case of children with complex needs. In preschools heads of special education play central role in coordinating services from specialists outside the preschools passing information and support to preschool staff. In later years attenton has been drawn to the fact that in Iceland coordination between the different services and institutions that provide support to children and their families has not always been adequate. Accordingly, new legislation was recently passed stipulating the monitoring, provision and integration of professional services to ensure more effectivity. The implementation of the law is now in process and four municipalities have been selected as pioneer municipalities.

The paper presents the results of two small qualitative studies intended to explore the experiences and attitudes of participants of collaboration and coordination before and after the new legislation.. In the first study six heads of special education in preschools were interviwed before impementation of the law and in the second one six key members of tvo pioneer municipalities. The semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke) and ecological systems theory of Bronfenbrenner.

Results indicate that teamwork was already well functioning in preschools before the implementation so there was not much change. Heads of special education became contact persons ensuring access to and coordination of support but when the needs of the children were more severe a special coordinator outside the preschool overtook that role.

Providing effective reading instruction is essential for student success - not only in school but also later in life concerning employment, health, and even civic participation (cf. Castles et al. 2018). Developing critical literacy (Comber 2015) also lays the groundwork for a critical stance toward developments and issues in an increasingly digital world. Weaker learners seem to profit from more explicit reading instruction by stressing phonological awareness and multisensory teaching (Kormos & Smith 2024, Gerlach 2019).

In Germany, recent empirical studies (cf. Stanat 2023) in the area of reading in EFL in 9th grade show a widening gap between those students who achieve or exceed the standards (around 60%) and those who do not meet the standards for their 1st school degree (around 24%), also from a socio-economic perspective.

To prepare future EFL teachers for this pressing need to overcome this social gap in the development of reading competencies, we have developed a concept of an inclusive digitally-mediated reading task (Caruso et al. 2021; Eßer et al. 2018; Roters, in preparation). It adheres to the principles of meaning-based communicative language teaching within the framework of a task-based digital storytelling approach. The perspective of digital storytelling is threefold: it is integrated in inclusive tasks, in their lesson planning and part of a digital portfolio in their professional journey from BA to MA. In reflecting upon their specific situations, pre-service teachers will tell their stories about their experiences learning EFL. Pursuing an individual research question on reading may empower pre-service teachers in their reflective practice from early on, allowing them to build up professional growth through research (Roters 2015) and an inclusive mindset (Blume et al. 2021). Results from a content analysis and task examples will be presented considering research on EFL teaching, inclusive language teaching, and concepts of EFL reading competence.

Pakistan is a small yet geographically and culturally varied country that lies in the heart of South East Asia. Although the government activists and organisations exert for a more just and equitable society, social justice remains a significant challenge in Pakistan. Since 2020, the field of software technology and artificial intelligence (AI) have opened wide-ranging opportunities for exploration and invention on a global scale. This research proposal aims to explore the potential of technology and innovation in addressing social injustice. The study will investigate how digital tools, AI, block chain, social media activism and other emerging technologies can be leveraged to promote equity, transparency and inclusivity across various social and educational sectors. While delimiting the research to AI and bias mitigation and social media activism, the study will engage Kimberlé` Crenshaw’s Intersectionality Framework(1989) to examine inequality (e.g race, gender, class) to analyse how technology impacts different groups and address multiple layers of social injustice. Also it will explore the Digital Inclusion Frame work - ensuring that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged-both socially and intellectually etc have an access to and usage to: information and communication. It focuses on access, skills and usage. The research will employ mixed methods approach combining quantitative data analysis with qualitative interviews and case studies. This comprehensive approach will provide a nuanced understanding of the tensions and synergies involved in creating a new social contract for effective education. The 150 samples aged 18-25 years will be collected through random sampling method, belonging to different educational and social strata of the society. The findings will contribute to the development of guidelines and policies that promote a more equitable and inclusive educational landscape

Research aim

The aim of the article is to present the mobile approach to education as an innovative factor of social cohesion. A feature of contemporary society is its mobility. It manifests itself in various forms – spatial and social, virtual and real, voluntary and forced. In a mobile society, education should also be mobile.

Theoretical framework

The article refers to the new mobility paradigm (Sheller and Urry 2006; Urry 2009; Sheller 2018), but also to the transformative paradigm (Mertens 2021). Their common aspect is the perception of mobility as a factor of expected change. Social cohesion can be broadly described as the presence of the following features and attitudes in a given community: shared values, shared experiences, civic participation, mutual help, trust in others, social networks, social order, acceptance of diversity, well-being.

Methods

The paper presents three categories of methods used in the practice of mobile education. These are exploratory walks, study visits and field games with digital elements. Examples of their use in several countries and in different types of educational institutions are presented.

Findings

The review of the mobile approach applications shows that it is beneficial from the point of view of strengthening social cohesion in three dimensions. (1) Axio-normative dimension: Joint actions in the field, in contact with residents, especially the vulnerable ones, with civic organizations and public institutions strengthen the belief in the need for transformative change and personal involvement; (2) Resource dimension: Such practices strengthen the potential for action, knowledge and skills of participants; (3) Relational dimension: Participants establish contacts, get to know people belonging to different social categories.

Relevance to the Conference theme and specific strand

The mobile approach is an innovative way of strengthening social cohesion, including social justice, which is an important aspect of it.

Article 12 of the UNCRC, embedded in Scottish law in 2024, mandates the right of the child to fully participate in decision-making around all matters affecting them. This paper provides a synthesises of literature underpinning principles of effective learner participation through the Drama Curriculum. It proffers a framework to support leadership and evaluation of learner participation and concludes with empirical insights around practice application of the framework through a collaborative inquiry conducted in a secondary school in Scotland.

The qualitative research synthesis is based on analysis of 24 published journal articles from 2011 – 2022, using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, to produce a coherent interpretation, leading to evidence-based recommendations for practice in the form of a framework for learner participation. Empirical insights draw on data from focus groups with teachers and learners involved in the school based collaborate inquiry around the impact of the framework for learner participation in action.

This paper offers specific contribution to the conference theme, Characteristics of Quality Teaching (for a more equitable world). To be equitable, learner participation must be experienced through pedagogical approaches in the classroom. Providing opportunities to develop confidence and participatory skills in a low-risk environment prepares learners for more formal shared decision-making out with the classroom. The collaborative nature of Drama is the most emancipatory aspect. It is a powerful tool for enhancing learner participation as it; dilutes hierarchical power dynamics, encourages intergenerational learning, enables learners to explore issues of social justice, inequality, and discrimination through critical inquiry and empowers them to challenge injustice. Drama provides a safe place to engage learners in authentic participation practices that lead to positive change. This paper highlights the importance of the prominence of Drama in the curriculum if we are to fulfil the aspirations of Article 12 in the UNCRC.

The crucial tensions that emerge in a pedagogy of teacher education—the theory/practice gap, the struggles to represent the rich complexities of practice, the challenge to “teach” relational practice, and the preparation of a largely white, female teaching force for diverse communities and populations––often seem more elusive despite decades of research, and tinkering in innovation. The intractableness of these tensions is, in large part, emergent from the ways the pedagogy of teacher education is situated within the neoliberal agenda of the university, centered on patriarchal academic notions that favor individualistic, hierarchical, and logical ways of knowing with little, if any, attention to the limitations of such ways of being. As decades long doctoral faculty in teacher education, we take up and model a feminist teacher education pedagogy to prepare teacher educators to navigate these critical tensions in their work with the next generations of teachers.

Specifically, we describe our feminist embodied co/autoethnographic self-study where we examine the blurring principles of our feminist friendship epistemology as a model of teacher education pedagogy. We define this framework as a stance focused on building relationships with and mentoring our doctoral students through caring collaboration, co-construction of knowledge, and embodied self-reflection. We explore how our own learning to be teacher educators and scholars has shaped this work. We emphasize a blurring of boundaries between the individual and the collective, authority and dialogic negotiation, and the creative and the practical. We share some of the principles of our feminist friendship epistemology. Then we briefly describe our co/autoethnographic methodology to provide insight into our process of self-reflection and f analyze our narratives of becoming teacher educators and co-mentoring of doctoral students as teacher educators. We offer a vision for how feminist teacher education pedagogy invites a radical re-imagining for how we prepare and mentor teacher educators.

Research Aim

This S-STEP research engaged diffractive readings of Jane Eyre (Brönte, 1943), Black Skin, White Masks (Fanon, 1952), and The Racial Contract (Mills, 1997). Diffractive readings revealed insights about (white) women’s education, (white) women’s roles as teachers, and the way in which colonialism frames and shapes expectations for how (white) women can/should act as disruptive agents.

Theoretical Framework

Women teach and learn in Jane Eyre; they also mentor each other about working with children and responding to controlling men. Jane Eyre draws on and shapes colonizing discourse—yet interpretations often focus on white feminism (Hanley, 2009; Mohanty, 2003; Spivak, 1985, 1993). Since Jane Eyre contains plot elements from the Caribbean (Jamaica), Fanon’s (1952) and Mills’ (1952) work provides insights through observations as raced/gendered Afro-Caribbean people. Reading multiple texts through one another is a critical posthumanist strategy. For example, Jackson (2020) read philosophical works about Black(end) peoples through Toni Morrison’s work.

Methods

My diffractive reading responded relations of differences that mattered (Barad, 2007). Over a 4-month period, I read Jane Eyre, then Fanon, then Mills. Simultaneously, I was part of a reading group focused on decoloniality, which supported reflective practice (Berry, 2004). Using notetaking, I cross-read for consistent ideas and insights (Thomas, 2018). Reading group members provided opportunities for sharing emerging thinking. I solidified thoughts into findings through word art (Samaras, 2010).

Findings

First, Jane Eyre brought forward women’s solidarity in disrupting colonizing educational structures while Fanon (1952) and Mills (1997) argued that issues of race/gender separate women by worthiness, complicating noticing of shared problems. Second, lauded feminist strategies of demurring followed by defiance is more complex when applied cross-contextually.

Relevance

(White) women teacher educators may use diffractive activities with pre/in-service teachers to promote de/colonial noticing; it also enables a turn-to-self for difficult-to-recognize insights about applying feminisms for social justice.

As teachers and teacher educators committed to equity and inclusion in education, we [the authors] aim to consistently examine our teaching practices and act upon what we uncover through critical reflection. While we have engaged in this work individually, we have found that the dialogue and collaboration grounded in our feminist partnership is a powerful tool for teacher reflection and development (Authors, 2024; Klein & Taylor, 2023; Tillmann-Healy, 2003). Through partnership, we worked (and continue to work) to support one another as we move from reflection, to decision making, and ultimately, to action. We drew on our feminist friendship to engage in collaborative self-study via an ongoing dialogic journal through which we analyze critical incidents from our teaching—often moments of tension that challenged our commitment to social justice and equity. We turned to our queer feminist foundation (Kuzmic, 2014; Marinucci, 2010; Murray & Kalayji, 2018) as we examined the ways we disrupted our pedagogical choices and our evolving feelings about those actions. To spark our dialogic journaling, we used analytic questions including:

• How does our queer feminist stance inform our reflective practices?

• What barriers get in the way of fostering our commitments to equity and justice?

• How does collaboration support our practice?

Our data included iterations of individual journaling, written responses to each other’s reflections, and transcripts from our dialogues via Zoom. Each of these data points guided our analysis of the critical incidents we examined. Our collaborative self-study deepened our investigations as we questioned, challenged, and co-constructed meaning in partnership. Through it, we were able to make sense out of difficult moments, challenge ourselves to grow in our dedication to equitable teaching practices, take transformative action, and support one another as we navigated the barriers that we often face as we disrupt oppressive systems.

In our self-study analyses of our student evaluations of teaching, read through the lens of critical discourse analysis, we found a predominant theme: white students found discomfort in being challenged, particularly by professors of color. Despite the increasing diversity of our K-12 student population, the vast majority of the K-12 teaching force remains white; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019), there are currently 9,313,000 teachers, 81.5% of whom are white. We must, as teacher educators, continue to critically reflect on our material conditions, and our own cultural contexts—and insist that our teacher education students do the same—engaging in a dialectic between theory and practice. Freire reminds us to challenge our students to read the world critically especially when it becomes uncomfortable to those who find power from the innocence of the exploited (Freire, 1998a).

Building a theoretical framework that incorporates culturally responsive pedagogy, anti-racist pedagogy, critical race theory, and self-study, can assist teacher educators in developing more critically conscious teachers. This framework aims to equip educators and teacher candidates with the tools and mindset necessary to engage in critical self-examination, develop a critical consciousness, and, ultimately, transform their praxis in a way that positively impacts not just themselves, but their students as well. Decades of research on teacher education illustrates the need for teachers to involve themselves in their students’ worlds (Delpit, 2009), reject deficit notions of their students (Emdin, 2016), build and sustain relationships with their students and communities (Milner, 2018), and develop a critical consciousness (Ladson-Billings, 2009).

Our self-study process relates to the anti-oppressive education approach (Kumashiro, 2004). The anti-oppressive education approach seeks to disrupt traditional paradigms in the field of education for social justice, encouraging us to discover what oppression is and what changes need to be made in our field.

Research aim:

To ascertain how teachers in higher education (HE) conceptualise and practise education for social justice (ESJ), their perceptions of students’ engagement with it, and underlying values as educators.

Theoretical framework:

The research is underpinned by notions of social justice articulated by leading philosophers - notably Nancy Fraser (2005), Martha Nussbaum (2011) and Iris Young (1990) - applicable to education, against which lecturers’ conceptions of ESJ may be compared.

Methods:

Using an opportunistic sample (volunteers gathered via professional networks), semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 50 academics from various disciplines and 20 institutions in the UK and EU. Thematic analysis of the interview data was based on the educational research guidance set out by Wellington (2015).

Findings:

Main findings are that ESJ is construed as provision of equitable and conscientising education opportunities across the whole HE journey - from widening access, to stimulating critical learning and awareness that can empower graduates to transform their lives and societies. Teaching practices featured study of topics related to social justice; collaborative and creative learning activities, and assignments offering choice and connection to students’ realities. Student responses could be mixed but mostly positive in terms of gaining increased confidence and awareness of equality and social responsibility. Overall, the research highlights the strong, values-based commitment of HE teachers to facilitating student learning engagement, wellbeing and development towards building a better world.

Relevance to Conference theme and specific strand(s):

Our paper presenting a pedagogical analysis of committed university teachers' accounts of their ESJ practice aligns directly with the Conference theme of "equitable quality teaching". Regarding specific strands, it could serve to illustrate "research on equitable teaching practices", with the emphasis on the practices gleaned from research; alternatively, it offers real examples of "Addressing social justice by leveraging ... innovative approaches" across a range of disciplines.

Purpose

As new faculty in a state that allows teacher educators to address social justice issues, I am conducting a self-study of my teacher education practices and praxis (Kucera, Ovens, & Bennett, 2020; Orland-Barak, 2010; Kitchen, Fitzgerald, & Tidwell, 2016; Martin, 2020), I seek to discover if my teaching practice encourages students to develop social justice awareness as they explore teaching as a career (Croom, 2020). As the course is exploratory, it is a survey course only briefly teaching pedagogy, history, literacy, and social justice issues. Therefore, I will investigate my students’ growth in liminal moments and spaces (Friesen, 2022; Gray & Phillips, 2023; Jacobs, 2023). Additionally, I will also be evaluating my teaching practice in light of my shift in identity from graduate student to professor (Buchanan & Mooney, 2023; Shah & Coles, 2020). Another new faculty member is my critical friend (Vanassche & Kelchtermans, 2016). If my students remain in the teacher education, I will conduct a longitudinal study of their growth in their identity as teacher candidates and teachers (Craig & Curtis, 2020).

Theoretical Framework

My study will be ground in qualitative theory including (Cresswell, 2013; Whitehead et al., 2020) self-study methods (Kitchen, 2020; Tidwell & Jónsdóttir, 2020) and social justice in teacher education (Taylor & Diamond, 2020), teacher identity and teacher-educator identity (Martin, 2018).

Data and Data Analysis

My data for the study will include student emails, student work, student drawings, a pre- and post-survey of common beliefs (teachingtolorance.org), end of course feedback, field notes, meeting notes with my critical friend and memos.

I will analyze my data using grounded theory (Charmaz, 2015; Glaser & Strauss, 2017) and conduct thematic analysis using Saldana’s coding methods (Saldana, 2021).

Curriculum decolonization is a significant social justice imperative in post-colonial contexts like South Africa. Recent social movements, such as #RhodesMustFall, have highlighted the need for educational transformation, (in this case decolonisation of the curriculum), particularly in universities, (Luckett, K. (2016)). In South Africa, the need to decolonise the curriculum as a social justice imperative is reflected in the constitution, legislations, and education policies. In this paper, we argue that social justice imperatives such as decolonisation must be embedded not only in governance but also in pedagogy.

We explore whether pedagogy designed within the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) framework inherently promotes social justice. Decolonizing knowledge within this framework is an enactment of social justice, requiring that knowledge content be structured for accessible and inclusive learning (Nyamupangedengu, E. and Nyamupangedengu, C. (2023)).

We critically analysed a teaching practice to determine how decolonizing imperatives were enacted in the classroom. We used the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) (Philpot et al (2021)) as a research method to analyse critical incidents that either fostered or hindered social justice in learning. The data included recorded lectures of a genetics class taught by one of the authors at a South African university. Each of the three authors analysed the videos independently, identifying and classifying critical incidents. Triangulation was used, involving interviews with the lecturer and comparative analysis of the identified incidents. The detailed findings will be discussed in the main paper

References

Luckett, K. (2016), Teaching in Higher Education, 21(4), 415–428.

Nyamupangedengu, E. and Nyamupangedengu, C. (2023), Studying Teaching and Teacher Education (Advances in Research on Teaching, Vol. 44), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 37-52.

Philpot, R., Smith, W., Gerdin, G., Larsson, L., Schenker, K., Linnér, S., ... & Westlie, K. (2021). European Physical Education Review, 27(1), 57-75.

Research aim

Historically, Latin-American contexts have demanded socio-educational justice, equity and inclusion (CLADE, 2021). Hence, practitioners have proposed that Social Justice Teacher (SJTE) can prepare quality teachers to address inequities and support their students’ holistic development (Fernández et al., 2020; Peña-Sandoval & Montecinos, 2016). This paper aims to analyse the conceptions of social justice, objectives and findings of Latin-American research on SJTE.

Theoretical framework

SJTE emphasises that hegemonic structures and socio-cultural undervaluation hinder the learning of students from marginalised communities, therefore, teachers must develop theoretical and pedagogical knowledge to address them in their practice (Cochran-Smith & Keefe, 2022; McDonald & Zeichner, 2009). This approach equips teachers with skills to manage inequitable educational environments and to design teaching practices that promote democratic, reciprocal relationships with students and their communities (Sleeter et al., 2016).

Methods

Systematic review of SJTE Latin-American research published until 2022 in indexed databases WoS, Scopus, and SciELO, using the PRISMA protocol (Page et al., 2021), metadata and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022).

Findings

The review identified 52 Latin-American articles published since 2012, which emphasise and intersect four major conceptualization of social justice, associated to different disciplines. Their main objectives relate to the development of SJ conceptions and initiatives that promote social change, methodological proposals and challenges of enacting a SJTE and Latin-America TE policies. Different works call for boosting teachers’ emotional development and ability to stablish empathetic relationships, claiming these will later allow them to promote civic participation among their students.

Relevance

Findings advocate for a comprehensive approach to SJTE that addresses the personal and professional aspects of teaching. They invite TE programmes to be attentive to the emotional dimension of teachers’ work, highlighting that their wellbeing and ability to empathise with their students are crucial to navigate difficult situations and advocate for social change and equity.

Research Aim: This study investigates the impact of marketisation and commodification in UK higher education on the curriculum, specifically focusing on gender inequality and the marginalization of working-class women. It advocates for a socially just curriculum through Itinerant Curriculum Theory (ICT).

Theoretical framework: Combining critical pedagogy (Freire, 1996), socialist feminist theory (Fraser, 2013), and ICT (Paraskeva, 2016), this research addresses power dynamics and the effects of current curriculum choices on gender and class intersectionality. ICT addresses the world’s endless epistemological diversity and advocates for social, cognitive, and intergenerational justice through non-derivative relevant pedagogical approaches.

Methods: This conceptual piece employs critical hermeneutical qualitative tools (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000; Lather, 2008; Kincheloe, 2011) alongside anti-colonial, decolonial, and Indigenous interpretative platforms (Smith, 1999; Darder, 2019) to excavate the evolution of higher education policies and their impact on curriculum design. Critical analysis systematically examines and evaluates underlying assumptions, power dynamics, and implications, ensuring well-founded changes that address gender inequality.

Findings: The study reveals that a commercialised curriculum, emphasising marketable skills, fails to meet the needs of working-class women and neglects socio-economic and cultural contexts. Undervaluing critical thinking, social justice, and cultural awareness perpetuates patriarchal biases and reinforces social hierarchies. Continuous curriculum evaluation and adaptation is essential for evolving student and societal needs. An Itinerant Curriculum framework would promote social justice, challenge inequalities, and empower all students, particularly working-class women.

Relevance to Conference theme and specific strand: Given current economic, environmental, and demographic challenges facing humanity, it is crucial to keep working on a theory that addresses the world’s onto-epistemological perspectives, needs, and desires. Paraskeva’s ‘itinerant curriculum theory’ challenges educational institutions’ epistemicidal nature, paving the way for equitable curriculum design and classroom.

This work presents an ongoing master's research project within the postgraduate program in education at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. The research focuses on analyzing how gender roles are both reproduced and challenged among a group of young girls participating in a technical computer science course that is integrated into high school at the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul. The study will utilize feminist theories with a post-structuralist orientation, as well as cultural studies, as its theoretical framework. It is understood that societal norms perpetuate gender roles that assign women to domestic responsibilities and, if they aspire to pursue a professional career, they are often expected to choose fields that, though in smaller proportions, are oriented toward caregiving and nurturing roles. To examine the gender dynamics within this technical course, the research proposes a case study methodology. This will involve a qualitative approach combined with the critical incident technique (TIC) to generate data that can reveal everyday situations related to hierarchical differences and gender relations within the course. The methodological tools to be employed include questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and conversation circles.The anticipated results of this research aim to illuminate how gender relations manifest in the course environment. Additionally, the research is expected to provide a framework for critical reflection for both the students and the institution regarding the gender dynamics and relationships that are established within the course. By highlighting these aspects, the study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of gender issues in educational settings and encourage discussions that could lead to more equitable practices and policies in the institution.

This paper explores how veteran teachers conceptualize an expanded notion of student safety, particularly for students with marginalized identities within U.S. religious private schooling contexts. Drawing on a synthesis of critical literature on the concept of “safe spaces” in education (Flensner & Von der Lippe, 2019; Barrett, 2010), this study examines the evolving discourse around expanded notions of student safety and how it intersects with religious school climate and regional political and dynamics. It addresses the ways teachers conceptualize these complexities, balancing the need for psychological and emotional safety with the politics of the teaching context. This study is drawn from a larger project involving 10 veteran educators in private Catholic K-12 schools across six U.S. states who participated in group discussions and individual interviews with researchers over the course of an academic year. These discussions reckoned with institutionalized forms of racism, ableism, and anti-LGBTQ views present in American Catholic school practices and enabled by the specific legal context and culture of the United States. Through an analysis of teacher reflections and collaborative discussions, educators articulated the development and selection of culture-setting strategies that establish their classrooms as sanctuary spaces and expand equitable cultures and practices. The findings suggest that teacher conceptions of student safety serve as a pedagogical bulwark against the “invisible curriculum” of school policy—unspoken norms and rules that often perpetuate inequality. Teachers, by fostering expanded notions of safety, resist these hidden forces and create more equitable learning environments. Additionally, the research identifies evidence of school cultures that purposefully obfuscate discussions of racism, ableism, and LGBTQ+ marginalization. This obfuscation paradoxically creates a demand for sanctuary spaces where these difficult conversations can occur. Teachers, in response, develop culture-setting practices that create spaces where students can safely engage in transformative discussions about power, identity, and justice.

The GEPEFERS research group has been dedicated to combating social injustices. Our discussions—based on the works Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (hooks, 2017) and Black Women Physical Education Teachers (Venâncio; Nobrega, 2020)—have generated new connections for us to think and act towards an anti-sexist and anti-racist education. The objective was to describe strategies to confront racist practices in the daily lives of students during physical education classes. We used (auto)biographical narrative (Passeggi; Souza, 2010), based on the experiences of a Black teacher-researcher working in elementary education in the public school system of São Paulo’s capital. She confronts situations of (un)conscious racist practices that are naturalized (Almeida, 2020; hooks, 2017). This account presents one of these actions where a pale 9th-grade student called her classmate “black” in a harsh and pejorative tone. The teacher-researcher, upon hearing such a comment, decided to intervene, using the situation to generate reflections on how our actions can be laden with inequities. We must educate ourselves about ethnic-racial relations, raising awareness that words, actions, and omissions impact others and, above all, that racism is a crime under current legislation. The student acknowledged the incident and apologized to her classmate. In conclusion, we reveal the urgency of raising society’s awareness of the racisms that persist, their structural causes, and the consequences for those who practice and suffer from them. GEPEFERS has been a means for teacher-researchers to encourage each other to confront discrimination based on their own life stories, building an education that provokes critical thinking and challenges the status quo of society, as all education has political foundations.

This research examines how social justice teacher leaders can support diverse students and colleagues in Ontario schools. It employs a qualitative research design, wherein I conduct semi-structured interviews with ten experienced social justice teacher leaders. The majority of these leaders belonged to minoritized groups in Southern Ontario schools and held informal leadership positions. Using the constant comparative method, I identified codes and themes grounded in the literature on social justice and teacher leadership. Results revealed how participants were committed to creating inclusion in their classrooms and schools. They described a variety of inclusive practices, such as empowering student voices, engaging in critical conversations to examine power and privilege, and guiding students in exploring and understanding their social locations and identities. Participants identified several strategies to develop themselves as leaders, raise the critical consciousness of colleagues through collaborative activities; and advocate for students and colleagues at the school. The working conditions also influenced their leadership and social justice work. This study expands the scope of teacher leadership studies by highlighting the crucial social justice work that teacher leaders do within their classrooms and schools.

This study examines the perceptions of ideal and actual curriculum leadership among young primary school teachers (aged 25-34) in Hong Kong. The study was guided by three research questions: (1) What is the perception of ideal curriculum leadership among young teachers? (2) What is the perception of actual curriculum leadership among young teachers? (3) What can be learned from a comparison between the perceptions of ideal and actual curriculum leadership?

Eleven young teachers participated in a voluntary-based teacher development program that aimed to help them reflect on and refresh their understanding of curriculum leadership. The study involved pre-workshop activities, where participants shared photos and captions representing their ideal and actual experiences of curriculum leadership, and an on-site workshop where they discussed and categorized the shared images.

The key findings indicate a stark contrast between the ideal and actual images of curriculum leadership. The ideal was strongly associated with positive personal qualities, shared power dynamics, and effective curriculum management. In contrast, the actual experiences were characterized by negative power structures, imbalanced power distribution, and challenges in curriculum execution.

The study identifies three major types of curriculum leadership: personal qualities, power dynamics, and curriculum management and execution. Discrepancies between the ideal and actual images reveal valuable insights for empowering young teachers and enacting curriculum leadership effectively. These insights can inform decision-making and facilitate positive changes in teacher empowerment and curriculum leadership practices.

The study provides a nuanced understanding of curriculum leadership from the perspective of young teachers, highlighting the importance of aligning the ideal and actual experiences to foster a supportive and collaborative environment for curriculum development and school improvement.

This paper presentation focuses on the characteristics of quality teaching and learning as demonstrated in a doctoral program leadership course that enrolls students that in professional leadership roles. In particular, we feature three major areas of Servant Leadership that underscore our students' professional experiences, and the strategies that we adopt for this course. These include flexibility, empathy and compassion, and conceptualization and awareness. Northouse (2022) underscores that the model of Servant Leadership, "emphasizes that leaders be attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them. Servant leaders put followers first, empower them. And help them develop their full personal capacities" (p. 253). In this sense, servant leader is aligned with several qualities that overlap with an educational profession, as well as student-centered missions that drive higher education. It also underscores tensions that arise in a student-leader position, particularly when introspection and growth in a certain area is needed.

To further explore pedagogical practices that help support a Servant Leadership mindset, we adopt a practitioner lens to engage in reflexive practice in our roles to design and deliver curricula that support students' growth in their application of leadership theories and practices in their academic and professional roles (Del Carlo et al., 2010; Miller et al., 2020). In analyzing our own practices and student engagement, we find alignment and misalignment to these three major areas of focus and offer implications and lessons learned for their development into effective learning strategies. Through this, we speak to practices that support quality teaching at the postsecondary level that support adult student education, continued lifelong learning, and the skills necessary to become leaders in their respective field.

Nurturing effective leaders for social justice is crucial for transforming the landscape of education as effective leadership draws collaborative inferences from and for people of different race, gender, ethnicity, religion, caste, culture for social justice. As schools face challenges of demographic shifts, equitable and socially just practices reflected in people's behaviours are critical aspects of an inclusive institution’s environment.

This research studies the role of leadership in addressing challenges of the diverse educational landscape, and in developing learning environments that support student learning with inclusive and equitable instructional practices (Harris, 2009). The paper critically appraises experiences of Indian School Principals through a qualitative study conducted on 15 leaders selected from Government and Private Public schools of Punjab district in North India that collected data through interviews and focus group discussions.

Research questions of the study are-

What role does leadership play in creating inclusive and equitable education systems?

How can effective leadership be developed to lead socially just education systems ?

The results show that effective leadership practices that foster inclusive learning environments included practices like recognizing social identities, integrating conflicting ideas and overcoming stereotypes and creating workplace settings compatible with effective instructional practices. The study emphasizes need for leadership development programs that link theory to real field problems, provide mentoring and encourage collaborative professional learning.

The study highlights the pivotal role of school heads in driving change in diverse and complex educational settings as well as positively influencing equity in education ( Pont, 2017) and the importance of investing in developing leadership talent to create socially just education systems.

References

Harris, A (2009), 'Against the odds: Successful leadership in challenging schools'. In AM. Blankstein, P. D. Houston and R. W. Cole (eds), Building sustainable leadership capacity. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Pont, Beatriz. (2017). School Leadership for Equity: A Comparative Perspective. 10.1108/S1479-367920160000031007.

As the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has expanded the landscape of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL), the reliance on digital technology is rapidly increasing in teaching spaces that are in or beyond physical EFL classrooms. In addition to increasing the efficiency of teaching and learning, digital technology is a medium that stands in-between teachers and students and facilitates interactions among them (Jones & Hafner, 2021). Thus, the digital literacy of an EFL teacher in a specific teaching context is much more beyond the ability of managing digital tools to navigate online worlds (e.g., to find, evaluate, create and communicate information, etc.); it is more of a teacher’s meaning-making act or practice, which requires his/her cognitive and technical skills and is shaped by his/her identities, beliefs, goals in a specific context (Weninger, 2023). A teacher’s digital literacy thus determines the future of language teaching in the age of AI, which makes it opportune and useful to explore how an EFL teacher’s digital literacy is formed during his/her (re)construction of identities in a “smart classroom” enabled by AI technologies.

As such, this study employs narrative inquiry to investigate the trajectory of how an EFL teacher and her students negotiate alignments and construct bonds of shared values and knowledge in a smart classroom within one semester (i.e., 15 weeks), aiming to decode how an EFL teacher’s digital literacy are formed in the transition from teaching in a traditional classroom toward AI-empowered teaching. By exploring the dynamics of the EFL teacher’s identities when she starts to teach in the context with AI, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of how to enhance a teacher’s digital literacy and leverage AI technologies to build stronger teacher-student relationships and more effective learning communities in the age of AI.

Research Aim:

The paper explores how The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (hereafter TBITSP) can be used to educate students on the pedagogical and moral issues surrounding the text. The ubiquity of the novel and film means dismissing it outright is simply unhelpful; instead, I wanted to find more meaningful ways of engaging with TBITSP that empowered students by making them aware of the socio-political factors concerning the text’s historical inaccuracies and its prominence in education.

Theoretical Framework:

Inspired by critical literacy practitioners such as Hilary Janks, Navan Govender, and Holocaust scholars Andy Pearce and Tony Kushner, this unit explored what preconceptions students had of the Holocaust, their familiarity with TBITSP, and their knowledge of Jewish people in the UK and beyond. The series of lessons leaned on critical literacy methodologies, prompting students to consider the social and political context of TBITSP and why Boyne wrote the story.

Methods:

Students were surveyed on what they knew about the Holocaust, if they’d seen or read TBITSP, and if they thought it was an accurate reflection of the Holocaust. Thereafter, the lessons encouraged students to question whose perspective the narrative was being told from, whose viewpoints were being excluded, and what effect such narrative positioning had in terms of who the audience sympathised and identified with. Students were given the following thesis statement to respond to, using expert-led scholarship to support and augment their argument: TBITSP should not be used to teach students about the Holocaust.

Findings:

At the beginning, almost all students indicated they thought TBITSP was a factual, accurate, and truthful story. By the end of the unit, student surveys showed they no longer felt that to be the case but demonstrated a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the Holocaust.

This paper investigates the teaching of Literature in Integrated High School (IHS) and the challenges of reader formation, based on the gap between students and "classic" literary texts. Our concern as educators is grounded in the importance of literary reading for the omnilateral formation proposed by Federal Institutes in Brazil. We focus on the teaching project In the Embrace of a Classic, carried out at the Federal Institute of Triângulo Mineiro (IFTM) – Uberaba Campus, in 2021 and 2022. Our goal is to understand how the reading of literary classics in IHS can become an educational and omnilateral experience, where literary literacy is done "with" the group and not "for" the teacher or the school. This is a qualitative case study involving teachers and students who participated in this project-based learning experience. To collect data, we conducted a focus group with ten students and three teachers, after approval by the Research Ethics Committee. Our aim was to explore the different perceptions and values that students and teachers attribute to this literary literacy experience from the selected classics. As theoretical references for our discussion, we based our studies on the current challenges of Literature teaching, literary literacy, reading mediation, and reader formation, on Calvino (2007), Candido (2011), Cosson (2021), Ciavatta (2005), among others. To reflect on the contemporary educational and sociocultural scenario in a post- pandemic context, the act of teaching, "youth" and student protagonism, we based ourselves on Assmann (2007), Demo (2006), Dewey (1979), Freire (1989), Dayrell; Carrano (2014), Bondía (2002), Mantovani (2022), among others. For the analysis and interpretation of the collected data, we selected the Thematization method proposed by Fontoura (2011). The results indicate that shared reading of literary classics can contribute to the omnilateral formation of young students in Integrated High School.

This symposium investigates the current state of Expressive Arts education in Scottish schools, focusing on how national policies, research findings, and local enactments can inform a more consistent and sustainable approach to supporting teachers. Despite the longstanding inclusion of Expressive Arts (Music, Drama, Dance, and Art and Design) in Scotland’s curriculum, delivery has declined, particularly post-pandemic. With the UNCRC recently enshrined in Scots Law, and Article 31 guaranteeing every child’s right to access arts and cultural activities, this symposium addresses the gap between policy and practice in realising this right.

The symposium is grounded in educational equity and social justice theories, focusing on teachers’ roles in ensuring access to quality Expressive Arts education. It draws on principles of equitable teaching practices and inclusive curriculum design, ensuring all children, regardless of background, can benefit from rich educational experiences in the arts.

The symposium presents three perspectives:

1. Policy Analysis (Paper 1) – Insights from the 2024 Expressive Arts Review, focusing on policy challenges and opportunities for teachers.
2. Empirical Research (Paper 2) – Findings from a national project surveying primary schools across Scotland to assess children’s access to Expressive Arts education.
3. Case Study (Paper 3) – Examining arts-based learning initiatives within Glasgow City Council, highlighting strategies supporting teachers.

Key insights include:

• Paper 1: Policy-level challenges and opportunities in Expressive Arts education.
• Paper 2: Data on the uneven access to Expressive Arts, identifying barriers faced by teachers.
• Paper 3: Effective strategies from Glasgow City Council, offering a model for other regions.

This symposium directly engages with the conference theme of quality teaching and equity by exploring how Expressive Arts education can drive social justice. It aligns with sub-themes on equitable teaching practices, curriculum design, and partnerships, proposing sustainable solutions to ensure all Scottish children have equitable access to quality arts education.

In France, recent years have seen a national-level acceleration towards embracing inclusive schooling, evident in a series of law and policy reforms since 2019. In particular, the new requirement since 2021 that initial teacher education programmes offer 25 hours of training on school inclusion for all new teachers. While teachers are in theory being better prepared for inclusive practices, France’s egalitarian constitutional model remains in ideological conflict with differentiated treatment of diversity. In this context, is teacher education able to effectively prepare teachers for their work with pupils with diverse learning and special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools? What kinds of tensions and conflicts may arise? How are these being addressed within the formal teacher education pathways (by “insiders”) as well as through informal interventions by SEN education specialists (“outsiders”)?

This symposium will respond to these questions, drawing on works from the inclusive education literature (Ebersold, 2017; Kohout-Diaz & Strouhal, 2021; Malet, 2023), and literature exploring equity from a French perspective (Le Maire, 2009; Joly, 2016; Brun, 2018). We will explore how teacher education (insider and outsider) in the Bordeaux region is evolving in response to the challenges and opportunities of the new inclusion training requirements, with examples of findings from our recent studies: teenage migrants and home languages in learning (Smythe, in press), SEN and mainstream teacher approaches to inclusion (Smythe & Malet, in press), and inclusive university practices (Kohout-Diaz, 2024).

Finally, and in response to the ISATT conference theme, this symposium proposes to overview equity and inclusion in teacher education in France, bringing examples of formal and informal initiatives in Bordeaux that aim to better support teachers working in diverse classrooms.

Recent research on teacher education increasingly positions teacher educators as central to the success of educational reforms (Cochran-Smith, 2003; Hollins & Warner, 2021). Despite this critical role, there remains a lack of clarity about the knowledge and skills teacher educators require to be effective (Conklin, 2020; Goodwin & Kosnik, 2013; Rutten et al., 2024). Only recently, through initiatives like InFo-TED in Europe (see Vanassche et al., 2015; Vanderlinde et al., 2021), has a substantial body of scholarship on the professional learning of teacher educators begun to develop.

Our research is positioned at the intersection of teacher education and school improvement, drawing on the expertise of our diverse group of experienced teacher educators. This symposium features three papers centered around collaborative artifact examination: “Utilizing Artifact Examination to Uncover the Essential Knowing for Teacher Educators,” “Unearthing the Research and Theories Underpinning Our Practice as Teacher Educators,” and “Integrating Equity and Social Justice into the Practice of Teacher Educators.” These papers emphasize the importance of critical reflection in making explicit the knowledge, skills, abilities, and purposes embedded in our work.

Our papers emphasize two theoretical frameworks: Cochran-Smith and Lytle’s (1999) model of teacher knowledge construction and Goodwin and Kosnik’s (2013) framework outlining essential knowledge for teacher educators. We used these frameworks to identify pedagogical principles across our papers: critical reflection to achieve program coherence, attention to localized knowledge, commitment to social justice, student-centered approaches to enable theory and practice, partnership development, and adaptability.

An interactive session led by our discussant will encourage participants to reflect on professional artifacts, reinforcing the importance of recognizing and developing frameworks that inform teacher educators' professional learning. We argue that the knowledge shared and developed in conversations of practice is essential to support the development of educators capable of engaging in quality teaching for a more equitable world.

If educators are serious about challenging racism within contemporary society, they must consider how education systems progress diversity in the profession and anti-racist praxis for social change, rather than complicity in maintaining the status quo that undermines diversity in ideas, knowledge and experience.

This symposium includes four papers which demonstrate work in progress in Scotland to support the recruitment, retention and progression of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) teachers, and to progress racial literacy and leading for anti-racism across the profession.

Paper One discusses the impact of the SAMEE Leadership and Mentoring programme designed for BME teachers. The programme provides safe, positive spaces for BME teachers to acknowledge their experiences, affirm their skills and competencies, define actions to support career progression and develop into race-cognisant advocates.

Paper Two discusses the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS, 2024) Sponsoring for Diversity in Teacher Progression strategy, a new call to action in Scottish education with a key focus on supporting BME teachers’ career progression, through spotlighting, networking and advocacy.

Paper Three reflects on the impact of the national Building Racial Literacy (BRL) programme for Scottish educators. BRL promotes anti-racism as a baseline professional value, empowering educators to understand, identify and implement racial literacy and anti-racist behaviours and processes in their thinking and practice.

Paper Four presents the rationale, andragogy and early impact of Leading Anti-Racism (LAR), a partnership between a university and a school district, with participants from both contexts in the same learning space. LAR aims to deepen personal and professional understanding of race, racism and the concept and practice of leading (for) anti-racism.

The discussant will draw on each paper to explore challenges and opportunities, to diversify the profession and to realise the potential for our teaching workforce to understand and challenge racism and its multiple manifestations.

As an Assistant Professor of Literacy Education, I see literacy as a complex web of liveliness, affect, fluidity, and emergence (Burnett & Merchant, 2020). During my research, I applied a post-humanist approach to case study methodology to better understand the following question: In what ways can drama be integrated into a secondary ELA classroom to develop literacy practices by moving learning from the page to the stage?

My research demonstrated that drama helps students engage in meaningful instances of embodiment and relationality while also developing their identity and creativity (Cowan & Albers, 2006). Drama helped the students to see literacy as event through various means of communication (i.e., movement, gesture, and posture). Students created masks, scripts, and performances to understand and embody the characters in Othello. Excitingly, exploring literacy through drama proved to be a way of learning that builds student agency and has the potential to reinvigorate literacy learning (Galgut et al., 2017).

I want to share how drama builds student capacities as text decoders, users, participants, and analysts (Albers & Sanders, 2010). While also creating spaces for quality teaching and learning that call upon student voices and experiences. I also hope to share stories from my research participants and show how drama can have a home in all classrooms.

Works Cited:
Albers, P., & Sanders, J. (2010). Literacies, the arts, and multimodality. National Council of Teachers of English.
Burnett, C., & Merchant, G. (2020). Literacy-as-event: accounting for relationality in literacy research. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 41(1), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2018.1460318
Cowan K., & Albers P. (2006). Semiotic representations: Building complex literacy practices through the arts. The Reading Teacher, 60(2), 124-137.
Galgut, O., Border, S., & Fenwick, A. (2017). The benefits of students as partners for developing digital literacy in medical education. Medical teacher, 39(10), 1102-1103.

The emphasis on the importance of a college education in U.S. society remains strong. However, for children who have experienced foster care, this aspiration often seems unattainable (Salazar, 2013; Uesugi, 2009). Foster children are recognized as one of the most vulnerable groups within our school systems (Zetlin, 2006), often overlooked and lacking dedicated advocacy for their educational needs (Morton, 2015). High school graduation rates among foster youth significantly lag behind their peers, with only 42-63% completing high school by age 18 (National Working Group on Foster Care & Education, 2014). This disparity is attributed to frequent placements resulting in school changes, behavioral issues leading to suspensions and expulsions, poor attendance, and academic struggles (Morton, 2018).

Despite these challenges, a substantial 84% of youth in foster care express a desire to attend college (National Working Group on Foster Care & Education, 2014). However, the reality is stark: only 33% enroll in post-secondary education at community colleges, four-year institutions, or universities (Barth, 1990), and less than 3% achieve a bachelor's degree (NFYI, 2017; Glasmeier & Nadeau, 2017; Haviicek, 2011; Needell et al., 2002).

This presentation will share findings from a qualitative, phenomenological study, with 60 college students who aged out of foster care. They identified their hope for the future and the obstacles they encountered on their journey to earning a bachelor's degree. The research study and findings call for inclusionary teaching practices rooted in trauma-informed pedagogy to create equitable practices in schools.

This paper aims to explore how the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) standards translate into quality teaching practices, identifying key characteristics that align with effective teaching in contemporary educational settings, with a focus on designing support structures for early-career teachers in schools.

This emerging study leverages Schön's (1983) model of reflective practice and Hattie's (2009) Visible Learning Theory. These theories underscore the importance of reflective teaching and evidence-based strategies in achieving quality education.

This research employs a qualitative approach, combining literature review and in-depth interviews. The literature review synthesizes existing research on AITSL standards and quality teaching characteristics. Complementarily, interviews with teachers from Australian schools provide insights into their practices and reflections on how AITSL standards informs their teaching and have helped shape their growth along the Classroom Practice Continuum (AITSL).

Preliminary findings from the literature review and interviews indicate a strong alignment between AITSL standards, effective teaching practices and coaching support structures. Key characteristics of quality teaching identified include reflective practice, adaptive teaching strategies, deep content knowledge, and a strong commitment to professional learning. The interviews reveal that teachers who frequently engage in reflective practice and professional development are more effective in implementing AITSL standards, resulting in improved instructional quality and student learning experiences.

This study's findings are particularly relevant to the conference theme of "Characteristics of Quality Teaching." By providing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of AITSL standards, the paper offers valuable insights for educators and policymakers seeking to enhance teaching quality. The research underscores the importance of professional standards in fostering reflective and informed teaching practices, contributing to the global discourse on quality education. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the practical implications of adhering to professional teaching standards and the transformative impact on educational outcomes.

This research explored how non-arts-based, non-gifted education-based teachers foster creativity in their classrooms, identifying distinct profiles of creativity-fostering teaching practices. Guided by a sociocultural perspective, this study integrates Glăveanu's (2013) 5As of Creativity with the Basic Psychological Needs mini theory of intrinsic motivation (Chen et al., 2014) to understand teachers' experiences of and motivations in fostering creative classrooms.

An instrumental case study with a mixed methods design was employed. Phase One involved 25 public middle school teachers, deemed “everyday” teachers because they do not teach traditional arts courses, nor do they self-identify as “artistic”. Instead, they teach the “everyday” content (e.g., Reading, Math, Science, History). These teachers responded to an online survey measuring two dimensions: (1) nine creativity-fostering behaviors (evaluation, flexibility, frustration, independence, integration, judgment, motivation, opportunities, and questions; Cropley, 1995; Soh, 2000), and (2) satisfaction levels of intrinsic motivation (competence, autonomy, and relatedness; Reeves et al., 2018; Roth et al., 2007). Statistical clustering techniques were used to identify initial patterns in the survey data. In Phase Two, eight teachers participated in semi-structured interviews and a card-sorting task, uncovering contextual factors underlying their quantitative responses. Phase One and Two data were integrated to create descriptive profiles.

Two distinct profiles emerged: "The Struggle Is Worth It" and "The Struggle Is Real." Teachers in the "Struggle Is Worth It" profile reported higher motivation levels and more frequent engagement in creativity-fostering behaviors. Conversely, those in the "Struggle Is Real" profile described significant barriers to fostering creativity. Both profiles revealed a new understanding of how creativity can be integrated into teaching, highlighting different pathways to defining and achieving quality teaching.

The findings suggest that further investigation into creativity-fostering behaviors is crucial for helping in-service teachers enhance their understanding and practices of quality teaching and learning, ultimately promoting educational equity.

I propose a roundtable discussion focusing on my development of a teaching resource about the partition of British India. This would link with the theme of curriculum design for equitable teaching.

A fairly recent and hugely influential time in British history, this event saw the largest mass migration of people in history and was a catalyst for the migration of thousands of south Asian communities to the UK, changing the demographic into the modern multicultural society we live in today.

Despite ruling over the region for over 300 years, curricular across the UK has failed to acknowledge this history, silencing the lived experience of many citizens and descendants of citizens who lived through the Empire and partition of the Asian sub-continent.

Teaching the history of British India is essential for fostering equitable education, highlighting the complexities of colonialism, power, and resistance. Incorporating this history into curriculum design promotes critical consciousness (Freire, 1970), enabling students to understand the socio-political dynamics that shaped global inequalities and contemporary race relations. Through a postcolonial lens (Spivak, 1988), educators can address marginalised perspectives and encourage empathy, fostering a more inclusive historical narrative. By integrating voices of colonised people, curriculum design becomes more equitable, with students developing a nuanced understanding of power, identity, and justice.

This resource is a series of lessons to be taught across the BGE curriculum from P6 – S2 stages. Each lesson would help to build the narrative around the emergence of Empire in the sub-continent, life under colonial rule, inequalities, resistance and activism to encourage change to the eventual partition into two distinct nations. Each lesson encourages a research led approach for both learners and teachers to collaborate in developing their understanding and ask critical questions of decisions made, advantages and disadvantages to various communities and the impact of those.

A community of practice can be identified as a ‘shared domain’ of interest (Finn et al 2020) which is dynamic and evolving; encompasses person and context; is made up of sub-identities (Smith & Rushton, 2023). As Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Geography teacher educators, we have created a social space: (a community of interest) to evaluate the position of geography within Scottish education, particularly at points of transition: How does learning and teaching in People, Place and the Environment in the primary and secondary Broad General Education (BGE) transfer into the delivery of ‘powerful knowledge’ in the academic geographical context? The community of practice is exploring three areas which are underpinned by ‘transitions’:

• the tensions which exist surrounding the delivery of geography within the curricular context
• self-efficacy of non-geographical experts delivering geographical knowledge within the BGE social studies
• the time-space value of content knowledge delivered by institutions for pre-service teachers

As teacher educators, paradoxically we work at the intersection between the world of university and school, which means that there are affordances and constraints to what we see and do (Olsen & Buchanan, 2017). Therefore, to gain insight into the complex geo-educational landscape we seek to bring together a wider community of practice which is underpinned by academic engagement and research, formal education and social and professional interactions (Smith & Rushton, 2023: p.253). This community will include primary and secondary practitioners, third sector providers and ITE to promote equity and inclusion in practice, noting areas for collaboration and identifying areas where practitioners are restricted by knowledge, time and space. It will also aim to strengthen partnerships with schools and encourage engagement events/training at Higher Educational institutions.

<p>Keynote</p>

This research is a report on the experience of scholarship holders from the Institutional Program for Teaching Initiation Scholarship In Brazil (PIBID) of the PIBID-English subproject at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), based on a "Series Club" developed for high school students at the Federal Institute of Ceará (IFCE). In this context, the aim of the research is to reflect on the activities designed through active methodologies using audiovisual resources, with the goal of providing contextualized and meaningful learning. The activities were also designed considering the principles of interaction and motivation proposed by Brown (2007), aiming to create an environment where the student is the protagonist of their learning process (DIESEL et al, 2017). This research will describe the pedagogical strategies adopted in each meeting of the club offered at IFCE, highlighting activities such as storytelling, role-playing, and dubbing. Through the analysis of the reflective journals of the scholarship holders, the evaluation form of the club, the students' testimonies, and their dubbing productions, it was possible to verify that the use of active methodologies and audiovisual resources in English teaching stimulated students' interest and motivation. It is concluded that active methodologies and audiovisual resources can foster a more interactive and participatory classroom environment. Furthermore, sharing this research internationally through ISATT would be beneficial to highlight the importance and universality of active methodologies adapted to different cultural contexts, as well as to integrate Brazilian undergraduate students into the process of teaching and teacher education advocated by ISATT.

This study examines the use of virtual field trips (VFT) as a means to foster equitable curriculum in primary and secondary grades. Virtual field trips consist of place-based learning experiences at educational sites that are conducted virtually over the internet, or through the use of some other technological streaming or recording device, so that students can learn from experts around the world without leaving their classrooms (Zanetis, 2010). Virtual field trips allow students to access learning experiences that otherwise would be too far away, or too expensive to obtain without appropriate funding or planning resources.

The theoretical framework used for this study consists of constructivist learning theory. Constructivist learning theory argues that students acquire new knowledge by connecting new information or experiences to their prior knowledge. Through the use of virtual field trips, students will gain insight to other cultural capitals.

The methods used for this study consisted of a qualitative content analysis. For 21st century learners, the content analysis revealed that while virtual field trips provide students access to learning sites around the world. They often lack background information and expert commentary that are needed to construct a well-rounded understanding of the intended cultural capital under investigation.

Experiences for learners unable to travel beyond the classroom are valuable lessons that can be enhanced through the use of VFT, if they are afforded the proper learning opportunities to include context beyond the VFT guide.

This study is relevant to the curriculum design for equitable teaching strand as it provides outside opportunities for student learning when field trips may not be financially or readily available.

Extant literature on K-12 teacher evaluation fails to consider the multifaceted complexities that impact teacher instructional decisions and student learning outcomes. When faced with the realities of increasing student diversity (Kane, Kerr & Pianta, 2015), student opportunity gaps connected to racial background (Andrew et al., 2019), and the political focus on school accountability (Kraft et al., 2020), a teacher evaluation system built on accurate, dependable measures that center evidence-based research and equitable teaching practices are imperative. Current teacher evaluation practices at our institution include an analysis of student achievement, teacher research, and teacher observations. However, these sporadic observations lack the consistency, frequency, and clear purpose to produce quality feedback.

“Real improvement requires quality measurement” (Rogers, 2021, pg. 1). We seek to reimagine a high-quality teacher evaluation tool centered on 1) examining culturally sustaining and universally designed teaching practices (Waitoller & King Thorius, 2016), 2) high-quality teacher feedback cycles for improvement, and 3) multiple data points for student success metrics. The intersection of these factors yields important results for teachers and students, including the expectation of embracing students’ variabilities while communicating to them that they are worthy of our greatest attention and effort, flexible pathways to clear goals with high expectations, and ensuring educational equity is provided to all. We propose that these indicators, supported by quality feedback and reflection, have a direct impact on student outcomes.

Through this roundtable discussion, we will share how our Teacher Evaluation Leadership Team (TELT), responsible for the creation of our teacher evaluation tool, revamped our educator evaluation process with intentional changes to teacher observations, curriculum design, and professional learning. We are seeking constructive feedback to improve our evaluative rubric, specifically as it relates to measuring teacher quality and equitable teaching practices.

This round table session will begin with a brief report on a research project carried out by, and with, UK based teacher educators, and published in Teachers and Teaching (Hoult et al., 2024). The project utilised an online survey to explore teacher educators’ views of their role and professional identity.

The research project analysed qualitative data from a national survey, within the context of Elizabeth Povinelli's (2013) critique of late liberalism. Findings included identification of benefits to higher education of hosting teacher education departments. However, teacher educators did not always manage to recognise or articulate these benefits, and often felt marginalised within the dominant structures and systems in the modern university. The project has continued by investigating the backgrounds of senior leader in UK universities, to identify which of these have come from a teacher education, or related, discipline.
This interactive, round table session will invite discussion from teacher educators, around the globe, to deepen and broaden knowledge in this area, to identify common ground, and recognise opportunities to learn from each other. Specifically, this roundtable will aim to address the question: What contribution can teacher education make to leading higher education on the global stage.

E-Pal Study Guide, (EPSG), a student-centered learning platform that focuses on students’ commitment to learning, employs metacognitive philosophy, emphasizes positive values, and constructive use of time management. EPSG is an interactive program functioning as a virtual assistant specifically designed for first year college students at Bergen Community College, *Success 101. Course Learning Outcomes: “Focus on the strategies, habits, and behaviors necessary for students to empower their own academic and personal growth. Emphasis will be placed on self-assessment, goal setting, written and oral communication, critical thinking, self-management, and study strategies.”

As a tool to enhance students’ success, EPSG seeks to answer the following: (1) Can educators use a customized ChatGPT to reshape learners from instructor-directed to autonomous? (2) Specific to content/discourse, are there activities that educators and learners can create and co-create to transform unreflective thinkers to novice? (3) Is it possible for a ChatGPT such as EPSG to be used to motivate learners to develop a sense of personal commitment that leads to an understanding of the lasting impact of learning, faith in their own abilities, and belief in their self-worth?

An investigative empirical study, mixed-methods research methodology is being used to answer these questions. Intensive cross-sectional studies—descriptive cross-sectional and analytical cross-sectional studies will be used for data collection. Students will be observed extensively, electronic surveys/questionnaires will be used to collect data from learners and educators, interviews, and readings from experts on Artificial Intelligence will be analyzed, synthesized, and integrated in the study.

Since students will create and co-create; hence the opportunity to contribute to academia. Besides adding to the existing body of knowledge on Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT, results from EPSG will show this platform as a strong tool that empowers educators and learners while engaging with interdisciplinary discourse.

Research aim: This roundtable aims to explore the intersection of education policy and teacher education innovation, focusing on creating greater capacity for engaging in global policy development. Participants will discuss the relationship between these two areas and apply the concepts of complexity theory, systems thinking, and "deliberative policymaking" to their national contexts. The goal is to examine how education policy can be redesigned to support innovative, equitable, and inclusive teacher preparation practices.

Framework: Grant's (2024) recommendations on deliberative policymaking will be juxtaposed with the four design principles of the 'Teacher Development 3.0' framework (Ellis et al., 2017; Ellis, 2024). These principles include: a lifelong teaching profession, schools, universities, and teachers at the heart of communities, education as cultural and societal development, and a continuum of learning.

Methods: The roundtable will use a participatory format, including presentation, small group discussions, and a shared discussion. Participants will discuss education policy trends, innovative teacher education practices, and successful policy interventions.

Findings: The current state of education policy and its impact on teacher education, challenges and opportunities for innovation, the role of human-centered design and deliberative policymaking, and potential future structures for teacher education programmes.

Relevance: This roundtable session directly aligns with the conference theme by exploring how education policy can be leveraged to support quality teaching and promote a more equitable world. By fostering innovation, collaboration, and inclusion within teacher education, a stronger foundation for high-quality teaching practices that benefit all learners can be created. Findings are situated to influence provision of teacher education and assessing novice teachers’ skills for equitable and democratic classrooms during preparation.

This research project aims to explore the recommendations of diverse preservice elementary teachers in an urban teacher preparation program in the southwestern United States. Using humanizing pedagogy and research as the theoretical framework, the data includes two focus group interviews, state, district, and programmatic policy documents, and participant-generated artwork that depicts a more inclusive future in teacher preparation policy. Throughout the data, participants discuss the implications for a current professional attributes policy used within their preparation program and imagine what a more humanizing and inclusive policy could be like in the future. Data was analyzed using critical discourse analysis. Three themes emerge in the findings: 1) modeling gendered citizenship; 2) challenging perfectionism; and 3) thinking beyond English-only policies. Modeling gendered citizenship refers to the ways participants expect elementary teachers to socialize their students and model what they believe is culturally appropriate behavior in and out of school. Challenging perfectionism refers to how the participants recommend being able to personalize their teaching craft and adapt their practices based on their students' needs. Lastly, thinking beyond English-only policies refers to how participants imagine a future in teacher preparation wherein they are welcome and encouraged to use their multilingual skills in their teaching to support their students' learning. This research aligns with the conference's theme because of its empahsis on developing an equitable and inclusive future in teacher preparation.

The policy landscape concerning First Nations students in Australia has been increasingly focused on improving educational outcomes, school retention and completion, and student wellbeing. In NSW, this has seen greater attention toward the importance of quality teaching practices that integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and pedagogies across the curriculum. For the intended improvements to be realised, effective policy and quality teaching must advance in tandem.

Teachers implementing the Aboriginal Education Policy (AEP) face a tension between complying with policy mandates, confidently employing quality teaching practices for First Nations students, and striving for authenticity in their approach. Teacher disconnection from policy design, lack of confidence in policy decision-making, fear of making errors in policy enactment, and the system's prioritisation of policy compliance all contribute to this tension. Additionally, the perception that policy is separate from quality teaching threatens the smooth integration of quality, equitable teaching practices.

Grounded in the understanding that both principals and teachers are crucial policy actors, this study utilises Ball’s (2003; 2005) toolbox approach to explore how teachers interpret and enact policies promoting equity and cultural understanding, with a particular focus on the AEP. Using qualitative methods including interviews and document analysis, this research investigates teachers’ perspectives on their roles as policy actors and their efforts to authentically integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and pedagogies into their teaching practices.

While educators acknowledge the import of building genuine relationships with students and communities, and engaging in culturally responsive teaching, they often find it challenging to exercise agency and autonomy in policy enactment within a performance and metrics-driven environment. There is an urgent need to reform and reframe policy and policy enactment as a dynamic, context-dependent process that is synonymous with quality teaching. Only then will equitable educational opportunities for all students be possible.

This paper focuses on Florida’s House Bill 1647: K-12 Education (HB 1467), also known as the Curriculum Transparency Bill. The exploration of different interpretations of educational policy among elementary English Language Arts school teachers of grades 3-5 in Florida, United States, and the impact these interpretations have had on their pedagogical choices was explored. This qualitative case study investigates the varying interpretations of HB 1467 within its real-life context. Data collection methods include in-field observations, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of policy-related documents. This study ascribes to Karl Weick’s (1995) Sensemaking Theory, which connects individuals’ psychological and sociological ideas to make sense of the world around them. Karl Weick emphasized that sensemaking is the ongoing process through which people give meaning to events and experiences to understand them and take necessary action. Teachers collaborate with their peers in education by sharing ideas, insights, and experiences to improve their practices, reduce ambiguity, and adapt to change. How teachers make sense of educational policies determines their pedagogical choices, but what happens when there are many interpretations of the same educational policy? Teachers’ sensemaking of this policy has led to practical and pedagogical variances in classrooms across Florida. This has prompted many teachers to remove classroom libraries, resulting in learning inequities among students across the state. This policy has created a whirlwind of emotions, reactions, and interpretations. Implementing educational policies often leads to diverse interpretations and practices among educators. This study aims to reconcile these tensions by proposing a new educational social contract. This contract, which emphasizes collaboration, equity, and innovation, offers a beacon of hope for the future of education in Florida. It is urgent, as it will help ensure that all students receive a high-quality education, regardless of the specific pedagogical choices made by teachers.

Societal and political shifts influence the field of language education. Political, economic, social, and cultural factors mold language policies and practices. Therefore, the language education policy in Israeli Arab schools is significantly influenced by the specific political and social context of Arab-Palestinian citizens in Israel. This national group remained in their homeland following the 1948 war and later became Israeli citizens. This study delves into the language policy in Arab schools in Israel from 1948 to the present, taking into account the distinctive experiences of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel, mainly focusing on political and identity-related questions.

Over the years, the linguistic landscape of Palestinian Arabs in Israel has evolved, leading to changes in the status of different languages. In Arab Palestinian schools in Israel, Arabic is the first language, Hebrew is the second language, and English is taught as a third language. This research examines the emphasis on each language in language education, the reasoning behind various language education policies, the pedagogical approaches utilized for each language, and the student's language skill achievements. The goal is to assess the degree of multilingualism in Arab schools in Israel by analyzing the successes, challenges, and difficulties encountered in acquiring these languages. This qualitative study will analyze five components of language education policy: curriculum, learning materials, assessment, interviews, and archives.

Context: In Quebec, newcomer students who don't speak French when they arrive in the host society can continue their education in a welcoming class, where they learn the language of instruction, and where they get to familiarize with social and cultural aspects of their new living environment. Newcomer students can also join the regular class, where they try to keep pace with their peers and benefit from special support in learning French. However, several studies have highlighted the feeling of overload felt by some regular classroom teachers when they welcome in their class newcomer students who does not speak the language of instruction (Charette & al., 2024; Querrien, 2017).

Research aim: Our research aims to document social representations of 1^st grade primary teachers towards the welcoming of these newcomer students in their class and the practices they put in place to support their process of integration in the classroom and in the school.

Theoretical framework: We propose to analyze our data regarding the theoretical framework of inclusive education (Magnan & al., 2021; Potvin, 2014), which are based on four dimensions: equity: taking diversity into account, offering resources adapted to needs, inclusion: supporting the real participation of individuals and combating discrimination (Charette & Audet, 2023).

Methods: Data were collected from nine teachers working on an urban territory in Quebec (Canada). Two data collection tools were used: free association technique and semi-directed interviews.

Findings: On one hand, our results illustrate a high level of teachers’ mobilization, mainly through equity-oriented practices. On the other hand, they suggest that practices aimed at inclusion are much less invested in by teachers.

Relevance to the Conference theme: Our presentation is fully in line with the conference theme, which aims to examine equity practices deployed by teachers in schools.

The research aims to investigate teachers' representations of student motivation in disadvantaged contexts, characterized by the intersection of economic and social difficulties (Clarke & McCall, 2013) and the presence of the Camorra (Allum, 2001), a criminal organization similar to the mafia.

The hypothesis is that motivation, conceptualized as a "relational" and "dynamic force" (Lewin, 1961), may represent an autonomous area of development, potentially resilient to environmental adversities, especially if supported by targeted educational interventions. Investigating teachers' social representations is therefore important to promote children's motivation by identifying appropriate educational practices. The study is part of a broader project, inspired by a response to intervention approach (Johnson et al., 2006), aimed at promoting children's motivation to study in contexts of deviance and social marginality.

The research focuses on an area of the Campania region (southern Italy) with a high rate of early school leaving (INVALSI, 2023) and adopts a sequential explanatory design. Data collection involves the use of a 1-6 Likert scale questionnaire, aimed at identifying the characteristic aspects of various interpretative models of teacher motivation through an exploratory data analysis (EDA). Subsequently, semi-structured interviews will be conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) to explore the relationship between motivational orientations and adopted educational practices.

In line with the objectives of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child (European Commission, 2021), it is believed that the research can provide a basis for proposing training programs for teachers working in similar contexts, contributing to the promotion of more equitable and inclusive education.

The proposal aligns with the conference themes, exploring the potential of motivation as a resilience factor in challenging contexts and contributing to the debate on how teachers can foster social change for a more equitable and inclusive society.

This paper examines the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework (CCF) in England, a mandatory element for all pre-service teacher education. It explores how the CCF reflects and reinforces a narrow, technicist view of teacher education, driven by government policies aimed at educational reform and international competitiveness. The study also investigates how this approach impacts social justice and equity in education.

The study is grounded in critical perspectives on teacher education policy, drawing on concepts of managerialism, performativity, and marketisation in education. It teases out the troubling concepts of 'trainification' and 'pupilification' promulgated by the CCF which constructs simplified, homogenised versions of teachers and learners.

The research utilised content analysis and a 'doppelganger as method' approach. It examined word usage patterns and compared synonyms to reveal 'doublings' of actions and actors. The analysis reveals that the CCF reduces the complex process of teacher education to a technical, content-delivery model. It constructs a 'doppelganger trainee' - a homogenised version of the becoming teacher required to demonstrate 'fidelity' to mandated content and pedagogy, and pupils are similarly 'pupilified'. This approach fails to account for the social, emotional, and intellectual complexities of education, negatively impacting social justice and equity by neglecting the diverse needs of students and communities, and by failing to prepare teachers to address systemic inequalities in education.

By revealing the reductionist assumptions underlying the CCF and their implications for social justice, the findings challenge prevailing policy directions and argue for frameworks that better prepare teachers for the multifaceted realities of education, including addressing issues of equity and social justice. This aligns with the conference themes of enhancing teacher education quality, reimagining teacher preparation for contemporary challenges, and promoting inclusive, equitable education systems.

Great teaching has a positive impact on students’ learning and promotes equity. Defining great teaching is important since it can lead to the specification of areas for preparation and professional development of prospective teachers and current teachers respectively. This study aimed to assemble a framework for great teaching which describes specific indicators of quality teaching for teaching improvement. A review was conducted using well-established bodies of literature about teaching, as well as classroom observation instruments (Coe et al., 2014; Creemers & Kyriakides, 2011; Darling-Hammond, 2000; Dunlosky et al., 2013; Hattie, 2012; Ko et al., 2013; Muijs et al., 2014; Praetorius et al., 2018; Rosenshine, 2010). Based on this literature, there was search backwards (studies they cite) and forwards (later studies that cite them). There was also an additional search using terms about teaching quality and students’ learning on the databases of Web of Science, ERIC and Google Scholar. The results of this rapid literature search identified the areas of great teaching. The results of the review highlighted four dimensions of great teaching related to 1) the content, 2) the learning environment, 3) the opportunities given to students to learn and 4) the activation of hard thinking. This paper will present this great teaching framework. The use of this four-dimensional framework of great teaching can have important implications for prospective teachers’ learning and teachers’ professional development, since it offers specific areas that teachers could focus on for the improvement of their teaching. Based on this framework, a novel, scalable professional development programme has been developed to present and test the framework in diverse educational contexts. A description of this programme will also be presented. Other teacher educators could use this framework and approach for their initial teacher education, whilst teachers and leaders could adopt these to their context.

One of the crucial aims of self-study is to create more democratic schools and universities, as well as society. Author-A is a social studies teacher educator in Japan. His mission is to foster preservice teachers' awareness toward social justice. He has been discussing his teaching practices with his critical friend, Author-B, for years. In this self-study, we discuss (1) the insights and learnings we gained from Author A’s self-studies (2) professional knowledge we gained as educators through self-studies.

The significance of self-study in equity and inclusion has also been discussed in Japan. For example, at the roundtable 2022, authors and other participants pointed out that self-study research could collaboratively reveal the contradiction between the weakness and the strength of individual professionals. It would also highlight social issues and injustices through the exploration of individual and practical issues.

Main data were Author-A's six published self-study papers and nine self-study presentations since 2018. Data also included reflective journals, text messages, meeting notes, various artifacts such as pictures and senryu poems. All online meetings between Author-A and B were recorded. We employed pictures and senryu as analytic tools to stimulate our collaborative dialogue from multiple perspectives.

Collaborative analysis through pictures and senryu created space to enhance our reflection. Our discussion over artifacts revealed a barrier deeply rooted in the Japanese social structure. In school's hidden curriculums, students are not taught about their rights, but how to survive competitive examinations. Such school education reproduces teachers who are indifferent to social injustice. Through his self-studies, we recognize it is crucially important that we should keep our beliefs in human rights and democracy in education. This research suggests that we should continue challenging such a hidden curriculum. The accumulation of reflective practices and collaborative dialogues leads to more democratic and inclusive school and higher education.

Research Aim: This study aims to explore the practical applications and pedagogies necessary for preparing pre-service teachers (PSTs) to become advocates for social justice, addressing the gap in research that primarily focuses on values and belief systems rather than actionable teaching practices.

Theoretical Framework: Grounded in Freire’s transformative praxis theory, this study is underpinned by the concept of fostering critical consciousness, essential for addressing and transgressing social injustices in education. The umbrella methodology of Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices (S-STEP) and Collaborative Autoethnography (CAE) is employed to reflect on and analyse our teaching practices.

Methods: Using CAE, we engaged in reflective practice by documenting and sharing personal and professional experiences related to social justice pedagogy. Reflections on practice were written, shared, and discussed in a series of CAE meetings. The data, supported by student-generated pedagogical reflections, were collaboratively analysed to identify key themes connected to transformative praxis.

Findings: The study reveals the significant role of CAE in professional learning, particularly in fostering critical reflexivity. Through collective analysis of pedagogical data and reflective practice, we identified areas of success and shortcomings in our efforts to teach social justice. This process strengthened our pedagogical approaches, especially in engaging students who may initially struggle to grasp the importance of teaching for social justice.

Relevance to the Conference Theme and Specific Strand: This research directly addresses the conference theme of social justice in education by providing a detailed examination of transformative pedagogies in teacher education. The findings contribute to the strand on equity and inclusion by offering insights into effective strategies for fostering critical consciousness among PSTs, thereby equipping them to contribute to a more socially just future.

Critical thinking offers opportunities to counter rising hate speech and xenophobic populism evident in societies across the world. If we are to harness the potentially transformative impact of critical thinking by embedding it in our education systems, we must begin with initial teacher education (ITE) and ensuring student teachers are critical thinkers themselves. This study focused on examining my practices as a teacher educator in supporting student teachers to develop their critical thinking skills within the context of learning about global social justice issues.

This self-study project took place across three academic years, focusing on a core module in which students engaged in global citizenship education. My inquiry into my own practices was undertaken alongside support and engagement from critical friends, my students, and colleagues. The data set included both written and recorded reflections; recordings of conversations with critical friends; emails and written reflections from critical friends; recordings and notes from focus group interviews with students; surveys; Most Significant Change Stories; exit slips from classes; photographs of in class work; post-it notes or worksheets from in class work; and assessments. The wide variety of data types helped to capture the complex and messy nature of classroom practice and provided multiple sources to aid in triangulation of findings.

Drawing on Freire’s (1974) Critical Consciousness, Boler’s (1999) Pedagogy of Discomfort, Andreotti and deSouza’s (2018) conceptual frameworks for ‘Through Other Eyes’ and Bourn’s (2015) Pedagogy of Development Education to support the interpretation and application of my research findings, I developed an adaptable, flexible conceptual framework for critical global learning. This framework forms the most substantial findings from the study and includes both a model for understanding critical thinking in the context of global citizenship education and a planning tool to support critical thinking development with my students.

This inquiry examined the outputs of a working collective consisting of Ethnic Studies (ES) scholars and secondary educators engaged in curriculum-making around local oral histories with the goal of developing community-responsive ES curricular models and guidance. Hoping to better understand teachers’ ES curriculum-making in California, the study’s findings have direct implications for how we prepare teachers to be agentive, racially-literate curriculum-makers.

The study is conceptually framed around a humanizing ethnic studies framework, ethnic studies pedagogies, powerful knowledge from the academic field of ethnic studies, and consideration of additional knowledge(s)/ways of knowing. Tying these elements together is a nuanced understanding of Young and Muller’s (2010) “Future 3” curricular heuristic.

Using an engaged, collaborative, qualitative case study, the researcher not only sought to better understand the work of the Collective for her own research interests, but participated in the facilitation of the Collective alongside an ethnic studies professor. Such a methodology allowed for an advancement of knowledge for the field, but also a direct contribution to the local educational ecosystem.

Findings suggest that teachers working within the Collective could articulate the broad aims of ES. Furthermore, they were able to utilize different sources of knowledge (academic, community, experiential) in their curricular development. However, most teachers possessed an under-developed “toolkit” needed for deep knowledge-work related to the workings of race/racism, curriculum-thinking, and curriculum development, which limited the epistemic quality and emancipatory potential of their lessons.

The inclusion of ethnic studies modes of thinking in the curriculum is in itself an attempt to improve teaching (an innovative approach), as it strives to better address the needs of minoritized students and improve teaching related to race/ism. The findings also encourage a particular understanding of curriculum-making for more socially-just teaching, and have direct implications for advancing equity and inclusion within teacher education.

This paper investigates the ongoing tensions in the conceptualization of democracy and education within Australian society through the lens of four national daily newspapers. According to John Dewey, cultivating a well-informed public opinion through communication among citizens was a central aspect of the construction and renovation of democracies across the generations. Nevertheless, in past years, we have seen an increase in debates about democracy and schooling. On one hand, scholars have been demonstrating the potential that school curricula have in influencing young students’ political participation within their communities. Studies look at how youth activists use technology within schools to mobilize for crucial issues of contemporary times. On the other hand, conservative governments are eager to argue against the ‘politization of the curricula’ with demands to schools to ‘go back to the basics, with more learning and less activism’. This study presents a themed analysis of more than 1,000 articles using systematic search terms like ’democratic education’, ‘neo- liberal education’, ‘youth participation’, ‘Indigenous youth’, ‘citizenship education’ and ‘curriculum change’. Findings show that three dominant themes are exposed: i) the political agenda of democratic education (including school funding and which political party is leading government, ii) the politico-social factors persuading democratic education and curriculum (including race, class, capitalism, fascism, national reporting benchmarks such as national curriculum reform), and iii) the pre-occupations of democratic education and curriculum (including civics education, values and moral education, liberalism, drug education, consent education, indigenous perspectives, language and literacy).These findings highlight the public political tug-of-war over democratic ideals in Australian schooling and curriculum. The analysis underscores the significant impact of political and social forces on educational content, emphasizing the need for policies that balance ideological diversity with the goal of fostering active, informed participation in democracy to build a new social contract in Australian education.

Research Aim: This study explores the potential for adapting Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, particularly its senior phase, to the U.S. social studies curriculum, with an emphasis on Pennsylvania. The research seeks to determine the compatibility of Scotland’s curriculum with the NCSS’s C3 Framework, assessing its capacity to enhance historical thinking, civic responsibility, and student engagement in U.S. high school social studies.

Theoretical Framework: Using inquiry-based and project-based education principles, the study is grounded in democratic education and social justice theories. It examines how Scotland’s curriculum can prioritize 21st-century skills alongside civic literacy, addressing the needs of students in underfunded, Title I schools in the U.S. through a curriculum that balances STEM competencies with active citizenship.

Methods: The research consists of three phases:

1. Interviews with Scottish educators and curriculum experts at the University of Edinburgh to gain insights into the senior phase.
2. Observational research in Scottish secondary schools, focusing on methods for teaching social studies and citizenship.
3. Development of a U.S.-adapted curriculum model informed by findings and consultations with local educators for practical implementation.

Findings: Preliminary findings indicate strong alignment between Scotland’s senior phase curriculum and the C3 Framework, particularly in fostering inquiry, critical thinking, and civic engagement. Observations suggest that the curriculum’s interdisciplinary approach can both engage students and foster civic responsibility, offering a model for equitable education practices in U.S. social studies.

Relevance to Conference Theme: This presentation aligns with the ISATT theme of “Promoting Equity and Inclusion through Effective Partnerships with Schools” by showing how international curriculum practices can support equitable, civically focused education in U.S. Title I schools. It also addresses “Addressing Social Justice by Leveraging Technology and Innovative Approaches,” proposing adaptable structures to integrate social studies and civic education in under-resourced contexts, and fostering international dialogue on equitable, civic-centered education.

This paper is concerned with provision for children’s learning of literacy and numeracy in primary education in Uganda. We draw on research we conducted for the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEMR) 2023 Spotlight series on foundational learning in Africa. The analytical framework for the research focused on three elements in the provision of education: curriculum and learning materials, support for teachers and assessment practices and how far these elements were aligned with each other and how far they were being implemented in the classroom. We focus the paper on the classroom implementation element to shed light on the challenges and promise of advancing equitable teaching practices in challenging situations. Primary education in Uganda is in principle compulsory for children aged 6-13 and has a seven-year cycle (P1 to P7). Data for the paper was generated from research in 12 primary schools in four districts in Uganda. The purpose was to gain insights into issues affecting quality and equitable foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) teaching and learning. Data was obtained from interviews and focus group discussions with district officials, headteachers, teachers, parents and community leaders; and from observations of mathematics lessons in P3 and P7. Responses from the districts showed that many government-funded schools had serious shortages of teachers, classrooms and learning materials, which limited the scope for interactive teaching methods and formative assessment. Evidence from classroom observations shows that textbooks were more widely used by teachers than by learners, since most learners did not have the books. There was also a tendency to whole-class teaching, rather than group work or individualised instruction. Differentiation of tasks was rare. We argue that achieving equitable teaching practices goes hand in hand with supportive policies and practices enabling teachers to adapt their teaching approaches in ways that cater for the needs of each child.

Newcomer children who are integrated into reception classes are at risk of having experienced trauma, which can cause significant stress and affect their performance and school experience. Despite appropriate training, teachers may feel ill-prepared to support the social and school adjustment of newcomer children, especially if they are asylum-seekers. Inadequate understanding of their life and migratory journey may make it more difficult to adapt teaching practice to their specific needs. With the aim of promoting equitable education and social justice, it is thus essential to implement school-based innovative approaches that promote the development of positive relationships between teachers and newcomer students. The creation of identity texts in written and artistic form can support the expression of newcomers’ experience and allow teachers to better know their students, and thus better adapt their teaching practice to ensure that newcomers strive at school.

This presentation will introduce the findings from a qualitative action research implemented in partnership with two reception classes from an elementary school in Canada. The study’s objective was to document the impact of an innovative school-based intervention focusing on the creation of written and artistic identity texts on (1) newcomer children’s expression of their migratory journey, (2) the quality of the teacher-student relationship and (3) the adaptation of teaching practice. Based on the analysis of students’ identity texts, workshop facilitators’ participant observation and interviews with the teachers and students, the presentation will illustrate how the production of identity texts in class, especially through artistic modalities, contributed to the creation of a different form of understanding between teachers and students, much more personal and embodied, and on which teachers can rely to tailor their teaching to their students needs.

Research Aim

To determine if a book study as a form of professional development can contribute to individual and collective sense of efficacy in teachers leading to nuanced and equitable forms of reading instruction.

Theoretical Framework
Lave and Wenger’s (1991) situated learning theory and communities of practice lens
helps to provide the rationale for why book studies can be idiosyncratically effective among varying contexts within individual schools. As teachers read through a book together, and incorporate new information in to their critical reflection, they begin to introduce creative problem solving into their dialogue and practice (Craig, 2007).

Method

In this mixed methods study, 16 teachers from 4 elementary schools engage in a facilitated book study of Sometimes Reading is Hard (Bright, 2021). Pre-Post Teacher Sense of Self-Efficacy for Literacy Instruction surveys (Tschannen-Moran & Johnson, 2011) and post-study interviews are used for data analysis

Findings

Result from our 2024-2025 study will be presented at the ISATT Conference. We have found that through our book studies teachers feel empowered to try innovative hypothesize that teachers’ sense of efficacy in teaching reading—as well as the grade-level teams collective sense of efficacy—will strengthen, leading to greater confidence, which will lead to the creation and implementation of new ways of teaching, time scheduling and thinking about teaching reading. Creating equitable teaching environments sometimes requires new ways of thinking and acting, and we believe that teachers new sense of efficacy through the book study will do that.

Relevance:

We have found that through our book studies teachers feel empowered to try innovative practices that create equitable learning environments because they divest of a ‘one size fits all’ stance and habit of teaching. We therefore feel that findings from our study speak clearly to the themes of Research on Equitable Teaching Practices and Curriculum Design for Equitable Teaching.

Grounded in sociocultural constructivism and equity in PK-2 classrooms, this study expands relationship[ between research and practice in PK-2 classrooms. It explores the implementation of the Science of Reading (SoR) using culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate pedagogies within self-study of teacher education. Emphasizing teaching and learning in college and primary classrooms as a socially interactive, iterative process generates and applies knowledge beneficial to the following constituents: PK-2 children, teacher candidates, and faculty. Action research using mixed methods designs was employed to examine the following questions:

1. How do field experiences within literacy foundations coursework impact candidates’ dispositions and efficacy using culturally relevant pedagogy?

2. How does integration of culturally relevant content influence design and implementation of literacy foundation lessons?

3. How will professor modeled lessons influence a teaching agenda that serves state mandates involving Simple View of Reading and culturally relevant, literacy pedagogies within Active View of Reading (AVR)?

Data collection included pre-post efficacy scales and semi-structured surveys documenting teacher dispositions pre-post child assessments; lesson plans; certification exam scores; model lessons; slide decks capturing paradigmatic and practical knowledge shared in college classrooms; and a reflection journal kept by the researcher. Quantitative analysis involved statistical differences in pre and post-test scores. Qualitative analysis used categorical coding to derive themes. Member checking enhanced trustworthiness of data analysis. Analysis was triangulated to explore reasons for shifts in scores and dispositions. Findings indicate focus on culturally relevant pedagogy has a positive impact on asset-based lessons using relevant components of Active View of Reading while prioritizing foundations of literacy concepts. This work strives to disseminate ways in which teachers and professors navigate current tension in literacy education by working with teacher candidates to understanding more equitable curricular implementation of SoR in PK-2 classrooms using AVR.

Research on child-robot interaction (cHRI) in educational contexts highlights the role of mediation ensured by the educator and the investment in affective terms. Some reviews on the use of social robots in nursery schools highlight the influence on technical, transversal and cognitive skills but also on involvement in learning and emotions. Other reviews have emphasized that when integrating robots and related intelligent tutoring systems into educational practice the focus must remain on the child-educator relationship and that the robot acts as a support for the relationship.

The proposal presents the results of an empirical study on child-educator-robot (NAO) mediation conducted during the practicum of the Bachelor Degree in Education and Training Sciences (SEF) of the University of Bari.

The quasi-experimental design included two non-equivalent groups, based on the family's adherence/non-adherence to the experiment. Each group consisted of 10 children aged 24-36 months, 4 educators (two experienced, two SEF trainees), two doctoral students as external observers. The data was collected via a perception questionnaire (for educators and trainees) and behavioral observation grids (relational contexts) and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of the study highlight: a. mild behavioral changes between groups of children; b. changes not evident in the representations of expert educators; c. substantial changes in SFE trainee representations.

The study highlights that the introduction of the robot in the educator-child relationship in educational contexts influences novice educators more (who question the design of adequate environments), less so veteran educators (who use the robot to attract interest of children) and children (who prefer a direct relationship with the educator). It offers food for thought and in-depth analysis regarding the implementation of innovative robot-based approaches in nursery schools that put the relationship at the center, not technology as an end in itself.

Research aim – To provide evidence that a Living Educational Theory Research approach, to the professional learning of self-study, teacher-education researchers, has generated original contributions to the global knowledge base of teacher education. The originality includes a unit of appraisal, standards of judgement and logic that determines the rationality of explanations of educational influences in learning.

Theoretical frameworks – These are provided by the original contributions to knowledge provided in over 50 Living Theory doctorates of self-study researchers who have explored the implications of asking, researching and answering questions of the kind, ‘How do I improve my professional practice?’. These explanations include insights from other theoretical frameworks such as the philosophy, psychology, sociology and history of education.

Methods – These include the methods described by Tidwell et al. (2009) in research for the Self-Study of Practice. An addition to these methods is defined as empathetic resonance with digital visual data. This was developed for Living Educational Theory Research. It enabled the clarification and communication of the embodied values used by self-study researchers as explanatory principles in their explanations of educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of the social formations within which the professional practice is located.

Findings – These are focused on a definition of professionalism that includes both meeting criteria set by the professional’s professional body, and the acceptance of a professional responsibility for researching one’s own professional learning in inquiries of the kind, ‘How do I improve the educational influences in my professional practice?’, and making public the valid, evidence-based and values-laden explanations of educational influences in learning.

Relevance - The embodied values of the self-study researchers include and explain connections between quality teaching, equity, and socially just classrooms in the generation of each individual’s living-educational-theory.

Academic writing can be daunting for teacher educators juggling heavy teaching loads, institutional service, and research. The competitive peer review process can be discouraging and frustrating. To address these challenges, I established a voluntary writing community for my teacher-educator colleagues at an Israeli college of education. Two years after I began leading the community, I adopted self-study methodology to critically scrutinise my motives for forming the group and explore the impact of community membership and leadership on my working life and the lives of my colleagues. Theories of community and writing as a means of inquiry informed the research. Data for this qualitative study included my ninety-page reflective research journal written in community sessions and interviews with twelve teacher educators in the group. Self-study allowed me to explore the assumptions and values behind my actions and shed light on the significant role of the writing community in my professional identity and well-being and the learning experience I provide for my students. Findings reveal how confronting my own vulnerabilities as a writer and educator, in writing and conversation with my peers, heightened my sensitivity to the unique needs of individuals in my multicultural classrooms. These developing understandings led me to respond differently as an educator to my department's Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Druse, and Circassian pre-service teachers. Additionally, leading and belonging to a diverse community of professionals empowered me to strive for safe, inclusive environments for my pre-service teachers and inspired me to advocate for a more conducive work environment for my peers. This self-study explores a particular educational setting and invites educators and institutional leadership in other professional contexts to consider how writing communities might contribute to developing equity and inclusion in their organisations.

Improving clinical practice is an important step in preparing the next generation of educators to feel respected and connected in the profession. Although U.S. schools of education may aim to innovate, many teacher preparation programs continue to work within the traditional hierarchy of university expertise being valued over school-based experience. One way to level the hierarchy is to deeply value mentor teachers’ experiences as assets for learning, bringing mentor teachers and university supervisors together for mutual growth. In this self-study combined with qualitative inquiry, I explore my efforts to engage a multidisciplinary group of mentor teachers in a five-session professional learning series designed to leverage their assets while sharing resources and collaboratively refining coaching, feedback and reflection practices. As a self-study, I explore to what extent my facilitation practices engage mentor teachers in future-focused mentoring (Larsen et al., 2023), a form of holistic mentoring that prompts teachers to engage in intellectual work which guides them toward personal, relational and contextual transformation. For qualitative inquiry, I explore how mentor teachers engage in conscious intellectual work (Larsen et al., 2023) that invites self- and practice-oriented reflection, builds community, and calls for collaborative clinical practice. Lastly, I seek to explore the potential for TESOL teacher educators to facilitate future-focused mentoring with multidisciplinary mentor teacher groups. Since TESOL teacher educators work with teachers who may teach in an integrated content and language teaching setting in any discipline, the possibilities are expansive. Findings illuminate open sharing of mentor teachers’ experiences in coaching student teachers, facilitator-guided resource sharing with mentor teacher-led critique, collaborative mentoring practice work, and mentor teacher-led ideas for collaborative teacher induction support. This study illustrates an innovative approach to leveraging the expertise of mentor teachers for collaborative sharing, discussion, and growth, promoting equity in teacher education in which mentor teachers are properly respected.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of in-school seminars designed as hybrid spaces to help our teacher candidates grapple with social, political, and cultural realities of the educational context within an integrated, school-based, and professionally-oriented semester in a teacher education program. The backdrop to this self-study is our attempt to facilitate hybrid spaces within school-university partnerships that help our teacher candidates integrate theory and practice. Drawing on Zeichner’s (2010) examples of boundary crossings in the creation of hybrid spaces we have investigated teacher candidates’ experiences of boundary crossings that include school-based courses, seminars, faculty supervision, and integrated assignments within the context of school-university partnerships.

Research suggests that hybrid spaces help link academic and practitioner knowledge, thus addressing a perennial problem in teacher education where teacher candidates struggle to use the research-based guidelines offered to them in their courses when they subsequently engage in their practicum placements (Clift & Brady, 2005). Attending to hybrid spaces can reduce such tensions between academic visions of teachers as professionals and school-based technical practices (Zeichner, 2012) by fostering critical deliberation focused on democratic ways of knowing (Kincheloe, 2001).

For the purposes of this paper, we focus on S-STEP data related to program alumni (18 new/early-career teachers), 9 faculty supervisors/course instructors and most specifically, 2 faculty and 1 staff member’s experiences of the 4th year practicum in-school seminars.

We recognized, through hybrid spaces, 1. the application of academic and practitioner knowledge, 2. the tensions and counterscipts that arose, and 3. the positive impact of the cohort model emerged as themes from our data collection.

Following Korthagen (2011) ‘realistic’ teacher education approach and Zeichner’s attention to the ‘hybrid space’, we believe teacher education programs can benefit by intentionally and systematically providing teacher candidates with the realities of teaching through school-university partnerships.

Research Aim

This research has examined representations of the language of inclusion in the following contexts:

• Selected Scottish educational policy
• Selected media and professional association discourse
• Focus groups with Headteachers

The research’s aim has been to study and contrast these representations and consider how they impact on headteachers’ experience of the leadership of equity within Scottish secondary schools.

Consideration has been given as to how language impacts attitude and understanding, and caution is introduced when considering voice and power within these representations.

Theoretical Framework and Methods

This research has used Critical Discourse Analysis to analyse the use of language. Bacchi’s (2009) What is the Problem Represented to Be? method has been used to consider the aims of the selected policies and any missing voices or interpretations.

The study has also drawn on empirical data from focus group discussions with headteachers from a case study local authority to consider how the representations of inclusion feature within their school contexts, and specifically the impact on the leadership of equity.

Findings

The findings have been used to consider how the varying representations impact on the creation of a shared narrative about inclusion – if such a narrative is possible.

From this research, conclusions demonstrate how representations of language about inclusion impact on our collective viewing and understanding of inclusion, and how headteachers experience leading equity within that framing. Limitations of the study have been identified with proposals for further research offered. Recommendations have been proposed for the leadership of equity.

Relevance to conference theme and specific strand

This research is rooted in inclusion and social justice, and specifically addresses how our use of language impacts on the leadership of equity within Scottish secondary schools. It aligns to the strand of reconciling tensions for a new social contract in education.

Research Aim

This presentation will outline the findings of a recent dual case study (Larkin, 2024). This study suggests that cultural, policy and physical spaces continue to reflect the religious, cultural and educational interests of the majority ‘white, Irish’ student population; a situation that marginalises this vulnerable group.

Theoretical Framework and Methods

Qualitative data based on documentary analysis, a semi-structured walkthrough, photo elicitation and semi-structured interviews was interpreted using Gramscian and Bourdieusian conceptual frameworks to explore how students for whom EAL were construed and included and/or marginalised. Choosing two contrasting socio-economic school settings allowed a comparative exploitation that brought into greater relief how these students’ cultural identities were constructed in each setting and how policy and practice developed in each.

Findings

Findings suggest that the origin and circumstances of immigration and social class seemed to be a significant factor in how these learners were construed by their teachers. Moreover, school and teacher autonomy played a significant role in responses and innovations designed to respond to post-primary learners for whom EAL. Educators who may be in similar contexts may find relatable features from this study to their own settings. From a methodological perspective, researchers may find some of the theoretical underpinnings and data collection methods utilised beneficial to future research projects. Research pertaining to students for whom EAL is an under-explored educational space.

Relevance to the Conference Theme

In addition to challenging current discourses from a neo-liberal perspective, this paper aligns with the ISATT’s conference strand “Reconciling tensions for a new social contract in education” by looking at innovative ways of exploring the ever changing topography of Irish schools. This study innovates by incorporating visual methods within a qualitative approach to critically investigate how students learning EAL are construed and included within under-explored policy, cultural and physical spaces in secondary schools.

In this study we understand that the educators’ work is marked by a contradictory context, with challenges and precariousness, we believe in the possibility of dialogical practices to transform such reality. The research main question is “how is the dialogical practice of educators built up and what are its organizing principles?” Our main objective is to reveal, from the basic education educators’ dialogical practices how they are constituted and organized to understand them as a way of overcoming practices guided by technical rationality. The communicative methodology (Gómez et al., 2006) was employed using a questionnaire to collect data from 71 educators from the state and municipal education networks, and a communicative discussion group developed with seven educators from basic education. The dialogue and the dialogical practice were supported by Freire (1996; 2015) and Aubert et al. (2018). The discussion on the educators’ work and its contradictory context was based on the ideas put forward by Placco, Almeida and Souza (2015), Pinto (2011), Franco (2016) and Domingues (2014). The results evidenced that the dialogical practice is built up from the initial and continuous education and from the lived and observed professional experience. The elements guiding their practice include the understanding of the educators’ role, the reality, the strategies when facing external determinants, and the dialogue and dialogical practice. The organizing principles comprise knowledge, dialogue, and the educators’ qualities or virtues. Despite the existence of a contradictory context that requires immediatist and bureaucratic practices based on technical rationality, the educators create work strategies based on dialogicity and, therefore, provoke movements to transform the reality and produce dialogical practices.

This study focuses on the Leadership of Modern Foreign Language (MFL) learning in Scottish schools, aiming to elucidate challenges that education leaders must overcome to tackle the declining numbers of pupils motivated to study languages, despite the many benefits linked to second language acquisition (SLA). Using an interpretivist lens, the Thematic Literature Review focuses on three areas of concern: the devaluing of languages, competing priorities and the issue of competence and confidence in fulfilling the expectations set out by Scotland’s 1+2 MFL policy. Further, it explores the benefits of Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) presented as a vehicle for education leaders to support improvements in MFL education. The study draws on empirical data from an online focus group discussion that sought six senior leaders’ perceptions of integrating TELL to increase learner engagement and motivation in the MFL classroom. The discussion was then analysed using Reflective Thematic Analysis (RTA), combined with the most pertinent points raised by the thematic literature review (TLR). The findings and conclusion respond to the research questions, providing implications and recommendations for the leadership of languages as a valued curricular area in the holistic education of Scottish young people. Limitations of the study are also identified, proposing further empirical studies including seeking learners’ views of TELL. This study aligns with conference theme, Addressing social justice by leveraging technology and innovative approaches as adopting TELL to support MFL pedagogy, must also embody social justice leadership, to tackle potential inequalities in an already complex, contradictory educational landscape, which promotes, yet warns of the dangers and ethical concerns within a progressive digitalised education system. The study calls for innovative ways for teachers, school leaders and policymakers to ensure equal, inclusive access to technology across all local authorities.

Aim

This study examined undergraduate elementary education teacher candidates’ interrogation of student engagement as a strategy for addressing educational inequality through the structure of Professional Learning Community (PLC) seminars. PLCs are a context where TCs develop knowledge and skill needed to support student learning through the application of equitable teaching practices.

Framework

PLCs are oriented toward a humanizing pedagogy where “educational practice requires the existence of ‘subjects’, who while teaching, learn. And who in learning also teach” (Friere, 1998, p. 67). This orientation prioritizes theory in practice and is concerned with pointing TCs toward teaching for equity. Grounded in the theoretical lens of communities of practice (CoP), PLC seminars focus on socialization, learning, and individual/collective identity development of teacher candidates (Wenger, 1998).

Methods

Data comes from reading guides and exit tickets collected during PLC seminars. This data was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019). After identifying patterns and coding the data, themes were generated and defined. These served as analytic lenses framing our sense-making.

Findings

TCs’ latent notions of student engagement were disrupted; TCs operationalized the relationship between theory and practice; TCs envisioned their growth as a process of stitching at the edge of theory and practice. Themes point to teacher candidates’ adoption of an inquiry stance toward student engagement as central to providing students with access to rich learning.

Relevance

PLCs are an effective context in which TCs developed a unifying perspective of student engagement that is agentic for students from diverse backgrounds and circumstances. Key pedagogies of disruption, operationalization of, and the stitching together of theory and practice have the potential to cut across all areas of teacher education and novice teacher learning thereby preparing teacher candidates as they develop quality equitable teaching practices that impact student learning.

This study applies the concept of place-making (Fataar & Rinquest, 2019)—emphasizing bottom-up, participatory approaches that challenge traditional authority and highlight student agency—within an elementary school situated at the urban-rural interface in Southwest China. This region was selected due to its unique juxtaposition of limited educational resources and the dynamic interplay between urban and rural educational demands, providing a rich context for exploring innovative educational strategies (Wang, 2011). Over six months, ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews with teachers and students were conducted to investigate how participatory seating arrangements impact student engagement and educational equity.

This school has implemented an innovative classroom layout divided into zones where students autonomously choose seats based on their academic performance. This method contrasts with traditional teacher-led seating and aligns with place-making principles, fostering student participation in shaping their learning environments. This empowerment is vital for enhancing students' motivation and sense of belonging.

Findings from the study indicate that:

1. Allowing students to participate in seating decisions boosts their motivation and engagement, enhancing the overall learning process.
2. Decentralizing control over seating disrupts conventional power hierarchies within the classroom, contributing to a more equitable and balanced educational experience.
3. This approach facilitates the creation of diverse, student-driven micro-environments within the classroom. Each zone caters to varying student needs and preferences, thus promoting a more inclusive and adaptable learning environment.

Reference

Fataar, A., & Rinquest, E. (2019). Turning space into place: The place-making practices of school girls in the informal spaces of their high school. Research in Education, 104(1), 24-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034523718791920

Wang, G. (2011). Bilingual education in southwest China: a Yingjiang case. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 14(5), 571–587. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2011.554971

Relevance: This study’s focus on participatory place-making aligns with the conference's theme of innovative educational practices that enhance social justice and student empowerment in diverse contexts.

The teaching placement, a widely accepted element in teacher education programmes worldwide, presents persistent problems around equity and inclusion for student teachers. Placements, with established hierarchies, mean student teachers are peripherally positioned as novices (Baize 2023; Rosehart et al. 2022) with implications for their professional agency development (Heikonen et al. 2020). This international research project aimed to understand student teachers’ development of professional agency when COVID-19 interrupted their placements and when previous ways of understanding how to teach and how to educate student teachers became insufficient when schools moved online. We used historical socio-cultural theory to conceptualize the pandemic as a societal rupture at the phylogenetic level which also disrupted the ontogenetic (practice) and microgenetic (individual) levels of the social practice of teaching and learning to teach.

For this small qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were piloted, amended, then conducted with student teachers whose schools closed during placement. Using inductive and deductive thematic analysis, with both data-driven and theory-driven codes (Fereday and Muir-Cochrane 2006), we identified how disruption to traditional hierarchies in teacher education created generative spaces to develop student teachers’ professional agency by positioning student teachers on a more equal footing to experienced teachers, especially when their digital expertise assisted the pivot to teaching online.

This study gives a fully developed theorization of teacher education as a social practice and responds to calls for teacher education to foster agile and adaptable future teachers (Kidd and Murray 2022; la Velle 2022). Our findings led us to question the enduring deficit positioning of student teachers. Instead, we suggest a strength-based approach that is cognizant of what student teachers bring into teaching is necessary to foster high quality teacher education and highlight adaptive learning environments and inclusive practices for developing student teachers’ professional agency to intentionally create adaptable future educators.

Student dropout is a significant yet under-researched issue in Russian higher education, particularly within teacher training master's programs. The reasons behind this dropout phenomenon remain largely unexplored both in Russia and globally.

This lack of research hinders efforts to foster an inclusive and equitable teaching profession, which is essential for achieving quality education in a more just world.

In this regard, the aim of this study was to identify the reasons for student dropout from teacher training master's programs.

Guided by V. Tinto’s theory of student attrition, which highlights the importance of academic and social integration, the research involved a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with former students (n=21) from the "Teacher Training" master's program at the Institute of Education, Higher School of Economics (HSE), Moscow, Russia. The data collection method used was spontaneous sampling.

Based on the analysis of the collected data, the authors presented a typology of reasons for student dropout from pedagogical master's programs and explained the mechanisms by which these factors, individually or in combination, lead to dropout.

The primary factors contributing to dropout included difficulties balancing work and study, weak social integration, and disappointment with the teaching profession, often manifesting as a waning interest in pedagogy and teaching methods. Additionally, students who dropped out frequently mentioned challenges in conducting lessons, particularly those without prior teaching experience.

While the study provides valuable insights, its findings are limited by the sample, as the interviews were conducted exclusively with former students of the particular teacher training master's program at the HSE Moscow campus. This limits the generalizability of the results to other universities in Russia and abroad.

Many schools and educators are working in communities that are contending with educational inequity while students are presenting at school with significant unmet learning and social-emotional needs (Stokes & Brunzell, 2024). This trend has only been exacerbated during COVID-19 with socio-economic inequalities being further entrenched in communities experiencing disadvantage. The aim of this research is to understand how professional learning in, and implementation of trauma-informed positive education (TIPE) can assist schools to address social inequity and create a socially just learning environment through enabling all students access to education.

Drawing on research in trauma-aware practice and wellbeing science, TIPE was developed as a model of pedagogical practice in classrooms (Brunzell and Norrish) 2021. The aim is to build self- regulatory capacities for children and young people, while supporting them to build relational capacity and experience belonging at school through identifying and building on their strengths (Brunzell et al, 2015).

This paper will explore professional learning for teachers and school personnel in TIPE delivered in a low socio-economic school over a period of five years. Through the provision of professional learning and subsequent implementation of TIPE processes and practices, leaders, teachers, and support staff worked with students to enable them to be ready to learn.

We will draw on evidence from interviews with school personnel, and students as well as departmental surveys conducted with students and teachers from 2019-2023 to outline the professional learning process based on an action research approach and the impact this professional learning had on pedagogical practices and development of non-punitive behavioural management approaches. Through the data we show the positive change in wellbeing and learning environments for all students. This research identifies that, with support from targeted professional learning, schools can over time support their most vulnerable students to be ready to learn and engaged in school.

Research Aim

Teachers are traditionally underprepared to utilize child-centered guidance and depend on rules and consequences (Milner et al., 2018). This study sought to answer the question: What happens when a teacher educator uses trauma-informed teaching strategies to facilitate preservice teachers’ becoming child-centered educators?

Theoretical Framework

Trauma-informed teaching practices support preservice-teachers’ educational development by allowing them to work through the effects of childhood trauma and adverse experiences (Perfect et al.,2016).

Methods

The study was conducted in a Guiding the Young Child’s Behavior class with four undergraduate preservice teachers and a teacher educator. In class, students shared emotional memories and reflected on child-centered guidance strategies. Data included participants’ reflections, teacher educator’s field notes, and a post-class meeting. The constant comparative method of analysis was used to code data (Merriam, 2009).

Findings

First, the study found that teacher-educator vulnerability and a safe space facilitated preservice teachers unpacking trauma. A preservice teacher shared, “When you (teacher educator) told us about your childhood, I could open up about my abuse. Class now feels like group therapy. We support each other through hard conversations.” (PT reflection, Fall 2023). Secondly, emotions as learning tools were essential to unpacking trauma and constructing knowledge (Forgasz & Clemans, 2014). I wrote, “After raw conversations, the group was eager to learn (TE Field Notes, Fall, 2023). Lastly, healing was essential to the preservice teachers’ learning process. It occurs through sharing, receiving support, validation, and envisioning possibilities. One preservice teacher said, “When I interact with my nephew, I know he deserves better than my childhood. I try out the new strategies” (PT reflection, Fall 2023).

Relevance to the Conference

The study is relevant because it documents a quality teaching practice and highlights the importance of centering trauma-informed teaching to reconcile the tensions between some preservice teachers’ experiences and educational practices.

Recent narratives surrounding education policy in Scotland have sought to prioritise the wellbeing of young people. Indeed, health and wellbeing is officially the ‘Responsibility of All’. Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is the national approach to which all who work with children should adhere. More recently, the independent review of the care system in Scotland has resulted in the series of reports entitled The Promise. Following this, Scotland’s workforce is tasked with transforming their practice in order to fully support children’s needs. The crucial role of all education professionals within this is recognised if social justice is to be achieved.

This presentation seeks to explore the role of attachment-aware, trauma-informed approaches within the education in Scotland, in particular how we educate our student teachers on this. Given the increasing awareness of the impact of early adversity and enhanced understanding of ‘trauma’, educating our future teachers on these areas has become essential. Current local initiatives reflect this journey towards a new ‘way of being’.

Using data from questionnaires and focus groups, we present the early findings of a scholarship project carried out with student primary teachers at the University of Glasgow. We will explore their evolving understanding of what it means to be ‘trauma-informed’ and ‘attachment-aware’ and how their exposure to content in this area is impacting their practice on placements as they progress through their degree programme.

Discourse in Scotland mentions Adverse Childhood Experiences, trauma and nurture amongst other concepts while in neighbouring England there remains considerable vocal support for a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to challenging behaviour. The objective of this project is to explore to what extent ‘attachment aware’, ‘trauma informed’ content is a useful underlying approach to use with our student teachers in the drive towards improving the life chances of our most disadvantaged young people.

Research aim. This mixed-method study aims to explore adolescents’ experiences of social adversity (i.e., discrimination, traditional and cyberbullying victimization, school unsafety, lack of school democracy) and social polarization, and how these experiences are associated with support for violence in high school.

Theoretical framework. We rely on the General Strain theory (Agnew, 1992), which postulates that experiences of discrimination and victimization contribute to increase one’s perceived personal injustice (i.e., the feeling of being treated unfairly or of having a disadvantaged position in society compared to others) justifying the use of violence as a rightful corrective response to fight the perceived injustice.

Methods. A total of 1911 students (M_age = 15.7; SD_age = 0.98; 49% girls; 73% Canadian-born) responded to an online survey and four focus groups were conducted with 17 adolescents. Regression and thematic analyses were conducted on quantitative and qualitative data, respectively.

Findings. Experiences of social adversity were very common and associated with more support for violence. Adolescents reported multiple grievances, feelings of injustice and conflictual communication at school. Youth expressed the need to voice their emotions and experiences and to gain some agency. Our findings question the present application of principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in educational institutions. Prevention efforts need to promote democratic dialogue among and between students and school staff and to promote youth’s agency in their school environments.

Relevance. Social polarization, social adversity and violence are three interconnected phenomena presently on the rise, impacting youth’s environments, including schools. In our increasingly diverse and globalized schools, teachers struggle to maintain social cohesion and peace within their classrooms. Our findings shed light on appropriate teaching and class management strategies to address hate and violent incidents in schools, as a way to reconcile tensions in our increasingly polarized schools.

Reflection promotes language teacher praxis (Mills et al., 2020) and beliefs about linguistic diversity (Lucas & Villegas, 2013). Prior research has focused on written reflections, with less research on multimodal reflections. We examine U.S. pre-service teachers’ (PSTs’) multimodal language portraits as critical reflection (Kusters & De Meulder, 2019; Lau, 2016) and an “alter(n)ative” mode of inquiry that is both alternative (versus traditional) and “alter-ative” (potentially change-promoting) (Prasad, 2014, p. 54). We also posit that these promote humanizing pedagogy, as PSTs examine their sociocultural identities in relation to their students (Huerta, 2011).

Participants were 16 PSTs in methods courses for an undergraduate second language teaching minor or a Master’s degree in TESOL or elementary education. Their backgrounds ranged from no formal teaching experience to experienced teachers and paraprofessionals, many from transnational and/or racialized backgrounds. Using colors, drawings, and writing, they completed a language portrait to describe what influences their identity. The template depicted an outline of a body with boxes for languages, identities, and race. We analyzed the portraits with deductive codes (Fallas-Escobar et al., 2022; Kusters & DeMeulder, 2019; Prasad, 2014) and inductive codes. Two researchers analyzed each portrait and any discrepancies were resolved during whole-team research meetings.

Emerging findings showed that the PSTs identified themselves mainly through different named languages, which is natural given the instructions to reflect on their language learning. Most PSTs placed their “native” language visually on their hearts, using warm colors like red, and also listed several other languages, often placing them on their brains or feet, to denote thinking or traveling. In contrast, they were much less comfortable describing their racial identities: some left this box blank or even removed it. One participant wrote, “I do not think race exists.” Implications for teacher education especially with transnational and other “non-traditional” PSTs will be discussed.

In this presentation, we report on an ongoing project, Teaching English Multilingually through Art, starting in April 2024 and implemented in three provinces in Việt Nam: Quảng Ninh, Tuyên Quang, Thái Nguyên. The project represents a researcher-teacher collaboration between researchers from the University of Glasgow and Thái Nguyên University of Education, 65 teacher-facilitators, ±600 teachers from lower secondary schools and 3 museums. The aim of this project is to encourage creativity, pedagogical innovation and transformation of English classroom and to support teachers’ professional development through TAGs (Teacher Activity Groups).

The project builds on two frameworks: (1) a multi/translingual framework acknowledging that language learning and teaching happen when we draw creatively and critically on all the language resources that learners bring to class (Jones 2020; Li 2018); and (2) an arts-based framework that we have developed through our own previous research (Futro, Faulds, & Hirsu 2024; Hirsu, Zacharias & Futro 2021). With the support of these frameworks, we address English teachers’ current challenges: time for creativity in the classroom, the pressure of a structured curriculum, students struggling with English learning orientation, low resources in remote mountainous areas, and the diversity of learners belonging to different ethnic groups. Our project will be of interest to language teachers who want to develop inclusive activities that approach language learning from a place of resourcefulness. In this sense we will share teachers’ experiences from our project based on data collected through surveys, TAGs observations, teachers’ stories of change and classroom materials. More widely, teachers interested in professional development would have an opportunity to learn about our innovative TAGs model of peer-to-peer learning. This model integrates multiple language and arts-based cultural resources with the support of local stakeholders, e.g., educational programme coordinators in local museums, while ensuring the sustainability of the project beyond the classroom context.

In everyday life, we find several texts that follow specific socio-communicative patterns, with functional compositions, distinct enunciative objectives and defined styles, resulting from human interaction. This diversity is textual genres, which play a crucial role in communicative practice (Marcuschi, 2008). With the Internet, memes emerged as a means of disseminating multimodal digital textual genres, which spread spontaneously and are inserted into sociopolitical contexts through social networks. The teaching of legal language is always related to a culture of using elaborate vocabulary, becoming an instrument of exclusion, leaving those under jurisdiction vulnerable to the exercise of citizenship, a topic that is recurrently criticized and mocked in memes circulating on social media. This qualitative study sought to use a didactic sequence to develop media competence, based on the dimensions defined by Ferrés and Piscitelli (2016) and to promote a reflection on the teaching and learning of languages ​​for specific purposes (legal language) with undergraduate students in Literature at a University in Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil. The study stages included: presentation of the meme genre; its production with the proposed theme; reflection on the production process and content; and, the application of the acquired knowledge to develop a legal language teaching plan that met the needs, desires and gaps identified (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). The analysis of the speeches of the teachers in training, organized by the methodology of Collective Discourse Analysis (Lefèvre & Lefèvre, 2012), revealed a concern with critical legal literacy when creating a teaching plan concerned with combating misinformation and affronts to the full exercise of citizenship.

This paper aims to explicate the teacher education influenced by the two national language policies in Taiwan: the Bilingual 2030 Policy and the Development of National Languages Act. Both policies attempt to address different aspects of language use in Taiwan and significantly impact the nation’s school system. The Bilingual 2030 Policy intends to transform pre-university schooling from a monolingual environment to a bilingual one. The goal is to internationalise the school environment by integrating English into various subjects such as Arts, Music, PE and Health Education. Meanwhile, the goal of the Development of National Languages Act is to revive the local languages such as Taiwanese, Hakka, indigenous languages and Taiwanese sign language. The responsibility of materialising this policy again falls onto education. A crucial issue that emerges from these two policy initiatives is that there are no sufficient bilingual teachers to realise either English-integrated subject teaching or the teaching of national languages. The objective of this paper is to explicate how teacher education programmes respond to two initiatives simultaneously, with a special focus on treating different languages with equity.

The qualitative case study method is applied to explore how the most prominent teacher education institute responds to the fast-changing education environment. The chosen university (the X University) is located in the capital city and trains about one-sixth of preservice teachers in Taiwan annually. Moreover, X University provides the most comprehensive teacher education in Taiwan. With this significance, it is an ideal case to be further explored. Interviewing stakeholders in X University and collecting documents are utilised to get data. The findings offer insights not only to other teacher education institutes in Taiwan but also to international readers who care about language rights and teacher education.

We consider quality and equity as two sides of the same educational coin. What is quality education with(out) equity? In this symposium we articulate the professional aspirations and tensions inherent within this conceptual pairing. Equity, then, is held as a value-base for action, a concept for analysis and pragmatic investigation across our three contributory papers; Quality teaching practices and commitment to equitable systemic change through teacher secondments (Paper One), School-wide research regarding ability-groupings and professional understandings of inclusive teaching (Paper Two) and, The role of knowledge within curriculum design (Paper Three). Our case studies draw from elementary education in Canadian and Scottish contexts, across public and independent sectors. Together we seek to advance the question, What Makes a Quality Learning Environment? With an explicit commitment to study Quality Learning, what does a school do with that knowledge? This is the dilemma of the Institute of Child Study, Laboratory School in Toronto. Richard Messina explores how the school contributes to a wider improvement of the surrounding education system. Can teacher secondments at the Lab-School advance teachers as agents of change? (Beista et al, 2015. Van der Heijden et al, 2015) If separation is the antithesis of inclusive learning environments, why might parents, teachers and neurodiverse learners at an Independent school in Toronto choose to learn apart from other peers in “small classes”? This structural separation through varied class sizes characterizes Montcrest School. Through learner experiences, Patti MacDonald interrogates the inherent tensions, philosophical dogma (Bagliaris, 2011) and justifications that underpin their inclusive practices. Educating “the best” is frequently associated with depth of disciplinary learning and mastery of concepts (Khan, 2011) For others, knowledge remains an elite pursuit. Dr Jen Kirkwood reviews the potential of knowledge-led curriculum outside of elite schooling, analysing the potential of Scotland’s, national guidance, the Curriculum for Excellence framework.

This symposium aims to discuss the transformative potential of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) in the context of heightened internationalisation in Higher Education. we will explore how COIL could address the increasing demand for educators capable of thriving in cross-cultural settings (Esche, 2018) and for students to have positive learning experiences in an international setting. Through case studies (Rodolico et al., 2022a and 2022b), we will reflect on how the careful selection of experiential learning tools and digital platforms such as social media could impact on the collaborative learning aspect of COIL, (Chan et al., 2020; Khan et al., 2021). In addition, considering COIL as an effective alternative to internationalisation abroad, language dynamics within COIL warrant scrutiny. We will analyse the challenges including racio-linguism, influencing language, race, and culture interactions that English as lingua franca could generate (Alim, Rickford & Ball, 2016). Finally, we will explore COIL's role in promoting a sense of belonging and interconnectedness among culturally diverse students, emphasizing digital empathy and connectedness (Hagerty & Williams, 2020; Naicker et al., 2021) as well as students’ self efficacy. We will reflect on the impact that a potential COIL model, based on the SUNY COIL Centre model (n.d) and on mutual enrichment, active participation, cooperative teaching, and topics of common interest (Rodolico et al., 2022a), had on the positive learning experience of Higher Education (HE) students. We will also consider how students might develop intercultural competencies in an alternative way, recognising that while study abroad programs have proven effective in cultivating these competencies, they are often hampered by resource constraints (de Castro, 2019; Purvis, Rodger & Beckingham, 2020).

It is well-established that many nations face unprecedented teaching workforce crises (OECD, 2024). While this has been predicted since 2016, it has been exacerbated since the COVID-19 pandemic (Flores and Craig, 2023). Aware that intervention is well overdue, governments are implementing policies designed to attract new teachers to the profession, including paying or removing student debt (US; Australia); offering better-funded employment-based pathways (US; Australia); enabling student teachers to commence teaching prior to completing their initial teacher education qualification, and recruiting from other nations. Governments have also sought to implement policies to retain teachers, encouraging retired or inactive teachers to return to or remain in the profession ( Portugal) and offering incentives for teachers to take up posts in traditionally hard-to-staff contexts. These policies have been borrowed and adopted worldwide and implemented rapidly to respond to crises in the short term. This symposium investigates what these swiftly implemented policies mean for the status and nature of the teaching profession, both now and in the long term.

Symposium presenters from Europe, the United States and Australia will draw on the framework outlined by Goodwin, Madalińska-Michalak & Flores (2023) regarding tensions in teacher education to analyse the impact of these policies on teaching as it is conceptualised and enacted a profession. This framework identifies key tensions as 1) teacher as technician vs. teacher as professional; 2) preparing teachers for the world we have vs. the world we want; 3) place-based vs. context-fluid teacher education; and 4) teacher shortages as a quantity or quality issue (Goodwin et al., 2023). To this end, this symposium will address issues of quality teaching and take up issues inherent in the sub-strands: ‘characteristics of quality teaching’ and ‘reconciling tensions for a new social contract in education.’

Introduction

The standardization and uniformization imposed from above in education through systems of scrutiny and accountability (Hall & Pulsford, 2019) globally, make diversity seem a problem. One of the significant possible ways of enhancing the quality of teaching which makes it multiculturally inclusive lies in helping educators reimagine diversity as a necessary resource for transformative learning. Toward this, educators need to experience firsthand how learning is promoted in interaction among peers from multicultural contexts.

Purpose and significance

The ISATT collaborative projects involves 72 members from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America. This provides a rich opportunity for members from diverse sociocultural contexts to gain a firsthand understanding of what learning with diversity means. They learn about, with and from each other as they engage collaboratively in exploring new possibilities for the future of teaching and learning through five studies on research topics which address the persisting challenges of enhancing quality teaching and teacher education.

Symposium Part 2 reports the findings of two of the five research topics of the ISATT collaborative project.

1. Social justice pedagogies in teaching
2. The Dynamics of Geographic Space When Working with International Teacher Educators in Collaborative Research.

The symposium Part 2, like Part 1, offers an understanding of the development of authentic learning dialogue in the sense-making going on among educators from diverse international contexts with different perspectives, experiences, and expertise. Collaborations transcend borders and the cross-pollination of ideas sparks innovation and expands the boundaries of knowledge.

Reference

Hall, R., & Pulsford, M. (2019). Neoliberalism and primary education: Impacts of neoliberal policy on the lived experiences of primary school communities. Power and Education, 11(3), 241-251. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757743819877344

Grounded in a school's engagement with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Week of Action in Schools, the study shared during this roundtable will explore how aspects of Critical Language Awareness (CLA) pedagogy were integrated into curriculum design to address and promote racial justice and equity. Critical theory serves as the framework for this study because it provides a robust lens for examining and challenging the power structures and inequities embedded within educational systems. By focusing on the intersections of language, identity, power, and oppression, critical theory allows for a deep analysis of how these factors influence educational practices and outcomes. This framework is particularly suited for addressing the goals of the BLM Week of Action in Schools, as it emphasizes social justice, emancipatory practices, and the empowerment of marginalized communities, aligning perfectly with the objectives of fostering equitable teaching and curriculum design. By using the qualitative methodology of case study, this project incorporated various data collection techniques such as interviews, observations, and document analysis in an effort to gather comprehensive and detailed information related to teachers’ implementation of CLA pedagogy. Open coding of lesson plans across Preschool through 8th grade revealed three themes: 1) a progression of learning across grade levels related to key constructs such as race, racism, diversity, and advocacy; 2) the impact of aligning read-aloud lesson plans to social justice standards; and 3) the use of discourse to create shared projects. Findings will be discussed through a school administrator and researcher lens that connects to the specific conference thread of curriculum design for equitable teaching. We will describe key components of curriculum design including staff development, materials and resources, anchor texts, and planning requirements; challenges to implementation; and implications for practitioners and researchers who seek quality teaching practices that will lead to a more equitable world.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undergoing a significant programme of reform to realise the ambition and goals of Vision 2030. Education reform is allied to this and requires successful school leadership, long regarded as one of the key elements in constructing effective schools and which directly affects educational performance and student accomplishment. School principals make all the difference in the success of their institutions, and preparation of these principals is therefore highly significant in generating high-quality leaders who are capable of directing exemplary schools. This paper reports on recently completed doctoral research which examined principal preparation in Saudi Arabia and sought to identify patterns or convergences in the design and central features of school principal preparation and development programmes. It examined design principles and what informs the curriculum for these programmes and the pedagogical approaches adopted in developed contexts. Two principal preparation programmes (PPPs) were compared: Saudi Arabia and Scotland, using a qualitative multiple case study approach to examine and compare both programmes, utilising direct observation, interviews and programme resources.

The findings reveal that PPPs in the developed contexts such as the United States, the UK, France, Ireland, Austria, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Canada, and Australia are generally similar in terms of purpose, target group, recruitment and selection candidates, as well as the main components – such as leadership, teaching and learning, vision, mission, instructional and transformational leadership, management functions, etc. In contrast, the results showed differences regarding curricular components and central features. These differences are attributed to many factors, such as the cultural and political systems in the countries and the programme types (whether they be mandatory, optional programmes, induction, in-service, pre-service, masters degree or postgraduate diploma).

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education presents a critical paradox: it holds the potential to both deepen the digital divide and serve as a powerful tool for advancing social justice. As AI tools become more pervasive, their unequal access among marginalized communities raises concerns about exacerbating educational inequities (Holmes et al., 2019). While urban and affluent populations increasingly benefit from AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT and VoiceBots, under-resourced schools often lack the infrastructure and policies to support equitable access (Impact Research, 2024)​.

However, AI also offers significant opportunities for marginalized populations when implemented with equity in mind. Personalized AI tools, such as the VoiceBot, provide tailored instructional feedback in the teacher’s own voice, enhancing emotional engagement and learning outcomes for students who may face challenges in traditional classroom environments (Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007; Zawacki-Richter et al., 2019). Such technologies can support students with learning disabilities, English language learners, and those in underfunded schools by providing adaptive, individualized learning paths (Pane et al., 2017). Furthermore, AI can address barriers related to language, learning pace, and access to quality instruction, helping bridge gaps in educational achievement (Baker & Siemens, 2021).

For AI to truly serve as a tool for social justice, policies must be established to ensure equitable access and training for teachers and students alike (Woolf, 2020). This includes not only providing necessary technological infrastructure but also equipping educators with the skills to leverage AI tools effectively, particularly in under-resourced settings. When implemented thoughtfully, AI can help dismantle long-standing educational inequities by personalizing learning, fostering cognitive and emotional engagement, and promoting inclusive education practices (Calvo & D’Mello, 2010).

Title: Addressing curriculum design for equitable teaching of geospatial skills in Scottish schools

Key words: geospatial skills, national skills gap, geography, social subjects

Rationale: The Scottish Government’s Digital Strategy identifies data and digital technologies “are transforming every element of our nation and our lives” (Scottish Government 2021a). The curriculum specifies that all children and young people should become “successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors” (Scottish Executive, 2006). The Scottish Government 2021b recommended an education system that builds digital skills.

Method: Roundtable discussion incorporating a provocation, group dialogue, pair-sharing and summarisation. A community of practice including: -

Teachers – Primary, Geography department head, Computing science and social subject (non-geographer)

Academic geographer

ITE University specialist

Geospatial specialist

Roundtable discussion would identify areas of limited knowledge in geospatial skills, promoting collaborative working to improve delivery of geospatial skills in schools.

Findings: Janes, 2023 identified geospatial skills education in Scottish schools are predominantly informal and fragmented. Whilst the geography curriculum could include geospatial skills, there is a lack of curriculum guidance, resources and staff expertise.

Geography is considered a social subject in the first years of secondary school however; this downplays the element of geospatial skills and its importance as a source of employment (Location Data Scotland, 2022). Teaching by non-geographical experts in social studies has been identified as an issue (Hammond et al, 2024).

Mapping skills can be supported by technologies, enhancing children’s knowledge of geography and spatial skills (Robertson et al, 2019). This would promote equity and inclusion in geospatial skills utilising innovative learning approaches in geography.

Relevance: Ed Parsons (2019), geospatial technologist at Google identified, “Geographers will be in the driving seat when it comes to the UK’s future economy. With an increase in the adoption of geospatial technologies, geography skills will continue to grow in demand”

The aim of this roundtable is to draw together international perspectives on rural education, the perceptions associated with education in non urban areas in each country represented, with the intention of bringing the debate around rural and island education and equiping teachers to teach rurally to the fore. Promoting and enabling international discussion, this workshop will be looking at furthering an international definition of rurality in education, and serve as a conduit for making connections amongst different specialisms, including equity, professional learning and meeting the needs of all teachers in rural and island contexts.

Value and function of rural: through this roundtable we will be investigating why defining rurality in education matters in relation to the value, function and resource allocation worldwide as well as implications for equity. Rural students, their families and communities as ‘invisible’ (White & Kline, 2012; White & Corbett, 2014). Taking a rural standpoint is an inclusive way for all teacher educators, no matter where they are geographically located, to address social justice and inequity and improve the learning for all students. There is an importance of the uniqueness, the “thisness” of rural schools and their place in society, being against the holistic approach of treating all schools the same in relation to policy, social context and resource allocation.

Through multiple lenses, fundamentally this is about equity, sustainability of schools in the widest sense, policy and governance, collaborating at all levels with rural and island schools and communities at the centre. The intended outcome of this round table is collaboration internationally and planning future collaborations for future research, and how we can support our rural schools and communities. Finally, collectively, to challenge the oft deficit narrative in practice, policy and academic research as relates to rural and island education nationally and globally.

The main objective of this round-table discussion, "Generative AI and Academic Writing: Upholding Ethics in Higher Education" is to explore the ethical implications of integrating generative AI tools into academic writing practices and to consider how these impact issues of equity (Dobrin, 2023; Rivas et al., 2023; Putwain et al., 2020; Mollick & Mollick, 2023; Eaton, 2021). While the possibility for AI to ameliorate issues related to social inequities in higher education is exciting (Owusu-Ansah, 2023; Gupta et al., 2024; Hao, 202; Nobel, 2018), there remain legitimate concerns about its potential to exacerbate these same inequities. This presentation is inspired by Dr. Reid’s work with teaching preservice teachers strategies for equity and inclusion, and Professor Lima’s most recent academic writing courses, which focus on investigating the ethical uses of generative AI in higher education in a post-plagiarism era (Eaton, 2023). Employing a variety of pedagogical approaches to engage students, these courses utilize team-based, project-based, and inquiry-based learning strategies to foster collaboration and critical thinking (Lee & Galindo, 2021; Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2017). These methodologies not only encourage diverse learners to collaboratively investigate real-world issues, but they also are key to creating more equitable and inclusive learning environments.

Drawing on our combined pedagogical experiences in a) engaging students in ethical AI writing strategies; and b) implementing equitable and inclusive classroom practices, our discussion will explore how educators can employ best practices for responsibly implementing AI in their curricula, enhancing AI literacy among students, and creating an equitable learning environment. We hope to engage participants in collaborative discussion to identify challenges such as plagiarism, authorship, and academic integrity, and how these may be impacted by equity issues. By fostering a critical dialogue on ethical considerations, the presentation aims to empower educators to navigate these complexities in the evolving landscape of higher education.

Transformative Learning Theory explores how changes in practice for educators are linked to changes in personal and professional perspectives. Romano (2022, p755-756) writes,

‘[T]ransformative learning can support bringing awareness to the perspectives that teachers hold about education so that they might critically reflect on and shift aspects of their practice that are not in the best interest of all students’ ( p755-756).

How can transformative learning build educators’ skills to recognize and challenge inequalities, such as the “no problem here” discourse (Davidson, 2018), while fostering discussions on privilege, decolonizing the curriculum, and epistemological justice?

And how can it build awareness of educator’s positionality as agents of political-pedagogical action, as defined by Govender (2023, p. 236):

‘All teacherly decisions (from classroom practice to curriculum design) are inherently bound to issues of power. From this position, teachers might make pedagogical choices in more socially just ways that empower themselves and students to deconstruct and reconstruct teaching and learning in more equitable ways.’

A recent evaluation of the co-constructed national Building Racial Literacy programme in Scotland (Chefeke et al., 2024) found that participants’ personal and professional perspectives are transformed through critical reflection within ‘braver, safer learning spaces’ (p5): “My confidence has grown allowing me to voice my opinion on racist perspectives when in the past I may have stayed quiet.”

However, those who undergo this transformation often face the burden of being seen as the “anti-racism expert,” with one participant explaining (p.23), “I do this because it is the right thing to do, but it is exhausting and unsustainable.” This roundtable discussion will explore these challenges and examine the role of professional learning in developing educators who are less race-evasive and willing to engage in difficult conversations “rather than shying away and worrying about judgment from colleagues” (p. 21).

Aligned with the strand "Promoting Equity and Inclusion through Effective Partnerships with Schools," this work examines the pivotal role of school-university partnerships in promoting inclusive educational practices. Drawing from the "Schools as Clinics" model of the University of Connecticut (UConn) and integrating efforts from Sam Houston State University (SHSU) and Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), it highlights how clinical partnerships can better prepare teachers to address the needs of diverse student populations. Teacher candidates are embedded within urban, rural, and suburban school districts, providing exposure to diverse student needs and ensuring a focus on social justice, inclusion, and equity in practice. Through these partnerships, teacher candidates link theory to practice, develop culturally responsive teaching strategies, and reflect on their roles in promoting equity. Tools such as the Promising Practices Observation Tool and other evaluation methods guide candidates in recognizing effective inclusive teaching strategies, enhancing their ability to support all students. The reciprocal nature of these partnerships enables both universities and schools to benefit from shared expertise, creating environments that promote the success of marginalized students. Efforts at SHSU emphasize field-based learning early in students’ academic careers, while SVSU similarly focuses on clinical experiences that place teacher candidates directly into diverse classroom settings. Additionally, UConn employs an Early College Experience program to engage diverse high school students in education-focused coursework, creating a pathway to teacher preparation programs and fostering a more diverse teaching workforce. Current literature on clinical partnerships supports the ability to foster equitable outcomes in teacher preparation. By engaging teacher candidates in hands-on experiences that emphasize diversity, this model aligns with contemporary calls for justice-oriented teacher education (Anderson & Stillman, 2019; Sleeter, 2020). This research contributes to ongoing discussions about how effective partnerships between schools and universities can advance equity and inclusion in education.

Research has shown that integrating educational technology into schools can help reduce the achievement gap, particularly in underserved communities (Marx & Kim, 2019). Among these technologies, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is particularly underutilized tool in addressing social equity within educational settings. This project explores how introducing GIS through geology workshops can empower STEM teachers in Title I schools, expanding access to advanced technological education and fostering greater equity. This initiative aims to promote social justice, providing students with skills and resources typically out of reach for marginalized populations.

Grounded in social justice and educational equity theories, the study emphasizes the importance of providing equal educational opportunities, particularly for underserved populations. By integrating cutting-edge technology into the curriculum, the project aligns with frameworks aimed at reducing the STEM opportunity gap and fostering inclusive education.

A series of week-long summer workshops were held, offering geology-based STEM lab activities across various STEM disciplines to equip teachers, especially from Title I schools, with hands-on GIS training. Ongoing support ensured successful classroom integration. Data from surveys, interviews, and classroom observations were collected to evaluate the workshops' effectiveness on both educators and students.

The results showed a significant increase in teachers' confidence and proficiency with GIS technology, enabling them to incorporate GIS into their curricula. As a result, hundreds of students gained exposure to state-of-the-art GIS applications, which not only deepened their understanding of geology and spatial analysis but also sparked greater interest in STEM careers.

By leveraging technology to close the educational gap in Title I schools, the project highlights how targeted interventions can promote equity and social justice. The introduction of GIS in these underserved schools serves as a model for using technology to create more inclusive, empowering learning environments, contributing to a more equitable society.

There is ample research that shows the value of early field experiences (EFEs) for teacher preparation (Huling, 1998, Johnston & Wetherill, 2002, Borich & Cooper, 2004), however EFEs can be challenging to incorporate due to scheduling demands, coursework requirements, and logistical barriers. As a means of overcoming this challenge, this study seeks to incorporate the use of avatar simulations as an EFE for pre-service elementary teachers. We seek to gain a better understanding of the ways in which immersive technology can facilitate PSTs’ learning and development as novice teachers through meaningful rehearsals of simulated teaching. As such, in this study, we ask In what ways do avatar-based simulations support PST’s understanding and growth as elementary teachers of literacy?

This study, designed as a collaborative self-study, began with the three authors engaging in critical discussion and reflection aligned with Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices (S-STEP) research. As a team, we recognized the need for additional EFEs to adequately prepare PSTs for the internship experience and beyond. Various sources of data were collected to study the inclusion of the avatar simulations as EFEs in coursework, including assignment documents, avatar-based simulation recordings, observation protocols (completed by peers and instructor), and instructor and student reflections on immersive experiences. These data were analyzed through an iterative coding process in order to identify overarching themes.

Overall, PSTs highlighted the benefits of the avatar simulation experiences, noting that it helped to 1) build their confidence and take on the professional disposition of “teacher”; 2) become more familiar with their content in order to “translate” for parents and families; and 3) connect coursework to classroom practice. This study underscores the importance of exploring how existing immersive simulations, used as EFEs, can be used to enhance the learning and growth of PSTs.

Recently, The Chronicle of Higher Education dubbed this the “Age of Interims” (Lu, 2024). At our university, several interim appointments illustrated Lu’s claim, so three of us collaborated for a self-study of leadership learnings during our pre-limited year of service. The social-justice minded vision/mission of our urban, commuter, minority/Hispanic-serving institution (US designations) inspired us to consider our interim placements as concentrated pathways to innovative service. In an academic college of public service/urban education and an administrative department providing student success supports, we leveraged our roles as interims to bring clarity of purpose and equity of implementation to the teaching of of historically underserved, first-generation students—strong and determined future changemakers for their communities. At the outset, we knew that our leadership would be short-lived; nevertheless, we aimed to set the table for the leaders who will come after us to serve those changemakers with innovation and integrity. Moreover, our students, a beautiful mosaic of dreamers and doers, contextualized our work.

During our interim service year, we met regularly to reflect upon our work within Ward’s (2023) “keys to effective interim leadership” and how those developed for us within Woods et al.’s (2020) “interim assignment cycle.” Our data collection consisted of informal empathy-based discussions, formal agenda-based Zoom meetings, and individual prompt-based journaling. Artifacts from data sources were thematically coded for analysis. Specifically, we considered our work through the lens of urban education, as two of us served in the college that houses that discipline. Our third author supports students’ academic progress through diverse wraparound supports, work that is foundationally relevant to students’ success. Therefore, much of our work was conceived and implemented within the spaces of teacher education and community/school partnerships. Our findings, while rooted in the context of urban education, have implications for interim leaders in multiple disciplines and settings.

Due to the diversity of classrooms, educators face the challenge of making instruction equal and effective for students with unique needs (Du Plessis, 2019). The incorporation of AI-driven tools into pedagogical practices may address this challenge. Prior studies suggest that AI-generated feedback can assist language learners by providing prompt, precise, and unambiguous responses (Escalante et al., 2023; Lee, 2023). The current study investigates the influence of an AI-powered feedback system on the educational experiences and perceived academic development of undergraduate students at a university in Hong Kong. The targeted demographic included students from diverse cultural backgrounds with different expectations of higher education; students displaying a range of academic abilities; and students requiring specialized educational support. Data collection was performed by using qualitative research tools, including students' reflective journals, a survey questionnaire, personal interviews, assignment evaluations, and observations from teachers. Results indicate that the feedback generated by AI offers individual support and significantly enhances student motivation. The system responds to the learning needs of individual students in an overcoming-of-language-barriers and proficiency-level-friendly manner. It contributes to the ongoing discussion related to technology-enhanced inclusive pedagogy.

References:

Du Plessis, A. E. (2019). Barriers to effective management of diversity in classroom contexts: The out-of-field teaching phenomenon. International Journal of Educational Research, 93, 136-152.

Escalante, J., Pack, A., & Barrett, A. (2023). AI-generated feedback on writing: insights into efficacy and ENL student preference. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(1), 57.

Lee, A. V. Y. (2023). Supporting students’ generation of feedback in large-scale online course with artificial intelligence-enabled evaluation. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 77, 101250.

In 2021, a pilot project was launched to develop a writing center for an English Language Centre at an English-medium Hong Kong university. A peer mentoring model was adopted to help undergraduate students receive additional support regarding discipline-specific content, genre, structure and language while developing their general process writing skills. During the development of the model, the project drew upon literature on online writing support (Gherwash & Paiz, 2020, Severino & Prim, 2016, Tan, 2011, Thompson, 2014, & Weirick et al., 2017), community of learners (Akella, 2012, Moser et al., 2015, & Schoonheim‐Klein et al., 2012), and genre-based writing feedback (Kuiper et al., 2017, Munje et al., 2018, & Yu, 2021). Peer mentors were recruited from multiple departments, trained and assigned to mentees from related majors. The writing centre was initially run online through the Microsoft Teams platform while our university shifted from online-only classes to hybrid classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, the writing centre began to provide both online and face-to-face sessions. Research was conducted during the 2023-2024 academic year. During each writing centre session, post-session reports from mentors and post-session reflections from mentees were collected. At the end of each semester, an online post-semester survey was sent to mentees and focus group interviews of both mentors and mentees were conducted. Each peer mentor was expected to submit one audio or video recording of their sessions. Initial findings have provided insights into how to best revise our model, develop training packages and support for mentors, enhance the quality of mentor feedback practices, and foster an equitable environment for the community of learners. This project is relevant to the conference theme as we are pursuing a sustainable way to provide alternative opportunities and additional support for students with diverse backgrounds including local Hong Kong, mainland Chinese and international students.

An important citizenship skill is the ability to engage in conversation with people who hold views different from one's own. Schools can help students develop this skill by discussing controversial topics in civics classes. Because controversial issues touch on students' identities, students' backgrounds can be seen as a valuable source of knowledge in classroom discussions. Therefore, this research extends the theory of discussing controversial issues by looking more closely at the power of teachers' recognition of the value of students' backgrounds.

However, including pupils' backgrounds in discussions about controversial issues is not self-evident for teachers. On the one hand, it can help students to put themselves in another perspective. On the other hand, it can contribute to high emotions and reveal possible social divisions between students. This tension creates a dilemma for teachers. We are therefore interested in exploring the practices of teachers who do include students' backgrounds in order to better understand their reasoning.

Our study explores how, why and for what purposes Dutch civic education teachers value and use their students' diverse backgrounds when discussing controversial issues in the classroom. The research takes a qualitative approach, involving in-depth interviews with ten experienced civic education teachers in the Netherlands. These teachers, who are recognised for their expertise in handling sensitive discussions, provide insights into their pedagogical strategies, challenges and reflections on how they approach students' backgrounds as a resource. The presentation will discuss the findings and their implications for teachers' professional development, as well as recommendations for educators seeking to create more inclusive and engaged classroom discussions.

This research aligns with the conference theme by highlighting how teachers can promote equity in education. By valuing and engaging students' diverse backgrounds in controversial discussions, teachers promote inclusivity and respect for multiple perspectives, ultimately contributing to a more equitable learning environment.

Research Aim

Although there have been many studies describing teachers’ espoused beliefs of diversity, less literature, however, examines how these beliefs are enacted, negotiated, and modified in professional learning communities. This study addresses this gap and explores how a group of teachers enacted their beliefs of cultural diversity in teaching and how their beliefs were shaped by lesson study (LS).

Theoretical Framework

This study draws upon research literature on the mulfaceted concept of diversity which often pertains to the categorical differences in race, ethnicity, class, gender, special needs, and language diversities in most mainstream literature (Fine-Davis & Faas, 2014; Gay, 2015; Heng & Lim, 2021). It aims to study how teachers' beliefs about diversity are shaped in practice, particularly within the context of a professional learning community like LS, and poses two research questions: (1) What are teachers' beliefs about teaching diverse students in Singapore? (2) How are these beliefs about teaching diverse students shaped during LS?

Methods

The study is based on qualitative research data including 14 interviews with 11 teachers from two Singaporean elementary schools serving students from lower-income families, and observation of 58 LS discussion sessions and 2 research lessons. The transcribed data were analyzed using N-Vivo 11 software and the "critical incident" technique (Bruster & Peterson 2013).

Findings

The study revealed that teachers often attributed student achievement problems to individual and family “deficiencies”, aligning with Singapore's meritocratic ideology. However, through LS, some teachers began to question these deficit beliefs and reevaluate their teaching practices, particularly after collective analysis of student work.

Relevance to Conference Theme

This research is pertinent to the ISATT 2025 conference theme of "equitable quality teaching," as it examines how teachers' adaptable beliefs about diverse student learning contribute to equitable teaching practices and inclusion in teacher education.

This paper reports progress on an 18-month, Spencer Foundation racial equity research grant, which has direct implications for how we prepare teachers. The funded project adopts and adapts some conceptual tools developed by the EU-funded GeoCapabilities project (https://www.geocapabilities.org/) and by Morgan and Lambert (2023) who explore racial literacy in the context of UK geography teaching. The project is exploratory, not least in the sense that these intellectual resources are being adapted and further developed in a US context.

​Research aim. As an inter-generational discursive space, driven and steered by the emancipatory potential of education, the curriculum is continually made and remade. In this context the overarching research question is: In what ways do raised levels of racial literacy enhance emancipatory curriculum-making processes adopted by history and geography teachers?

Theoretical framework. At the core of GeoCapabilities, framed in the conceptual resources of ‘capabilities’ and teachers’ ‘curriculum making’ activity (Bustin, 2019), is the three futures heuristic (derived from Young and Muller, 2010). The RaLiCaM project aspires to develop racially literate Future 3 curriculum making that will explicitly support student learning through inclusive and equitable teaching practices.

Methods. The research team works collaboratively with 14 social studies teachers in northeastern Wisconsin building two ‘living documents’ (on ‘curriculum making’ and ‘racial literacy’), continually modified throughout the project. These documents are enhanced by teachers identifying and using curriculum artifacts with which to create curriculum vignettes. These are interrogated for their racial literacy and emancipatory educational potential during the action phase of the project.

Findings. The paper will be a progress report and present initial analysis: excerpts from the living documents and teacher vignettes will be shared.

Relevance to the Conference theme and specific strand. The main sub-themes addressed by this research are Curriculum design for equitable teaching and Characteristics of quality teaching.

The focus of inclusive education is the process of breaking down barriers to the learning process for all students. Incorrect implementation of the approved curriculum by classroom teachers can inadvertently create barriers for students. The purpose of this study was to explore Queensland teachers’ accuracy in terms of the cognitive verbs (skills) they teach, which underpin the Australian Curriculum. The Australian Curriculum Content Descriptors, which teachers teach, and the Achievement Standards, which students demonstrate, are underpinned by cognitive verbs. Cognitive verbs are skills which students are required to demonstrate as evidence of learning. Accurate knowledge of these are important as inaccuracy can lead to unintentional barriers to the learning process. 1500 Queensland Primary and Secondary teachers completed a Kahoot quiz of their knowledge of 10 cognitive verbs (Evaluate, Discuss, Recognise, Manipulate, Refine, Design, Communicate, Investigate, Justify, Explain), which underpin the Australian Curriculum. Accuracy of the participant responses varied between 30% (Explain) and 90% (Evaluate). The significant variation in curriculum knowledge by Queensland teachers raises concerns regards the implementation of inclusive education. Lack of consistency of curriculum implementation could unintentionally create barriers for Queensland students. Implications of this study will be explored.

This study aims to investigate the impact of implementing critical thinking in educational settings to create inclusive learning environments. Drawing on theories of critical pedagogy, social constructivism, and multicultural education, the study seeks to explore how promoting critical engagement contributes towards fostering an inclusive and supportive classroom culture.

The theoretical framework is grounded in the belief that encouraging learners to question assumptions, consider multiple perspectives, and engaging in evidence-based reasoning, can empower learners to challenge stereotypes, recognize bias, and appreciate diverse viewpoints. While creating a collaborative and respectful environment where they learn how to resist oppressive power and reclaim their voices and have equal opportunities to participate and succeed.

The research methodology involves qualitative data collection through classroom observations, interviews, and analysis of educational materials giving learners a sense of involvement, learning to think of diversity as a strength and that no one way of being is the norm.

The findings of this research will highlight the impact of critical engagement to clearly understand the deeper meaning of inclusive, tolerance and justice in our schools. Wherein both educators and learners can explore their positions on race, stereotypes, and any other forms of discrimination and the many ways in which they manifest; develop critical thinking skills and an understanding of diverse perspectives among learners. While expressing a sense of belonging, communication skills, and appreciation of the value of critical thinking in their academic and personal growth.

This research is highly relevant to the conference theme of "Innovation in Education" and the specific strand of "Promoting Inclusivity in Learning Environments." By showcasing the benefits of integrating critical thinking into educational practices, this study contributes to the ongoing dialogue on creating inclusive and equitable learning environments that support the diverse needs and perspectives of all learners.

This paper seeks to describe and understand how a collective space of curriculum-making frames teacher agency in two Chilean schools.

Inclusive education has been posed as a key challenge for international education policy. This study conceptualises inclusive education as a political and ethical project of transformation (Slee, 2011). It is a constitutive element of education and, hence, a core dimension in curriculum development.

As a theoretical lens, this research uses curriculum-making conceptualised as a social practice (Priestley et al., 2021). This framing construes curriculum-making as different practices that occur across multiple layered “sites of activity”. From this framework, teachers are curriculum makers, considering that curriculum is always interpreted by teachers and influenced by their beliefs, experiences, and aspirations (Rosiek & Clandinin, 2016). Thus, inclusion knowledge would be produced by teachers in their classrooms (Armstrong et al., 2004). In this regard, teachers’ agency is central to inclusive education, considering their sense of purpose, reflexivity, and perceptions about their role as agents of change (Pantić & Florian, 2015).

Through a participatory action research approach inspired by the Freirean concept of cultural circles (Freire, 1968), fifteen teachers from two Chilean public schools participated in a weekly space of inclusive curriculum-making called Curriculum Circles.The design was structured using the experiences of Drew et al. (2016) centred on focusing, interrupting, and making sense of their practice more inclusively.

Multiple data sources were used to document the process, such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, field notes, and teachers' journals. The findings suggest that Curriculum circles framed teacher agency in diverse ways. From an ecological perspective (Priestley et al., 2015), practicality and collective support were determinants to frame teacher agency. These elements connect teachers with their sense of purpose, fostering their desires and actions to make a more inclusive curriculum for all.

Playful teaching and learning approaches in higher education are an emerging phenomenon in South Africa. Over the years, research studies have focused on playful teaching and learning approaches for children and teachers in early years and primary schools. However, an emerging trend of research indicates a growing interest in the integration of playful approaches in higher education. This research explored the use of playful pedagogy in a teacher education course, examining both its potential and complexities. Drawing on the becoming theory, which viewed teacher-educators and preservice teachers as constantly evolving through experience and reflection, I proposed playful pedagogy as a tool to enhance this process. I identified preparation, guidance, reflection, and emotional intelligence as crucial aspects for successful implementation of playful pedagogy. This includes clear demonstrations, brief and simple activities, and opportunities for reflection to maximize student success and mitigating discomfort with playful learning. When used thoughtfully, playful pedagogy can promote deeper learning, build rapport among students and teacher-educators, and create a more positive and collaborative learning experience. While playful approaches foster enjoyment and engagement, I also discovered that it can foster a more engaging and humanizing learning environment. Ultimately, I have learnt that, when playful pedagogy is used thoughtfully, it can promote deeper learning, build rapport among students and teachers-educators, and create a more positive and collaborative learning experience. As I continue to integrate playful pedagogy into my teaching practice, I am encouraged in knowing this phenomenon is embedded in humanistic values and allows for flourishing of teacher-educators and students alike.

Research aim:

Poetry has been featured at the Castle Conference since 1996. Current research shows that poetry is the most popular form of creative inquiry in self-study, and its popularity is expanding. This study asks, “How does poetic self-study at the Castle envision quality teaching for a more equitable world?”

Theoretical framework:

Poetry offers multidimensional ways to engage with educational experiences and phenomena. A poetic epistemology integrates emotion, senses, body, language, rhythm, imagery, imagination, and audience response.

Methods:

We identified all the Castle Conference papers with poems. We then selected those papers where original poetry was used to analyse, develop, portray, or create knowledge. These studies were tabulated for focus, purpose, context, and impact. Using a close reading interpretative method, we sought meanings, connotations, and linkages across the poetic self-studies. A pantoum was composed as a creative analytical tool to crystallise complex imagery and ideas. (Pantoums are poems with four-line stanzas and a repeated line pattern accentuating themes and heightening emotional and sensory impact.)

Findings:

The pantoum illuminated a vision of quality teaching in which imaginative ways of knowing enable us to see differently and to distil new knowledge in multiple ways, affecting hearts and minds. Fun and spontaneity add to the dynamic and engaging nature of the pedagogy. Along with fostering an environment of mutual care, trust, and respect, there is a dedication to tackling tensions and complexity. Quality teaching brings diverse perspectives together in creative interaction, fostering empathy and relationships across differences and provoking manifold possibilities for a more equitable world.

Relevance:

This study integrates the conference theme and S-STEP scholarship. By crystallising a poetic vision of quality teaching for a more just society, we can better imagine what this kind of pedagogy could look and feel like and how we can put it into practice.

“As a professor, he does not care about his students at all. . .. Never once did he reflect on his presentation and attitude toward the class.” This comment, from a student’s end of course evaluation, made me question whether I was still effective as a professor. I was covering the content competencies assigned to the course, but I was not modeling what being a reflective practitioner looked like. This comment became the critical incident (Hole and McEntree, 1999) that motivated me to rethink my practice as a teacher educator, confronting this issue in my practice (Ritter and Quinones, 2020).

“Ungrading,” is a competency-based approach to assessment associated with critical pedagogy in which students choose a “bundle” of assignments connected with a specific level of mastery and revise assignments until they reach a standard that they are willing to accept. I changed the structure of the course to include assignments that would engage the students with the course content at a mastery level. I wondered whether changing the assessment strategy would ultimately sculpt my presentation approach. I kept notes about what I was doing differently and how I felt about that throughout. I enlisted two critical friends to help me make sense of my observations about my teaching and student response to the course changes. They reviewed my course evaluations to triangulate my interpretations.

Course evaluations were mixed. Some students liked the changes to the course schema while others didn’t. The evidence suggests that changing my assessment strategy did sculpt my instructional style. As I strove to equip my students to engage with the content in ways that supported their successful completion of their chosen grade bundle, I began to move away from lecture and to embrace once again the characteristics of quality teaching.

In this paper we report on a collaborative self-study designed to capture the complex and multi-layered ways we have interacted with and influenced policy development to support building racial literacy in teacher education in Scotland. A self-study approach enabled us to examine our experiences and practices from inside a policy space where process, programmes and politics collide (McConnell, 2010; Lambert and O’Connor, 2018). Reflecting La Boskey’s (2004) features of self-study, the research for this paper was self-initiated, focused, interactive, and qualitative. The first four authors each came to the research with individual identities and experiences within the anti-racism policy space but to understand the space more deeply and analytically required interaction. Therefore, we came together, with a critical friend, to engage in a collaborative self-study. A qualitative approach was adopted writing a series of three vignettes and engaging in recorded conversations using the vignettes as stimulus:

1. Positioning ourselves within the policy space – who am I

2. Mapping the policy space

3. Sharing our experiences and practice from within the policy space

Findings illuminate an often unseen, but important part of the policy process: individual histories, aspirations, vulnerabilities and hopes of those playing active roles in the development and enactment of policy. This provides a counter-narrative to the more common rational explanations of policy processes: as Mueller (2020) argues, ‘a key characteristic of complex systems is that they cannot be closely controlled or predicted. Yet the traditional approach to public policy is fundamentally based on both control and prediction’ (p. 311). While McConnell (2010) advocates assessing the success of policy in three distinct realms – processes, programs and politics – the personal dimension in each is neglected. Thus, adopting a self-study approach can contribute to a more human-centred and nuanced understanding of the ways in which policy is taken up.

The research investigated critical incidents related to social justice in the Brazilian educational context, focusing on the narratives of teacher-researchers who work in basic education and are or have been graduate students. The aim was to understand how teacher-researchers perceive and deal with situations of social injustice in their daily practices. The methodology adopted was a cartographic approach (Rolnik, 2014), with data collection based on the narratives of 40 teacher-researchers from Ceará, Piauí, Pará, Maranhão and São Paulo. Paulo Freire is the main author behind the theoretical framework, as his theory offers the perspective that pedagogy cannot ignore abundant poverty and other forms of exclusion, nor adopt a neutral position. Educators in the classroom express points of view and educational options that need to be geared towards a democratic society, according to Freire (1996), especially in an unequal country like Brazil. The thematic analysis of the narratives was guided by this framework. The results reveal the significant impact of the socio-political context on the teachers' narratives, especially in relation to social exclusion. Participants highlighted issues such as the pandemic, violence in peripheral communities, gender inequalities, exclusion due to physical characteristics and motor performance, and internal migration as factors that aggravate educational inequality. The complexity of practice is evident for teachers focused in social injustice. Although inclusive practices were mentioned, the teachers expressed indignation at the difficulty of overcoming social injustices, given the different backgrounds of the teacher-researchers and the Brazilian socio-political context. The research contributes to understanding the complexities involved in promoting social justice in education, suggesting the need for greater integration of critical pedagogical practices. The results underline the importance of preparing educators to face the challenges of exclusion and inequality, reinforcing the role of the school as a space for resistance and social transformation.

This research is contextualised by Freirean approaches to teacher education, which promote complex arrangements in the organisation of knowledge communities among teachers. Such communities are supportive of teachers’ learning by providing critique to advance socially-just teaching practices. In a previous research, we found that collaboration across different settings allowed a better understanding of the teaching complexities. However, it is uncertain how knowledge communities support and promote teachers’ democratic values and thinking towards social justice. Methodologically, we explore this uncertainty by drawing a self-study on an action research project within a Brazilian physical education teacher education (PETE) Master’s program (ProEF). Participants included teacher-researchers from different locations in the Northeast of Brazil, who were supervised by two teacher educators and co-authors of this article. In this article, the authors used vignettes of one ProEF Master’s student to discuss her own teaching and context. Through a complexity thinking lens, our objective was to analyse collaboratively her teaching intentions and dilemmas towards social justice. We found that critical incidents regarding race, gender and class evidenced intersectionalities and how the teacher embodied democratic values while coping with inequalities. The teacher was aware of the inequalities faced by her students. Despite this, her teaching lacked the full institutional support to address all emerging issues for a more equitable physical education and long term change. The teacher’s advocacy connects to the broad research project aiming to readdress democracy through engaged teaching as an alternative to neoliberal educational guidelines.

This study aims to deeply examine teachers' views on the concepts of social justice, equality and quality education in multicultural education settings. According to Banks (1993), multicultural education ensures equality in education for students from different races and social classes, allowing teachers and students to implement social justice in practice (Nieto & Bode, 2017). A qualitative research method was preferred and a phenomenological design was used. The research group consists of 6 Syrian and 6 Turkish teachers from primary level selected by purposeful sampling. A 4-question semi-structured interview form developed based on the four elements of multicultural education (Banks & Banks, 1995) was used. Teachers stated that they have similar values ​​regarding equality, social justice and quality education. They emphasized that cultural values ​​should be protected and universal cultures should be respected. Teachers stated that they apply the principles of inclusiveness and social integration, but the active participation of the school administration in integration problems is crucial in solving the problems. While Syrian teachers stated that they experience bullying among students due to racial and language differences, Turkish teachers expressed difficulties arising from lack of educational materials and language problems. Different Perspectives: As Syrian teachers have a different perspective on social justice and equality based on their experiences, Turkish teachers stated that they experience professional burnout due to communication problems stemming from language problems. The results of the study show that a comparative examination of Syrian and Turkish teachers' experiences in a broader context can contribute to improving the current situation. Such in-depth analyses to support multiculturalism in education can help develop and improve practices connecting quality teaching and equity through the way for socially just classrooms.

Social justice issues have recently gained traction as too little support is still given to those who need it. Understanding this problem is crucial for teachers’ development and, even more, for identifying and disrupting unjust practices that discriminate against certain students who do not belong to a dominant group in a given context. The theoretical basis for our study is Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi’s (2000) Positive Psychology theory, which, in its present models (e.g. PERMA, EMPATHICS) fails to explicitly account for social injustice shown through but not limited to such popular social markers as race, social class, gender, disability. We assume that it is through interactions described in authentic incidents that social (in)justices can be understood. Therefore, the aim of our study is twofold: 1) to reflect on the kinds of social-justice incidents and their content, and 2) to address the need for inclusion of social justice topics in Positive Psychology discourse. In the study, we present and reflect on the social justice-related incidents (n=30) that have been collected among higher-education international students (mostly Erasmus+ and migrants to Poland). From the provisional results, it transpires that the participants’ concerns do not originate from classrooms and curricula issues. Instead, they refer to more ‘hidden’ injustices during their staying abroad, such as language barrier, non-nativeness, or unequal access to resources. The study is important in the sense that little research has been done on minoritized students so far whereas the integration of social justice values into the Positive Psychology ethos may be innovative.

Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5

Integration of modern technologies into educational world has created a paradigm shift in traditional pedagogies, thereby opening opportunities for both challenges and potentials. This paper critically evaluates how the adoption of modern technologies in learning and teaching has been adopted in Nigerian polytechnics and the impact such adoption has on learning and teaching processes. The study examines how interactions seamlessly hold between leaners and facilitators towards improve academic outcomes in a context characterized by infrastructural constraints and varying levels of technological literacy among facilitators and students. This study used quantitative research design appraoch to investigate the objectives of the study through the collection of data from Nigerian polytechnics. The findings demonstrate that the huge benefits that the modern technologies against traditional pedagogies are real-time collaboration, access to very diversified learning resources, and flexibility in teaching are impaired by challenges resulting from insufficient technical infrastructure, limited digital skills, and natural people's resistance to changes. This research, therefore, puts premium institutional support, continuous professional development, and robust infrastructure at the front in maximizing the potential for technology-enhanced learning. Recommendations are made to policymakers, polytechnics administrators, and educators on how such challenges can be overcome to provide a conducive environment for the effective adoption and sustainability of modern technologies in Nigerian higher education institutions. This study, therefore, adds its voice to the discourse on the adoption of educational technology in developing countries with these findings, which may also serve as pointers for future initiatives that focus on the use of digital innovation toward the improvement of the quality of education.

Abstract
This study was carried out on the integrating emerging technologies in business education curricula in tertiary institutions in Anambra State Nigeria. The main objectives of the study are to examine the effect of integrating emerging technologies in business education curricula and specifically the study analyzed the effect of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on business education curricula in tertiary institutions in Anambra State and also determined the effect of block chain technology on business education curricula in tertiary institutions in Anambra State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study was 4750 which comprises of all the final year students of the two tertiary institutions used for the study. Simple random sampling technique were used by the researcher to select the number of respondents for the study, so, the sample size for the study was 750 students. The findings of the study showed that Artificial intelligence has significance effect on business education curricula in tertiary institutions and similarly Block chain technology has significance effect on business education curricula in tertiary institutions in Anambra State. The study recommends that Institutions of higher learning should integrate the emerging technologies into the business education curricula as it enhance learning so as to upgrade the skill and competences of their students and furthermore, the three arms of the government (Federal, State and Local) should consider funding of business education programme in tertiary institutions a top priority considering the role it plays in National development.

Creating effective learning environments remains a critical challenge in education, particularly in addressing the persistent inequalities in student outcomes. Despite the potential of teacher professional development (PD) programs to enhance classroom instruction and student achievement, traditional one-off PD workshops often yield limited effects. This study aims to evaluate an innovative approach to PD through the ‘High Touch High Tech’ (HTHT) model, combining technology-driven personalized learning with teacher-facilitated, project-based classroom experiences.

The study draws on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explain the adoption and use of the HTHT approach by teachers and students. TAM posits that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are key factors that drive the acceptance and effective integration of technology, and this research explores how these factors influenced teachers’ engagement with digital adaptive learning tools and how students benefited from the personalized learning experience.

Using a clustered randomized controlled trial in Uruguay, we assess the HTHT model’s impact on teacher effectiveness and both cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. Our study involved 99 schools, 114 teachers, and 2,002 5^th-grade students across treatment and control groups.

Findings show a significant increase (47%) in individualized use of the digital learning platform among students in the HTHT intervention. Students in the treatment group demonstrated improved math performance (0.33 SD, p < 0.001), with gains linked to higher completion rates of episodes in the digital platform. Importantly, students benefitted equally from the HTHT interventions, regardless of their individual student characteristics (initial achievement, gender, father’s education) and school characteristics (school types, school quintile).

This study contributes to the discourse on how technology and innovative teaching practices can improve educational outcomes, highlighting the synergistic value of integrating technology with active learning strategies. The potential of HTHT as a scalable model for improving student outcomes in diverse contexts will be discussed.

Integrating educational technologies and digital literacy into the classroom has become imperative to enhance teaching and learning experiences (Garza-Montemayor et al., 2019). When exploring the relationship between teachers and technology, Prestridge (2017) found that teachers beliefs, lack of confidence, lack of pedagogical and technological competence are key aspects for the use of technologies in the classroom. Further examination of the problem suggests that teacher education programmes provide growing, but limited preparation (Starkey, 2020) and, in cases, inadequate focus on pedagogical applications of digital technology in schools (Heitink et al., 2016).

This research proposal explores the intended pedagogical use of technologies by pre-service teachers enrolled in the ITE programmes of University of Glasgow and current use by in-service primary school teachers within Glasgow Local Authority. This study follows a mixed method, concurrent-parallel design where quantitative and qualitative data will be collected simultaneously and merged to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2017). The quantitative study will follow a descriptive-exploratory design based on the application of an online adapted version of the teachers’ digital competence (DigCompEdu) instrument. The qualitative data will be collected in the same instrument via five open-ended questions that aims to collect pre-service and in-service teachers’ perceptions on the pedagogical use of digital technologies in classrooms.

The findings will provide insights and greater understanding of diigtal teaching practices, and aim to contribute to the ongoing discourse around teacher education for a digital world, as well as gaining insight into the current state-of-the-question in Scotland and establish a baseline for further improvements to digital literacy in teacher education and career-long professional development.

The European Commission places a strong focus on the lifeloná learning of teacher educators as they áare a key factor in determining the quality of teachers and the calibre of teaching in the classroom. We are a collective of four teacher educators at Dublin City University who came together at a time of national curriculum change to decipher what constitutes quality teaching of Arts and Physical Education. We wanted to explore and make accessible to others including our students, colleagues and contemporaries the knowledge gained through our participation in APEX - a self-initiated project exploring quality teaching in the aforementioned curriculum areas. Framed by theory relating to teacher educator professional development and our new primary curriculum framework, we adopted a self-study approach utilising memory and dialogic inquiry methods. We investigated our motivations to participate in the project, our professional development gains, and to what project affordances we ascribe these benefits. Data analysis is currently underway using a thematic analytical approach. Data primarily comprised our four individual written memory tasks. Four themes emerged in relation to our motivation to participate in APEX. These include professional frustrations and disappointments, a motivation for greater awareness and understanding, an appetite to learn, clarify and resolve issues, and a longing to connect, belong and exchange. We hypothesise findings regarding our professional takeaways from APEX will resolve some frustrations, reconcile some curriculum tensions and benefit integration opportunities between Arts and PE in our programme. We speculate the project affordances to which we attribute our professional learning will relate the setting, the format, the direction, the atmosphere, the exchange, the aesthetics and the outcome. This paper will be of interest to primary school teachers, teaching Arts and PE specialists or teacher educators from any discipline who supervise and support preservice teachers on their school placements.

The need to address social justice issues in education has gained global interest, putting us teachers and teacher educators at the centre. As a result, research on socially just education has gained traction. This growing interest in and increasing conversations on social justice specifically diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), have recently started to make me uncomfortable as until then, I had not consciously and explicitly engaged with this subject as part of my teaching practices. The literature reports silence in research regarding how us science teacher educators teach for social justice, and how we can prepare pre-service teachers in matters of social justice teaching. However, considering that social justice issues vary contextually, the aim of this study is to investigate the presence of (and/or missed opportunities for) social justice teaching in my teaching practices at a South African university. My teaching is guided by the Topic Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK) framework which is known to promote quality teaching and meaningful learning. It is in this TSPCK –guided teaching that I, with two critical friends, who are co-authors in this paper, use the self-study methodology and the critical incident technique (CIT) to explore the manifestation and/or recognition of social justice (if at all), in my teaching. Data is in the form of the teacher educator’s journal entries, lecture videos and audio transcripts of our discussions and reflections. We wish to bring to light, social justice issues in our contexts and the opportunities that leveraging TSPCK, a framework that explains teacher professional knowledge, can provide for science teacher educators to teach for and equip preservice teachers for socially just and inclusive teaching. Implications of these findings to the role of science teacher education in preparing teachers for socially just teaching, especially in diverse contexts like South Africa will be discussed.

Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE), a certificate examination subject in a high-stakes environment in the final two-years of Irish post-primary schooling, has two explicit bodies of knowledge: theoretical and practical knowledge. The curriculum promotes the notion of ‘integrated learning experiences’ which blends both forms of knowledge. Through a community of learners, two teacher educators and two teachers worked together as a research team to construct and enact teaching resources for ‘integrated learning experiences’. We aimed to explore how teachers teach integrated learning experiences for LCPE and the possibilities of such experiences. A secondary aim of this project was to sustain a community of learners between the research team which spans across the teacher education continuum to establish the characteristics of quality teaching from different perspectives.

This research adopted a collaborative self-study approach and took place over one year as (i) the teachers examined their own practices, (ii) the research team constructed the teaching resources, (iii) the teachers enacted and reflected on such teaching resources/practices with the teacher educators, and (iv) the research team evaluated and modified the teaching resources. This was underpinned by an exploration of ‘self’ on behalf of all community members, each acting as each other’s critical friend in this exploration.

The findings highlighted the challenges in teaching integrated learning experiences given the school context, e.g., timetabling issues, and teacher pre-dispositions, e.g., assumptions of practice. The teachers reflected positively on the possibilities of integrated learning experiences and the potential of increased student learning through such experiences. The collaborative self-study approach allowed for collaborative interrogation of ‘self’ in ‘practice’, encouraged the sharing of differing perspectives on quality teaching (and the effect on the richness of student learning), and the challenging of assumptions in the processes of changing practice. This presentation advocates for collaborative self-study across the teacher education continuum.

This article conducts a critical analysis of internationalization policies in teacher education in Brazil exploring the tensions between economic and sociocultural perspectives. The predominance of North-South initiatives and the influence of international organizations such as the World Bank reveal possibilities of dilution of the teacher education’s critical dimension . The study draws on authors such as Knight (2018; 2020), Wit et al. (2015), Morosini and Dalla Corte (2018), Menter et al. (2024) and problematizes the lack of cooperation with South American countries and the limited exploration of the potential of South-South relations. It suggests that the current internationalization perspective may reinforce global asymmetries. The methodology includes document analysis and critical examination of data and policies related to the internationalization of higher education, focusing on teacher education in Brazil. The study uses data provided by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) as well as reports from international organizations, such as UNESCO and the World Bank, to contextualize the practices and trends of internationalization in the Brazilian educational field. The article reveals that the internationalization of higher education in Brazil is strongly driven by cooperation with Northern Hemisphere countries, while relations with South American countries are neglected. There is an underutilization of South-South relations, which limits the potential for a more inclusive internationalization that is contextualized within similar local realities, especially in teacher education. By suggesting the need for an internationalization perspective that values diversity and promotes global citizenship, the text highlights the pursuit of quality education that considers the social and cultural diversity and students’ identity, and the importance of creating more sustainable and socially fairer learning environments. This research is supported by CAPES.

This paper aims to analyse the effectiveness of introducing a dedicated course on the development of transversal skills on artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of PhD courses at the University of Bari. The objective of the course is to equip PhD students with the requisite tools to navigate the intricate challenges posed by AI, fostering a contemplation on the responsible, conscious, and ethical utilisation of these technologies within their respective research domains, with a human-centric perspective.
Theoretical framework
The application of AI in the field of education is a topic that has attracted considerable interest from researchers and educators alike. The university context is of critical importance in the development of reliable and sustainable educational and training models that can exploit the potential of AI in a responsible and effective manner. Faculty development research plays a pivotal role in the advancement of methodological innovations. It is therefore imperative that universities develop policies to promote AI and data literacy.
Methods
The course comprised an integrated programme structured into five distinct thematic modules, with a total duration of 42 hours. The lessons were delivered in a hybrid format, combining face-to-face and online delivery methods. The course aimed to facilitate an in-depth exploration of various aspects of AI (machine learning, LLM...) and on the development of transferable skills, such as critical thinking and an understanding of the ethical principles associated with the use of AI.
Findings
The course was attended by 33 doctoral students. All enrolled reached 70 % attendance except for two enrolled students who never attended any lectures. At the end of the course, on a voluntary basis, the trainees answered the satisfaction questionnaire and submitted the impact report on their research pathway.
This study is aligned with the overarching theme of the conference, particularly the sub-theme of Addressing social justice by leveraging technology and innovative approaches.

Research aim: The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore the work-based learning placement (WBP) experiences and outcomes of graduates from the International Master in Adult Education for Social Change (IMAESC) across multiple cohorts (2016 – 2021). Theoretical Framework: This study draws from experiential learning theory to understand how graduates developed their social and professional identity through their WBP experiences; theory of andragogy to acknowledge the individual differences among graduates as adult learners as it relates to how these differences may have influenced their WBP experiences; and situated learning theory to emphasise the effectiveness of learning that is embedded within a specific social and cultural context. Methods: Grounded in interpretivism, the study employs semi-structured interviews that uncover the subjective meanings that 11 graduates attached to their WBP experiences. Analysis: The research integrates a case study method with reflexive thematic analysis to approach the data. From this analysis, an interpretation of four key themes is reported: 1) the placement learning landscape and outcomes; 2) the placement landscape of practice; 3) identity development through socialisation; and 4) the relationship between reflexive praxis and social change. These themes provide a nuanced narrative of participants' individual and collective stories, while also allowing for independent interpretation of each theme. The study demonstrates how WBP contributes to graduates' experiences and outcomes, skill development, and social and professional identities. Relevance to the conference theme and specific strand: By examining the integration of theory and practice, as well as the role of reflexive praxis, the study provides valuable insights into the complexities of WBP experiences and their potential to foster meaningful learning and social impact, which is in alignment with the conference's focus on ‘Characteristics of quality teaching’ as the study explored the qualities of effective WBP, which are a crucial component of quality teacher education.

Objectives: To develop an understanding of the influence of Paulo Freire's ideas from the national to the international context.

Relevance of the topic: Bringing to discussion different angles of Paulo Freire's influence, especially on teachers and teaching.

Theoretical framework: Life story (Ivor Goodson)

Methodology: Qualitative methodologies with interviews and document analysis.

Presentation and discussion of results:

The research will address Freire's international influence on North American authors, Henry Giroux, Ira Shor and bell hooks, who reveal in their writings that reading the Pedagogy of the Oppressed had a positive impact on their lives, offering the theoretical-practical bases for the development of his critical and post-critical proposals that are still current. The authors found ways to propose the teacher as a transformative intellectual (for Giroux), develop a pedagogy of empowerment (for Shor) and provide the basis for a feminist pedagogy for black women (for bell hooks).

Final considerations:

Through this research, we evidenced that his works had a marked influence on several authors in the area of ​​teaching and curriculum in different countries. Thus, these works demonstrate the relevance of Paulo Freire both in the national and international contexts, and that his works continue to be reinterpreted by different people who find in his ideas instruments of defense in favor of social justice and against inequalities and oppression. The proposal for dialogical education, even today, remains a challenge for teachers at any level. Freire's education proposal, which begins in a national context, becomes internationalized, remaining current, nowadays. Its internationalization remains contrary to current global policies that emphasize performativity. He was an author who exercised his reflective proposal in his own work, constantly reformulating and expanding it.

Understanding the intersectional experiences of autistic trans and non-binary students in educational settings fosters inclusive and supportive environments. Research indicates a significant portion of the autistic community and the trans and non-binary communities in Ireland feel excluded within educational contexts. This study investigates and foregrounds the lived educational experiences of autistic trans and non-binary students in the Republic of Ireland (RoI). Positioned within a qualitative phenomenological participatory paradigm, four participants who are autistic and gender-diverse were recruited to participate in the study. In depth semi-structured interviews explored participants’ experiences. Data collection, interpretation and analysis were guided by an anti-oppressive framework, which centred IPA and concepts from CAS, Queer Theory (QT) and intersectionality. This framework supported the exploration of the complex dynamics of culture, power, identity, inclusion, exclusion, belonging, and flourishing which shaped participants’ experiences within school environments.

The study’s findings underscore the importance of recognising and challenging the ableist and transphobic norms that underpin the structures, policies and practices of education contexts. Comprehensive changes at all three levels are needed to ensure that students feel safe, supported, visible, included, and respected in these contexts.

This study contributes to educational discourse by amplifying the voices of trans and non-binary autistic people and reporting their experiences within educational contexts. Participants in sharing their experiences provide important insights into how educational contexts can be made more equitable, inclusive, and supportive. Recommendations from the study include robust anti-bullying policies with a specific focus on transphobia and ableism, curricular changes to increase the visibility of both trans and autistic identity, the provision of training for management, staff and peers and a commitment to move away from tokenistic approaches and meaningfully include student voice. This study serves as a foundational step toward greater understanding, and inclusivity of autistic trans and non-binary people in educational contexts.

Research aim: A pilot study which aimed to develop and evaluate a ‘decolonise yourself’ toolkit for supporting social psychologists to reflect on their research and teaching, considering a decolonizing perspective, will be presented.

Theoretical framework: Decolonising the curriculum and pedagogy has been a key priority for higher education, in recent years, in several countries around the world. Various resources have been created with suggestions from indigenous scholars for Western-oriented and colonialised -minded colleagues and institutions. However, some research has shown resistance and unease among academics to decolonialise their research and teaching practices. One form of resistance might coincide with ‘dominionization’, such as ‘the entrenched ownership of expertise that maintains westernised academic privilege over decolonisation efforts’. Other academics might be willing to decolonise their work but might feel insecure regarding the effectiveness of their efforts and the quality of the outcomes.

Regarding the specific context of psychology some reflection has emerged within community, clinical and school psychology, while self-reflection on teaching practices in social psychology in relation to decolonisation are still needed.

Methods: A self-decolonising toolkit was developed from material collected interviewing ten social psychologists from, and educated in, indigenous and colonised academic environments. The self-decolonising toolkit was then developed and assessed by ten academics teaching social psychology in higher education in Western countries.

Findings: the self-colonising toolkit helped to reflect on one's own teaching practice in social psychology and focus on specific short-term and broader long-term objectives to decolonise the curriculum. Further studies should explore the self-decolonising toolkit’s longitudinal effects and its adaptability to other disciplines.

Relevance to the conference theme and specific strand: self-decolonisation of academics is an important step to decolonise the curriculum in higher education. This study is relevant for the ‘curriculum design for equitable teaching’ and ‘equity and inclusion in teacher education’ conference strands.

Research has long demonstrated that Black people’s experiences with state-run schooling in Canada are racializing and antiblack (Black Learners Advisory Committee 1994; Lewis 1992; Williams 1997). Yet there is a long tradition of Black communities advocating for the transformation of public schooling and implementing community-based programs to complement, supplement, and sometimes challenge, state schooling.

This paper presents preliminary findings from a funded research project, asking: “How have Black community supplementary educational initiatives (BCSEs) exercised agency and resistance in addressing schooling issues?,” and meeting the related objective to produce a critical account of the political visions informing BCSE programs, attending to gender, class, and local context.

The paper uses a Black Studies framework, which identifies contemporary antiblackness as the “afterlife of slavery” inherent to Western nation-states and as casting Black communities outside of Western constructions of the Human (Hartman, 2007; Wynter, 2003). It also, importantly, considers the fugitive, sometimes contradictory, ways that Black communities forge BlackLife amid this antiblack weather (Harney & Moten, 2013; Sharpe, 2016; Walcott & Abdillahi, 2019). It uses a Critical Discourse Analysis of in-depth interviews with BCSE organizers.

Preliminary findings address the discursive formations through which BCSE leaders, who are 1^st to 1.5 generation immigrants in a small Canadian city, understand their BCSE initiatives. I explore how participants’ narratives embrace both Black liberal and radical imaginations, while also weaving in and out of dominant readings of Black students’ realities, constructing them against the experiences of longer-standing Black communities in nearby megacities.

This paper aligns with the conference theme, questioning what it means to support student learning with equitable teaching practices, and envisioning options not limited to the antiblack Western nation-state and its institutions. It engages directly with the strand around reconciling tensions for a new social contract in education by examining the contradictions within BCSE work.

This study addresses the persistent gap between the longstanding research focus on creativity and its limited integration in schools. Despite broad consensus on creativity's importance in education, significant implementation remains elusive. Our research examines teachers' perceptions of creativity to understand existing and potential classroom expressions of it, focusing on how teachers define, detect, and foster creativity in various educational contexts.

Grounded in Beghetto and Kaufman's (2007) concept of mini-c creativity, our study explores small-scale expressions of creativity in classrooms. We employ a qualitative approach, utilizing interviews with 22 teachers and 41 classroom observations across diverse disciplines and age groups.

The research findings reveal a dichotomy between theoretical perspectives and practical applications. While teachers struggle with abstract definitions of creativity and perceive tensions between creativity and academic achievement, they confidently provide examples of creative moments in their teaching practice. Analysis of these moments yielded three core principles of creativity in education: pedagogical anchor (educational context or objective), unique personal expression (students expressing themselves in their own manner), and novelty (creating something original relative to the learner).

These principles form the basis of this research integrative model of creativity in education. It maps educational events according to the mix of these components, with their combination, forming the core of creative moments. It also describes how teachers dynamically use these components through dosing, balancing, and combining strategies.

The model contributes to defining creativity in educational contexts. It aligns with accepted creativity definitions while emphasizing unique personal expression as a fundamental, often overlooked component. This framework can help teachers conceptualize, analyze, and improve their pedagogical processes to foster creativity more effectively.

By bridging theory and practice, our research offers valuable insights into realizing creative potential in educational settings, contributing to the development of quality teaching practices and the broader discourse on creativity in education.

This study investigates student perceptions of skill assimilation in 43 asynchronous self-paced online courses at a large Israeli teacher education college, focusing on the implementation of 'Skillabus', a novel component that emphasizes skills and competencies within course syllabi. The 'Skillabus' approach features a standardized opening unit across all courses, introducing and detailing targeted skills such as productivity and time management, mental resilience, self-directed learning, research and discovery, and digital pedagogy. Implementation strategies include setting clear deadlines, integrating digital planning tools, promoting peer feedback and reflection, offering open-ended tasks, and incorporating AI and other digital tools. Although each course also covers content-specific skills, these are not the focus of this study. Grounded in theories of self-directed learning, digital competence, and skill-based curriculum design, the research draws on online learning, teacher education, and 21^st-century skill development. A quantitative approach using a self-report questionnaire administered to students upon course completion assesses their understanding of changes compared to non-Skillabus courses and their perceived skill improvement. The study also explores whether awareness of the skill emphasis contributed to improvement and students’ understanding of skill integration into their future classrooms. Data analysis uses descriptive and inferential statistics to identify patterns in perceptions and skill development. Preliminary results indicate that students more readily identify improvements in hard skills than in soft skills and do not easily connect skill enhancement with their learning process. These findings underscore the need for explicit links between course content and skill development in teacher education programs. This research contributes to the discussion on preparing future educators for the digital age by exploring innovative approaches in teacher education through self-directed learning and digital pedagogy and emphasizes the importance of aligning education with labor market demands by focusing on skill assimilation rather than just knowledge acquisition.

In 2022, immigrants and refugees made up over 16% of Norway's population (Green & Vaag Iversen, 2022; Statistisk sentralbyrå, 2022), presenting new challenges for teachers in increasingly diverse classrooms. While newly arrived students receive specialized Norwegian language instruction, most classroom teaching occurs in inclusive environments where linguistic diversity is a significant factor. Immigrant students typically achieve lower academic results than their peers (Statistisk sentralbyrå, 2023), often due to instruction that is either too advanced or insufficiently adapted to their language needs (Lødding et al., 2024). Skrefsrud (2018) suggests that the key question is not how multilingual students can be integrated into the existing school system, but rather how a new classroom approach centered on student self-reflection can be developed. The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) method offers potential for supporting multilingual students, but little is known about its use or teachers' perceptions in the Norwegian context.

This study examines teachers' perceptions of the outcomes of the SIOP method in promoting participation and inclusion for multilingual students in Norwegian middle and upper secondary schools. The research aims to explore how SIOP can help bridge educational gaps by fostering engagement and participation. Grounded in self-study and educational design frameworks, the study also incorporates methodologies for examining teacher beliefs. Teachers participated through reflective journaling on their instructional experiences with the SIOP model, supported by collaborative reflection groups with researchers (Samaras, 2011; Feldman, Paugh, & Mills, 2004). Preliminary results suggest that SIOP implementation enhances student engagement and improves linguistic competence, as perceived by teachers. These findings indicate that SIOP may contribute to reducing disparities in participation and performance among diverse student populations. This research aligns with the conference theme, “Research on equitable teaching practices,” by highlighting how inclusive instructional methods like SIOP can promote equity and inclusion for multilingual students in diverse classrooms.

In recent years the role of the university in England, in relation to teacher education and teachers’ professional learning, has been under attack. Ongoing reforms have led to teacher education becoming a state endeavour, characterised by enforced compliance and fidelity to government-set curriculum design, content and delivery (Ellis and Childs, 2024). As experienced teacher educators we have borne this radical policy implementation and are provoked to move from a position of ‘creative compliance’ to developing a more robust counter-response that reimagines the place and space of university-based teacher education in England.

In this paper we describe how opportunity to leave England and engage with ITE colleagues in Denmark led us to ‘fight familiarity’ (Delamont, 2010) and speculate how we might reposition our university-based teacher education programmes to invoke more creative, critical and transformational teacher learning (Griffiths & Nuttall, forthcoming). The work of Lefebvre (1991) prompted us to interrogate physical, conceptual and lived experiences in both familiar and unfamiliar university settings. Engaging with principles of autoethnography and self-study we came to consider multiple perspectives, uncovering and examining beliefs, assumptions and taken-for-granted ways of being and knowing in teacher education. Outcomes from this work centre around relationships between physical, conceptual and affective dimensions, underpinning our possibility thinking about how we can embed equality and sustainability across our provision. We explore potential in an ‘ontological turn’ (Aldridge, 2015) in teacher education, where we endeavour to situate our [student] teachers and ourselves in a complex ecology of transformative learning, cultivating ‘self-full’ practices (Higgins, 2015) and promoting belonging.

Outlining challenges and tensions inherent in achieving our vision, we conclude with a call to action that asks the sector to consider what can be done to shift teacher education beyond homogenised, marketized and instrumental approaches and instead become a site of transformation and flourishing for all.

Texts are a central component of U.S. high school (HS) English curricula and instruction, and selecting texts to be included in the curriculum is considered one of teachers' most important instructional decisions (Northrop et al., 2019). Therefore, text selection holds the potential to impact reading engagement, interest, motivation, and overall reading performance (Tan & Mante- Estacio, 2021), and the choice of diverse and multicultural texts is vital to creating culturally inclusive and responsive literacy curricula (Author, 2024). However, little impact has been made on secondary teacher multicultural text selection in the U.S. within the last hundred years despite increasing student diversity and scholarly support for diversification: texts by and about White, straight, cisgender, able-bodied, middle-class people continue to dominate English curricula (Watkins & Ostenson, 2015). This study builds upon previous investigations of curricular text selection (Applebee, 1989), uniquely highlighting the student perspective on these texts.

This study employs a mixed-methods research design to survey 500 undergraduate students from two large universities in the midwestern U.S. to ascertain what book-length texts are included in HS English curricula and the extent to which these texts are diverse or multicultural. This study examines student responses to curricular text selection, including what texts they read, their motivations for reading or not, and what they wish had been different about their high school readings. The following research questions guide this study: 1) What current book-length texts are included in HS English curricula? 2) What is the range of student responses to the texts in their HS English curricula? Quantitative results indicate the texts assigned to participants in their HS English classes were predominantly traditional and lacked diversity in authorship and protagonists. Emergent qualitative themes noted that compliance, enjoyment, and accessibility impacted students’ engagement with and reading curricular texts.

Despite the increasing emphasis on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles in higher educational institutions (Scott, 2020), there remains a gap in consistent staff engagement with EDI initiatives and with related literature, which is essential for the goal of many universities of “creating inclusive environments” (Universities UK).
This study investigates the potential of interdisciplinary reading groups as a tool for enhancing staff engagement with EDI literature and practice within academic settings. It explores the implementation and impact of interdisciplinary reading groups across various departments within a university setting, aiming to cultivate a deeper understanding of EDI concepts and their practical applications.
Drawing on the framework of social justice reading groups previously employed in library settings (Harrington, et al, 2020) and amongst graduate students (Mahmood et al, 2021), the study looks at broader interdisciplinary contexts, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities that arise. The methodology includes a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys to measure engagement levels and qualitative interviews to gather insights on the perceived value and challenges of the reading groups.
Existing literature and anecdotal evidence suggest that such reading groups have the potential not only to enhance individual staff members' engagement with EDI topics but also to foster a collaborative culture that supports ongoing professional development in this critical area. The study offers practical recommendations for the implementation of similar initiatives in other educational settings and highlights the potential of interdisciplinary approaches to EDI education.
This research contributes to the broader discourse on how institutions can effectively engage staff with EDI initiatives, aiming to create more inclusive and equitable academic environments.

References:

https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2020.1754879

https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/topics/equality-diversity-and-inclusion

https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2020.1772176

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00407J

This study aims to use May Sarton's 1961 novel "The Small Room "to delve into how the "discipline first" logic of higher education training disciplines teachers and students, causing them to ignore “the life of mind" and bear the "the price of excellence," providing insights for finding a more resonate and open teacher-student relationship in teacher education. This article applies literature research and utilizes the social critical theory of the Frankfurt School and Dewey's philosophical thinking on "experience" to deeply analyze how the progressive logic of "step-by-step improvement" makes teachers and students view the uncontrollability and uncertainty of mindl growth as an "unnatural state", thereby exacerbating emotional dislocation between teachers and students, and between students' internal and external expressions, ultimately leading to an imbalance or even rupture of the triangular relationship between "teachers, students, and subjects". On this basis, this article advocates that teacher educators and their students should present an open and resonant state, so that teachers and students can recognize each other's existence as "whole people" with a more authentic and blended attitude in dynamic and balanced interaction, restore each other's self-efficacy and spiritual resilience as life subjects, and provide a thinking perspective for Equity and inclusion in teacher education from the perspective of teacher-student relationship.

A variety of models have attempted to encapsulate the multifaceted processes involved in reading, ranging from Scarbrough’s reading rope (2001) to the Active View of Reading (Duke & Cartwright, 2021). Our work builds upon the foundation laid by Scarbrough (2001) to more comprehensively capture the strategic, adaptive, and integrative nature of developing literacy. Our approach conceptualizes reading as a transaction that necessitates a socio-constructivist learning environment. We adopt the structure of Scarborough’s (2001) reading rope to underscore the essential skills and strategies it outlines as crucial to the reading process. However, we contend that the rope alone, without additional tools and active engagement from the reader—whether a novice learner or an expert—is insufficient for reaching the metaphorical summit. This model, taking up a rock climbing metaphor, proposes an integrative approach where the climbing tools and the climber's active decision-making processes are pivotal. Our extension of Scarborough’s (2001) rope model introduces elements that are intrinsic to top-rope climbing but extend beyond the rope itself. For example, the harness that connects the climber to the rope symbolizes the reader's motivation, executive function, cognitive development, and linguistic capabilities. Similarly, the handholds and footholds selected by the climber as they ascend represent the metacognitive decisions made during the reading process. These are just two elements of the model that illustrate that achieving proficiency in reading can be likened to reaching a summit, which requires dynamically engaging various skills and strategies beyond those represented by Scarborough’s model. Teaching quality is profoundly influenced by the educational models adopted by school systems. By enhancing Scarborough’s popular model with additional dimensions of reader engagement and strategy use, we offer a framework that not only respects the complexity of reading but also supports effective teaching practices, aligning with the conference’s focus on characteristics of quality teaching.

It seems axiomatic that teaching quality affects the richness of students’ learning experiences, outcomes and equitable opportunities for all. While this is so, what we seem to miss largely in our focus on students’ experiences is its seminal link to teachers’ experiences and wellbeing. While teachers are critical actors in providing rich and equitable educational experiences to students from diverse backgrounds, the broader educational system influences their actions. Factors like curriculum design, standardized testing, funding disparities, and administrative policies shape what teachers can and cannot do. We argue that for developing an equitable educational renewal, we need to gain an understanding of the injustices meted out to teachers by the educational and social processes and their damaging effect on them. This symposium which hinges on the link between teacher wellbeing and student flourishing (Cherkowski & Walker, 2018) sees teacher wellbeing holistically including supportive professional relationships, professional growth and a feeling of self-actualization. Toward this, first, the panelists in this interactive symposium, who come from six different contexts, use lived experiences from teachers’ lives to provide a vivid picture of the social and institutional dynamics by which teachers’ status and identity are disregarded, constraining the quest for their self-actualization. Then we engage the audience in a discussion on the question: What is the expression of respect and support teachers in schools and universities require from public, students, officials/administrators, colleagues and media to reawaken the inner voice of their calling?

Significance

This symposium not only helps eschew a deficit view of teachers by identifying the mediation of culture in their cognition, but also paves the way for creating school environments that promote feelings of belonging, respect, value, and trust for both teachers and students.

This symposium will discuss the development of language teachers’ plurilingual identities and competences in the context of equity, democracy and social justice. It will explore teaching practices in four distinctive environments of primary school teachers in Scotland, lower secondary and higher education teachers in Iceland, and teacher trainees in Spain. We will discuss the reasons for including plurilingual competences into all educational settings and analyse ways in which these competences can be developed in classrooms to strengthen equitable, socially just teaching practices. We will consider how teachers reflect, respond, and make meaning of their own and their learners’ plurilingual identities and competencies, how they navigate them in formal school settings and how they can use them for learning and teaching. Futro will discuss how visual art was used by teachers in Scotland for developing plurilingual practices in teaching Polish in primary schools, Nishida and Emilsson Peskova will explore their plurilingual identities as teacher educators at the University of Iceland through senryu poetry, Emilsson Peskova will present on how certified immigrant teachers utilize their plurilingual repertoires in their teaching at lower secondary level, and Sugranyes Ernest will discuss the concept of plurilingual wellbeing by analysing how the teacher trainees’ relationship with their own languages affects the ways they teach those languages.

Embracing and developing plurilingual identities and competencies of learners and teachers in school settings aligns with the principles of equity and social justice. All discussed projects view the theoretical framework of plurilingualism as embedded in the theory of social justice and use qualitative research methods, including self-study, semi-structured interviews, and arts-based inquiry. Presented findings point to how equity in the classroom requires plurilingual approaches, such as regarding learning and teaching strategies through a plurilingual lens, translanguaging, and strengthening plurilingual competencies, identities and wellbeing of learners and teachers.

This study addresses the pressing need for quality multicultural literature (ML) in educational settings, particularly in light of the shifting demographics in U.S. public schools. As ethnic minority children are projected to constitute the majority of classrooms by 2050, the inclusion of ML becomes pivotal in fostering cultural awareness and bridging gaps in understanding. Despite this urgency, educators often struggle to identify and incorporate suitable ML due to limited exposure and resources.

To address these challenges, this research proposes a comprehensive resource aimed at supporting teachers in navigating and integrating ML effectively. Key components of this resource include a peer-reviewed metric for selecting quality ML, curated book lists, and step-by-step guidance on implementing multicultural programs. By empowering educators with these tools, the study seeks to combat systemic barriers and promote equitable education that celebrates diversity and challenges Eurocentric narratives.

Through a qualitative content analysis of eighth-grade summer reading lists from private schools in the Northeast, the study examines the representation and quality of ML. Findings underscore the need for deliberate efforts to counter racism and cultural pluralism through inclusive curricular practices. By advocating for the integration of quality ML, the research aims to foster racial tolerance, celebrate diversity, and mitigate racial tensions among students.

Ultimately, this study underscores the importance of incorporating multicultural education into the K-12 curriculum to combat stereotypes, promote cultural understanding, and improve race relations. Failure to do so not only perpetuates ignorance and stereotypes but also undermines efforts toward social equity and justice.

In the first two decades of the 21st century, Clinical Approaches to teacher education gained significant ground, with programs and associated research advanced in countries including the United States, England, Scotland, and Australia (see Burns and Mutton, 2015; Conroy et al. 2013; Kiewaldt, 2013; McLean Davies et al, 2015). These programs, reflecting the “practicum turn” (Mattsson et al, 2011) in teacher education, a commitment to quality teaching taken to scale, and the desire to raise the status and quality of teacher education experiences, sought new partnerships between schools and universities, reimagined assessment, and in some national contexts, gained significant support from policymakers (AGDE, 2015) and school communities, transforming approaches to professional learning (McLean Davies et al., 2017). These programs also faced criticism and skepticism, particularly concerning the appropriateness of clinical nomenclature for teacher education (McKnight 2020), and the resources needed to sustain these models.

In light of the UNESCO SDG4– to ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all,’ this symposium asks what value and opportunities, if any, Clinical Models of teacher education hold in the context of a global teaching workforce crisis, and intense policy animation around questions of teacher quality internationally. It considers how clinical models have been sustained and/or evolved over the past two decades. Four different national contexts–Australia, Scotland, England, and Wales, will be represented in this symposium’s four papers - which will draw on national and comparative research to give an account of the clinical model as it has been developed in each country, and to consider opportunities and innovations for these models. In this way, collectively, the symposium will have explicit synergies with the conference substrands that seek to explore the characteristics of quality teaching, innovative approaches to curriculum design, and effective partnerships for equity and inclusion.

Decolonizing pedagogies affect student learning, the learning environment, and stand as a model for future teaching practices. As teacher educators, we are reviewing our methodology courses in Early Learning as well as Physical Education, Health and The Arts, to address Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action (2015) and pursuing our commitment to reconciliation and decolonization practices. As settler educators we are responsible “to reflect critically on the current educational system in terms of whose knowledge is offered, who decides what is offered, what outcomes are rewarded, and who benefits, and more importantly, how those are achieved in an ethically appropriate process” (Battiste, 2013, p. 28).

While we are in the education field, our courses throughout the year can be considered transdisciplinary as we think through the lenses of literacies, educational law, and Indigenous education and consider new forms of decolonizing pedagogy. In our methodology courses, we aim to ensure that this spiraling of curricula persists and demand that our teacher educators revitalize and renew course content and structure to rise to the Calls to Action of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation (2015). Through the application of community practices (Wenger-Treynor, 2015) and our partnerships with Indigenous outreach programs, we support our teacher candidates in gaining an understanding of the connections to be addressed in education to further work in the arts, sports, health, and cultural communities.

We believe our work in this project will link to Madden’s (2015) “pathway circle” as deep learning and understanding will occur and the journey is “continuously contextual, distinct, relationship, and unforeseeable” (p. 3). Findings, both practical and reflective, will be presented during our session.

This proposal meets the sub-themes of Curriculum design for equitable teaching and Equity and inclusion in teacher education and would a roundtable format allows for further considerations for this topic.

One of the aims of UFC's PIBID Letras Inglês Subproject is to introduce undergraduates majoring in English or Portuguese and English into the daily life of public schools, providing them with opportunities to create and take part in innovative methodological and technological experiments and teaching practices. There are three partner schools that act as co-educational centres for teachers in initial training: EEM Adauto Bezerra, IFCE Fortaleza and EMTI Maria da Hora, each receiving groups of eight scholarship students, who are supervised by English teachers at the school, as well as the Sub-Project coordinator. In this context, this study aims to present the intervention actions, such as: the MH News, which focused on the creative production of texts in English; the Movies Club, which addressed the different forms of language through audiovisuals; and the Theatre Club, which valued artistic oral expression to improve English practice and pronunciation. As a methodology, we started with an overview of the actions, according to the specific objectives of each one, analysed the materials created and the scholars' own accounts of their experiences, triangulating this data. As a result, we can see advances in English learning in the partner schools in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary way as a result of PIBID's actions, given its potential to transform through didactic dynamics and the reimagining of academic practices. We have seen advances in the quality of English teacher training at UFC and the valorisation of teaching careers in basic education.

Undeniably, most STEM secondary classrooms do not reflect an inclusive environment in which students with disabilities are expected to thrive (Basham & Marino, 2013). Outdated teaching strategies and the marginalization of students who require inclusive learning experiences have led to a limited representation of students with disabilities pursuing post-secondary educational careers in STEM (NSF, 2023). Fortunately, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework that STEM teachers can use to create transformative learning experiences that support and foster appreciation for learner variability, social justice, and equity (Kohnke, Patterson, & Moehlmann, 2022).

At the heart of UDL are the ideas of inclusivity and equity. By adopting a curriculum that is accessible to all students, STEM teachers can ensure that none of their students are disenfrancised. Adopting an equity-focused UDL approach is key to developing inclusive strategies for teaching STEM content and encouraging the disintegration of systemic barriers that in the past have prevented students with disabilities from embracing STEM careers. By adopting the UDL framework, educators work alongside students as co-agents of change and effectively create an inclusive, fair, and equitable learning ecosystem that cultivates social justice for all students (Waitoller, 2023).

Researchers at the University of North Georgia designed professional development workshops for STEM high school teachers. During the three-year period from 2022-2024, three cohorts of teachers were provided with intensive geoscience education training using the UDL framework. Participants examined geoscience content through the UDL lens and engaged in daily self-led discussions on topics related to UDL, agency, inclusion, and justice-centered STEM education. Participants maintained workshop reflection journals and developed action plans designed to initiate justice-centered changes in their classes. This presentation will explore participants' reflections on discussionds related to UDL, social justice in STEM education, and the transformation of teachers and students as co-agents of change in STEM classrooms.

Teacher education accreditation plays a pivotal role in ensuring that educators are adequately prepared to address the diverse needs of students in contemporary classrooms. The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) has made significant strides in embedding principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within its 2022 standards. These standards mandate that teacher preparation programs cultivate equitable learning environments and equip candidates to effectively teach students from a wide array of cultural, social, and economic backgrounds (CAEP, 2022). This presentation explores how CAEP’s standards effectively promote DEI and advance social justice in teacher education. CAEP’s standards encourage teacher preparation programs to engage in culturally responsive pedagogy, recruit and support diverse candidates, and integrate equity into both coursework and field experiences (CAEP, 2022). Existing literature underscores the positive impact of these standards, with research indicating that CAEP-accredited programs are better positioned to foster inclusive teaching practices and to support students from historically marginalized groups (Darling-Hammond & Oakes, 2019). Moreover, the alignment of teacher education curricula with CAEP’s DEI standards equips future educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to enact socially just pedagogies (Zeichner, 2020). This presentation will showcase successful examples of teacher education programs that have embraced CAEP’s DEI standards, highlighting innovative approaches to fostering equity in both teacher preparation and K-12 classrooms. Additionally, it will explore opportunities for continued innovation in teacher education to further align with CAEP’s commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, and social justice.

Pre-service teachers (PSTs) often find themselves well-versed in theories, instructional strategies, and pedagogical frameworks, yet once confronted with the nature of real-world teaching, applying that knowledge to support students proves more difficult than planned. Given the complexity of today’s classrooms, it can be challenging to effectively integrate all of the instructional practices, such as scaffolding, through coursework assignments (Darling-Hammond, 2014; Phillips & Condy, 2023). Rather than acquiring meaningful practice with scaffolding, PSTs often end up viewing it as a box to check in a lesson plan. As such, PSTs and novice teachers alike face challenges in enacting scaffolding in the classroom (e.g., Alvarez et al., 2023; Peercy & Chi, 2022; Schall-Leckrone, 2018).

To better understand how the practice of scaffolding might be intentionally integrated into coursework as an exercise of application, we asked: How do pre-service teachers perceive the process of scaffolding content and creating instructional materials for multilingual learners? This qualitative case study was carried out with two groups of elementary education PSTs. PSTs in both groups were tasked with creating a digital jumpstart (DJ) (Jones et al., 2022; Rance-Roney, 2010), a form of digital storytelling technology that can be used to scaffold content and language for MLLs. DJs bring together various modes with the goal of introducing a topic and providing the preliminary knowledge students will need to engage with new content.

After collecting multiple sources of data and engaging in analysis, the following three themes emerged: PSTs perceived digital storytelling technology as a means to (1) be creative in their content development; (2) develop personalized content beyond “pre-packaged” materials; and (3) provide meaningful support for MLLs. Overall the creation of DJs appears to be one way for teacher educators to bridge the gap between theory and practice for PSTs, specifically as it relates to scaffolding content for MLLs.

This workshop uses the nascent concept of “excessive teacher/faculty entitlement” to capture the seeming teacher/faculty disinclination to recognize the need to change for creating more equitable educational ecologies in a rapidly evolving multicultural world. Excessive teacher/faculty entitlement is the inconsistency that arises in the gaps between who teachers/faculty think they are but are not. An unawareness of this inconsistency gives rise to a sense of arrogance and deservingness making them hold unreasonable expectations of both the self and others, including students.

International research piloted to study this phenomenon of excessive entitlement in schools and universities showed its ubiquitous presence (Ratnam & Craig, 2021; Forthcoming). In these studies, excessive teacher/faculty entitlement manifested itself in diverse forms—a lack of self-awareness, tendency to hold on to inherited script, closed to other points of view/worldviews (including importantly of students), externalising blame, professional jealousy, competitiveness and aggression hampering learning and relationships in the workplace and the health of the institution. However, these findings are not used to berate teachers and faculty, but to gain an empathetic understanding of them and the complexity of their work and seek effective ways to control the triggers of excessive teacher/faculty entitlement in educational institutions.

The workshop will be in the form of a Walk and Talk dialogue with the audience.

Session structure

• Introduction
• Authors share their experience of excessive entitlement.
• Invite audience for a walk and talk where they respond to thought provoking episodes and questions by uncovering and naming the sources of excessive entitlement in their workplace and examine their positioning in it as victims/victimizers.
• Discuss its impact on social relationships, learning and wellbeing in the workplace, and
• What action we can take individually and collectively to mitigate feelings of excessive entitlement in the workplace to promote student flourishing and collegial relationships in the workplace .

The aim of this research is to increase exposure to geosciences among high school educators and students using the Project/Problem based learning framework. This is achieved by providing educators with geoscience educational content, pedagogical training, and opportunities for research engagement with emphasis on collaboration and the application of disciplinary ideas. The project emphasizes equity by addressing the needs of underrepresented groups, including students with exceptionalities, English learners (ELs), and first-generation learners, offering them deeper insights into geoscience concepts and potential career pathways.

The framework guiding this project is a combination of Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). PBL facilitates active learning and real-world problem-solving, while UDL ensures that instructional practices are flexible, inclusive, and meet the diverse needs of all students. This dual framework promotes equity in STEM education by ensuring that both content and pedagogy are accessible to learners from varied backgrounds.(Miller et al., 2021). The PBL approach has also been shown to promote equity by introducing a meaningful question that reflects a local problem and focusing on authentic artifacts that are developed collaboratively over time. Underserved students describe science as relevant to their communities, which increases engagement, participation, and access to learning (Hsu et al., 2015; Krajcik et al.,in press).

The methods employed involve workshops for high school educators, where they receive training in geoscience content and pedagogical approaches using PBL design framework. The educators then implement these lessons in their classrooms, with the support of accessible digital materials that are provided. Data collection includes feedback from educators and pre- and post-implementation student performance evaluations.

Findings indicate that this approach significantly increases student engagement and comprehension, particularly among underrepresented groups. Educators report enhanced teaching efficacy in delivering geoscience content through PBL, and students demonstrate improved understanding of geoscience applications and career pathways.

This roundtable will explore the relationship between quality teaching, social justice, and the need for a new social contract in education. As global systems face heightened challenges, from socio-political polarisation to demands for sustainable, equitable practices, quality teaching is more critical than ever. To address these issues, we must critically re-examine what we mean by “quality teaching,” the role of teacher education, and the continuum of teacher development.

Drawing on the concept of “dead ideas” in teacher education (Goodwin et al., 2023, drawing on Pike, 2011), this session challenges traditional practices that no longer meet today’s complex needs. Goodwin et al compel us to re-imagine teacher education, centring sustainability, adaptivity, and culturally responsive, transformative approaches. We consider this alongside the importance of developing teachers as democratic professionals (Zeichner, 2020) and support a more socially progressive model of teacher education (Kennedy, 2023) necessary for the deeply ethical, relational, and intellectual work required to foster equity and inclusion in education.

We present a current policy case from Scotland, where a new Framework for Teacher Education and Development is under developmen in the context of a broader reform agenda. This policy represents a system-level response to multiple challenges faced in education today. Uniquely, this initiative, co-led by three national stakeholders collaborating with the Scottish Government and seeking to work collectively across a range of stakeholders, emphasises and models the importance of collective action in shaping the future of teacher education rooted in an understanding of the purposes of education.

We will invite participants to provide feedback, engage in critical exploration, and collectively reimagine what is possible and desirable for teacher education across diverse contexts. The roundtable offers an opportunity to consider collaboration and cross-system learning while rethinking how teacher education can serve the broader aim of social justice in education systems worldwide.

Game-based teaching is a relatively common feature in higher education. The strategy is often discipline-based and mostly used as a revision and formative assessment tool. More recently, however, game-based teaching has expanded beyond cognitive outcomes to enabling inclusivity and social justice. To our knowledge, leveraging game-based teaching to address social justice is yet to be explored in South Africa, especially within the realm of academic advising. In this round-table discussion, we present an intervention research project where we use a recently customised board game (Success Prints Crash Course) to address inequities in student preparedness to adjust to university life. The purpose of the presentation is to invite critical feedback and input on the possibility of broadening the use of the board game beyond student transitions, to addressing relevant social justice issues within the South African higher education context. We draw on Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy which views education as a tool for liberation and empowerment. We believe that playing the Success Prints Crash Course board game can help students reflect on how their in-game choices relate to real-life situations, fostering a greater sense of responsibility for their learning and equipping them with valuable decision-making skills. The proposed extension of the existing research study will follow a participatory approach, where we will collaborate with students in identifying opportunities for addressing social justice through game-based teaching. The findings of this study will contribute to a better understanding of the value of game-based teaching and what it means to enable student learning and transition through innovative and inclusive teaching and academic advising practices.

In a time and society where social justice and equity are becoming increasingly important, the moral dimension of teaching comes to the forefront even more clearly, making it essential for teachers to be able to navigate this aspect. Although teaching is inherently moral in nature, many teachers and teacher educators find it quite challenging to incorporate this dimension into their actions. They feel they lack the moral vocabulary and moral skills to adequately address moral dilemmas related to social justice that arise from their practice (Van Stekelenburg et. al., 2024; Sanderse & Cooke, 2019). This lack of moral agency is the main incentive for this paper. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to offer teachers a practical review of the literature on the conceptualization of teacher moral agency.

A combination of a developmental subject-centered socio-cultural framework of teacher agency and an integrated model of moral literacy guided the search process and analysis of the data in our scoping review on teacher moral agency (Eteläpelto et. al., 2013; Tuana, 2007).

This approach proved valuable in illuminating both the explicit and implicit expressions of teacher moral agency. The combination of frameworks could help teachers gain a clearer understanding of the moral aspects of their practice and encourage them to integrate moral qualities into their professional identity as teachers.

The results indicated that explicit references to the conceptualization and theorization of 'teacher moral agency' were significantly fewer than the implicit, more underlying terms. However, combining both frameworks allowed the concept of Teacher Moral Agency to be better understood when viewed and approached in a professional context from a developmental or learning perspective. This way, teachers can see that they can grow professionally by viewing their own practice and actions in terms of teacher moral agency.

Research aim

This presentation enhances conflict-resolution teaching for Muslim students in diaspora by infusing intercultural pedagogies peculiar to Islamic thought. It draws on Averroes’ philosophical thought to identify instructional strategies to improve Islamic school curricula in diaspora. Born in 12th-century Andalusia (modern Spain), Ibn Rushd, known in Latin as Averroes, was a philosopher, chief judge, and court physician. This presentation proposes Averroism as an intercultural pedagogical model, marked by Rawiyya (intermediacy) and Tadabbur (deliberation). Within the Averroesian context, I posit a deliberative pedagogy, which contributes to conceptualizing a new social contract in education marked by conflict resolution.

Theoretical framework

This presentation introduces the Averroesian curriculum, marked by a deliberative pedagogy. Drawing on Averroes’s philosophical thought, this presentation contributes to deliberative pedagogy, a dialogical form of reasoning whose aim is to find pragmatic alternatives that serve the collective and individual good with attention to the question of utility. Averroism emphasizes intercultural, conflict-resolution competencies through the intermediacy model Rawiyya as a tool of intercultural deliberative pedagogy, and the Islamic notion of Tadabbur, Arabic for ‘to deliberate’ and ‘carefully consider’ the outcomes.

Findings

From an Averroesian point of view, conflict-resolution teaching is measured by its readiness to incorporate intermediacy and deliberation as intercultural pedagogies. For example, addressing tensions entails successfully reconciling the Aristotelian tradition with the Islamic worldview. This act of reconciliation, if achieved, would have significant educational implications.

Relevance to the Conference theme and specific strand:

This presentation resonates with reconciling tensions as it considers how students’ intellectual heritage can be part of the learning process. It provides an opportunity for students to engage with different backgrounds and educational views, which mitigates tension. It also diversifies the dissemination of knowledge and pedagogical practices, paving the way for a socially equitable and diversified classroom.

Research aims

There is very limited research on the impact of poverty on students in further and higher education in the UK. This research addresses the poverty experienced by students in Higher Education, focusing on an undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) degree programme in a Scottish university.

Methods

Drawing on literature from America, key themes of poverty in higher education emerged: the cost of higher education; housing insecurity; the demands of part time work and food insecurity. In regard to the researched ITE programme the key themes that emerged were clothing poverty, transport poverty, food poverty and fuel poverty. This was revealed by mixed methods research. First, survey responses from 218 students (41%) on an ITE undergraduate programme (total n= 532). Second, follow-up interviews with ten student volunteers.

Findings

Findings demonstrated (1) that the students had a clear understanding of the effects of poverty, (2) the increased cost of living featured heavily in all the interviews and students mentioned how much the cost of everyday essentials had increased and they did not believe that this would improve soon and (3) the distinctive professional nature of the ITE degree programme makes specific demands on students, particularly in relation to clothing and transport.

Relevance

This research has revealed highly original findings that are being disseminated to the ITE community in Scotland and the wider UK, in order to raise awareness and attempt to improve equity and inclusion in teacher education.

Teacher education debates centres on attracting quality teachers and diversifying the teaching force (Heinz, 2013; Klassen et al., 2021; UNESCO, 2024). In 2016, Chile introduced a new regulation to boost teacher quality, establishing national admission criteria for teacher education (TE) and creating Programs for Teaching Attraction (PAP). Universities implemented these programs for senior high school students. This paper inquiries: how do PAP programs’ curricula foster equity? How do PAP students understand the program's equity purposes? What do PAP students learn about teaching and their relationship with equity?

A “thin” equity stance narrows the concept to a question of access to education. A strong equity stance entails redistribution, recognition, representation, and reframing (Cochran-Smith & Keefe, 2020). PAP programs aim to attract candidates and promote equity in accessing TE (MINEDUC, 2022). Internationally, these programs have been reported to have a positive impact on motivation for teaching, retention in TE, and equity teaching perspectives (Martin & Bianco, 2024).

This multiple case study (Stake, 2005) analyses three PAP programs from different universities, combining content analysis (Krippendorf, 2013) of 142 institutional documents and in-depth interviews with nine students, totalling 27 interviews (Seidman, 2019).

All cases provide access to TE and additional support to PAP students to navigate university (redistributive approach on strong equity). Cases 1 and 3 promoted recognition of emotional well-being and local cultural assets, respectively. Case 2 fostered reflections on the representation of students’ voices in the classroom. Case 3 also focused on reframing, providing opportunities to foster critical consciousness and disrupt inequalities.

These findings underscore the importance of strong equity frameworks in PAP programs, showing that their curriculum can promote critical consciousness in future teachers, as shown internationally (Gist et al., 2018). Implications for policymakers and universities to develop robust guidelines for equity-focused curricula are discussed.

The guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education published in 2017 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization identifies inclusion and equity as key principles for education systems around the idea that “every learner matters and matters equally ”p.13. The guide highlights the vital role of inclusive and equitable education in transforming education systems worldwide. In line with this guide, our paper displays a Turkish small scale pilot study which tries to find out the inclusive and equal teaching techniques used by the teachers working at a variety of schools. The aim in our research was to find out the inclusive teaching techniques used by 11 teachers teaching different subjects and the impact of these techniques on quality. For this purpose, an in depth interview was conducted to 11 volunteering teachers (3 kindergarten, 3 primary and 5 secondary teachers). Based on the literary review on inclusive education principles four main themes (inclusive teaching techniques, technological tools used for this purpose, quality teaching, and evaluation) were identified to be used in the semi-structured interviews. In the analysis of the main themes, the following sub-themes were catagorized as; respect for individual differences, multiple inteligences, use of intelligent board and web2 tools, departmental meetings and inservice seminars, and summative assessment. The pilot study findings display that teachers are aware of the individual differences and try to bring equity into their classes but due to a variety of handicaps (language problems, polarization among students and no space for flexibility in the cirriculum) they do not spare time to check upon quality. The findings show us that we need research to improve the teaching conditions for quality and equity.Under the findings of this pilot study, a larger scale research will be conducted in 2025.

Research aim

There is currently a gap in knowledge around pupils’ growth mindset (GM – see below) and attainment in Scotland, particularly in relation to Socio-Economic Status (SES). This study aims to broaden out insights on the relevance of growth mindset in Scotland for attainment in mathematics by drawing on large-scale data from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA).

The study investigates the relationship between growth mindset, achievement and SES using data from PISA conducted in 2022.

Theoretical framework

In 2006, Dweck’s book Mindset brought to the public attention the notion that young people’s beliefs about the nature of intelligence could themselves influence educational attainment and asserted that these beliefs were malleable (Dweck, 2006). Later work by Claro, Paunesku and Dweck (2016) suggested that GM could mitigate the effects of poverty.

Methods

Data from PISA 2022 was used to explore relationships between growth mindset (GM), SES and mathematics attainment in Scotland. Using multilevel modelling and multiple linear regression at individual and school level, we explored how far variations in gender, SES, GM, perseverance and interaction between GM and SES could predict scores in mathematics.

Findings

A significant association between positive GM and improved mathematics outcomes was found. High SES was also associated with improved mathematics outcomes. However, in contrast to findings in other contexts (Bernardo, 2021), an interaction effect between GM and SES was not associated with improved mathematics attainment.

Relevance to the Conference theme and specific strand

This study contributes to GM research in a Scottish context. Findings challenge the use of interventions to increase pupils’ growth mindset as a tool for closing the poverty-related attainment gap in Scotland. It additionally underlines the importance of robust research in identifying educational interventions for equity, ideally tested and validated across contexts.

Research aim: ­ to provide an evidence-based explanation of how self-study practitioner-researchers can contribute to the development of education, research, pedagogical practices and policies with values of human flourishing, “to ensure that education truly transforms lives in the world” (Education 2030 Incheon Declaration).

Theoretical framework: integrates insights drawn from practitioners’ values-laden knowledge and theories, generated as they engage in professional practitioner, educational, self-study research, professional development, and theories and knowledge generated by psychologists, sociologists and philosophers (Whitehead and Huxtable, 2024).

Methods: include journaling, narrative, cycles of action-reflection, and living-posters to create and collect data. Innovative methods are used to analyse digital visual data to clarify and communicate embodied meanings of values of human flourishing, which serve as evaluative standards and explanatory principles in explanations for educational influences in learning.

Findings: These are focused on the evidence-based and values-laden explanations of teachers researching their practice to realise their responsibilities as professional practitioners and global citizens. These explanations illustrate the quality of the equitable, educational opportunities; experiences and relationships for all students, whatever their background and circumstance..

Relevance to theme and strands: the research contributes to the growth of educational knowledge and theory formation, and improving the quality of equitable, inclusive teaching practices at all levels of education.

References

UNESCO (2015) Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action Towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all. Retrieved from https://iite.unesco.org/publications/education-2030-incheon-declaration-framework-action-towards-inclusive-equitable-quality-education-lifelong-learning/

Whitehead, J. & Huxable, M. (2024) Living Educational Theory Research as an Epistemology for Practice. The Role of Values in Practitioners’ Professional Development. London: Routledge.

Becoming a teacher educator is complex and involves modifications to professional identity. Teacher educators‘ knowledge and identity are in constant progress and can be explored so they can become critical agents actively questioning and negotiating the relationships between theory and praxis and the fluctuating borders of professional roles.

In this self-study I examine my professional experience as a preschool teacher becoming a teacher educator. I draw on critical pedagogy to analyze personal narratives, shedding light on tensions in different professional roles. Data is drawn from a reflective journal, field notes from my teaching, teaching materials and notes from preparation and collaborative meetings. For my analysis, I draw on narrative inquiry to extract stories from my data, that exemplify critical incidents and turning points and on critical pedagogy to identify where power is located.

Analysis revealed incidents within the preschool that led to self-doubt. Transitioning from being a teacher in preschool, to becoming a teacher educator, I mistrusted my ability to fulfil that role. These tensions emerged in (1) professional values and identity shaped by my education and experience as a preschool teacher, and (2) feeling of belonging with a group of teacher educators. Paying attention to particulars in my journey contributes to understanding the importance that educators constantly attend to professional development and how they can enact their professionalism in quality of teaching.

This study contributes to knowledge about how self-study can be an effective approach to understand roles within education and how professional culture can either limit or support teachers´ agency. It also shows the significance of professional reflection when taking on a new role as a teacher educator, as well as the importance of understanding the knowledge and values present in different settings and how these can shape one's identity.

Student voice practices engage children in pedagogical processes that involve and empower them to be collaborators and decision makers regarding their own educational experience (Iannucci & Parker, 2022). It is evident that when students are given authentic opportunities for their voice to be heard, results are positive; students are more engaged in learning (Iannucci et al., 2023). A Student Voice-Professional Learning Community (SV-PLC) of primary physical education teacher educators (PPETEs) was established to support future teachers to learn about and enact student voice as a foundational teaching practice in teaching physical education.

This research aimed to investigate PPETEs’ experiences of enacting student voice pedagogies with pre-service teachers in Ireland. Collaborative self-study of teacher education practices provided the overall frame for this research (LaBoskey, 2004). Seven PPETEs applied student voice practices in primary teacher education programmes in Ireland, with the support of five critical friends during the 2024/2025 academic year. The research involved planning and teaching a module over one semester to support pre-service teachers’ learning about student voice and reflecting both individually and with our critical friends. The data for this self-study comprised of transcripts of eight online SV-PLC meetings and one reflective diary entry from each teacher educator.

Initial findings indicate that teacher educators faced complexities in navigating student voice practices, balancing their roles as models and facilitators of voice. Feedback from critical friends was crucial in helping them reflect on and refine their approaches, balancing explicit instruction with implicit modelling. Findings suggest that protected time is necessary to incrementally build pre-service teachers' capacity to enact their voice. Teacher educators aimed to create democratic learning environments, encouraging pre-service teachers to understand the impact of their decisions, and grow into thoughtful, empathetic individuals. We envisage that our findings will contribute to pedagogical strategies, supporting teacher educators to prioritise student voice.

This research study explored how three teachers of Chinese language and culture negotiated a sense of “who they are” as language teachers during their pre-service teacher education studies in Australian higher education institutions. Drawing on positioning theory and Darvin and Norton’s (2015) expanded model of investment, results from qualitative narrative inquiry, including narrative frame, anecdote writing, and semi-structured interview, reveal the dynamic interplay of identity, ideology, and capital to explain the way in which these pre-service teachers’ identities were being constructed. The findings show that when encountering challenges, particularly concerning legitimacy and competency in university coursework and teaching practices, the pre-service teachers strategically employed different resources from their linguistic, cultural, and educational histories to negotiate a legitimate position as a teacher of Chinese language and culture for the Australian classroom. This research provides insights into the role of “agency” in contributing to teachers’ identity construction and negotiation and concludes with implications for the preparation of language teachers in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts.

Equitable education implies students being able to engage in learning activities on an equal basis, irrespective of their identity and background. To communicate about oneself and one’s family is considered an integral part of beginner competences in foreign languages (Council of Europe, 2020). Thus, autobiographies, illustrations of family trees, and similar forms of self-presentation and presentation of family information, are common genres in foreign language textbooks aimed at beginners. The aim of this research project is to investigate potential inclusive and/or exclusive teaching practices that these genres may generate. Our research questions are: What family structures and potentials for self-presentation are represented in the textbooks? How do the textbooks invite learners to critically engage with the represented knowledge?

These questions call for methodological and theoretical approaches that take into consideration both which knowledge is presented as legitimate in the textbooks (representation), and how learners are engaged with this knowledge (semiosis). We present a critical multimodal analysis of beginner textbooks in the foreign language subjects French, German, Italian, and Spanish in Norway. Informed by queer pedagogy (Nelson 1999, Paiz 2018) and principles of semiotic theory (Weninger & Kiss, 2013), we examine constellations of images, texts, and tasks, with a special eye for potentials for ambiguity and “queer” readings, to understand how the textbooks invite or make possible certain interpretations and language practices.

Preliminary findings suggest that the textbook material reproduces and reinforces traditional family patterns and binary notions of gender and sexuality. This may indicate that the genres are constrained by cultural norms and as such resistant to change. We discuss how more open and inquiry-based approaches can lead to more equitable teaching practices in foreign language teaching and learning, and suggest implications for future development of teaching and learning materials.

This research is a report on the experience of scholarship holders from the Institutional Program for Teaching Initiation Scholarship In Brazil (PIBID) of the PIBID-English subproject at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), based on a "Series Club" developed for high school students at the Federal Institute of Ceará (IFCE). In this context, the aim of the research is to reflect on the activities designed through active methodologies using audiovisual resources, with the goal of providing contextualized and meaningful learning. The activities were also designed considering the principles of interaction and motivation proposed by Brown (2007), aiming to create an environment where the student is the protagonist of their learning process (DIESEL et al, 2017). This research will describe the pedagogical strategies adopted in each meeting of the club offered at IFCE, highlighting activities such as storytelling, role-playing, and dubbing. Through the analysis of the reflective journals of the scholarship holders, the evaluation form of the club, the students' testimonies, and their dubbing productions, it was possible to verify that the use of active methodologies and audiovisual resources in English teaching stimulated students' interest and motivation. It is concluded that active methodologies and audiovisual resources can foster a more interactive and participatory classroom environment. Furthermore, sharing this research internationally through ISATT would be beneficial to highlight the importance and universality of active methodologies adapted to different cultural contexts, as well as to integrate Brazilian undergraduate students into the process of teaching and teacher education advocated by ISATT.

In asynchronous courses, it is a challenge to create community, dialogue authentically, build trust, be vulnerable, and critically reflect. We drew from Kondo’s (2024) humanizing and culturally sustaining pedagogy (Freire, 1970/2000; Ladson-Billings, 1995) to examine the extent to which pre-service teachers engaging with reflection protocols developed students’ critical consciousness and understanding of their own identity, biases, and positionality—which are critical to inclusive education (Golloher & Middaugh, 2021).

The focus of this analysis is predominantly one reflective presentation assignment. Students were tasked with choosing three of six possibilities: two questionnaires (Stansberry Brusnahan et al., 2023) and four activities (Kondo, 2024). The following disclaimer was included:

Please approach these reflections with candor and a willingness to sit in some momentary discomfort. While we expect you will challenge yourself, the extent to which you engage with these reflections is entirely up to you, as is what you are willing to share in your presentation and reflection.

The pre-service students created individualized presentations that they posted to a discussion board on an online learning platform along with a 300 word reflection responding to the following prompts:

• What did you learn about yourself by engaging in reflective activities?

• Would you consider yourself a reflective person by nature, or was this a new experience for you?

• What emotions did you experience as you reflected?

• Which experiences, questions, emotions, or reactions were the most challenging for you, and why?

• What will you take away from this experience?

Besides the reflection presentations, we draw data from the discussion board posts, replies to peers, and anonymous responses from the course evaluations. While the depth of students’ engagement in critically conscious reflections varied, most students reported being challenged, having new and revelatory understandings of themselves and their future students, new and renewed commitments to equitable teaching.

Historically, the U.S. education system has been inconsistent in addressing issues of injustice and inequity (Adams & Bell, 2016). Educators, community members, and researchers are facing obstacles in addressing these issues in their classrooms. Researchers emphasize that fundamental education goals should be to allow students to understand the difference between equality and equity, address inequitable structures, and build their awareness of self, others, and social systems (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Paris, 2012; & Gay 2018).

In the journey of addressing social justice inequities, uncertainties in how students respond arise because of inexperience with topics, conflict between the social relationships of what is taught in schools to what may be discussed at home, and the impact of social and political pressures (Flores-Koulish & Shiller, 2020). Therefore, this teacher research focused on understanding how students responded to a unit that investigated systemic racial oppression in society and the environments educators must create to engage in critical conversations. Hence, the research questions that guided the author’s work were:

• What happens when sixth-grade students engage with a social studies unit that explicitly centers the history and influence of racial oppression?

• How do students respond to classroom experiences that encourage the critical analysis of racial oppression?

The author of this study designed a five-week unit on oppression taught and engaged in reflective journaling to capture her thoughts and reflect on how her positionalities intersected with the teaching and learning throughout the unit.

Findings revealed that students recognized the impact of hidden societal messages and how society devalues particular identities of minoritized groups. Students also demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the erasure of human experiences and histories. Further, educator lessons learned included the importance of creating brave spaces and the impact of brave spaces on student emotion, the development of critical consciousness, and the humanization of marginalized groups.

Physical education lessons foster experiences, reflections, and arguments that students make explicit as language practices that, in turn, are different from the statements of other school curriculum subjects. Thus, curriculum making in physical education is complex and linked to space, activity and relationship. When we add technological considerations to the mix, there is a “pedagogically necessary time” that needs to be socially just for all students within physical education classes. Furthermore, for Charlot (2020), advocacy for education is the ongoing choice we all should make to confront prejudice, discrimination and social injustice. In this sense, during recent years, how can physical education effectively contribute to promoting social justice when schooling is forced to go online? How can physical education contribute to a socially just present and a future worth living in world facing global pandemic and regional conflicts? These questions critically direct this self-study and draws on the reflections and perceptions of two university professors for preservice and in-service teacher education of teachers working in basic education (K-12). The objective is to problematize the relationships to knowledge and the best-loved self of the two university professors – as teacher educators – and their (self)educative experiences shared within a collective of teachers from public schools in Fortaleza, the capital city of Ceará, in northeastern Brazil. The context includes remote teaching (synchronous and asynchronous) in a school site linked to two institutional programs of preservice teacher induction – PIBID and Pedagogical Residency.

In this self-study, we examine my (author-A) experience designing and implementing a roundtable at the conference of Japanese language education for Japanese (JLEJ) in 2024 that triggered the spread of self-study in JLEJ.

I am a teacher educator of JLEJ. I encountered self-study in 2020 and tried to introduce it among JLEJ colleagues. However, the concept of “Kotai-Shi-Kenkyu”(KK) already existed in this field. I found KK is quite similar to self-study. KK practitioners keep records of themselves and analyze them to improve their practices. With a tradition of KK in JLEJ, introducing self-study can cause conflicts. Therefore, I analyzed our conference experience with critical friends (author-B and C).

The roundtable preparation began in April 2023 and was implemented in May 2024. Data included my reflective notes, SNS and e-mail exchanged with critical friends, and Zoom meeting recordings. I analyzed my experience through a collaborative dialogue with critical friends.

Findings revealed my awareness of always standing back and not taking sides in either self-study and KK. I tried to remain a calm researcher. I thought that if I took sides with one, I would not be able to compare and examine both objectively. Even though I was dealing with self-study and KK, both involve “self,” I was trying to remain in a neutral position.

Through this roundtable, I could verbalize my worries and struggles in the team. In addition, I saw a speaker (author-C) analyzing and verbalizing her own conflict between self-study and KK. Through these experiences, I learned that expressing my own struggles and realizations as a participant in the discussion was not a hindrance to the comparison and examination of self-study and KK, but rather led to a dialogue that reconciled cultural and linguistic differences.

The context of this self-study is a fully online asynchronous Master’s and PhD program focused on the value-creating approaches to education, which is an Eastern philosophy expounded by three Japanese educators, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda. The theoretical framework of this study is Makiguchi’s (1981-1996, Vol. 5) theory of value, which considers the purpose of education as cultivating students’ ability to apply knowledge in order to create value in terms of beauty (what is pleasant when perceived by the five senses), gain (what benefits the entirety of an individual), and good (what benefits the larger community or society) (Goulah, 2021; Goulah & Gebert, 2009). Creating value can also be understood as making meaning (Garrison, 2019; Garrison et al., 2014; Goulah, 2021). I conducted a self-study (LaBoskey, 2004; Samaras, 2011) to examine how I could be more intentional in helping my students create positive value through my course materials, assignments, and teaching practices. The primary data consisted of journal entries from Spring 2022, Spring 2023, and Winter 2024 quarters, as well as course materials and formal and informal student feedback. I gradually identified and developed teaching practices that were value-creative, such as assessments that are enjoyable (value of beauty), lead to personal growth (value of gain), and benefit those around them (value of good). An example of this was having students create an imaginary dialogue with one of the authors so that students can create concrete changes in their practice to address certain issues within their own context. The framework of value creation can contribute to the conversation on what constitutes quality education. Doing this in an fully online asynchronous program that serves a global student body can address the issue of equity in terms of access to quality education.

Despite broad consensus on the centrality of the field practicum in educator preparation programs (EPPs), the role of field supervisor is understudied, undersupported, and underappreciated. Field supervisors are often seen as technical administrators, monitoring and evaluating pre-service teachers’ (PSTs’) progress, while course instructors and mentor teachers shoulder the “real work” of teacher preparation (McCormack et al., 2019; Zeichner, 2005). Our research analyzes the practices of two veteran supervisors who view their work as more fundamental and important to EPPs than often portrayed.

We adopt Cuenca’s (2010) framework of care, thoughtfulness, and tact to examine these supervisors’ practices. This framework, theorized in terms of Noddings’ (1992, 2003) care theory and van Manen’s (1991) pedagogical thoughtfulness and tact, envisions the supervisor-PST relationship as analogous to that of teacher-student.

Our data come from a larger self-study aimed at aligning supervisor practices with Cuenca’s (2010) framework and conducted at a small, Hispanic-serving college in the United States. We recorded conversations between two veteran supervisors and their critical friends, as well as supervisor conferences with PSTs. With these data, we present a comparative case study of how two supervisors enacted pedagogical tact in their teacher education practices, connecting supervisors’ intent and motivation to their pedagogical actions.

Using deductive and inductive coding, we find meaningful differences in the enactment and goals of supervisors’ tactful interactions with PSTs and link these differences to specific elements of their instructional context. We also find evidence of a spectrum of tactful action, with prioritization of PSTs’ comfort and emotional wellbeing at one end and prioritization of supervisor’s pedagogical vision at the other. These findings support a conception of supervisors as uniquely positioned teacher pedagogues rather than simple monitors of programmatic compliance, who have the potential to model and promote many high-leverage practices and characteristics of quality teaching (ISATT, 2025 CfP).

South Africa's deep-rooted inequality, a legacy of apartheid, continues to segregate many Black communities into impoverished areas, leading to substantial social and economic disparities (Chikoko, 2018; Maringe et al., 2015). In these deprived contexts, leading schools requires a nuanced approach where strong, caring instructional and social support is essential to improving learner outcomes and well-being. Novice principals often find themselves thrust into these demanding roles, navigating the challenges of deprivation alongside the dual pressures of professional and personal demands, often with inadequate preparation (Wieczorek & Manard, 2018).

This paper, derived from a study on the lived experiences of novice principals in deprived contexts, specifically examines how they employ caring leadership practices in such challenging environments. The central question guiding the research is: How do novice principals enact caring leadership in schools located in deprived contexts? The study, grounded in narrative inquiry, utilizes sensemaking theory to explore how these principals interpret and respond to complex, ambiguous situations (Maitlis & Christiansen, 2014). Four novice principals, each with less than three years of service, were purposively selected for life history interviews. The data were analyzed through narrative analysis to construct coherent accounts and identify emergent themes (Polkinghorne, 1995).

Findings reveal that novice principals display profound contextual mindfulness, which guides their leadership practices. They prioritize students' well-being by adopting roles beyond traditional educational frameworks, such as surrogate parents and social workers. At the organizational level, they demonstrate flexibility in policy implementation and actively seek resources to enhance the learning environment. This research provides valuable insights into the leadership challenges in deprived settings and underscores the critical role of caring leadership in fostering quality teaching and learning in such contexts.

The paper describes the teaching of managerial communication using unique participative methods in a traditional business school setting, and peer review techniques that help students see how their interaction is perceived by others in their environment. The paper highlights the significance of participation and peer review in teaching Managerial Communication to MBA students. Data was collected over a period of seven years from 700+ students enrolled in the MBA program in a reputed Business School in India.
The study describes how a traditional business communication course that was initially taught as two separate courses - Oral Business Communication and Written Business Communication was merged into one composite Managerial Communication course for MBA 1st year students, and how the traditional instructive method evolved to the present form where students are facilitated through a series of weekly participative exercises to recognize the impact of their interactions in the workplace and develop their own unique styles of communication in the business environment.
Weekly peer review reports submitted by students who attended the managerial communication course, were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Feedback collected after the course ended also provided critical direction for the modification of the course to its present form. The challenges posed by the two year lockdown during COVID aided creative redesign of the course structure and format.
The study provides critical insights into the importance of attention to feedback by students and participative peer review by students in making the course on managerial communication useful for students.

This work seeks to expand the discussion on the teaching of Afro-Brazilian history, culture, and education for ethnic-racial relations (ERER) within school physical education (EFE) (Corsino & Conceição, 2016). The aim is to highlight three emerging principles in EFE research that focus on anti-racism. The absence of Afro-Brazilian and African history and culture in teaching, anti-racist research methodologies, and the usual content in physical education classes are the subjects of investigation. The research followed a systematic literature review, a rigorous process that includes defining descriptors, searching databases, excluding duplicates, and reading abstracts to identify relevant works. After excluding duplicated theses and dissertations, 16 works were analyzed, of which 7 addressed the absence of ERER and Afro-Brazilian history and culture in EFE. However, this was done superficially, without these topics being the main focus. Regarding anti-racist research methods (Dei, 2008), qualitative research stood out, including interventions analyzed afterward and/or interviews with teachers already implementing such strategies. The studies show that body movement culture, such as dances, capoeira, and games, are commonly used to teach Afro-Brazilian history and culture in EFE, while soccer and basketball are the most common themes for implementing ERER. The results suggest that anti-racist EFE has been developed around sports, games, and dances. Anti-racist research relies heavily on qualitative approaches. Despite this, the absence of ERER and Afro-Brazilian history and culture in EFE highlights the silencing of Black cultures in schools (Santomé, 2001), though these topics are not yet the main focus of research. It is essential to emphasize method, content, and social relations, considering the intersections of social markers of difference (Auad & Corsino, 2018) in their social, political, and cultural dimensions.

Holocaust education is central to ensuring that children and young people learn about the genocide during the Second World War in which millions of Jews perished. In many education systems this is marked on a particular day in the school year known as Holocaust Memorial Day. Curriculum materials provide resources for teachers to plan lessons from and, until recent years, holocaust survivors has been able to share their personal narratives of struggle and survival. As the time lengthens from one of the most horrific periods in world history and the number of survivors diminish, perserving personal accounts and learning from them in the contemporary world is ever more important.

This paper reports on a collaborative project in Scotland to develop a set of educational resources that teachers could use to lead lessons about Scottish missionary, Jane Haining, who died in Auschwitz concentration camp. As matron of a school in Budapest, Jane Haining did not distinguish between the children in her charge, seeking to protect them and offer refuge as the persecution of Jews escalated. While honouring the memory of Jane Haining, the project focuses on learning about values and their relevance and application for children and young people, for them, and the world around them. The paper begins by outlining the underpinning pedagogical foundations for project and how these were agreed by a range of stakeholders. The impact of the project for teachers and pupils / students will then be discussed, drawing from evaluation evidence and learning outputs. The final part of the paper explores implications and next steps and considers how projects of this type contribute to 'quality teaching for a more equitable world.'

The present study is a multiple case study involving four in-service teachers. Utilizing semi-structured interviews and the analysis of diary material as methodological tools, and drawing on the transformational learning theory (Kokkos 2005:75), the study attempts to capture paths for improving the teaching of History. According to this theory, understanding and interpretation generate new symbolic patterns that are added to pre-existing ones and form the individual's cognitive load. The cognitive load of the participants is considered to be their previously established attitude towards the History lesson. The transformation we aim to document focuses on capturing reflections on previous teaching practices, perceived obstacles, the actions planned to overcome them, and the formulation of new proposals. The change in attitude is expressed through the recognition of the obstacles posed by the new situation and the planning of actions to overcome them, leading to the formulation of new proposals that support the improvement of History teaching.

Thematic analysis based on the aforementioned theory, revealed four different cases of the transformation of teaching that improves the quality of the History teaching. Two of them involve the transformation of teaching practices in History and specifically highlight the value of providing cognitive supports to pupils for pictures’ and sources handling as well as engaging pupils in the assessment process and enriching the subject's thematic content. The last two improvement proposals, emphasize the need for teacher collaboration through informal processes of mutual professional development and the recognition and utilization of pupil diversity through role rotation in inquiry-based communities.

In agreement with the conference’s definitions for Teaching quality, the participants recognize the quality in History teaching in terms of focusing on re-shaping the content and the learning environments, and they consider their own professional development within an environment of acceptance and collaboration as a necessary condition for this.

Conference Theme Alignment: Addressing social justice by leveraging technology and innovative approaches

Abstract:

Research Aim: This study aims to propose an innovative citizenship education practice by investigating the existing educational programs within three Indigenous organisations dedicated to cultivating participants’ citizenship. The research aims to explore how Indigenous communities define and implement citizenship education, focusing on recognising the contradictions within this education, reflecting sustainable values, and amplifying Indigenous epistemologies. These elements are seen as crucial for promoting social justice and providing educators with opportunities to evaluate and reflect on the intrinsic curriculum and their teaching practices.

Theoretical Framework: Utilising the world anthropologies framework (Restrepo & Escobar 2005), this research takes a collaborative and dialogical approach by examining how Indigenous knowledge holders and non-Indigenous collaborators transmit knowledge, social responsibilities, environmental sustainability, and justice-oriented values. This framework supports recognising atypical citizenship education learning approaches and critiquing dominant narratives.

Methods: The study employs a qualitative approach, including participant observation and in-depth interviews, to gather data from three organisations. The data collection process highlights the uniqueness and strengths of Indigenous approaches to citizenship education. It underscores the role of non-traditional educational practices—such as storytelling, rituals, and community engagement—in reinforcing citizenship cultivation.

Findings: The study's significant finding proposes innovative citizenship education approaches based on Indigenous epistemology. Such approaches are vital for addressing tensions in citizenship education and reimagining a more inclusive social contract that honours and integrates Indigenous knowledge systems, contributing to ongoing cohesions in this field.

Relevance: This research proposes innovative citizenship education approaches by amplifying Indigenous voices and recognising the importance and values of Indigenous educational practices.

This research aims to explore how environmental citizen science can contribute to lived eco-citizenship in young people while they are in formal schooling. Young people are taking increasingly public and overtly political action in response to environmental concerns. There is a need for schools to support young people in navigating current environmental challenges, however, the capacity for schools to do this can be inconsistent. Research is needed to better support schools and young people in confidently responding to contemporary and evolving environmental issues.

Hayward (2012) suggests that young people have different experiences of environmental or eco-citizenship than adults. Emphasising the everyday experiences of young people, at home, in school or with their friends, rather than ‘adult’ experiences like voting or environmentally-conscious consumerism, offers a way of realistically understanding eco-citizenship in young people. Kallio, Wood and Hakli (2020) describe lived citizenship in a way that explores the reality of citizenship in everyday situations rather than relying on the formal, legal status of citizenship. This analysis draws upon that conception, placing the embodied experiences and acts of eco-citizenship in the daily life of young people at its core.

Using a qualitative, in-depth, multi-method, case study approach, exploring the experiences of school-based participants (n=74, pupils, teachers and scientists) across three different school-based citizen science projects, and a small number of pupils who had no citizen science experience in schools as comparison.

A major finding is that environmental citizen science experiences offer opportunities to connect pupils with scientific research practices in a way that connects them with authentic eco-citizenship not ordinarily available in schools. Supporting teachers and citizen science providers to work together in building such opportunities into formal education provision can strengthen school responses to local and global environmental challenges.

This study investigates the ‘purposes of education’ and 'equitable teaching' through the philosophical underpinnings that inform different schooling types. A critical content analysis (CCA) of school documentation reveal the espoused purpose of education and the type of citizen each school type aimed to graduate. The CCA deductively aligned the findings to the four traditions of education (epistemological, curricular, organisation, pedagogical) and domains of learning (cognitive, affective and psychomotor). The findings locate power in the social practices of schooling and uncovered understandings and transforming conditions of inequity of learning evidenced within the varying contexts. The study revealed the ‘future citizen’ being shaped by each school type in terms of learning domains and the espoused policy into measurable outcomes. Although the range of schools are increasing, for many students, schooling remains a choiceless choice and inherently inequitable.

This study employed Participatory Action Research (PAR) to explore negativism in vulnerable youth and its implications for teacher education, emphasizing the amplification of pupils' voices and the co-construction of common knowledge regarding responsiveness to challenging behaviors. Drawing on Vygotsky's concepts of double stimulation and common knowledge construction, this study investigated how integrating pupils' perspectives into teacher preparation can enhance understanding of negativism. The research, conducted in a therapeutic boarding school setting, involved 8 student teachers, 8 cooperating teachers, 7 high-school pupils, and a clinical supervisor. Data was collected through partnership meeting transcripts, student-teachers' reflective-dialogue journals, and the researcher's reflective journal portfolio. The metaphor of "porcupine children," introduced as a second stimulus, facilitated a deeper understanding of pupils' defensive behaviors and needs. PAR processes enabled the co-construction of common knowledge between pupils and student teachers, leading to more nuanced interpretations of negativism and supporting a shared language for discussing complex behaviors. Both student teachers and pupils illustrated significant growth throughout the process. This mutual development illustrates the transformative potential of integrating vulnerable youth voices into teacher education. The study revealed how negativism can serve as a gateway to higher forms of development, aligning with Vygotsky's view that behind every negative symptom lies positive content. By facilitating collective meaning-making, promoting deep listening, and alleviating tensions, this approach enhances teacher preparation programs' ability to equip future educators with skills to respond effectively to challenging behaviors while empowering pupils to articulate their needs and experiences. This study contributes to the literature on relational approaches in teacher education, offering strategies to amplify sidelined voices of vulnerable youth and their teachers in educational practice and research. It enables more inclusive environments where educators and students develop agency and mutual understanding in addressing complex behavioral issues, ultimately promoting personal recognition and facilitating active listening in teacher education.

Early career teachers (ECTs) often face a myriad of challenges as they transition from preparation programs into professional employment contexts. Contextual resources, such as relationships in professional and personal spheres, as well as other support or social networks, can play a crucial role in enhancing ECTs’ teacher quality and in promoting the quality of teaching. In Mainland China, the teaching-research group (TRG) system, comprising in-school TRGs and external teaching-research officials, has been a deeply embedded professional contextual resource in the Chinese education system. These collaborative structures have been widely implemented to foster teacher development and improve the quality of teaching.

However, the experiences of ECTs in navigating the TRG system and their quest for quality teaching remain underexplored. This qualitative study examines the experiences of ECTs within the TRG system in Mainland China. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with 11 ECTs, the research investigates the specific challenges they face, the ways in which they leverage contextual resources, and the strategies they employ to navigate this professional landscape in striving for quality teaching.

The findings shed light on the complex interplay between individual and contextual factors that shape ECTs’ experiences within TRGs. The study also explores ECTs’ agentic behaviour in utilizing informal and personal spheres of contextual resources to compensate for the lack of readily available professional resources within the TRGs.

The study highlights the variation of TRGs as a contextual resource and how Chinese ECTs harness different formal and informal contextual resources to navigate the professional landscape in pursuit of quality teaching. Implications emphasize the importance of fostering a more inclusive and empowering environment to address ECTs’ unique needs, and ECTs’ agentic approach in utilizing a range of contextual resources to navigate the complexities of the TRG system and thrive in their quest for quality teaching.

This presentation seeks to address the role of a teacher education program in relation to Truth and Reconcilia(c)tion education. To do so, Algonquin Anishnàbeg First Nations and non-First Nations colleagues will share their experiences and research collaborations aimed at confronting truth before reconcilia(c)tion. Their work emphasizes the importance of co-creating, co-rewriting, and co-restorying anti-colonial narratives that challenge the settler colonial legacy within teacher education and K-12 schooling. Collaborations with the Kitigan Zibi Anishnàbeg First Nations community highlight how meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities are essential for comprehending and addressing the intergenerational impacts of colonialism in relation to the historical consciousness and lived experiences of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous citizens. In alignment with the 2025 International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT) conference theme, “Reconciling Tensions for a New Social Contract in Education,” our research collaborations suggests that the historical and contemporary roles of teacher education played in the residential schooling system and its resulting harms must be fully understood before existing relations and their tensions can be reconciled. Through our partnerships with Residential School Survivors, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers teacher education can be transformed to reflect Canada’s colonial history and the lived experiences of Survivors. Our relational pedagogical approach encourages educators to engage with the deep, often painful truths shared by Survivors, ensuring that reconciliation is grounded in relational accountability rather than performative gestures. Inspired by UNESCO’s “Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education,” the presentation critiques current framings of reconciliation that overlook the critical processes of truth-telling. Our relationship with the Kitigan Zibi Anishnàbeg community serves as a model for prioritizing truth-telling and creating, supporting, and sustaining a relational social contract. By integrating Indigenous Knowledges and Survivors’ stories into teacher education, structural changes that honor these truths and foster genuine anticolonial futures can emerge.

With the expansions of wars and conflicts, the number of immigrants in the Unites States (US) has grown dramatically from just 10 million in 1970 to more than 45 million in the last few years. This rapid increase is associated with a growing number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with limited English proficiency in schools across the US. The current study investigated the impacts of teachers’ gender on the attitudes of MAT teachers, seeking Masters of Arts in Teaching, towards students with limited English proficiency. Quantitative method was used to collect the data and ninety- two (92) randomly chosen MAT teachers participated in the study and responded to the questionnaire. The findings of the current study revealed the followings: 1) gender was found a statistically significant factor that impacted MAT teachers’ attitudes towards CLD students; 2) Males teachers showed greater positive attitudes towards CLD than females; and 3) the study showed the importance of having adequate knowledge in teachers’ preparation in order to potentially have more effective teaching and positive attitudes. The current study investigated a part on equitable teaching practices and further investigations are opened for exploration.

This self-study evolved from decades of transcultural learning and teaching experiences. Drawing from self-study, reflexive ethnography and narrative inquiry, Comparative Ethnographic Narrative (Author 1, 2005, 2010, 2022) is used to investigate a father and daughter’s lived experiences. After being estranged for nearly a decade, travel to our ancestral home of Ireland resulted in a profound reconnection and reconciliation. In this paper, we reflect on how this remarkable experience impacted our lives and helped us to heal our broken relationship. Embedded within are several critical incidents that occurred during our 2-week trip to Ireland in September 2023. Through field texts including emails, shared journal writing, reflections, and extended conversations, we make meaning from these life-changing experiences to co-construct our narrative.

Education is reflection on experience (Dewey, 1938). Narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) is complementary to self-study (Kitchen, 2009; Kosnik & Beck, 2010; Loughran et al., 2004). The origins of self-study are in the seminal work of Joseph Schwab (Craig, 2008). Indeed, self-study has proven a natural fit for teacher educators (Loughran, 2007). Essentially, CEN is a collaborative form of narrative inquiry—comparative (as it involves comparing one’s experiences with others); ethnographic (in situ, long term participant-observation); and narrative (incorporating peer to peer extended conversations). It is like self-study, joint auto-ethnography or other forms of collaborative, interpretive research (Ellis & Bochner, 2000; Loughran, 2007). Since many educational phenomena are culturally embedded and tacit in nature, they are better understood through micro‐level ethnomethodological studies. This study offers a taste of CEN, which like narrative inquiry, is both phenomenon and method. The CEN cyclical process of telling stories, reflecting on stories, and re-telling stories with co-researchers, helps facilitate interpretation and deep analysis to uncover rich, lived experiences. We are seeking further conversations at ISATT 2025 colleagues about CEN and its connections to self-study.

Research aim – To create and communicate an epistemology for the professional learning of self-study, teacher-education researchers.

Theoretical framework – This is provided by the 2024 symposium of the British Educational Research Association on ‘Generating an epistemology for educational research from the responsibility of educators and educational researchers to research their own professional development (Wadsley et al. 2024).

Methods –The methods are focused on the clarification and communication of the embodied values used by self-study researchers as explanatory principles in their explanations of educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of the social formations within which the professional practice is located (Tidwell, et al. 2009). The methods include empathetic resonance with digital visual data for clarifying the meanings of embodied expressions of values and their use as explanatory principles in explanations of educational influences in learning.

Findings – These are focused on an epistemology that has emerged from the responsibilities of self-study researchers for researching their professional learning in inquiries of the kind, ‘How do I improve the educational influences in my professional practice?’. They include making public their validated, evidence-based and values-laden explanations of educational influences in learning.

Relevance to the Conference theme and specific strand - The epistemology for self-study researchers is derived from researching quality teaching, equity, and socially just classrooms in the generation of each individual’s living-educational-theory.

References

Tidwell, D., Heston, M. & Fitzgerald, L. (Ed) (2009) Research Methods for the Self-Study of Practice. Dordrecht, Springer.

Wadsley, M., Mounter, J., Huxtable, M. & Whitehead, J. (2024) Generating an epistemology for educational research from the responsibility of educators and educational researchers to research their own professional development. Symposium presented at BERA 2024 at the University of Manchester 8-12 September 2024. Retrieved from https://www.actionresearch.net/writings/jack/bera2024/bera2024symposiumprop.pdf

At the core of establishing a European Education Area by 2025, lies the need to improve social cohesion and “experience European identity in all its diversity” (European Commission, 2017). To this end, “giving more support to teachers” became a central objective of the European Education Area, including that “Member States take action to support the teacher education profession” (European Commission, 2013) in recognition of their central role in every stage of the teacher’s career. European policy documents reflect growing awareness of teachers’ and teacher education’s crucial role in developing more equitable education systems. In this context, we work on a large-scale EU-funded project, mapping policies and practices regarding equity and diversity in teacher education programmes in eight European countries, with the aim of addressing the professional development needs of teacher educators across across EU countries to enable teachers to attain the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes essential to addressing the equity and diversity issues they face. This session reports on policies and practices in four of these countries: Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

The three contributions are connected by a cohesive methodological framework, including document analysis on national and institutional levels, and focusgroup interviews with programme leaders in teacher education, teacher educators, and student teachers. This lead to a multilevel and crossnational understanding across two key areas: (1) initial teacher education for teaching pre-service teachers to teach for equity and diversity; and (2) practices for upskilling teacher educators’ equity and diversity competencies.

We target three objectives:

• deliver a rich account of provision for pre-service teachers and teacher educators in the participating countries, focussing on the national and institutional levels;
• identify strengths and gaps in existing provision on the different levels in each country;
• define key priorities for the professional development of teacher educators on the European level.

The Camau i’r Dyfodol project is a three-year research collaboration between the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and the University of Glasgow. The project supports education professionals to realise Curriculum for Wales (CfW) through a process of co-construction. Within the context of CfW, which is a process-oriented, purpose-led curriculum, the project explores how curriculum, assessment and pedagogy can be better aligned, and where the focus is on the process of learning and not only the final outcomes, thus trying to untangle these educational tensions.

Singh and Morrison-Love will discuss Phase 1 of the project, which focused on understandings of progression in the education system in Wales. Sharpling and Eleri will discuss Phase 2, which enabled education professionals to collaboratively think through the challenges and opportunities of curriculum realisation. Building upon shifts in thinking involved when working with a purpose-led, process-oriented curriculum, Makara-Fuller will discuss Phase 3 of Camau i’r Dyfodol, which put CfW into practice in schools and settings.

Ryder and Farrar will discuss the ways in which the project supported practitioners in schools across Wales to develop curricula using a process-oriented approach. Brychan and Valdera-Gil will discuss the ways in which the project team engaged in conversations with Welsh Government, Local Authorities, Consortia, Estyn (Inspectors) and Qualifications Wales to explore what CfW as a process-oriented, purpose-led curriculum means for 1) professional learning, 2) quality in the education system, and 3) learning and teaching 14-16 year olds.

Patrick and Borquez-Sanchez will present findings on how understandings of CfW in HEI settings in Wales shape approaches to teacher education.

Wiseman-Orr will act as a discussant in the symposium, critically reflecting upon the project implications for equity in teaching and learning.

These curriculum development approaches are designed to be widely incorporated into professional practices resulting in capacity building across the system.

The quality of teaching depends in part on how teachers interact with students. According to the socioconstructivist theory (Vygotsky (1934/1985) and the socio-cultural approach (Bruner, 1983), learning depends on the quality of the teacher’s support for the participation of disabled and able-bodied students in the physical education (PE) sessions.

A first study reveals the small amount of time devoted to in the training of pre-service teachers to the skill of «mastering the French language for communicative purposes». Using a recent coding grid (Ahmadi et al., 2022), the analysis of the verbal behaviors of 8 PE teachers (4 experts and 4 beginners) reveals disparities in support of the three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence and relatedness, LaGuardia & Ryan, 2000). A second study rooted in the self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017) focuses on the analysis of the needs satisfaction and motivation of 186 students, and their agentic engagement (Reeve, 2013) in PE, as indicators of quality teaching (Reeve & Cheon, 2021). A third study examines the invariants and specific features of the guidance provided by an expert teacher to two groups of students with similar disabilities during six dance sessions integrated into an inclusion project at a Medical Educational Institute (IME). Verbal and non-verbal guidance procedures are quantified according to Harbonnier-Topin and Barbier (2014) grid and the teacher’s postures are described to determine the specificity of the support guaranteeing the quality of educational interaction.

The common theme is the analysis of the quality of the teaching-learning process, using mixed-method research to provide an in-depth understanding of the interactions observed so that the needs of the learners can be taken into account. Moreover, they open up perspectives vocational training opportunities focused on the content and communication modalities that support students and encourage them to engage proactively in their development and well-being.