Justifying grades is part of being a professor in today’s classrooms. Sometimes, negotiation between student and teacher about the grade overrides the learning process. If a grade does not meet the student’s expectation, instructors observe students’ increase in anxiety and decrease in motivation and interest in learning (Kohn, 1994). There are additional concerns about student engagement when students are not invested in a course(e.g.,non-majors; Barry, 2023).

Alternate grading systems, like contract grading, assist instructors with engagement. It is associated with critical pedagogy because it distributes the power equally between the instructor and student with the use of a “contract”. The student decides on a set of criteria that demonstrates their mastery. By alleviating the need to meet instructor expectations, students are free to ask questions and deeply explore the content.

My research aims were:

-How does one become an effective instructor in the challenging context of a class that enrolls non-education majors?

-How does my vision of the purpose of grading support my goal of student engagement and affect my interactions with the class?

S-STEP (Bullough & Pinnegar, 2001) was selected as the qualitative research approach because existing data was used to study my practices and professional experiences. For this study, four data sources were utilized: (a) autobiographic accounts, (b) field notes (c) students’ reflections on the course d) students’ assignments.

Two themes emerged around engagement: instructor-content engagement and student-instructor engagement. The instructor was able to teach the content at a deeper level by developing more engaging lectures and developing higher-level thinking questions. Second, the instructor was able to interact with students on an equitable level and respond to their needs. Alternative grading systems, as an equitable teaching practice, may assist the instructor in course development and improved student-instructor interactions thus increasing overall engagement.

Research on teacher education highlights the mismatch between the practicum of pre-service teachers (PSTs) and coursework (Brown, Barry, Ku, & Puckett, 2020; Barnes, & Smagorinsky, 2016; Zeichner, 2010, 2018). This study explores ways in which field-embedded collaborative literacy practices through the formation of Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) impact PSTs’ beliefs and enactment of literacy instruction, with a particular focus on multilingual learners (MLLs).

PLNs serve as the conceptual framework combined with self-study methods in teacher education practices (S-STEP). PLNs propose a theory of learning that situate the acquisition of knowledge and skills in communities. As groups engage in collaborative activities, members both grow and learn specific norms and expectations (Lomos et al. 2011; Vescio et al. 2008). As a framework focused on the multiple communities, this theory of learning is highly relevant to teacher preparation programs. Furthermore, as teacher education researchers, self-study of our practices provides an opportunity to analyze and reflect on educator’s ways of knowing and knowledge of practice, while considering practices that support literacy learning (Berry, 2015).

Open coding of various data sources was conducted, including course assignments, syllabi, student feedback, and reflective memos.

Findings, include, but are not limited to:

• PSTs describing how participating in PLNs fostered experimentation with instructional practices

• PSTs taking on the role of critical friend in the PLNs without prompting

• PSTs engaging with multiple aspects of content area literacies to support all students, particularly MLLs.

Based on findings, this work has the potential to address the mismatches perceived within PSTs' shift from full-time coursework to full-time field placements and to build PSTs' use of collaborative literacy practices as modes of learning and learning to teach all students. Given its focus, this study connects with the overall conference theme and the strands, Characteristics of Quality Teaching and Research on Equitable Teaching Practices.

The research aim of this study was to explore characteristics of quality teaching and curriculum design for equitable teaching related to small-group reading instruction. Through a partnership between a campus principal, an instructional specialist, a university associate professor, and reading language arts teachers at an elementary school in the Southwest United States, we sought to increase and assess collective teacher efficacy in small-group reading interventions. We designed an instructional framework focusing on standards-aligned exemplars to improve reading achievement of students in grades 3 through 5. The lessons focused on teacher clarity, exemplars, the gradual release of responsibility, a variety of modes of student responses, and alignment to standards. Further, we aimed to increase equity for economically disadvantaged students by providing authentic reading and writing experiences. We sought to move beyond traditional test preparation, typically unengaging and usually more prevalent in low socio-economic schools, towards the high-quality best practices that all students deserve. The study followed the theoretical framework of andragogy as we aimed to increase collective teacher efficacy through shared practices via professional development, professional learning communities, collaborative lesson planning, and coaching cycles. We utilized the methodological approach of grounded theory using the constant comparative method to analyze teachers’ perceptions on the instructional framework through focus groups. Findings revealed that during the two years of implementing the instructional framework, students’ reading achievement on the state assessments increased compared to the three years before implementation; additionally, teachers’ responses were positive towards the instructional framework. Implications for developing the practice of stakeholders and future research are further discussed based on this self-study of teacher education practices. This study addresses the conference theme of teaching quality as we aimed to improve teachers' practices in equitable reading interventions, with a focus on the specific strand of characteristics of quality teaching.

Knowing the critical importance of social emotional learning (SEL) as a path to equity and justice in our teacher education programs, this group of junior faculty considered how to better teach preservice teachers about equitable teaching practices through SEL. Building on previous self-study by the authors, the focus of this study was continued exploration in how to impact preservice teacher’s SEL understanding, exploring their own social emotional competencies. The five commonalities of self-study research found across the work of Barnes, LaBoskey, and Samaras (Mena & Russell, 2017) were used.

The authors journaled and reflected on class sessions, critically questioning preparation, pedagogical delivery, and student response to teaching through a SEL lens. They examine how the deliberate use of questioning enhances instructional practices and promotes reflective teaching among novices. Collaborative reflective inquiry was a critical piece to the study. While analysis continues, preliminary findings show we are not intentionally pointing out how our actions impact students or providing feedback to enable them to reflect deeper about social awareness and relationship skills. Most critical, this study has opened discussions around what social and emotional competencies need to be deliberately taught in our teacher preparatory programs, tying to characteristics of quality teaching and curriculum design for equitable teaching. We hope to contribute to the ongoing dialogue about SEL teaching practices by employing self-study methods to present perspectives from educators immersed in the current teacher education landscape.

Mena, J., & Russell, T. (2017). Collaboration, multiple methods, trustworthiness: Issues arising from the 2014 International Conference on Self-study of Teacher Education Practices. Studying Teacher Education, 13(1), 105-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/17425964.2017.1287694

The aim of this collaborative self-study was to investigate how I enacted inclusive literacies as an associate professor for elementary language arts and literacies in a Bachelor of Education program at a rural Canadian university. This study was informed by critical pedagogies (e.g., Apple, 2013; Freire, 1986; Giroux, 2011) and critical literacies (Comber, 2015a; 2015b). Critical pedagogy is defined as “that which attends to practices of teaching/learning intended to interrupt particular historical, situated systems of oppression” (Lather, 1992, p. 121). Paulo Freire’s (1986) critical pedagogy emphasizes the importance of empowering students and liberating them through educational practices. Freire (1986) provides significant techniques of teaching that aim to enhance students’ critical thinking and agency as active learners and citizens. Committed to enacting socially just and equitable literacies with preservice teachers, a critical lens enabled me to examine, disrupt, and transform my practices to become more inclusive. My course design was inspired by Freire’s work, along with others (e.g., Apple, 2013; Giroux, 2011), who advocate for promoting a critical consciousness of students while developing an understanding of historical-socio political incidents that surround learners. A central focus of my research was exploring relations among literacies, places, and identities. Drawing on data from course outlines, instructional artifacts, my reflective journal, and other course materials (powerpoints, handouts, photos, readings), I will show how S-STEP enabled me to enact more inclusive socially just literacies through critical reflective practice, leveraging digital technologies, and designing equitable literacy events. My work contributes to the overall theme of the conference by making connections between S-STEP and socially just classrooms.

Research Aim

Three faculty at a rural, midwestern university participated in an interdisciplinary Faculty Learning Community (FLC) to pilot HyFlex course design and delivery. The HyFlex model allowed students to choose learning modes (in-person, synchronous online, and asynchronous online). Throughout the two-year (2022-2024) pilot, three FLC members conducted a self-study to explore how designing and teaching HyFlex courses influenced their practices.

Theoretical Framework

We utilized narrative, transactional, and adult learning theories to frame and critically examine how we individually and collectively experienced the (new to us) world of teacher preparation through HyFlex (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990; Dewey & Bentley, 1949; Rosenblatt, 1978). Epistemologically, transactional theory recognizes dynamic, ecological relationships between knowers and their environments (Dewey & Bentley, 1949). We sought to improve teaching practices, student learning, and contribute to the larger academic landscape.

Methods

We chose self-study of teaching practices methodology to critically examine our teaching and develop more consciously driven modes of pedagogic/andragogic activity in light of FLC experiences. Data included transcripts of meetings and critical friends discourse, instructor and student-produced artifacts, student and faculty survey responses, and anonymous course evaluations. Bi-weekly collaborative discussions with internal and external critical friends (Schuck & Russell, 2005; Frambaugh-Kritzer & Stolle, 2023) provided cross-disciplinary perspectives to examine and reframe teaching practice (Freidus, et al., 2005).

Results

As a result of this research, we identified opportunities to transform our online teaching practices by (1) explicitly calling attention to how HyFlex pedagogies influenced the future iterations of the courses we taught in terms of design and practice; (2) attending to individuality in the online learning environment, as communicated by choice and multiple options for interacting with one another and the content; and (3) purposefully creating safe, equitable, and inclusive online learning environment for teachers, teacher candidates, and ourselves as teacher educators.

The social context of higher education has shifted dramatically in recent years, influenced by post-pandemic effects, a worsening student mental health crisis, and broader societal changes in well-being (Darroch, 2023; Gannon, 2024; Glazier, 2022; Malesic, 2022). These changes necessitate a new approach to teaching, creating what some perceive as a new social contract between students and faculty (Lausch & Bose, 2023; McMurtrie, 2023; Pettit, 2023; Supiano, 2024).

This self-study aims to answer the research question: “How can we cultivate a curriculum of flourishing and teach from our best selves within this changing social context?” A curriculum of flourishing promotes both student and faculty well-being, drawing from positive psychology (Diener et al., 2009; Ellyatt, 2022; Rehal & van Nieuwerburgh, 2022); equity-centered, trauma-informed pedagogy (Thompson & Carello, 2022; Venet, 2021); contemplative approaches to education and social, emotional, cultural competencies (Barbezat & Bush, 2014; Markowitz & Bouffard, 2020); and related movements such as Slow Professor and Teach from Your Best Self (Berg & Seeber, 2016; Schroder, 2024) and mental performance mindset (Holiday, 2014; Stutz & Michaels, 2023).

Self-study methodology (LaBoskey, 2004) was employed to generate insights. Over three semesters, data were gathered from teaching artifacts such as lesson plans with specific activities to cultivate flourishing, a teacher-researcher journal, and reflective discussions with critical friends. Iterative analysis revealed key trends, such as reframing difficulty as an opportunity for growth and deliberately cultivating elements of flourishing reported in the literature, benefiting the well-being of both students and faculty.

Findings indicate that a curriculum of flourishing fosters resilience, adaptability, and a stronger sense of purpose in both students and educators. This presentation will share insights into this evolving framework, offering practical strategies to help faculty respond to the ongoing changes in higher education.

In this Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices session, I will share my self-study of my return to the elementary science classroom after a hiatus of 12 years, during which time I became a tenured teacher educator. My research aim is to investigate the current context of the K-12 classroom in order to inform and update my practice as a teacher educator.

This work builds on a pilot (Angelone, 2024) and similar self-study research (McDonough, 2017; Peercy, 2014; Scherff & Kaplan, 2006). I align this work with research from a sociocultural and critical perspective that recognizes that learning is social and situated (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Vygotsky, 1978) and that schools are cultural sites of power (Foucault, 1977; Freire, 2000). I will also draw on Berry’s (2008) concept of tensions to provide a “language for describing practice, and in so doing, may be considered a way forward in developing a pedagogy of teacher education that can be shared” (p. 166).

This is a qualitative self-study of my return to the elementary science classroom for one semester. As I prepared, taught, and navigated elementary school once again, I wrote (and am in the process of writing) daily reflections and engaged another teacher educator as a critical friend (LaBoskey, 2004). Once the semester is complete, I will conduct a thematic analysis in order to contribute to the S-STEP literature in a way that acts as “a stimulus for others to better interpret their own experiences, so extending the personal benefits of self-study to new knowledge for others” (Loughran & Northfield, 1996, p. ix).

This work is related to the conference theme and strand in that quality teaching must reflect the current context. As classroom demographics change, teacher candidates must be prepared to contribute to a more equitable world within their classrooms.

Responding to calls to action addressing equity, diversity and inclusion in Teacher Education, this presentation focuses on two academic leaders as they navigate the intersections of race and gender in their professional contexts. These initiatives focus on how to engage with unsettling and provocative discussions about power and privilege. Developing an open and calm receptivity along with a realistic attitude about long-held opinions, assumptions, and biases towards the self and others can create pathways where transformative practices emerge. Informed by a large-scale research about wellbeing and aligning with program exit surveys, initial results support the creation of spaces where a sense of belonging is nurtured by respectful, responsible, and reciprocal interactions. Capacities of unlearning and re-learning can be fostered in novel ways not just for academic leaders but for instructors, students and staff in teacher education. These findings provide direction for teacher education programs to construct opportunities and possibilities for success across the lifespan of a career.

In this self-study, we draw upon literature related to critical qualitative inquiry and self-study to frame our stances as critical friends. Lincoln and Denzin (1998) identified the “fifth moment for qualitative research” (p.22) as one that is characterized by being present and engaged in activist-oriented inquiry grounded in social criticism and social critique. In relationship to self-study methodologies, Bullough and Pinnegar (2001), citing the “humanistic commitment of the qualitative researcher to study the world” (p. 13), recognize that self-study’s appeal reflects the postmodern academic focus on identity and a Foucault-based recognition of the juxtaposition of power and privilege on self-formation (p. 14). It is with this reference point that we grounded our globalized self-study. Like Lincoln and Denzin’s fifth moment, we took seriously self-study’s aim is to “provoke, challenge, and illuminate rather than conform and settle” (Samaras, Hicks, & Berger, 2004, p. 908).

Research Aim

This self-study examined the emotional labor experienced by two tenure-track faculty, Matt and Rebecca (pseudonyms), during their dossier collection and submission process. As a teacher educator and librarian, respectively, both sought to advance from Assistant to Associate Professor at a regional university in the Midwest USA.

Theoretical Framework

Collaborative self-study involves scholars investigating phenomena together (Pitthouse et al., 2009). Matt and Rebecca, already part of a community of practice, explored their tenure and promotion process through the lens of emotional labor. Facing unclear institutional expectations and high stakes, they aimed to understand their scholarly identities by examining tensions and vulnerabilities.

Methods

This study aligns with LaBoskey’s (2004) aspects of self-study. Data was collected over nine months (January to September 2023). Data included meeting notes, personal reflections, journals, and a final recorded conversation, totaling 33,875 words. Data were analyzed through initial coding and collaboration for confirming or disconfirming evidence (Erickson, 1986).

Findings

Most emotional labor manifested as anxiety in two areas:

External anxiety

This anxiety stemmed from unclear and shifting expectations, with systemic support being vague or nonexistent.

Internal anxiety

This arose from personal concerns about self-worth and scholarly identity, particularly as Matt, new to the area, was research-focused, unlike his teaching-focused colleagues.

Connection to Conference Theme and Strand

This study contributes to scholarship on transitioning into teacher education and developing scholarly identity, highlighting the explicit tensions and anxieties faced. In the post-pandemic era, as tenure and promotion become less secure, traditional academic milestones need re-evaluation. A new social contract may be necessary to improve these processes and experiences.

Leadership

This proposal shares insights from an ongoing collaborative self-study examining deep learning practices in undergraduate teacher education and doctoral educational leadership programs, focusing on integrating self-regulated learning strategies. Our inquiry, conducted by Las Chicas Críticas, a professional collaborative group from multiple southwestern U.S. institutions, investigates our understanding of deep learning, its implementation, and connection to self-regulated learning. Our goal is to improve our future practice (Berry, 2004; Pinnegar et al, 2020) and engage in dialogue with others (Butler & Branyon, 2020).

Our inquiry is guided by the following wonderings:

• How do we conceptualize deep learning in our practices?
• What approaches do we incorporate to promote and support deep learning experiences for our students?
• How can we integrate self-regulated learning approaches to support deep learning?
• How can our insights inform our future practice in preparing teachers and educational leaders for deep learning?

Using a collaborative self-study approach (LaBoskey, 2004), we collect data through course artifacts, student feedback, instructor journals, and reflective discussions. Our analysis involves individual and collective examination of data, using coding techniques (Charmaz, 2006; Saldaña, 2021) to identify points of resonance (Conle, 1997) and dissonance with perceived values and practices (LaBoskey, 2004).

We explore how our understanding aligns with frameworks by Darling-Hammond and Oakes (2019) and Mehta and Fine (2019), emphasizing learning environments that foster deep understanding, critical thinking, and real-world application. We also investigate integrating self-regulated learning strategies (Nilson, 2013; McGuire, 2018).

We anticipate our findings will provide insights into fostering deep learning in teacher education and educational leadership programs, sharing approaches and reflections on our evolved understanding and practices. Our presentation will offer theoretical and practical implications for supporting deep learning in educational programs.

This research report aims to investigate how (auto)biographical narratives have impacted the perspectives and assumptions of a physical education teacher educator, being himself a teacher-researcher, within the scope of undergraduate and master's courses in Brazil. The theoretical-methodological itinerary is qualitatively engendered as a self-study of teacher education practices (S-STEP) based on (auto)biographical narratives. The data set comprises narratives partially published in articles and book chapters from 2010 to 2023, totaling thirteen years. The thematic analysis of the narratives was shared, with the collaboration of two researchers – from Chile and Canada. The evidence points to a complex path in the teaching trajectory with the following themes: the critical friendship between teacher-researchers, (auto)biographical and dilemmatic narrative modes of self, becoming a teacher-researcher permanently, reflective engagement based on action research, collaborative educative processes, knowledge community, transitions from narratives to self-study, promotion of self-education in a network, social (in)justice and ontology of educational practices.

Author Parker Palmer once posed the question, “If we don’t attend to our inner life and value its gifts, how can we be of service to others?” (2017, p. 22). This paper explores how mindfulness and the creative arts act as tools to enhance well-being and sustain high-quality teaching, especially amidst the pressures of high-stakes accountability in the U.S. educational system. As educators strive to cultivate inclusive, equitable learning environments, attending to the inner resilience and creativity of teachers is essential for socially just teaching.

Drawing on Michalec’s (2013) assertion that teachers need inner resilience to prevent burnout, this research explores how mindfulness and creativity cultivate calm, reduce stress, and foster innovative teaching—qualities that support all students, regardless of social or cultural identity. The work is further informed by Stern’s (2004) concept of “present moment awareness” and Caldwell’s (2014) notion of "bodyfulness," which emphasize how mindfulness practices sharpen awareness and creativity, essential for maintaining presence in teaching.

This research uses self-study methodology (LaBoskey, 2004), examining the experiences of two female teacher education professors. Reflective inquiry into their mindfulness and creative practices reveals how these approaches support authentic presence, enhance well-being, and foster creative, equitable teaching. By nurturing their inner lives, the professors find themselves better able to create learning spaces that address the diverse needs of their students.

By linking mindfulness and creativity to teacher well-being and the cultivation of socially just classrooms, this research underscores the critical role of teachers nurturing their inner lives in achieving broader educational goals. In alignment with the conference’s focus on quality teaching, this paper presents a model for fostering both educator and student flourishing in a sustainable, equitable educational landscape.

This roundtable brings together educational leaders, researchers, and practitioners to critically explore how education can shift from tokenistic commitments to actionable strategies toward sustainable, transformative practices that have the potential to reshape socially just learning environments. Grounded in the belief that educator professional learning and praxis are critical levers for enacting deep and systemic change, the session invites dialogue on how to build and sustain learning communities that challenge inequities and promote justice across diverse educational settings. Aligned with the development of national and international networks, this session will foster knowledge exchange among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers committed to advancing socially just education. It will also highlight the role of partnerships between universities and schools in bridging theory and practice, sharing emerging insights into how such collaborations can produce evidence-based reform. Through the collective expertise of participants, the roundtable aims to advance the understanding of leadership, enhance global collaboration, and further contribute to educational research and leadership as a driver of meaningful, practice-based transformation in schools.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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 .

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Aim

This study seeks to understand how schoolteachers in Scotland respond to and manage the challenges in an increasingly complex educational environment. It examines teachers’ views on their working environment and the ways in which conditions in their schools have an influence on aspects of teacher quality including professionalism.

Framework

The conceptual framework was based on a review of the literature on teacher quality and effectiveness which led to the creation of a conceptual map of the main debates that seemed to relate to teacher commitment to pupils and their learning, pedagogical content knowledge, self-efficacy, successful school leadership and policy reform (Bradford et al., 2021).

Methods

A questionnaire survey was employed to get an overview about teachers’ perceptions of their school conditions and their work. The survey embraced a 48-item Likert-type scale and was informed by the wider research literature on teachers’ perceptions of improvement in different areas of their school’s work including non-academic areas. Data were collected from a sample of 280 teachers (12% response rate) through a stratified random sample of secondary schools in Scotland.

Results

Exploratory and confirmatory analyses generated four underlying factors for the models focusing on 1) curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, 2) creating an environment for raising achievement, 3) collaborative school culture and 4) teachers’ self-efficacy. Results demonstrate that teachers’ perceptions of their work vary significantly, and can be dependent on the individual teacher, the influence of school leadership, as well as the school culture.

Relevance to the Conference theme

This study builds knowledge of teacher quality, development and motivation as pillars of teacher professionalism in Scotland and points to the importance of teacher commitment as a significant factor in teaching quality, teachers’ capacities to adapt successfully to change, teacher retention, and pupil learning outcomes.

The professional life of a schoolteacher is influenced by several contextual factors that account for changes in their professional practice and attitudes, both of which influence how they participate in education as a social contract. This study aimed to explore how Zimbabwean teachers’ narratives of their professional experiences influenced changes in their perceptions of, and attitudes towards their profession. The study was motivated by the several curriculum changes that the country has gone through since attaining independence in 1980. Documenting changes in the teachers’ professional perceptions and attitudes was seen as important for understanding their evolving commitment and values, both of which are significant for the quality of teaching and students’ learning. The study drew on Positioning Theory (Felix & Ali, 2023) and the Multidimensional Adapted Process Model (MAP) (Riitta-Leena Metsapelto, et al., 2022) to analyse teacher narratives of their experiences for changes in their practice and attitudes. The study involved a sample of 13 teachers with 10 or more years of teaching experience in either primary of secondary schools. The teachers’ written narratives of their experiences on several issues relating to their professional practice constituted the data collected and analysed in the study. The narratives were analysed thematically. Findings indicate that the teachers’ perceptions of changes in their practice and attitudes were shaped by curriculum reforms, economic instability, technological developments, migration, and professional mobility, among others. The findings highlight several issues that influence how teachers’ experiences influence how they position themselves in relation to their professional practice, and their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the profession. The findings contribute to knowledge of how teachers’ experiences influence qualitative changes in their professional practice, which in turn can inform an understanding of their evolving roles and attitudes in relation to education as a social contract.

Teacher educators learn to conduct research via exposure to research methods courses or through collaboration with more experienced researchers. Although novice researchers desire formal structures to learn what is an ambiguous process of scholarly inquiry (Roulston, 2019), learning research methods has been found to be best learned through the act of doing (Cooper et al., 2012). Self-study of teacher education practices, an increasingly used methodology among teacher educators, is one such method learned best by doing (Diacopoulos et al., 2022). However, much of the extant literature on how teacher educators learn self-study methodologies is conducted using self-study research methods (e.g., Butler et al., 2014; Diacopoulos et al., 2022; Foot et al., 2014; Gregory et al., 2017; Samaras et al., 2007).

Whereas previous scholarship into learning self-study was conducted using self-study methods, the authors of this study use case study methods to document to experiences of a group of university faculty learning and enacting self-study methods.

The participants of this study consist of four university faculty in the United Kingdom. They participated in an initial two-day workshop on self-study methods provided by the first author. In the workshop, participants learned about the history of self-study, its theoretical and epistemological foundations, and common methods and forms of data collection, analysis, and trustworthiness found in self-study. They also designed a collaborative self-study project they would enact over the following academic year. Participants were provided with on-going support across the year, completed period journal entries, and participated in interviews about their learning experience across the year.

Findings from this study will highlight the reasons why teacher educators engage in self-study research, the tensions experienced in the learning process, and the process of learning and enacting self-study research as novice self-study researchers.

Emerging educators need rich environments in which to process their lived experiences and find their voices as they develop critical consciousness of the world around them and articulate their reasoned stances on pedagogical issues. In this self-study, I examine my facilitation of an upper-level Philosophies of Education seminar, a course that uses texts in critical pedagogy to help education students develop their critical voices as emerging educators while doing significant personal work around the expectations they have internalized as high-achieving students at an elite university. This course comes during a poignant moment for both campus and country: the semester studied is during the 2024 American presidential election and only a few months after our university’s administration called on police to quell a student protest over institutional ties to the Gaza conflict, leading to the arrests of over 100 people and the hospitalization of a professor. How will I navigate student interactions in this discussion-based seminar, especially when contentious issues arise and events outside of our classroom intersect with course content? How might the identities present in the room – a class community with a majority population of students of color, low-income and first-generation students, and queer students – influence the course of our conversations? Further, how does my status as contingent faculty influence the choices I make in navigating a complex semester? To examine these questions, I will draw upon hundreds of pages of journal entries and transcripts from at least ten interviews covering the 6-month period of August 2024-January 2025. While findings are ongoing at the time of writing this abstract, this self-study project has a strong relationship to the conference themes of equitable teaching practices, particularly as regards the formation of emerging educators, as well as the reconciliation of tensions for a new social contract in education.

In this paper, we aimed to inquire how a professor’s writing practices facilitate graduate students’ needs and understanding of academic writing. We examined pedagogical practices used to dismantle graduate students’ narrative of deficit regarding their own academic writing while co-constructing knowledge about our lived experiences with teaching academic writing and our writing journeys. Self-study guided our inquiry and understanding of teaching, shifting identities, and dilemmas in the classroom (Pinnegar et al., 2020b). We positioned our inquiry in Vygotsky’s (1986) social constructivism to inquire how knowledge construction was generated through social processes and interactions among students and between the students and the co-author. Aiming to create equitable practices in academic writing communities, the co-author employed several strategies. These strategies include (1) developing inclusive environments to foster spaces where students feel valued and respected regardless of their background, (2) developing collaborative spaces for students to share ideas and resources, (3) establishing systems of mentorship to provide guidance, support, and encouragement to students, (4) implementing systems for providing constructive feedback for students present their research to peers and faculty, (5) providing access to writing mentor texts so students can examine and relate to similar writing, and (6) encouraging students to submit their writing to academic journals and institutional repositories to highlight their research. This research revealed how students’ needs for support with the academic writing process were addressed through shared experiences of inquiry and co-construction of knowledge. We studied ourselves in the context of a writing workshop to improve our practice, advance our understanding of academic writing and the teaching of academic writing, contribute to conversations about socially constructed learning, and examine how academic institutions can create a more equitable and supportive environment for all students.

In this self-study, we borrowed Bateson’s (1994) metaphorical idea of “letting stories speak to one another” (p. 14). Examining our own research projects, we encountered moments that “talk[ed] across” (Stone, 1988, p. 2) narratives. We sought to identify particular insights these moments have afforded us as self-study researchers who conduct our investigations in the narrative inquiry vein in order to improve our work together and to enhance our work with others.

Our research framework includes overviews of self-study research, experience, narrative/story, metaphors, and how ideas travel from one person—and one study—to another. The mobilization of knowledge achieved through narrative experiences/exchanges will be discussed. That is the knowledge that self-study aims to contribute to the teaching profession.

This self-study is conducted via the narrative inquiry method (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). Research tools included: broadening (characterizing the larger context), burrowing (digging deeply into individual stories), and storying and restorying (showing how change occurs). Using serial interpretation (Schwab, 1954/1978), we laid multiple studies alongside each other, seeking “encompassing idea[s]” (Schwab, 1954/1978) that “talk[ed] across” (Stone, 1988, p. 2) two or more studies.

Cross-study themes emerged as what we call “moments” that shifted/shaped our collaborative research and research agenda over the lifetime of our group. These included: contextualized knowledge/narrative authority; divergent thinking and metaphor; fruitful professional dialogue; and the intimacy of collaboration/critical friendship. Implications on engaging in collaborative research and challenges turned opportunities will be discussed.

The effectiveness of collaboration, and in particular collaborative research, is often dependent on how research teams build trust and relationship, land upon a research topic/agenda, and deal with divergence, conflicts, and potential power structures (Beeker et al., 2021). It follows that identifying individual moments as pillars to our collaborative research can support the efforts of teachers/novice researchers to collaborate effectively in their knowledge community (Craig, 2007).

Practical work is an integral part of the science practicum. Numerous resources, such as the Gatsby Good Practical Science guidebook and the Improving Primary Science Report, prioritise practical work in teaching science, and research into practical work in schools is commonplace. However, research into how science teacher educators use or justify practical work is strikingly sparse.

This qualitative study explores how four science teacher educators (1 primary and 3 secondary phases) from across England reflexively examine and justify their pedagogic use of practical work. Through a collaborative community of practice self-study methodology that utilises autobiographies, journal writing, critical incidents, direct observations and formal meeting recordings as research methods, we provide a detailed examination of the role of practical work within our praxis. We uncover and critique our historical assumptions about and use of practical work, evaluating how our teaching of experimental skills supports or impedes the pedagogic practice of our preservice teachers. In doing so, we examine shifts in our epistemic beliefs, refine our understanding of how science teacher educators use practical work as part of their pedagogic repertoire, and develop a pedagogy of practical work for science teacher education.

In response to the recently published Initial Teacher Education Early Career framework, our research provides a timely examination of how science teacher educators position practical work within curriculum design. By critically turning the lens inwards on ourselves, we reflexively problematise and refine our use of practical work in our teaching, providing an equitable teacher education programme that models the power and limits of practical work.