Student-generated questioning has great potential to offer inclusive and equitable teaching practices, such as offering opportunities to align student learning to individual prior knowledge, developing students’ self-regulating and metacognitive skills and fostering critical thinking (e.g. Eschach et al., 2014). However, student-generated questioning is rarely used by teachers, because initial student questions are often unfocused, poorly investigable, and therefore difficult to answer (Baranova, 2017). Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if and how a conceptual tool could support teachers' professional learning to guide the quality of student-generated questions.

We developed a conceptual tool, named the Question Compass, inspired by the Hypothetical Learning Trajectories of Simon and Tzur (2004) to help teachers think about, anticipate upon and find effective ways to foster the quality of student questioning for hands-on research. To explore if and how Question Compass contributed to the guidance of student question quality, we followed the professional learning of 32 primary school teachers who participated in four design teams, which worked independently in four iterative cycles of design, implementation, evaluation and reflection and redesign over a period of two school years. A multiple case study methodology was applied because this is particularly instrumental for evaluating phenomena in real-life contexts (Yazan, 2015).

Data from the teachers’ design and evaluation sessions was analyzed using the Interconnected Model of Teachers’ Professional Growth (IMTPG) of Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002). Findings show that working with Question Compass contributed to teachers’ professional learning by reducing complexity, fostering creativity, supporting the development of practical tools and their alignment to classroom needs, and offering a framework for development of shared meaning.

Enabling teachers to support student-generated questioning is expected to contribute to more inclusive and equitable teaching practices, as it will provide both opportunities for students’ voice and practice of lifelong learning skills.

The aim of this project is to investigate how we can increase awareness, exploration, and identification of actionable possibilities for transformative educational futures globally. A thriving future for education is predicated on a healthy educator workforce. The work of teaching is challenging and frequently isolating and inflexible. This is exacerbated by the default model of school – the one-teacher, one-classroom model – which asks teachers to possess universal competence from day one. Teachers are leaving for a variety of reasons; including stress, limited resources, and unfavorable conditions. Yet, even given these difficulties, there are bright spots. There are community members, educators, and researchers committed to students and willing to explore innovative possibilities. As Pendola et al. (2023) note, working through the complexities of challenges in the workforce is not only about addressing limitations, but leveraging the dedication of educators. In this presentation, we will highlight a new structure designed to elevate bright spots while growing a robust network of motivated educational actors, Possible Education Futures Labs (PEFL). PEFLs focus on transforming education for a better world through leveraging technology to connect people. PEFLs support participants in moving past tinkering with existing problems and toward becoming aware of, exploring and actively engaged with new possibilities. PEFLs are semi-structured, applied possibility thinking spaces that are collaborative, iterative, and sustainable. Cycle one launched in May 2024. Members of the network collectively choose to focus on; empowering alternatively certified teachers, AI and special populations, and English as a medium of instruction. This inaugural cycle showed the high level of interest amongst educational actors to work as a collaborative network, as well as the depth of innovative ideas and strategies available to the field. Our research addresses the conference theme "Transforming Education" by highlighting the potential of collaborative networks and possibility thinking spaces to drive educational innovation.

Western democracies invest great resources in disseminating programs concerned with resolving the national conflict in the Middle East. These programs, that are widely used in teacher training education in Israel, have been conceptualized in light of Western neo-liberal secular models that imagen a human being that is willing to differ from his groups' essentialist believes and identity for reaching shared goals and narratives with the "other". This approach was put to a test in a program for peace education that took place in a teacher trainee college in Israel in 2024. An ethnographic study conducted in a mixed Palestinian and Jewish class was supposed to follow the ways the participants’ positions are shaped in light of their national views. But the national was replaced, to a large extent, with references to faith and religion. Why God entered the classroom? Can religion serve as a bridge for inclusion and provide a basis for coexistence?

The findings suggest that the strengthened religious foundations (Judaization and Islamization) of the ethnonational conflict enabled participants to find a shared universal basis - faith. At the same time, differences in faith enabled to build stable-essentialist ethno-national borders that could not be crossed. Under these conditions, both sides were not fearful that they would be required to give up parts of their identity in the process of coexistence. Thus, religion enables to hold conversation between the opposing groups. Even though, this may not be an ambitious prospect promising to create a dramatic change, using religion allowed a discussion about the question of coexistence without being faced with impossible demands regarding one's own identity. Understanding these changes in peace education, and in particular the foundations on which the “religious discourse” organizes itself in relationship with the “liberal discourse”, provides insights to the ongoing fight for inclusion and coexistence.

Micro-teaching in the early 60s revolutionalised teacher education, future teachers were able to practice the art and science of teaching with a small group of ‘real’ students, however over time due to overcrowding of ITE curriculum and regulatory mandates it dropped from practice. Fast forward 60 years technologies provide ITE Micro-teaching 2.0 using Simulation and Mixed Reality Learning Environments (MRLE) where contemporary issues within and out of classrooms can be practiced including teaching, coping with irate parents, social justice issues and inclusive practices. This case study highlights three simulation platforms used in ITE to address a range of ‘difficult scenarios’ facing preservice teachers. Grossmans’ (2009) Pedagogies of practice and Scenario Based Learning (SBL) are used to frame the discussion and offer insight into the opportunities and challenges of simulation and MRLE for ITE. It captures the transformative pedagogical qualities of simulation platforms and calls for increased uptake of emerging technologies to target the everchanging needs of our future teachers.