European Journal of Teaching and Education

Middle School Students’ Experiences of Managing Open Access to Digital Technology in an IB MYP International School Environment: A Cautionary Tale

2026-04-26T13:03:37+00:00

This study examines middle school students’ experiences of managing open access to digital technology within an International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) context. Conducted in a well-resourced international school where students had unrestricted access to devices outside regular class time, the research was prompted by growing concerns about technology use during break periods. Phase 1 involved surveys and discussions with 98 Grade 6 students to identify emerging wellbeing concerns. Phase 2 engaged six self-identified frequent users in empathy interviews, collaborative dialogue, and co-design processes with teachers. Thematic analysis identified interconnected social–emotional, logistical-environmental, and systemic factors shaping technology behaviours. Students described both benefits (social connection, stress relief) and challenges (dependency, reduced outdoor engagement). Through the MYP Design Cycle, students and teachers co-developed responsive solutions, including balanced access guidelines and environmental redesign. Findings highlight the importance of guided autonomy, intentional environmental design, and participatory dialogue in supporting digital wellbeing. The study underscores the value of student agency in shaping context-sensitive technology practices within international school settings.

The Science of Learning: Connecting Neuroscience and Education

2025-12-28T07:37:57+00:00

This paper explores how contemporary neuroscience offers valuable insights to transform educational practice. Challenging persistent neuromyths that obscure evidence-based understanding, it reveals the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt and reorganize through experience and instruction. Emphasising the brain’s social nature, the discussion highlights how supportive, emotionally safe learning environments foster both cognitive and emotional development. Drawing on recent research, the paper also presents strategies such as retrieval practice and metaphorical thinking that enhance attention, memory, and self-regulation, while addressing common barriers like procrastination and illusions of competence. Finally, the critical roles of sleep, stress management, and physical activity in maintaining brain health and optimising learning outcomes are examined. By integrating these insights, the paper advocates for educational approaches grounded in neuroscience that promote deeper learning, learner autonomy, and overall well-being.

Beyond Curricular Export: Re-imagining Transnational Education as a Vehicle for Enhancing Teaching practices

2026-05-12T11:29:45+00:00

Continuous professional development (CPD) is vital for upskilling educators; however, such opportunities remain limited in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly for healthcare educators involved in nursing and midwifery teaching. To address this gap, we established a British Council funded Transnational Education (TNE) partnership with a Midwifery Institute in Bangladesh to support the upskilling of its teaching team in modern pedagogical practices. This paper reports how we designed an intensive workshop on contemporary teaching approaches through a participatory needs analysis and decolonial lens to ensure cultural appropriateness and to reposition TNE as a collaborative, culturally attuned model of educational enhancement. Combining theoretical principles with hands-on activities, we developed a three-day workshop focused on curriculum design, active learning, and the pragmatic use of digital tools such as PowerPoint, Microsoft Forms, and Generative AI (GenAI) to create interactive and culturally relevant learning materials. Structured questionnaires and a follow-up focus group were used for evaluation. Results indicated that participants found the training highly relevant and immediately applicable. Learning about different formats of active learning as well as using GenAI gave them the confidence to enhance their practice. The study demonstrates that adaptive, context-sensitive design, which is anchored in inclusivity, digital capability, and decolonial practice can enhance the sustainability and local impact of TNE initiatives and move beyond traditional models of curricular export.

Building and Narration with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®: A Universal Design Perspective for Inclusion

2026-05-18T03:41:27+00:00

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP), developed in the late 1990s as a device for strategic facilitation, has progressively consolidated as a participatory and creative methodology, grounded in constructivism, constructionism, and the use of metaphors as tools of embodied cognition (thinking by hands). Although it is not an educational method per se, LSP resonates with pedagogical traditions that emphasize concreteness and manual activity: from Montessori it inherits the idea of “thinking with the hands,” while Papert’s constructionism highlights the role of cognitive artefacts as mediators of knowledge-building and narration. This conceptual paper explores how LSP can be reframed through a UDL-informed perspective on inclusion, without altering its methodological structure, but by introducing adjustments consistent with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Drawing on theoretical analysis and exploratory observations from accessibility-oriented adaptations of LSP sessions, it does not aim to report a systematic empirical evaluation, but rather to propose a design framework for making LSP environments more accessible, predictable, and participatory. In this perspective, UDL provides the theoretical framework guiding the design of accessible environments and practices through multiple means of representation (multimodal prompts, high-contrast visual supports), multiple means of action and expression (inclusive facilitation, alternative narrative formats), and multiple means of engagement (flexible timing, safe settings, recognition of diverse contributions). The contribution aims to enrich the international debate on the relationship between participatory methodologies and universal design principles, highlighting how LSP, when properly adapted, may serve as an inclusive device capable of enabling the participation of all learners and workers in educational, academic, and organisational contexts, thereby democratizing the construction and sharing of meaning.

Convivere coi Rischi Naturali, Living with Natural Risks (CON.I.RI.): A Way to Act on Behaviors vs Seismic and Water-related Disaster Risk Reduction at School

2025-11-30T13:24:34+00:00

Citizens’ proper response and responsible behaviour is crucial to cope with natural hazards. CON.I.RI. (Convivere con i Rischi Naturali - Living with Natural Risks) is an educational path on seismic and hydrogeological risk reduction by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) within the FCR (Future Responsible Citizens) and FCR 2.0 environmental educational projects. The on-going educational initiative was designed and started online during the COVID-19 pandemic to engage classrooms of all order schools of Sicilia region in distance learning. The main challenge is favoring the school-based disaster preparedness, as well as the difference in lifesaving skills in case of earthquake, tsunami, flood and landslides. The natural risk mitigation approach is based on full engagement of students in activities able to create skills for life in risk understanding to trigger transfomative learning. About 300 students were involved in the first year (2020-2021), 2200 students in the second year (2021-2022), more than 4500 ones in the third year (2022-2023) and about 4000 students in the forth year (2023-2024) and in the fifth year (2024-2025) of activities. The crucial phase to prevent damage is focused on reflecting with researcher on natural and human-made disasters on the environment. A simultaneous online race between all classes closes the educational program in an amusing cooperative way to develop lifesaving skills playing thematic digital serious games on safe behavior.

Constructing Home Education as a Problem: Why a Register Will Not Fix What Policy Presents as Broken

2026-06-09T03:55:57+00:00

This paper critically examines the proposed compulsory register for home-educated children in England, situating the discussion within the broader legal, socio-political, and educational context. It outlines the governance of home education, detailing the existing register, its implementation, and the challenges faced by families, including resource access, equity, and inconsistent local authority understanding. Drawing on Bacchi’s “What’s the Problem Represented to be?” (WPR) framework, Foucauldian perspectives on normalisation, and educational policy analysis, the paper interrogates the assumptions underpinning the proposed register under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (CWSB). The policy frames home-educated children as invisible and at risk, positioning bureaucratic oversight as the primary solution despite limited evidence of systemic safeguarding failures. This framing obscures the heterogeneity of home education practices, the fluid and experiential nature of learning, and structural inequities in educational access. While not opposing all forms of registration, the paper critically evaluates the motives behind the Bill, highlighting the risks of monitoring without support. The analysis calls for enhanced dialogue between policymakers and the home education community to promote understanding of diverse pedagogical practices and ensure equitable educational opportunities for all children.