To an increasing extent, society requires professionals to cross boundaries in order to deal with wicked problems. However, little is known about how interventions in higher professional education (HPE) foster learning through boundary crossing in the context of addressing wicked problems. Drawing upon the three-dimension model of wickedness by Head and Akkerman and Bakker's model of the dialogical learning mechanisms of boundary crossing, this study aims to generate conjectures for design principles for the design of educational practices that will foster students' skills for addressing wicked problems through boundary crossing. This study applied a multiple case study design addressing six existing practices in HPE. The research questions were: (1) What characteristics of wicked problems are present in the selected educational practices? (2) How does the boundary crossing take place in the selected educational practices? (3) How is student learning during boundary crossing fostered in the context of dealing with the characteristics of wicked problems? Data were derived from document study, semi-structured interviews, and observations. The study conjectures that learning experiences at boundaries in the open-ended, joint effort of addressing wicked problems should be fostered and elicited by balancing and leveraging constructive tension and by making use of boundary objects and brokers.

We designed an interactive virtual reality (VR) application to provide a controlled and yet unpredictable environment for the development of classroom management skills. The simulated environment allows teachers in training to interact with virtual students in realistic and meaningful ways. The VR application allows rich verbal interaction by using artificial intelligence (AI). Initial findings suggest it is a successful proof of concept. In this paper, we focus on the technical implementation. Predictions on educational effectiveness and the educational challenges of pre-service teacher education are discussed. Future developments include rigorous testing and incorporating non-verbal communication based on a multi-dimensional interpersonal behavior model.

This study contributes to a deeper understanding of using problems with wicked tendencies as vehicles for learning in higher professional education (HPE). It was guided by this question: How can the features of problems, problem‐solving approaches and outcomes be aligned in HPE courses aiming to prepare students for addressing problems with wicked tendencies? A multiple case study design was used to investigate six courses in HPE. Data came from semi‐structured interviews with teachers, students and external stakeholders, observations and document study. Wickedness was defined in terms of complexity, uncertainty and value divergence. Findings showed nine characteristic manifestations of wickedness that students encounter and should learn to deal with. These manifestations pertain to the system‐like character, the changing patterns and the fragmented character of problems; the transdisciplinary, adaptive and participatory character of the problem‐solving process; and the integral, provisional and mutually‐shared character of outcomes. The study led to the generation of curriculum design principles for the design and implementation of courses that foster students' skills for addressing problems with wicked tendencies. The conjecture is that students' experiences of wickedness can create destructive tension leading to efforts to reduce this tension by reducing wickedness. Teachers should balance this tension, provide alignment of the dimensions of wickedness in problem, process and outcome and ensure the integration of these dimensions as such in a coherent curriculum design.

Professionals are increasingly involved in attempts to understand and address problems with wicked tendencies, which require crossing boundaries between disciplines, organisations and stakeholder perspectives. This multiple-case study investigated six higher professional education courses in order to develop better understanding of how teachers foster the development of students’ boundary-crossing expertise through enhancing relevant learning processes in courses focussing on wicked-problem-solving in interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder contexts. We viewed students’ relevant learning processes as learning mechanisms that foster boundary awareness (identification and reflection) and boundary work (coordination and transformation) and considered teachers to be enablers of such learning processes. Data came from semi-structured interviews with teachers, students and stakeholders, observations and document study. We identified nine interrelated enabling strategies teachers used. To foster students’ observation of wickedness through boundary awareness, they encouraged mutual acquaintance, open exploration, opportunities for learning, and multi-perspectivity. To foster students’ action through boundary work, they encouraged initial contact, joint action and multifaceted perspectives on value creation. To foster the interplay between boundary awareness and work, they encouraged successive refinement and structure while embracing wickedness. Balancing the tension that students experience at boundaries when navigating complexity, uncertainty and value divergence was identified as an important element of these enabling strategies.

Integrating reading and writing instruction with scientific inquiry can enhance student learning, yet the nature of the connections between each of these learning domains remain underexplored. In this systematic review, we analysed 16 interventions in elementary education in order to develop a categorization of the functions of reading and writing within scientific inquiry. Inductive analysis resulted in three main categories of functionalities: reading and writing as support for understanding, doing, and concluding in scientific inquiry. Specific functions belonging to each category are identified and illustrated with learning activities as described in the interventions. These functions highlight a range of possibilities, informing researchers and practitioners about aligning reading and writing with scientific inquiry. The review also included a deductive analysis of instructional reading and writing support in these interventions. Findings revealed that support was minimally described, primarily consisting of explanations (including direct instructions and examples) and providing graphic organizers (e.g., worksheets with prompts). Support for reading activities focused mainly on general and disciplinary-specific strategies for reading comprehension. Writing support emphasized disciplinary-specific strategies such as writing according to an argumentation structure, preparing scientific explanations, and documenting data. The results of this study advance our understanding of the rationale for integrating reading, writing, and scientific inquiry and can inform future integrated interventions. It also underscores the missed opportunities and gaps in current interventions regarding the interactions between reading, writing and scientific inquiry in elementary education.

Integrated language, science and technology (ILS&T) instruction is a complex task for primary school teachers that requires professional development. Task-centered educational approaches such as the four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model are well suited for the development of complex professional skills. This article describes the application of the Ten Steps approach to the 4C/ID model in the domain of teacher education. The findings describe a blueprint for a 4C/ID-based teacher professional development program aimed at equipping in-service primary school teachers with the competences for ILS&T instruction, which can support instructional designers, teacher educators and researchers in making informed instructional design decisions.