During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators changed their pedagogic practices, developed new teaching sequences, and blended learning approaches such as the flipped classroom. Claims have been made that the flipped classroom influences student motivation, enhances active engagement and class participation, and improves academic performance. Three teacher educators were invited to develop flipped instructional materials for chemistry teacher education. The materials included course plans, online videos, tasks, teaching, and online and face-to-face instruction learning sequences. This study examined opportunities and barriers to using the flipped classroom approach for chemistry teaching. Teacher educators were interviewed before and after running the course using the developed instructional materials. The interviews were then analyzed to identify the teachers’ rationale, the opportunities, and the challenges of using the flipped classroom. Teacher educators found that integrating technology into their classrooms can enhance their ICT skills and that of their students. Educators believed flipped instructions could promote student-centered learning where students take responsibility for their learning, where and when it is most convenient. The teacher educators perceived that the approach helped students take an active role in their learning and enhance their participation. They also felt that it improved academic performance. Teacher educators also noted that their workload was reduced, and they had more time to interact with students. Some barriers and challenges were recognized as well. In the interviews, teacher educators described how ICT competencies and inadequate ICT infrastructures, such as poor internet connectivity and lack of ICT equipment, limited the use of the flipped classroom approach. The study provides suggestions for future research that can contribute to understanding the practical application of the flipped classroom approach.

The purpose of this research was to determine Ghanaian teachers' competencies in delivering online lessons. Transitioning face-to-face instructions to an online environment presents difficulties for instructors, particularly teachers and students doing so for the first time. The researchers explore how teachers in disrupted schools use information and communications technology (ICT) in their classrooms that differ in several ways from the regular classroom. The researchers investigated the factors influencing teachers' online instruction competence. A questionnaire was used to collect data from teachers in three teacher training colleges in Ghana in the 2021 academic year. Results showed that teachers had adequate knowledge of ICT. Also, ICT knowledge was strongly correlated to ICT usage. Regression analysis revealed that teachers could become competent and effectively teach online courses by having adequate knowledge, regularly using ICT, and receiving technical support from the institution. These findings suggest that teachers need sufficient knowledge and support to use computers to become competent in integrating ICT into their online course delivery.

The views of student teachers on using the flipped classroom approach were investigated in three Ghanaian colleges of education during the 2020/2021 academic year. A questionnaire with open-ended questions was used to collect data from 143 student teachers. Responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. In addition, a focus group interview was taken to examine some of the issues in more depth The flipped classroom approach allowed the students to feel that they were in control of their own learning by using self-paced and collaborative learning. The approach also deepened their conceptual understanding as well as their learning skills. The student teachers also experienced three interconnected challenges, including inadequate ICT infrastructures, such as poor internet connectivity, lack of skills to use ICT, and increased workload. The flipped classroom approach can positively impact students’ learning, but educators planning to use the approach should consider the adequacy of the ICT infrastructure available.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to construct a means of assessing the feasibility of implementing innovation and entrepreneurial education (IEE) in schools. The study focuses on teaching IEE in middle school (Grades 5–7).Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from six middle school teachers in three Icelandic compulsory schools through on-site observations and semi-structured interviews with teachers and principals. Data including documentary evidence were subjected to the method of constant comparison. A model of nested systems provided concepts to create categories for a general rubric of feasible IEE development, the Social ecology rubrics for innovation and entrepreneurship in schools (SERIES).Findings: Profiles of the six IEE teachers emerged during data collection. Teachers found some IEE methods challenging, especially “standing back” allowing students freedom and agency. Implementation was fragile when IEE developed without support from neighboring systems. In all three schools the weakest connections were with the exosystem (general views in society).Practical implications: The range of knowledge, skills and competences that emerged in the data could be discussed with teachers as a source of professional development. The application of the SERIES approach can benefit policy, research and practice and developing similar rubrics can provide a valuable assessment approach in other curriculum areas.Originality/value: An advantage of the rubric is that it is descriptive rather than prescriptive, giving schools an opportunity to develop their own standards. Any professional group can produce their own profile, with categories of levels and systems that reflect their own practice and development.

In the study reported on here, we analysed parents’ involvement in their children’s primary education in 4 primary schools in rural Malawi, focusing on the home and the school. Through interviews and focus-group discussions, information was obtained from 19 parents, 24 teachers (6 from each school), and 4 head teachers. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was used to design the study and to interpret the data, focusing mainly on the micro- and mesosystem elements. The home and school settings represent the autonomous microsystem, whereas parental involvement is part of the mesosystem. The microsystem appeared to be active both with learner-parent and learner-teacher actions; however, mesosystemic interactions were limited. We found that parents and teachers needed to develop stronger mutual relationships and interactions to support learners better. Schools also need to communicate positive aspects of children’s learning to the parents. Enhancing positive reinforcement could enhance parental involvement.

The worlds of education and learning have for the last few decades been characterized by reactions to the detrimental human impact on the environment, which is measured on such a scale that scholars now refer to the present epoch as the Anthropocene. In order to develop ideas and practices that could guide us into place-based research and an emancipatory relationship between pedagogy and knowledge, the focus needs to shift from what to teach and why (Knowledge and Curriculum) and concern over how learning is evaluated (Assessment) to how we should teach (Pedagogy). The acronym PACK (Pedagogy, Assessment, Curriculum, and Knowledge) turned into the idea of packing for a trip into uncharted educational territory, taking with us several gadgets that might be useful. Our own journey emerged as a dialogue between a philosopher and a science educator. Building on experiences from global work to regional research and a university chairmanship for sustainability, we tried to pack some big ideas for educators to take along, helping them navigate the educational landscapes ahead.