The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) exemplifies the failure of top-down, technology-centric agricultural models that disregard local contexts, yielding limited improvements in smallholder livelihoods across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Concurrently, Smart Breeding 4.0—integrating biotechnology, big data, and artificial intelligence—offers unprecedented opportunities for precision crop improvement. However, successful adoption in SSA requires educational systems producing graduates with both technical proficiency and critical awareness of ethical and socio-economic dimensions.

This paper addresses this gap by proposing a comprehensive Smart Breeding 4.0 curriculum framework, developed through systematic literature analysis and stakeholder consultation with five leading global agricultural universities, aligned with Nigerian CCMAS standards and UN SDGs. The framework comprises four interconnected modules: (1) Foundational Theory, integrating genetics, genomics, and data science, while critically evaluating historical models like AGRA; (2) Technology Integration, providing hands-on training in high-throughput phenotyping, IoT, remote sensing, machine learning, and genomic selection; (3) Practical Innovation, emphasizing experiential learning through prototyping digital solutions like the Smart-Bean GSI system, multi-modal data analytics, and field experimentation; and (4) Ethics and Policy, addressing data governance, AI ethics, intellectual property, and impact assessment.

To operationalize this framework, we propose the Russia-Africa Smart Breeding 4.0 Knowledge Exchange Program—a dual-track initiative comprising an online knowledge platform and on-ground Living Labs across SSA, facilitating two-way technology transfer between Russian technical expertise and African agro-ecological knowledge. This paradigm shift positions African universities as generators rather than importers of agricultural technology, training graduates who ask not only "how" but "who defines the breeding objective?" and "who benefits?"—ensuring Smart Breeding 4.0 serves as a tool of empowerment, resilience, and equity for SSA's farming communities.

Inclusive education at the high school level presents several challenges for teachers, particularly in subjects such as English, where many instructional resources rely heavily on visual materials and digital platforms. In this context, the present study aims to reflect on the pedagogical challenges that arise in teaching practice when supporting the learning process of a student with visual impairment in an English class at the upper secondary level.

The study adopts a qualitative approach based on pedagogical reflection and the analysis of teaching practice. Data were collected through observation records, classroom interaction experiences, and the process of adapting activities during academic support provided to the student. The analysis focuses on the strategies implemented by the teacher to foster the student’s active participation, as well as on the adjustments made to teaching and assessment practices.

The findings indicate that teaching in inclusive contexts involves a continuous process of pedagogical adaptation, instructional creativity, and flexibility in the use of educational resources. The results also highlight the importance of creating learning environments that promote equitable participation among students, as well as the role of teacher reflection in transforming educational practices.

It is concluded that inclusive education does not only involve the adaptation of materials, but also requires a transformation of pedagogical practices in order to respond effectively to the diversity present in the classroom.

Language learning, in some educational systems, is evolving to be more than just the learning of vocabulary and grammar but also a platform to foster critical thinking and social awareness. In Morocco, EFL learning at the middle school level is more focused on the acquisition of language skills, while critical thinking about social issues represented in literary works is not a priority. This study aims to assess the impact of critical pedagogy on the critical thinking skills of third-year middle school students in Casablanca, using a novel by Anna Sewell, “Black Beauty,” as a tool to foster critical thinking about social issues.

In the quasi-experimental classroom intervention, 25 students were included in the dialogic and problem-based learning activities aimed at developing critical thinking, reflection, and critical dialogue in the classroom. The analytical and interpretive skills of the students were assessed using pre- and post-tests. The data were analyzed statistically to compare the test results. The study revealed that the intervention significantly improved the critical thinking skills of the students. The average score of the students was 10.04 (SD = 3.09) in the pre-test, which improved to 12.88 (SD = 1.42) in the post-test. This improvement was statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, more than the quantity, the quality of the critical thinking skills of the students was observed in analyzing and evaluating literary events and social issues raised in the text. The students were observed to possess the ability to scrutinize the actions of the characters, evaluate the injustices in the society, and provide rational explanations of the issues raised in the text in association with the themes of the literature.

Based on the study, it was revealed that the integration of critical pedagogy and problem-based learning in the teaching of EFL literature could improve the higher-order thinking skills of the students. This study provides useful guidance for teachers in developing critical thinking skills in their students in the context of the Moroccan middle school setting.

Introduction: Autism is one of the most commonly identified neurodevelopmental conditions in childhood, contributing to sustained growth in demand for specialised educational supports. Although inclusive education policy increasingly promotes neuroaffirming, individualised approaches, the organisational conditions required to realise these commitments remain uneven, shaping how autism-informed programmes are interpreted and taken up in practice (Pellicano & Houting, 2022).

Methods: This study examined how autistic students and autism-specific programming were represented in provincial policy and interpreted alongside educators’ responses to piloted and refined qualitative vignette tasks (Braun et al., 2017). Guided by an ecological framework and Critical Discourse Analysis, datasets were compared to identify similarities, differences, and omissions, examining where policy expectations aligned with or diverged from educators’ professional reasoning and highlighting gaps between policy intentions and classroom practice (Bowen, 2009).

Results: Provincial policy describes autism-informed programming as relational, flexible, and responsive to students' needs. Educators’ vignette responses indicated that in practice this work is shaped by organisational conditions, including time pressures, documentation requirements, staffing arrangements, and competing classroom responsibilities. As a result, relational supports may be organised through procedural routines that align with existing administrative and accountability structures. This highlights how organisational systems shape the forms autism-informed support can take in everyday classrooms.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that challenges in sustaining neuroaffirming practice are not primarily a matter of individual educator implementation but reflect how school systems organise time, documentation, and support structures for inclusive education. Strengthening autism-informed programming may therefore require greater attention to the organisational and relational conditions that enable educators to sustain responsive supports in everyday classrooms.

Communication deficits among students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can limit meaningful participation in inclusive classrooms. In many social situations, students with ASD have difficulty understanding the nuances of social cues, which may cause many communication problems when socially interacting with their peers not on the spectrum. It is essential for students with ASD in inclusive classrooms to have good communication skills. Magic-based interventions have been explored as an alternative to traditional methods of social skills development. Since social skills are embedded within the performance of magic tricks, they may be used as a tool to develop and improve communication skills in an authentic context.

Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic narrative review was conducted to examine the use of magic-based interventions as mediating tools for improving communication skills and social interactions among students with ASD in inclusive classrooms. Specifically, this review investigates whether learning and performing magic tricks can positively improve communication skills and social engagement among students with ASD.

The results of this review show that magic-based interventions may be a fun and practical alternative to traditional methods of learning the social rules of communication, thereby increasing the social engagement of students with ASD. Magic-based interventions may also provide a shared emotional experience that enhances the reciprocal communication skills needed to have a conversation naturally.

In conclusion, magic-based interventions may be considered a viable option to promote and strengthen social communication skills among students with ASD that foster meaningful peer relationships and increase social acceptance by their peers not on the spectrum. Conceptually, magic-based interventions create structured opportunities for social interactions and have embedded possibilities for social practice within inclusive settings.

Early childhood literacy and numeracy are foundational competencies that significantly influence children’s long-term academic development. This study examined the status of literacy and numeracy programs in kindergarten education and their relationship to learners’ academic performance as a basis for re-engineering early childhood instruction through a Deweyan constructivist framework. The study was conducted in five selected public elementary schools in the City of Naga, Cebu during the 2025–2026 school year. It aimed to evaluate the instructional strategies utilized in literacy and numeracy teaching and determine how these practices contribute to the academic development of kindergarten learners. A descriptive–correlational research design was employed to determine the relationship between the instructional strategies implemented by teachers and the academic performance of learners. The respondents included forty (40) kindergarten teachers and two-hundred (200) kindergarten learners selected through simple random sampling. Data were gathered through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis. Findings revealed a statistically significant relationship between the strategies utilized in literacy and numeracy instruction and the academic performance of kindergarten learners. Strategies such as capturing children’s interest before reading, introducing vocabulary during read-aloud activities, sharing the see–show–say strategy with families, highlighting children’s favorite books, and establishing consistent read-aloud routines contributed to improved literacy development. Similarly, numeracy strategies including hands-on learning experiences, the use of visual representations, differentiated instruction, encouraging learners to explain their ideas, and integrating storytelling into mathematical contexts supported the development of numeracy competencies. These findings emphasize the importance of learner-centered and experience-based pedagogical practices consistent with Deweyan constructivist principles. The study concludes that re-engineering early childhood literacy and numeracy programs through constructivist pedagogical approaches can enhance instructional effectiveness and strengthen foundational learning outcomes. It is therefore recommended that schools implement targeted teacher upskilling initiatives to reinforce constructivist instructional practices in early childhood education.

Early foreign language literacy development requires systematic decoding instruction while sustaining learner engagement. Although phonics-based approaches effectively promote grapheme–phoneme correspondence and early word recognition, their implementation in Portuguese primary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms remains inconsistent and often disconnected from meaningful literacy experiences. This study reports on a 10-week action-research intervention involving 80 second-grade learners (aged seven) in Portugal, integrating explicit phonics instruction with authentic storybook read-alouds and multimodal reinforcement through interactive whiteboards. Data were collected through student questionnaires, classroom artefacts, field notes, and a semi-structured interview with the Head Teacher. Findings indicate measurable gains in decoding accuracy, reading comprehension, and written production, alongside heightened learner engagement. Notably, struggling readers demonstrated accelerated progress when phonics instruction followed contextualised narrative exposure.

Milestones in first (L1)- and second (L2)-language acquisition have long attracted scholarly attention. However, recent research (e.g., Mourão & Lourenço, 2015; Lucas, Rei & Albuquerque, 2021; Yum et al., 2021) has not consistently translated into classroom practice, particularly in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) in Portuguese primary schools. Prior studies highlight a lack of uniformity in syllabus design and implementation, as well as the need for sustained professional development opportunities for teachers.

This study sought to bring together the “best of both worlds” by aligning research-informed practice with classroom-based evidence. Its purpose was to examine the effectiveness of combining read-aloud storybooks and their video adaptations with interactive whiteboard activities, anchored in a systematic phonics approach to support early reading and writing in English. The findings suggest that integrating engaging narrative contexts with explicit phonics instruction offers an effective strategy for nurturing foundational English literacy skills among young learners.

Introduction: This paper presents a practical study on how participatory digital fabrication can support inclusive education by enabling students to co-design both school spaces and learning tools. Grounded in Universal Design for Learning, creative learning, and co-design approaches, the project explored how everyday school needs can become meaningful opportunities for participation, accessibility, and STEM learning. In particular, the study focused on transforming communication barriers within a comprehensive school into shared design challenges connected to the common good.

Methods: The intervention involved 30 students and 3 teachers in a school-based iterative process structured around four phases: empathize, think, make, and improve. Students mapped accessibility and orientation needs in common areas, then designed and fabricated tactile, high-contrast signage through CAD modelling and 3D printing. In parallel, they developed five angle-learning kits to support geometry learning through peer tutoring activities with younger pupils. Data were collected through inclusive rubrics, student self-assessment, focus groups, and formative feedback tools.

Results: Preliminary findings suggest that participatory fabrication strengthened students’ sense of agency, collaboration, and social responsibility. The project produced nine tactile restroom signs, including one accessible sign, and five manipulable geometry kits. Qualitative evidence indicates positive effects on awareness of inclusive design, school orientation, accessibility, and engagement in STEM learning. The process also supported conceptual understanding through hands-on exploration and encouraged students to see school spaces as shared environments that can be improved collectively.

Conclusions: Participatory digital fabrication can act as a bridge between inclusive design, technology-enhanced education, and STEM pedagogy. Even small-scale interventions may help schools become more accessible, collaborative, and educationally meaningful spaces, while offering replicable practices for broader school communities.

The mathematical problem posing and problem solving are mutually dependent, mutually reinforcing, and develop in tandem. Over the past two decades, research on problem posing has become increasingly prevalent and in-depth among educational researchers, while research on problem solving has gradually declined. It is well known that many educational researchers have published numerous papers related to mathematical problem posing in various mathematics education research journals. Many conferences in mathematics education have also dedicated specialised discussion topics to problem posing. Educational researchers pay close attention to the solvability of problems posed by participants, employing appropriate analytical frameworks to evaluate the solvability and thereby examine participants’ problem-posing ability. However, there is a lack of research on the solutions to the problems posed by participants. Drawing upon the author's experience as a secondary school mathematics teacher, this poster presents a case study of a lesson integrating mathematical problem posing and problem solving by using a problem on set as an exemplar. In the lesson, the author and students first posed new mathematical problems based on a sample problem, then attempted to solve these newly generated problems. Research indicates that posing new problems is typically straightforward, as participants can employ a variety of problem-posing strategies. However, solving these problems can be quite challenging, often requiring mathematical knowledge and mathematical tools extending beyond the scope of secondary school mathematics, and there are very few available problem-solving strategies. Integrating problem-posing and problem-solving within mathematics teaching can foster the synergistic development of both teachers' and students' abilities in problem posing and problem solving.

Background: As autism identification continues to rise both in Ireland and around the world, there is increasing recognition of the need for inclusive and individualised educational planning. In particular, the transition between or within educational settings can pose significant challenges for autistic students. Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH) is a person-centred tool that may support students during these transitions. Grounded in the principles of the neurodiversity movement, PATH promotes a collaborative, strength-based approach that is responsive to the individual needs of autistic students.

Aims: This study aims to explore the experiences of autistic students, their parent, teacher and National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) psychologist in using the PATH process to support transition planning.

Case Selection: Two cases were selected to facilitate literal replication. Each case comprised a NEPS psychologist, a teacher, a parent and an autistic post-primary school student.

Methods: An explanatory two-case study design was employed, guided by Yin’s (2018) methodology. Five propositions were developed using Activity Theory (Engeström, 1999) as a conceptual framework. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire. Reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) was used to identify key themes (Braun & Clarke, 2021).

Results: RTA identified key themes relating to participants’ perceived effectiveness of the PATH process. The themes generated highlighted the importance of the facilitator’s role and skills, the student’s voice being central to the process and the impact of teamwork or tensions on collaboration in the process. Pattern matching was subsequently conducted to compare empirical findings with the case propositions. Both primary and secondary contradictions were identified, revealing significant areas of focus for policy and practice.

Conclusions: The findings extend the limited empirical literature on the use of PATH within educational contexts. Results are discussed in relation to implications for school practice, educational psychology practice, future research and policy development.