As noted by the editorial team at JLS, there are always some reviewers who go above and beyond the expected commitment. Sometimes that is in the form of putting in extra effort to mentor a junior scholar with support and explanation to scaffold the process of authoring a journal manuscript. Sometimes it takes the form of providing reviews that are not only thorough but also timely. Sometimes a reviewer who has already completed multiple reviews for the journal will agree to do just one more review, despite the press of many other commitments. These acts of generosity and collegial dedication are generally invisible to all but the members of the editorial team. There is a solid core of such reviewers for JLS, and each year some new ones emerge.

This year we would like to recognize two members of the community whose reviewing stands out as exceptionally productive and generous. Criteria for election are: (1) completing multiple reviews for the journal that are (2) thorough and (3) timely; that (4) provide mentorship to authors; and (5) reflect core values and practices of the field.

We are very pleased to recognize as this year’s JLS Reviewers of the Year:

Edna Tan, PhD

School of Education

UNC Greensboro

Carrie Allen, PhD

College of Education

University of North Texas

Congratulations!

In general, we are interested in proposals on emerging themes in the field. For example, proposals that take up the call for research that has impact on teaching and policymaking that was elaborated in a guest editorial in issue 27 (1); on the intersection of the learning sciences and the future of work; on novel methodological and technological approaches to teaching and learning; on artificial intelligence and learning, and so on. This list is not meant to limit the range of possibilities, but to provide some examples of possible themes. We are interested in receiving proposals that reflect the global membership of the ISLS community. This may include multiple suggested authors, a guest editor, or a discussant from outside of the United States.

Jan Van Aalst and Susan Yoon
Co-editors in Chief

Join the online conversation with the Cambridge Educational Dialogue Team Christine Howe, Sara Hennessy, Neil Mercer, and panelists - Christa Asterhan, and Antonia Larrain on Nov 13. #JLSWebinar #dialogicteaching #educationaldialogue

Register at https://bit.ly/2qmUIp6
Read at the paper at https://bit.ly/2oWUuF5 

IN THIS ISSUE: In Rosemary Russ and Leema Berland use activity theory to demonstrate how the pervasive tension between learning correct ideas and constructing one’s own ideas often results in unacknowledged slippage between competing activity systems within reform efforts. Marc Clarà investigates how discursively symmetric dialogue develops across lessons in collective inquiry. Doris Chin et al. test choice-based assessments (CBAs), which measure how people learn when there is minimal guidance and they must make decisions as independent learners, in the context of teaching design-thinking strategies to 6th-graders. Christina Barbieri et al. examine the effectiveness of self-explanation prompts, visual signalling cues, and a combination of the two features on middle school students’ algebra learning.

Just in time for your reading during AERA.

Have a look at the Altmetric scores (attention through social media and news outlets) for some of these articles. TOC for 27 (2)