This study investigates the integration of spatial thinking into early childhood education through story-driven design activities and the use of a Lesson Study approach. Conducted in six Irish junior and senior infant classrooms across two schools with ten teachers, this research aimed to address the following research question: How can the Lesson Study approach support early childhood teachers in deepening their knowledge of their pupils, changing teaching practices, and impacting teacher self-efficacy, particularly in relation to spatial reasoning during story-based design activities? Qualitative data from classroom observations and teacher discussions indicate that teachers adapted their lesson strategies based on deeper insights into their students' spatial thinking. They improved the development of spatial design assignments and demonstrated enhanced self-efficacy in conducting spatialized design lessons. Lesson Study dynamics enhance teacher awareness related to design and technology projects, foster creative task identification, and challenge teacher perceptions. Our findings suggest that the Lesson Study processes implemented in this study could motivate teachers to integrate spatial thinking into their classrooms while still adhering to their curriculum. This approach effectively integrates spatial thinking into the curriculum, providing authentic design scenarios for pupils to develop spatial reasoning. These outcomes underscore the potential of Lesson Study for teacher professional development in early childhood spatial and design education.

Extensive research has established that spatial ability is a crucial factor for achieving success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). However, challenges that educators encounter while teaching spatial skills remain uncertain. The purpose of this study is to develop a research framework that examines the interrelationships, barriers, and enablers amongst various educational components, including schools, teachers, students, classrooms, and training programs, that are encountered when teaching for spatial ability development. A thorough examination of international research, in combination with a detailed review of the primary Science and Mathematics curricula in Ireland, Latvia, Sweden, and the Netherlands, is undertaken to acquire a more concentrated comprehension of the incorporation of spatial components in the curriculum. The review seeks to establish the fundamental factors that enable or hinder teachers in terms of curriculum, pedagogy, pedagogical content knowledge, and spatialized classroom practices.

Developing spatial ability in early childhood is crucial, but not all children are naturally drawn to spatial activities like construction. For those with different play preferences, integrating design and construction tasks with storybooks will engage them more, tapping into their problem-solving interests. Despite the central role of storytelling in early childhood education, it’s relatively new for teachers to use stories to engage children in spatialized design assignments. This study addresses this gap by implementing a Lesson Study approach in six Irish junior and senior infant classrooms from two schools with ten teachers. Qualitative data from classrooms and teacher discussions reveal positive outcomes: teachers altered their lesson strategies, gained insights into their students’ spatial thinking, improved spatial design assignment development, and enhanced selfefficacy in conducting spatialized lessons. These outcomes underscore the efficacy of Lesson Study for professional development in early childhood spatial education.

This study explored the sequential interplay between challenges and regulatory processes in high- and low-performing collaborative groups. 66 students from a Finnish higher education institution participated in a collaborative task in groups of three. Approximately 34 h of video data were coded. The sequential analysis revealed that both groups had higher sequential transitions between cognitive regulation and emotional/motivational regulation, rather than cognitive challenges. The high-performing groups demonstrated a stronger sequential link between emotional/motivational regulation and cognitive regulation than the low-performing groups did when faced with cognitive challenges. The study establishes a theoretical grounding and advances our understanding of regulated learning. Since collaborative learning tasks are highly adopted in the higher education context, especially in the Nordic region, this study has practical implications for higher education in these countries and beyond as they seek to develop pedagogical methodologies and customised support to help collaborative groups resolve challenges by initiating regulatory processes.