PS 15 in Manhattan is one of a growing number of schools that are dedicating spaces for students to design, build, experiment and explore.

Physical education is changing. In 2015, the Department of Education announced a multiyear, multimillion dollar initiative known as PE Works, which seeks to transform the concept of gym class from a place where kids pelt each other with dodgeballs to “an important academic subject that teaches students to be physically active, work as a team and set fitness goals that can last a lifetime.”

Many teachers have been using some form of flexible seating in their classrooms for years. But some teachers have begun to take flexible seating to a whole new level by replacing most or all of the traditional furniture in their classrooms with a host of other options, including wobble seats, floor pillows, crates, lap desks and beanbags.

Educators in the Bronx’s District 8 are embracing a new approach to gifted education. Known as the “schoolwide enrichment model,” it focuses not on classifying gifted individuals but rather on developing and nurturing gifted behaviors in all students.

The ASD Nest model is designed to “nest” children with autism in fully inclusive classrooms.

There’s been a seismic shift in the way teachers approach math instruction over the last few decades. Rote memorization of mathematical algorithms — or so-called “drill and kill” instruction — has given way to experiential learning.

Educators at PS 66 in Richmond Hill, Queens are striving to find the balance between encouraging English language learners to preserve their native language abilities and nurturing them in their burgeoning English skills while educating them alongside their native English-speaking peers.

Even as student collaboration and group work are embraced in the modern classroom, some teachers are exploring the idea of redefining introversion as a source of strength.

“The goal is to help children improve by helping teachers improve,” says Tagrid Sihly, a reading coach in the DOE's University Literacy initiative.

What should homework look like? How long should it take? Should it even exist at all?