Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi in the 1990s: Implications for Today's Multicultural Classrooms

Abstract

If the definitions of global citizenship are varied and contestable, how do teachers conceptualize and make meaning of global citizenship when required to teach global citizenship in the classroom? For this study, twenty-nine grade six social studies teachers in British Columbia, Canada, were surveyed on their definitions of global citizenship with a focus on active participation. Their responses indicated a belief in active citizenship, civic global responsibility, community service, and making change in the world; however, the focus of their student work in global citizenship was often limited to treating the symptoms of global inequalities, thus ignoring our interdependencies. Consequently, this article suggests that a more critical approach to global citizenship needs to be articulated in curriculum documents and promoted in schools.     

Setting Standards in the Language Arts and Literature Classrooms and the Implications for Portfolio Assessment

Based on a series of working sessions with teachers who elaborated their implicit standards for student performance, this article makes a case for portfolio assessment in the English and language arts classroom. Portfolios, created by student and teacher, consist of exemplars, which are products that have been rated by a jury according to public criteria. These are arranged to illustrate the agreed-on dimensions of performance in the subject and the established standards or levels of performance within those dimensions. The portfolio can thus portray the student's performance across the domain. Such dimensions and standards can be generalized beyond the classroom for the purposes of large-scale assessment, but the portfolio's use is primarily, if not entirely, at the individual level. A sample set of dimensions and standards is elaborated and implications for reporting are discussed.     

Raising the Educational Requirements for Teachers in Infant Toddler Classrooms: Implications for Institutions of Higher Education

This article describes preschool teachers' espoused mental models (EMMs) or, in other words, their naïve understanding of young children's learning. Our research goal was to examine differences within the teachers' EMMs regarding the minds and learning of young children from different cultural backgrounds. The subjects included 18 preschool teachers from the center of Israel, all of whom belonged to the mainstream cultural background and taught in the national school system. Their classes consisted of 5- to 6-year-old children from the mainstream cultural group as well as children from Ethiopian immigrant families. We conducted individual semistructured interviews that were transcribed and analyzed to identify the original EMM structure. While analyzing the parts of the narratives that referred to Ethiopian children, we discovered a metacategory that did not exist in the original model: Culture. This finding contributes to the construct of espoused mental models for teachers of children from diverse populations.     

An Observational Study of Print Literacy in Canadian Preschool Classrooms

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of print literacy in preschool classrooms. There were seven preschool teachers working in central Canada who were observed over three sessions. The process of analytic induction was used to formulate categories based on interviews, classroom observations and documents. The following categories were identified from the data: book engagement and availability, writing engagement, and print displays and materials. There were some consistencies across centres in the availability of print materials; however, variation often existed in the types of interactions with print. For example, in some preschool classrooms, teachers had a more structured approach toward writing development while in others, they did not. Such differences in practice may be attributed to different beliefs and knowledge of early literacy development. The results of this study offer insight on the role of print literacy in preschool classrooms.     

The Languages We Choose to Speak: Speaker Agency,Proficiency and the Implications for English Classrooms

Using autobiographical experiences as a framework for inquiry, this article sets out to question the often unexamined assumptions that surround the definition of ‘proficiency’ in second/foreign languages. In so doing, it opens up possibilities of inquiry into the power-laden relationships between speaker agency, cultural belonging and self-expression that are equally relevant to intra-linguistic contexts. Recasting our linguistic identities as performative acts that respond to a number of personal and social agendas, the article concludes by considering some general implications of speaker agency and the emotional stakes inherent in language use for the teacher of English in the multilingual classroom.     

National Survey on Canadian Undergraduate Medical Programs: The Decline of the Anatomical Sciences in Canadian Medical Education

The anatomical sciences have always been regarded as an essential component of medical education. In Canada, the methodology and time dedicated to anatomy teaching are currently unknown. Two surveys were administered to course directors and discipline leaders to gain a comprehensive view of anatomical education in Canadian medical schools. Participants were queried about contact hours (classroom and laboratory), content delivery and assessment methods for gross anatomy, histology, and embryology. Twelve schools responded to both surveys, for an overall response rate of 64%. Overall, Canadian medical students spend 92.8 (± 45.4) hours (mean ± SD) studying gross anatomy, 25.2 (± 21.0) hours for histology, and 7.4 (± 4.3) hours for embryology. Gross anatomy contact hours statistically significantly exceeded those for histology and embryology. Results show that most content is delivered in the first year of medical school, as anatomy is a foundational building block for upper-year courses. Laboratory contact time for gross anatomy was 56.8 (± 30.7) hours, histology was 11.4 (± 16.2) hours, and embryology was 0.25 (± 0.6) hours. Additionally, 42% of programs predominantly used instructor/technician-made prosections, another 33% used a mix of dissection and prosections and 25% have their students complete cadaveric dissections. Teaching is either completely or partially integrated into all Canadian medical curricula. This integration trend in Canada parallels those of other medical schools around the world where programs have begun to decrease contact time in anatomy and increase integration of the anatomical sciences into other courses. Compared to published American data, Canadian schools offer less contact time. The reason for this gap is unknown. Further investigation is required to determine if the amount of anatomical science education within medical school affects students' performance in clerkship, residency and beyond.     

论加拿大特鲁多政府官方发展援助的特点和目标

发达国家向发展中国家及地区提供官方发展援助是当代南北关系的突出特点之一.在特鲁多出任总理时期,加拿大官方发展援助取得了空前的发展,成为加拿大国际形象的显著标志之一.特鲁多时期加拿大发展援助属于一种富有双赢色彩的援助,一方面有着对自身国家利益的追求,另一方面道义性色彩非常浓厚,对构建公正合理的南北经济关系具有积极意义.     

Online FDA Regulations: Implications for Medical Writers

Availability of online Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations is contributing to a shift in medical writers' organizational role from a peripheral to a central role where their responsibilities for the persuasiveness of documents and compliance with evolving regulations have increased dramatically. Therefore, curricula for medical writers should include instruction in persuasion, collaboration, strategic and project management, the drug development process, and the location and interpretation of FDA regulations.     

Multiple Dimensions of Instructional Effectiveness in Reading: A Review of Classroom Observation Studies and Implications for Special Education Classrooms

The purpose of this study was to review and analyze effective classroom reading practices for early graders, using information gathered from the existing content-general and content-specific observation protocols measuring teachers’ classroom reading practices. Dimensions and constructs from 28 observation studies were synthesized to identify classroom instructional practices that have positive impacts on student achievement. Findings revealed that (a) instructional support, emotional support, and classroom management have positive impacts on student achievement, (b) the degree to which instructional practices are effective depends on students’ particular learning needs, and (c) students’ entering skills and primary language are associated with instructional effectiveness in reading. Challenges and implications for future research on effective instructional strategies for special education and the development of an observational protocol for special education teacher effectiveness are discussed.     

加拿大医学教育中的全球卫生:当前的实践和机遇

全球化带来了卫生和卫生保健的变化,对医学生全球卫生训练的需求也日益增加.为了解目前加拿大各医学院开展全球卫生训练的情况,作者于2005-2006学年对加拿大所有医学院(共17所)进行了问卷调查,结果表明课程设置不能满足需求且各医学院的举措没有统一规范.作者建议在一些全国性组织的领导下,各医学院采用统一的方法进行全球卫生训练.     

Computers in Classrooms:

No abstract available for this article.     

Quality in Kindergarten Classrooms: Observational Evidence for the Need to Increase Children's Learning Opportunities in Early Education Classrooms

Research Findings: Using observational data gathered in 730 kindergarten classrooms in 6 states, the present study focuses on the quality of children's learning opportunities in kindergarten classrooms. Findings show that overall, children experience moderate to low levels of quality in the areas of classroom organization and instructional support in kindergarten. Results are also presented in comparison to children's experiences in the pre-kindergarten year. These comparisons indicate that kindergarten children spend a greater proportion of the school day in language arts, math, and whole-group instruction and less time in centers than they do in pre-kindergarten. An examination of predictors of kindergarten classroom quality indicated that program characteristics (i.e., adult–child ratio, length of school day) and teacher psychological variables (i.e., beliefs and depressive symptoms) were stronger predictors of classroom quality than were teacher experience and educational background. Practice or Policy: Findings are discussed in terms of implications for children's academic and social development in kindergarten as well as for kindergarten teacher preparation and development.     

医学语言文化意义审视

在现代医学模式确立过程中,对医学语言的研究不断推进,其功能和地位日显重要和突出。医学语言具有丰厚的文化意义,在最为明显的层面上,它决定了临床实践的价值,奠定了医学科学的发展根基,拓展了语言和文学的覆盖面,推动了哲学反思的终极化;在衍生层面上,医学语言承载着负面的致病作用,体现着自然科学的美学意蕴,打通了医学与军事兵法的思想渊源。     

加拿大和英国医学院校的课程地图

本文对英国和加拿大医学院校课程地图(CM)的建设现状、特征、挑战和成功的方面进行了调查研究。结果显示,已有20%的学校完成了CM的构建,而大多数院校正在着力构建中;在CM的构建中,使用了各种不同的软件;当前主要的挑战是对人力的需求、医学本体论的应用、教师发展和接口设计。     

边疆城乡医疗救助问题初探

医疗救助制度是减轻弱势群体医疗费用负担,实现“病有所医”的重要手段,是保障公民生存权和健康权的重要组成,它既是多层次医疗保障体系的有机组成部分,也是社会救助体系中的重要部分,作为医疗保障体系中的最后一道防线,是社会人群最底层的生存线,起着“兜底”的作用。本文以云南省边疆医疗救助制度发展为线索,梳理边疆医疗救助工作开展过程中存在的问题。     

新医改视角下医学毕业生就业帮扶问题探讨

随着我国医学生的毕业人数上升,医学人才就业竞争也更加激烈。文章从新医改的视角分析了医学毕业生的就业现状以及成因,提出引导和推动医学毕业生就业的方法和途径,重塑医学毕业生就业帮扶体系,从而提高其就业竞争力。     

Child‐directed Dramatic Play as Identity Text in Northern Canadian Indigenous Kindergarten Classrooms

In this paper, an Anishnaabe educator and university researcher/former primary teacher make a case for viewing children's dramatic play as multimodal identity texts. Indigenous children in our research study take up an agentic role and construct positive identities in dramatic play, creating narratives that reflect Indigenous cultural practices, as well as some practices of mainstream Canadian society that may be imbued with colonising perspectives. We argue that the Indigenous Cultural classes and follow‐up dramatic play counter the marginalisation of Indigenous knowledge, culture and languages that has occurred with devastating effects on generations of Indigenous families. Our paper is based on video recordings of 4‐ and 5‐year‐old children's dramatic play that were analysed collectively by 12 Indigenous educators in terms of the Indigenous cultural meanings that children created in their play. We conclude with implications for non‐Indigenous teachers, arguing that a case can be made for including child‐led dramatic play in the literacy curriculum when dramatic play narratives are viewed as multimodal identity texts. These texts, which can involve multiple modes including print, draw from children's own cultural and linguistic knowledge and experience.     

Learning and Teaching in Microcomputer Classrooms:

No abstract available for this article.