Early literacy standards: What new teachers should know

Abstract

Students in early childhood teacher education programs are expected to know, plan curriculum, and teach within several sets of content area, national, state, and local, learning standards. Understanding where these standards originated and why they are important within the context of classroom practice will help new teachers begin their careers aware of their role in helping children become competent in the content‐area standards. At the heart of the standards movement are the early literacy standards, necessary for achieving both reading and language arts competencies and for achieving competency in social studies, science, and mathematics in the K‐12 grades. Understanding and applying the standards, through best practices, can guide teachers in the writing of objectives, development of activities, selection of materials, and the authentic assessment of children's learning within their classroom.     

Raising standards in mathematics education: values, vision, and TIMSS

This paper examines perspectives on values, purpose and methodology in mathematics education in schools in the light of the Third International Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS) and current debates on standards. It argues that standards of attainment in school mathematics are closely connected to belief systems regarding value and purpose; that these systems do not always collectively offer a credible and coherent vision for mathematics education which can be effectively implemented in school classrooms; and that this coherence of vision is what to a large extent characterises the higher performing TIMSS countries. The paper forms part of a wider investigation into the processes of change in education, with a particular focus on mathematics.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Teacher assessment literacy: a review of international standards and measures

Assessment literacy is a core professional requirement across educational systems. Hence, measuring and supporting teachers’ assessment literacy have been a primary focus over the past two decades. At present, there are a multitude of assessment standards across the world and numerous assessment literacy measures that represent different conceptions of assessment literacy. The purpose of this research is to (a) analyze assessment literacy standards from five English-speaking countries (i.e., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, and USA) plus mainland Europe to understand shifts in the assessment landscape over time and across regions and (b) analyze prominent assessment literacy measures developed after 1990. Through a thematic analysis of 15 assessment standards and an examination of eight assessment literacy measures, results indicate noticeable shifts in standards over time yet the majority of measures continue to be based on early conceptions of assessment literacy. Results also serve to define the multiple dimensions of assessment literacy and yield important recommendations for measuring teacher assessment literacy.     

Book and school: On literacy and general education

In this article it is argued that an internal relationship exists between literacy (being able to read and write) and general education. The concrete meaning of general education and of (cultural) literacy is, however, subject to cultural and historical change. In the light of our context of cultural diversity, a plea is held to underline the liberative powers of general education, and in doing so to pay homage to pluriformity as a value. School and book serve this liberation in the sense that horizons are widened by learning about worlds of thought other than one's own. Such a general education is in keeping with an envisioned Europe predisposed to tolerance of difference and pluriformity.     

Raising standards in American schools: the case of No Child Left Behind

In January 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law what is arguably the most important piece of US educational legislation for the past 35 years. For the first time, Public Law 107–110 links high stakes testing with strict accountability measures designed to ensure that, at least in schools that receive government funding, no child is left behind. The appropriately named No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) links government funding to strict improvement policies for America's public schools. Much of what is undertaken in NCLB is praiseworthy, the Act is essentially equitable for it ensures that schools pay due regard to the progress of those sections of the school population who have traditionally done less well in school, in particular, students from economically disadvantaged homes, as well as those from ethnic minority backgrounds and those who have limited proficiency to speak English. However, this seemingly salutatory aspect of the Act is also the one that has raised the most objections. This paper describes the key features of this important piece of legislation before outlining why it is that a seemingly equitable Act has produced so much consternation in US education circles. Through an exploration of school level data for the state of New Jersey, the paper considers the extent to which these concerns have been justified during the early days of No Child Left Behind.     

物理复习课教学中学生的创造性思维培养

物理复习课教学的重要组成部分是习题教学及解题训练。通过教学和训练,有助于学生加深对知识的理解与深化,提高解题技巧及分析问题、解决问题的能力,增强思维的灵活性、变通性和创造性。创造性思维是人类最高层次的思维方式,也是创造能力的核心内容之一。它具有灵活性、敏捷性、变通性、深刻性、批判性、独创性和综摄性等品质。尽管创造性思维品质的好坏存在先天因素,但很大程度上取决于后天的培养。1创造性思维培养建议:1.1通过“转化型习题”训练,培养学生创造性思维的灵活性。当解题思路受阻或遭遇繁难时,转向与题设情景对立、相关、制约…     

《语法测试》述评

文章以James E.Purprua教授的《语法测试》为研究对象,从整体上和具体内容上对该书进行了评论,指出其优点和不足。     

Book Review

This book is a good example of the contribution a clear conceptual analysis can make to highlighting and clarifying problematic thinking about real issues in education. In the literature there are different claims of varying strength and plausibility which require very careful sorting. David Carr demonstrates such careful sorting in the difficult field of ethics and maps some paths for fruitful thinking about professionalism in teaching. ‘The distinctions of Peters and others between education and teaching, theory and practice, and intrinsic and instrumental value, stand in need of more careful mapping and refinement’ which could enable us to steer clear of ‘educationally pernicious conclusions’ (p. 179). Carr succeeds in doing just this.