Creative block play

Blocks should be part of the daily free choice activity in early childhood settings for children between the ages of two and six. Large enough segments of time need to be allotted for blockbuilding activities, so that children can build various structures and also have enough time to use blocks for social and dramatic play. Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr. is Associate Professor of Education at the University of Miami. Arlene Brett is Associate Professor of Elementary Education at the University of Miami. This article is excerpted from The Complete Block Book, ©1983 Syracuse University Press, 1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, New York 13210. Photographs © 1983 by Michael Carlebach. The book is available from the publisher in paperback edition for $12.95 (plus $1.25 for postage and handling).     

A review of educational technology research in Taiwan

Conclusion Beginning in 1989, the Ministry of Education and the National Science Council of Taiwan have sponsored an international biennial conference organized by different local universities. The purpose of this conference, the International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE), is to report educational technology research. After the 1993 conference, it became a regional biennial conference held by different countries in the Asia-Pacific region. ICCE 95 was held in Singapore and ICCE 97 will be in Malaysia. After 1997, ICCE will again become an annual conference to reflect the growing research impetus in the region.In Taiwan, after exporting ICCE to the region, the funding agents continue to support an annual conference with a different name, International Conference on Computer Assisted Instruction (ICCAI). This locally organized conference has been held annually since 1994. As a natural result of these activities and consistent support by funding agents, a growing number of international publications are reporting on the more mature results of educational technology research at international conferences and in journals.Contributors included Jon-Chao Hong, Professor of Industrial Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan; Jihn-Chang Jehng, Associate Professor, Human Resources Management, National Central University, Taiwan; Yu-Fen Shih, Associate Professor, Media and Library Science, Tamkang University, Taiwan; and Gary Chon-Wen Shyi, Associate Professor, Psychology, National Chung- Cheng University, Taiwan.Tak-Wai Chan is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Information Engineering at National Central University. He is also the President of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of the Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education and is an Associate Editor of theInternational Journal of Educational Telecommunications.     

The subversion of healthy development and play: Teachers' reactions to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

In the spring of 1990, theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) movie was released to the biggest grossing box office sales of a spring release movie in history. The movie followed on the heels of more than a year of the TMNT television cartoon and its accompanying line of toys. After the movie's release, interest in the Turtles was kept high by the daily dose of the TV cartoon, TMNT home videos, video games, and the presence of more than 1,000 toys and other products marketed with the TMNT logo. And then, a year after the first movie, on March 22, 1991, the sequel,TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze, opened at cinemas around the country.Nancy Carlsson-Paige is Associate Professor of Education, Lesley College Graduate School, Cambridge, MA. Diane E. Levin is Associate Professor of Education, Wheelock College, Boston, MA.     

Essay review

Mark I. West is an Associate Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he teaches courses on children's literature and serves as coordinator of the American Studies Program. Among his more recent books areWellspring of Imagination: The Homes of Children's Authors (Neal-Schuman) andA Wondrous Menagerie: Animal Fantasy Stories from American Children's Literature (Archon Books).     

The state of play of Associate Deans,learning and teaching,in Australian universities, 30 years on

ABSTRACT

Learning and teaching leadership by Associate Deans has struggled for effective acceptance in universities for decades. Various Government reviews, policy changes, and reward and recognition systems have been implemented to encourage universities to focus on learning and teaching leadership, and to assure quality outcomes in a changing global landscape. The role of the Associate Dean was created to lead learning and teaching strategically in local university contexts. Despite many recommendations to support the role, it has been reported for almost three decades that Associate Deans struggle to bring about change in the enhancement of learning and teaching. So, have things changed for the Associate Deans, are they more equipped to lead learning and teaching in university contexts now? In this article, through interviews with 25 Associate Deans, and through a Bourdieusian lens, we explore the Capital they possess in their leadership roles. Such Capital is considered against 35 Hallmarks identified in the literature as key to fully equipping Associate Deans as learning and teaching leaders. Both individual Capital and Capital deriving from how the Field is enabling or inhibiting Associate Deans are explored. It is revealed that many Associate Deans may not have the Capital necessary to fully equip them for their leadership of learning and teaching role, and that the traditional university culture, or Field in which they operate, either purposefully or unconsciously may be contributing to inhibiting their leadership. This article provides a timely opportunity to pause and contemplate the Capital that is required for Associate Deans in their role. It highlights for university administrators and leaders what is required for Associate Deans to be fully equipped to fulfil the role and to lead the learning and teaching change that is necessary for universities to thrive.     

Evaluating reading attitudes

Young children can learn to read easily and effectively. This does not require a miraculous new breakthrough of a new reading technique. The main thrust for initial reading instruction needs to be on developing young children's positive reading attitudes.Olivia N. Saracho is an Associate Professor at the Reading Center in the University of Maryland in College Park. She is a consulting editor ofDay Care and Early Education.     

Who benefits from illiteracy? Literacy and empowerment

Formerly Associate Professor of Adult Education at the University of Dar es Salaam (1970–79) and Director of the Institute of Adult Education, United Republic of tanzania (1979–81). His fields of competence include literacy, adult education and participatory research. Author ofThe Adult Education Revolution in Tanzania and co-editor ofParticipatory Research: An Emerging Alternative Methodology in Social Science Research.     

Adult development and disciplinary content: A guide to effective teaching of adults

Most of the literature dealing with effective teaching of adult students deals with particular teaching methods. As important as suchprocess suggestions are, it may be even more important to help adults find connections between thecontent of the disciplines and the issues they experience personally as they move through the life cycle. A discussion of ways to do this is provided by an interdisciplinary team. These ideas are then integrated into a view of the disciplines as a tool for helping students mediate course content as well as their life experiences in the service of learning and individual development.Dr. Charles S. Claxton is Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Center for the Study of Higher Education. His major research interests include effective teaching of adults, student learning styles, and use of adult development theory to enhance the college curriculum. Dr. Susanne B. Darnell is Associate Dean of University College, a unit in which students design individualized baccalaureate degrees in professional or liberal studies. She was formerly a member of the Department of Sociology. Dr. Geneva B. Reid is an Instructor in the Department of English and has extensive teaching experience with traditional age and adult students. Dr. Cecil G. Shugart is Professor in the Department of Physics and has long been active in the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Physical Society.     

Organizing libraries for nonreaders

Many nursery schools and kindergartens manage to accumulate hundreds of books without ever having a library. While the same worn titles grow old on classroom shelves, treasures often lie buried in random corners or in supply closets. More often, all the books are crammed together haphazardly on shelves in a teachers' room where no child ever sees them and no teacher can find what he or she is looking for. Dian G. Smith is a freelance writer and author of My New Baby and Me: A First-Year Record Book for Big Brothers and Sisters (Scribner, 1986). Alexandra Azar is an Associate Instructor for the University of Utah, Continuing Education, in Library Science.     

Mixed Messages: The Problem of Class in Mary Norton’s <Emphasis Type="Italic">Borrowers</Emphasis> Series

Scholars have posited various theories as to which sector of society Mary Norton’s Borrowers most closely reflect, from exploitative aristocrats to helpless victims. Through social and literary contextualization, this article highlights the ways in which Norton represents social class in the series and explores the competing ideologies embedded in the texts. Madelyn Travis is Website Features Editor for Booktrust and Associate Editor of The Journal of Children’s Literature Studies. She has contributed to The Horn Book magazine and The Ultimate First Book Guide. She has an MA in children’s literature from Roehampton University and will shortly embark on a PhD at Newcastle University.     

Review

Lively Elementary Science Programs: A Handbook of Suggestions for Introducing and Maintaining Innovative Science Activities. Submitted to the Massachusetts Advisory Council on Education by Dean K. Whitla, Project Director, and Dan C. Pinck, Associate Project Director. Office of Instructional Research and Evaluation in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. January 1974. $3.25     

Associations of Resource and Service Utilization, Risk Level, and College Outcomes

We tracked resource and service utilizations and first-year college outcomes for the entering first-year class (n = 1,534) at a traditional 4-year postsecondary institution. We grouped specific resources and services offered by the institution into four general categories (academic services, social resources, recreational resources, and advising sessions). We investigated the interrelation of risk, resource and service utilization, and first-year GPA and retention. We found that utilization of each resource/service category was positively associated with GPA and/or retention. Of particular interest, we tested whether the associations of resource and service utilization and outcomes were moderated by risk. We found that the associations of academic services and advising sessions with GPA were more pronounced for higher-risk students. We discuss the implications of the findings, including how the differential associations of resource and service utilizations and outcomes can affect intervention decisions with high-risk students. This research was a collaborative project between ACT and NAU. Steven Robbins, Jeff Allen, Alex Casillas, and Adaeze Akamigbo are members of ACT Research. Margot Saltonstall is Assessment Coordinator, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, Rebecca Campbell is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, and Eileen Mahoney is Director of the Gateway Student Success Center, all at Northern Arizona University. Paul Gore is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah and former director of the Career Transitions Research Department at ACT.     

Utopia Explored: Three Recent Fictionalizations of Fruitlands for Young Readers

Three recent novels for children offer fictionalizations of the year that Louisa May Alcott spent at the utopian community of Fruitlands: Little Women Next Door, by Sheila Solomon Klass [New York: Holiday House, 2000]; Becoming Little Women, by Jeannine Atkins [New York: Putnam, 2001]; and Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect, by Gloria Whelan [New York: HarperCollins, 2002]. This essay explores the strikingly different ways in which three different authors approached the project of presenting to children the inspiring but ultimately disillusioning story of a real-life dream of a utopian community that failed to come true.Claudia Mills is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado and the author of many children’s books, most recently Makeovers by Marcia and Ziggy’s Blue Ribbon Day (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005).     

Announcements: New Editorial Board Members and Earlier Publication: ONLINE FIRST?!!

The following announcement of an Associate Editor, new editorial board members and their prestigious credentials is only pre-empted by our new procedures for earlier publication. Now as papers are accepted and final version approved by the Journal of Science Education and Technology, they are available on-line, at the Journal’s website where date of issue or publication (DOI) is the date they appear on-line. Later they are numbered and placed in print issues of the Journal. Other important information about reprints and hard copies appears at the end of the announcements. The Journal is pleased to announce the appointment of several new Editorial Board Members, earlier publication through ONLINE FIRST™, and information about reprints and hard copies.     

Engaging Undergraduate Students in Research Activities: Are Research Universities Doing a Better Job?

Engaging undergraduate students in research activities has been advocated as an innovative strategy to improve American higher education (Boyer Commission, Reinventing undergraduate education: A blueprint for America’s research universities. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Stony Brook, NY, 1998). This study compared the frequency of undergraduate student research experiences at different types of colleges and universities from the early 1990s through 2004. The results indicate that the frequency of student research experiences increased since 1998 at all types of institutions and that students at research universities were not more likely than their counterparts elsewhere to have such experiences. The findings were consistent across major fields. To live up to their claims, research universities must find additional ways to involve undergraduates in research with faculty members. Shouping Hu is Associate Professor of Higher Education at Florida State University. He received his M.S. degree in Economics and Ph.D. in Higher Education from Indiana University. His research and scholarship focuses on postsecondary access and persistence, college student experience, and higher education finance. George D. Kuh is Chancellor’s Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University Bloomington. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Iowa. His research focuses on the quality of undergraduate education. Joy Gaston Gayles is Associate Professor in Adult and Higher Education at North Carolina State University. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Shaw University, Master’s degree from Auburn University, and Ph.D. in Higher Education from The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on college student learning and development.     

The use of the MMPI as a measure of personal adjustment in career counseling

Gary W. Peterson, Ph.D., is Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in the College of Education, Florida State University and Associate Professor in the Program in Counseling Psychology and Human Systems (904-644-6885).     

Menus for toddlers in Day Care: Part I

In this and the next three issues of Day Care and Early Education,we will provide a total of four weeks' worth of menus for toddlers. Some findings of the Living Environments Group at the University of Kansas were described in the last issue (“Facts and Fancies about Children's Foods,” by Marion O'Brien). This installment's introductory section explains how the menus were developed and how the recipes can be used. Additional advice and information will be included with the future sections. Tood R. Risley is Professor of Human Development and Director of the Living Environments Group at the University of Kansas. Emily Herbert-Jackson managed the nutrition research project described here in her capacity as Research Associate in the Bureau of Child Research at the University of Kansas. She is now associated with Children's Behavioral Services, Reno, Nevada. Marion O'Brien is a writer for the Living Environments Group. The authors wish especially to thank Kathy Erwin for her contribution to the development of these menus, as well as all the staff and children at the Toddler Center.     

Protest Reconsidered: Identifying Democratic and Civic Engagement Learning Outcomes

Using a case study approach, the authors examine the democratic and civic engagement learning outcomes of a campus protest. The conceptual framework is built on the ideas outlined in Learning Reconsidered (Keeling 2004) and modeled in its pragmatic follow-up, Learning Reconsidered 2 (Keeling 2006). Results suggest student and campus administrator actions during a campus protest support democratic aims, student development, and digital age democracy. Recommendations for campus educators are included. This study extends previous discussion on activism’s journey from detrimental to developmental (Astin 1999; Chambers & Phelps 1993; Hamrick 1998; Hunter 1988) by mapping the learning environment through the interaction of protestor and university and by incorporating new forms of activism. J. Patrick Biddix  received his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with specialization in Higher Education from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. He is currently Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Research Methodology in the Department of Curriculum, Leadership, and Technology at Valdosta State University. His primary research interests include college student uses of technology outside the classroom, career pathways in student affairs, and research methodology. Patricia A. Somers  received her Ph.D. in Educational Administration with specialization in Higher Education from the University of New Orleans. She is currently an Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Her primary research interests include college access, student persistence, student development theory, and two-year colleges. Joseph L. Polman  received his Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University. He is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Technology in the Division of Teaching and Learning at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. His primary research interests include inquiry-based learning involving computers and the Internet as tools, viewed from a sociocultural perspective.     

Supporting the Role of Associate Dean in Universities: an Alternative Approach to Management Development

Located between senior management and academic staff, the role of the Associate Dean in universities appears to be growing in number, complexity and importance in recent years. A role arguably fraught with complexity, it remains largely undefined and under‐researched. While little is known about the role in general, less still is known about their leadership development experiences. This paper reports on a Leadership Foundation funded UK study to explore what training and role preparation Associate Deans have had. Data was collected from 15 interviews with Associate Deans from five different institutions and a follow‐up online survey of Associate Deans (n = 172) throughout England and Wales. The study found that 60 per cent of respondents had received little or no formal management training and that 24 per cent of those who had received training reported it to be only moderately useful or of little or no use. In contrast, however, the respondents identified the establishment of informal learning and support networks with other Associate Deans as being a vital source of support. The paper argues that an alternative model of management development, based on relational and social learning theories, might be a more appropriate way to help support this group of academic middle leaders.     

Scieszka’s The Stinky Cheese Man : A Tossed Salad of Parodic Re-versions

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (1992) by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith was awarded a Randolph Caldecott Honor Medal in 1993. Scieszka and Smith subvert textual authority through playing “with literary and cultural codes and conventions” (McCallum 1996, p. 400) in their metafictive text. In this article, I discuss the intertextual and parodic nature of The Stinky Cheese Man and explore Grade 5 students’ responses to this postmodern picturebook. Excerpts from students’ written responses and small group peer-led discussions illustrate some of their responses to and interpretations of the re-versions of the tales, the interactive nature of the characters and the obtrusive narrator, and the design of the book. Sylvia Pantaleo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in children’s literature and all areas of the language arts.