English Language Learners and Learning Disabilities: Research Agenda and Implications for Practice

Although little is known about learning disabilities (LDs) in English language learners (ELLs), there is a substantial knowledge base about the identification, assessment, and intervention of and for LDs in monolingual native English‐speaking students. Building on this knowledge, participants at an October 2003 National Symposium on Learning Disabilities in English Language Learners were asked to suggest research questions, priorities, and suggestions on how to build the necessary infrastructure to address critical research needs. In the discussions that took place, important themes emerged: (1) identification and assessment of LD and/or reading disabilities (RD) in ELLs (ELL/Ds), (2) understanding of the language and literacy developmental trajectories of ELLs, (3) understanding of the individual and contextual factors affecting outcomes, (4) the intersection of all of these areas with neurobiology, and (5) developing and testing the effectiveness of interventions for learning disabilities in ELL/Ds. These themes, and the research agenda that was forged around them, are presented. In addition, the practice implications of this agenda are presented, along with some suggestions for current practice while we await future research findings.     

Early Language Learning and Literacy: Neuroscience Implications for Education

The last decade has produced an explosion in neuroscience research examining young children's early processing of language that has implications for education. Noninvasive, safe functional brain measurements have now been proven feasible for use with children starting at birth. In the arena of language, the neural signatures of learning can be documented at a remarkably early point in development, and these early measures predict performance in children's language and pre‐reading abilities in the second, third, and fifth year of life, a finding with theoretical and educational import. There is evidence that children's early mastery of language requires learning in a social context, and this finding also has important implications for education. Evidence relating socioeconomic status (SES) to brain function for language suggests that SES should be considered a proxy for the opportunity to learn and that the complexity of language input is a significant factor in developing brain areas related to language. The data indicate that the opportunity to learn from complex stimuli and events are vital early in life, and that success in school begins in infancy.     

Current Research on Child Maltreatment: Implications for Educators

The increasing rate of child abuse and neglect is a special concern for educators who are legally mandated reporters of suspected maltreatment, are often the first to identify and refer children who have been harmed, are in contact with parents and are aware of the family conditions contributing to child maltreatment, and who must often work closely with other professionals in their efforts to support child victims and prevent further abuse. Moreover, children's emotional or behavioral problems, learning disabilities, or other difficulties often reflect broader problems that are associated with abuse or neglect. Consequently, understanding the causes and consequences of child maltreatment, and contemporary child protection efforts, is essential to educators in their efforts to assist victimized children. This article surveys current research on child maltreatment with particular attention to the challenges of child protection, the multidimensionality of child maltreatment (distinguishing physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and psychological maltreatment), and hopeful new avenues for prevention. The implications of this research for educational professionals are emphasized.     

Recent Conceptions of Children's Learning: Implications for Classroom Practice

This paper was presented as the Ruth Wong Memorial Lecture at the National University of Singapore on 5th March 1991.     

Personal Epistemology Research: Implications for Learning and Teaching

The ideas that individuals hold about knowledge and knowing have been the target of research programs with disparate names, such as epistemological beliefs, reflective judgment, ways of knowing, and epistemological reflection, all of which appear to be a part of a larger body of work on “personal epistemology.” Epistemological perspectives are salient in numerous academic experiences, have been shown to be related to learning in various ways, influence reasoning and judgment throughout our lives, and have implications for teaching. Yet this work has remained outside the mainstream of educational psychology and cognitive development. This paper addresses three main questions: (1) What is personal epistemology research and how is it conceptualized? (2) How are individuals' conceptions of epistemology related to learning and instruction? (3) Given what we know about personal epistemology, what might educators do? Suggestions are also provided for future research and theoretical development.     

Early Conversations and Word Learning: Contributions from Child and Adult

Temporal and topic contingencies between child and mother speech are reported at 2 achievements in language development in the second year. Measured against their respective baseline rates of speech, children were most likely to talk before mother speech and mothers most likely to talk after child speech. This pattern, evident at both language achievements, increased in amplitude with development. These early conversations were generated by the children; neither their interactions nor word learning depended on adult-scaffolded formats. Only about one-third of all child speech occurred in response to something mothers said; only half of all child speech received a topic-related response. When mothers responded, they most often simply acknowledged, repeated, or clarified what the child said. The results supported the intentionality model for language development, in which the child's role is primary: Children learn words for expression and interpretation in order to share contents of mind, bringing words to their conversations that they've already learned in other contexts.     

变革性学习理论及其对教师学习研究的启示

20世纪80年代末以来,变革性学习理论开始成为一种主导性的成人学习理论。变革性学习理论关注变革,尤其是人们看待自身和周围世界的方式所发生的根本性变化。虽然教师的学习与改变同教育变革密不可分,但是在教师学习研究领域,教师变革性学习的逻辑与动力还没有得到充分研究。在这种情况下,变革性学习理论为教师学习研究,包括教师学习的指向、性质、动力、过程、条件、促进和评估等方面,提供了理论参照系。     

Nonlinear Learning Underpinning Pedagogy: Evidence,Challenges, and Implications

This article provides a brief overview of the framework of nonlinear pedagogy and evidence emanating from motor learning literature that underpins a nonlinear pedagogical approach. In addition, challenges for nonlinear pedagogy and a discussion on how nonlinear pedagogy support the work of physical education (PE) teachers will be shared. Evidence from the increasing volume of work on nonlinear learning from motor learning literature is used to suggest how acquisition of movement skills is supported by nonlinearity. The emergence of goal-directed behaviors is a consequence of the performer, environmental, and task constraints. With a nonlinear pedagogy approach, the focus is on the individual learner where opportunities for meaningful actions can be learnt. Design principles based on representativeness, focus of attention, functional variability, manipulation of constraints, and ensuring relevant information-movement couplings can be delivered via pedagogical channels of instructions, practices, and feedback to the learners. Importantly, this focus on the individual sets the foundation for a developing nonlinear pedagogy framework to enhance teaching in PE although the challenges are non-trivial.     

The Changing Landscape of Early Childhood Education: Implications for Policy and Practice

Early childhood education is changing rapidly due to the dynamic nature of positive and negative trends affecting the profession. In this article, the changing landscape of early childhood education is discussed and analyzed. Both the positive and negative forces contributing to the changing landscape are examined. The focus of this discussion includes changing demographics, changes in early childhood curriculum and instruction, increased focus on accountability, advances in research that inform early childhood education, influences affecting teacher preparation and professional development, and global trends affecting early education and care. We relate these trends to the need for holistic systems-thinking, integrated curricula, child-centered pedagogical standards, deeper commitment to social justice and a corresponding moral vision capable of inspiring educational policy, practice and research in the midst of a competitive global economy and the commodification of early childhood programs and curricula. By discussing practical examples and research findings to illustrate current positive and negative trends, this paper serves as a meaningful resource for all stakeholders. Taking recent dynamics into account, we provide a vision for evaluating change and analyzing major trends. Both implications and responses to the changes in the early childhood landscape are discussed.     

Child Development in Cultural Contexts: Implications of Cultural Psychology for Early Childhood Teacher Education

In this article we argue that early childhood educators, under the influence of last century’s grand universal theories of child development, have not been attentive enough to the centrality of culture in children’s development. We discuss how the exploration of contemporary developmental perspectives is critical to the field and illustrate cultural views of child development based on cultural psychology. The goal of cultural psychology is to study the co-creation of human beings and cultures by focusing on both mentalities and practices, on both culture and biology. Using this lens, we explore the implications that cultural psychology holds for early childhood educators.     

融入通用学习设计理念：学习障碍APP的研究与实践

学习障碍在特殊学生中十分常见,目前虽无治愈方法,却可通过辅助技术在教学中的运用降低其影响。具有辅助技术功能的教育APP为学习障碍学生提供了多样化的参与、表征和表达方式,这正好与通用学习设计的理念相契合,有助于他们在融合班级中获得平等的受教育机会。这些学习障碍相关APP可划分为文字转语音、语音识别、单词预测、文字处理、计划与组织、数学运算等6种类型。一方面,作为能力补偿工具和学习支持工具,学习障碍相关APP能够在阅读、写作和数学学习中为学习障碍学生提供多元化、可参与的学习环境;另一方面,作为一种新型的教学工具,学习障碍相关APP也可能给学习障碍学生带来诸如注意力分散、学习情绪消极等负面影响。因此,其作用机制和在教学中的有效性仍有待明确。未来我国在学习障碍相关APP的研究与实践方面还需做到:推进通用学习设计理念在学习障碍学生教育中的应用与实践,为其学习提供适宜的环境和支持;完善特殊教育辅助技术相关法律和政策,确保各类特殊学生能够获得更专业的支持;加强学习障碍相关APP的开发与研究,使其能够更有效地应用于现实教学情景;建立教育APP的评价体系和支持系统,提升学习障碍相关APP的应用效果。     

PBL:教育实践和研究的未来挑战

本文是一篇有关PBL的评论性研究,根据现代学习理论,作者论述了四个有关学习的原则,解释了这些原则在PBL中的应用,并对已进行的研究进行了评议.     

The Learning Research Cycle: Bridging Research and Practice

A science teacher and her mentor reflect on their participation in the Learning Research Cycle, a professional learning model that bridges research and practice in both university and public school contexts. Teachers do scientific research in scientists’ laboratories, then bridge their scientific experiences with the design of new classroom learning environments and teacher-driven educational research projects. Science students do scientific research via their teachers’ lessons that bridge laboratory research with classroom learning. Scientists and educational researchers bridge their research interests to create new questions centered on teaching and learning in authentic science learning environments. The authors engaged in this qualitative inquiry present their perspectives on “what goes on,” “what we have learned,” and “what it means to the larger community.”     

从“占有”到“生成”:儿童学习观的转换

儿童学习观是儿童观的重要组成内容之一。然而,由于人们对"儿童"、"发展"及"幸福"等持有不同的观点,便衍生出了有关"学习"的不同观念。这些学习观各具认识论基础,表现出不同的特点,对人们的教育观念和教育行为产生不同的影响。"学习即占有",它是人们在现代功利社会背景下,依据"成人-儿童"二元比较的他者思维框架,建构的以"匮乏"为基点、以"功利幸福"为目的、以"占有"为手段、以"效率"为标准的儿童学习观。这一学习观由于其特定的观念基础和价值追求,而使得其表现出根本的自身缺陷性。其实,超越二元比较的理解框架,直面儿童本身,儿童实际上并不是一类本质先定的匮乏性存在,而是拥有丰富发展潜能的生成着的人。"学习即生成",即是儿童内在的生命潜能在与环境的开放性相遇中生长变化的过程,儿童生命的内在规定性构成儿童生成性学习实现的基本条件。     

Learning Classroom Management Through Web-Based Case Instruction: Implications for Early Childhood Teacher Education

In this article, we report a research project on web-based case instruction that was developed and implemented to allow prospective early childhood teachers to be exposed to various dilemmas faced by practicing teachers. The goal of this project was to design an instructional tool and method that could help prospective teachers expand their notion of classroom management beyond a set of techniques. We collected 23 prospective teachers’ pre and postessays before and after the 3-week implementation of the web-based case instruction, along with surveys and a focus group interview data. The initial data analysis results indicated that this instructional method was effective for (a) promoting prospective teachers’ awareness of multiple perspectives, (b) encouraging them to explore diverse ways of problem solving, and (c) articulating their justification based on a sense of moral responsibility and affective engagement. We conclude with implications for future research and early childhood teacher education.

Learning Environments: The Case for Evidence-Based Practice and Issue-Driven Research

In his thought-provoking review of current trends in educational research, Winn offers advice to practitioners and to researchers concerning the role of computer-based simulations in education (Winn, W. (2000). Educ. Psychol. Rev. 14, 331–351). In this critique, I offer two proposals for consideration by those who wish to make practical recommendations about learning environments: (1) Recommendations for practice should be based on specifically relevant evidence. (2) The available methods for collecting evidence should not exclude controlled experiments; instead, researchers should be free to choose among experimental or observational methods, use quantitative or qualitative measures, focus on artificial or naturalistic settings, and invent new techniques as needed. In short, I join the call for evidence-based practice and issue-driven research.     

The Transition from Early Child Care to Preschool: Emerging Toddler Skills and Readiness for Group-Based Learning

Research Findings: National policy today is on the brink of defining preschool experiences as essential for children’s academic success. Indeed, many children’s classroom experience begins as they transition from infant/toddler care to a preschool classroom. This study examined developmentally relevant skill domains among 36-month-olds (effortful control, social engagement, and language abilities) and tested their organization in a latent factor model of skills hypothesized to promote classroom adaptation. Assessments of low-income children interacting with a parent and examiner from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project were utilized (n = 1,814). The data included observations of mother–child interactions during semistructured activities at home and child behavior assessments. Results indicated that the interrelated structure of children’s skills was best defined in a 2-factor, latent variable model: effortful control and social communication. These learning skills were related to but separate from general cognitive ability. Practice or Policy: Home-visiting programs for infants and toddlers are expected to promote children’s school readiness, yet little research has focused on the skills that facilitate children’s transition to the large-group learning environment at age 3. Implications of this model for early prevention efforts and early childhood teacher training to promote children’s readiness for group-based learning are discussed.     

Moral Distress Within the Supervisory Relationship: Implications for Practice and Research

Moral distress is the experience that follows when one feels constrained from acting according to what one believes to be ethically correct. A body of literature from counseling and other health‐related professions indicating the significant impact of morally distressing dynamics on individual and relational well‐being is presented, followed by implications for practice and future research.