'Let's try that word again in a new way!' Helping failing readers to learn high frequency words

Heather Moran, Educational Psychologist, Kate Smith, Head of the Learning Support Service, Julie Meads, Teacher, Foleshill Primary School, and Maria Beck, Teacher, Good Shepherd R.C. Primary School (all of whom work for Coventry LEA) report on action research conducted in two primary schools in Coventry using the Word Association Method to help children to read common sight words.     

Support Teaching: Taking a Closer Look

Support teaching has been described in a number of previous articles in the journal but this is the first to concentrate on some of the issues and questions which the practice of support teaching raises for staff in individual schools. Jean Garnett writes from her experience not only as present head of the Special Needs Support Service, Coventry Education Department, but also as a former support teacher in Nottinghamshire and Oxfordshire.     

Reviewing the Teaching and Learning of Children with Special Educational Needs: Enabling Whole School Responsibility

Neil Morris, Learning Support Co-ordinator, and Phil Parker, Learning Support Manger, at Colmers Farm School, use 'The four Ps of policy' (Palmer, Redfern & Smith, 1994) to review their own practice in the development of the monitoring and evaluation measures of their school's SEN (Special Educational Needs) provision. They outline their commitment to inclusive education, and analyse the ways in which the strategy of 'Subject Department SEN Reviews' focuses upon teaching and learning styles.     

Dickens for All: Inclusive Approaches to Literature and Communication with People with Severe and Profound Learning Disabilities

Keith Park, a teacher of children with visual impairment and learning disabilities with the Greenwich Visual Impairment Service, describes a series of multisensory interactive drama games re-telling the story of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, following a discussion of the potential uses of literature with people with severe and profound learning disabilities.     

教师“真我”:超越技术理性的教育诉求——帕克·帕尔默的教师观研究

美国学者帕克·帕尔默教师观的基本思想是教师"真我"理念。为试图解决现代性危机下技术理性冲击所带来的教师内心失序问题,帕尔默呼唤教师"真我"的复归。教师"真我"是教师本体意义上的真实与完整,得益于教师充分的自我认识,指向自我本质的觉察和灵性的解放。帕尔默关注教师作为整体人的发展,在以人学为基础的教育视域中重新解读教师"真我",教师"真我"表现为以自身认同和自我完整为特征,以在悖论中把握统一为旨归。塑造教师"真我"是优秀教学的前提,关键取决于教师如何在职业生活中守护内部景观和外部景观的和谐统一。     

On Being a Support Teacher …

Personal thoughts and experiences of a teacher taking on a new role as a support teacher in primary and comprehensive schools in Banbury are described by Lois Hockley, now head of Service for Pupils with Learning Difficulties, East Devon.     

From Head of Year to Year Curriculum Coordinator and Back Again?

This article is an account of the development of the course From Head of Year to Year Curriculum Coordinator? The story of its origins, its development and outcomes provides an opportunity to explore the impact of educational changes on conceptions of pastoral care, its management and organization, and how NAPCE has had to change the pattern and nature of its activities to support its members. It allows us to consider the enduring but changing role of the Head of Year.
Caroline Lodge worked for 25 years in urban comprehensive schools in Coventry and London, in many different roles (including Head of Year) before moving on. She is now occupied with earning a living as lecturer, writer, researcher, teacher, consultant and trainer and is also a student.     

Supports and Concerns for Teacher Professional Growth During the Implementation of a Science Curriculum Innovation

Internationally, considerable reform in science education is occurring which promotes constructivist philosophies and advocates constructivist-inspired pedagogical strategies that are new to many teachers. This paper reports on the supporting factors necessary for teacher professional growth and the issues of concern that were evident during one primary teacher's successful implementation of a unit of work based on a draft of a new state-wide science syllabus which proposes such approaches. One researcher (CEP) provided guidance during the writing and implementation of the unit through professional development workshops complemented by ongoing collegial support. The analysis of the teacher's practice reveals that professional growth required a willingness of the teacher to engage with change and modify his professional practice. The support factors for teacher growth consisted of an appropriate program of professional development, teacher understanding of the elements of the curriculum innovation, and successful experiences in implementing new approaches. In contrast, the issues of concern were: the adequacy of support for planning including the time required to understand the innovation and make changes to teaching practice; science equipment; teacher knowledge; classroom management strategies; and ways to cope with change. Understanding of these support factors and issues of concern is vital for the successful implementation of science curriculum innovations.     

Changing Direction at Tile Hill Wood

Carol Giles, coordinator for special needs, Tile Hill Wood School, Coventry, and Scott Dunlop, senior educational psychologist, Coventry Child Guidance Centre, describe the way a 'whole school approach' has been introduced into a girls' comprehensive school with close support from colleagues.     

Target Setting in Special Schools

Jim Muncey, Chief Adviser, City of Coventry Education Service, and John McGinty, Headteacher, Wainbody Wood School, examine a model which ensures that target setting in special schools reflects both national demands and the particular nature of special provision.     

The state and the teaching profession: Teacher incentives in Botswana

This paper explores the development of various approaches by the State in Botswana to improve teacher incentives. Teacher incentives have been an issue in Botswana for a number of years. The Ministry of Education with the support of USAID has commissioned research into teacher incentives. In 1991 and 1992 there were four major bodies created by the State that dealt with the problem of teacher incentives either directly or indirectly. Report of the Presidential Commission on the Review of Public Service Salaries and Conditions of Service; the review of organization and management conducted by the Public Service (the OM Report); the Report on the Implementation of Parallel Progression; and the 1992–1993 Second National Commission on Education which reported to the President in July 1993. This paper employs and elaborates on a model dealing with ‘incentive categories’ developed by Frances Kemmerer. The ten perspectives related to remuneration and working conditions are used to guide the inquiry. Additional avenues for improving teacher incentives are considered and five recommendations for change made.     

Daily Evaluation in the Classroom

Children's day by day progress can be measured through precision teaching. James Muncey, senior educational psychologist, and Hugh Williams, educational psychologist, Coventry School Psychological Service, describe its value in both ordinary and special schools     

Addressing violence against teachers: A social-ecological analysis of teachers' perspectives

Much research has been dedicated to supporting school communities in combating the problem of school violence. However, violence directed toward teachers is under-investigated, and knowledge of how to support teachers is limited. This qualitative study used conventional content analysis to assess teachers' recommendations for preventing and improving the response to teacher-directed violence. The sample included 245 prekindergarten through 12th grade teachers, all of whom experienced school violence and participated in a larger national survey study on violence against teachers. Using a social-ecological framework and conventional content analysis, teacher recommendations for addressing teacher victimization were identified and organized at the individual, school, community, and society levels. Themes around conflict resolution strategies; improving policies, resources, and relationships with administrators; increasing parental involvement; and changing culture and laws were highlighted. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.     

Regaining focus in Irish Junior Cycle Science: potential new directions for curriculum and assessment on Nature of Science

The Irish national discourse on curriculum and assessment reform at the Junior Cycle level has been fraught with controversy in the past two years. The introduction of the new curriculum and assessment framework in 2012 by the then Minister of Education, Ruairi Quinn has led to significant media coverage and teacher union response. In this paper, we argue that in the midst of the reaction toward the particular assessment elements of the framework, the focus has been lost on key revisions made in the draft science curriculum and assessment specification released in September 2014. A central aspect of the draft document released for consultation includes the introduction of a ‘Nature of Science’ (NOS) theme intended to be an overarching feature of all science teaching and learning. We examine the coverage of NOS in the draft document and analyze it relative to a model of NOS developed in our recent book. Our analysis illustrates that the draft science curriculum and assessment specification for Junior Cycle incorporates contemporary research and aligns the Irish curriculum with most features of NOS, although some aspects need further development including the articulation of a nuanced model of NOS. We highlight some future directions for curriculum and assessment development for a comprehensive, coherent and holistic coverage of NOS in Junior Cycle Science in Ireland.     

《时间中的孩子》中查尔斯·达克的异化

《时间中的孩子》是伊恩.麦克尤恩创作日趋成熟的重要标志性作品之一。＂时间＂与＂孩子＂是理解此部作品的两个关键词。文中不仅有凯特、鲁丝、乞丐女孩这些正常的生理时间上的孩子,也有像斯蒂芬、达克这样异化的心理时间上的＂孩子＂,这些不同意义上的孩子微妙的传达了＂孩子＂这一母题的深层寓意。本文将以心理时间上的＂男孩＂查尔斯.达克为例,从他的本性、情感、行为三个方面浅析其异化。     

Supporting Immigrant-Origin Children: Grounding Teacher Education in Critical Developmental Perspectives and Practices

ABSTRACT

Despite many welcoming individuals and communities, the hegemonic narrative regarding immigrant origin families suggests that hard work may not be enough to overcome the economic, social, and political walls within and encompassing the United States. The increasingly diverse stories of immigrant families are often met with undifferentiated policies and practices, despite considerable racial, ethnic, linguistic, socioeconomic, and other variations. This article provides teacher educators and teacher candidates an ecologically and developmentally sensitive framework to understand immigrant-origin children in a holistic manner in order to support their overall development and learning. It concludes by applying the framework to guide equity-based practices within schools, and by educators, policy makers, and the public so they may more effectively contribute to the education and development of immigrant-origin and other students.     

基础教育师资配置均衡化:教育公平的必然要求

基础教育师资配置均衡化是实现教育公平的必要条件,而实现师资配置均衡化必须依赖于国家制定合理和有效的教师政策:1.落实人事改革制度,严格教师合约管理;2.改革师资配置方式,促进教师合理流动;3.加大教育投资力度,保障基础教育发展;4.加强薄弱学校建设,提高整体师资水平;5.大力扶持农村经济,逐步缩小城乡差别.     

Alternative school policies and the benefits of general cognitive skills

School policy debates vacillate between policies emphasizing improvement in general skills and those aimed at strengthening the linkages between schools and the workplace. While these policies do not necessarily conflict, each is frequently motivated by shortcomings in the other. This paper presents basic evidence about the very substantial impacts of general cognitive skills on individual earnings and on economic growth. The calculations are then put in a school policy framework that emphasizes the importance of considering both the magnitude and the speed of quality improvements. It then considers alternative school reform policies focused on improvements in teacher quality, identifying how much change is required. Finally, teacher bonus policies are put into the context of potential benefits.     

美国教师入门指导政策改革述评

20世纪80年代伊始,美国兴起教师入门指导政策和计划,以支持新任教师的专业发展。教师入门指导政策达到几个方面的政策目标,诸如减少教师的离职率,提高教师质量以及学生教育成就。美国各州在入门指导计划政策的实践中出现了许多优秀的模式,包括加利福利亚州的新教师支持与评价计划、伊利诺斯州的教师入门指导计划连续体和俄亥俄州的新教师入职年计划等。美国教师入门指导政策改革体现了以下特点：（1）设置入门指导计划的目标;（2）制定入门指导计划的标准;（3）重视入门指导计划的辅导;（4）加强入门指导计划的投入。