Transition partnerships: the views of education professionals and staff in support services for young people with learning disabilities

Transition to post-statutory education and employment for young people with learning disabilities has become a hotly debated issue among professionals in education and support services in the UK. Partnerships between educational institutions and voluntary sector providers are supposed to be ideal vehicles for delivering transition services and securing outcomes for young people with learning disabilities. In this article, Axel Kaehne and Stephen Bayer of the Welsh Centre for Learning Difficulties report the findings of a survey of the views of special educational needs co-ordinators and professionals who are involved at operational and strategic levels in the work of transition partnerships. The data show that undue emphasis is often placed, by all stakeholders, on the soft, rather than the concrete, outcomes of transition; that smooth transitions are still hampered by insufficient flow of information between collaborating agencies; and that there are still significant gaps in provision, in particular in the supported employment field, due to funding or referral restrictions. To deliver first-class transitions, argue Axel Kaehne and Stephen Bayer, partnerships that support young people with learning disabilities need to address these difficulties with some urgency.     

如何利用因特网更好的学习英语

随着因特网的普及,电脑辅助语言学习得到了进一步的应用。利用因特网学习英语同其他的手段相比,有许多优点,本文对此进行了讨论并提出了一些具体的方法和建议及注意事项。     

Usefulness of cognitive intervention programmes for socio-emotional and behaviour problems in children with learning disabilities

Behavioural and emotional problems occur more frequently in children with learning problems than in a cross-section of the general population, both at home and at school. While behaviour problems reportedly are a key obstructive factor impeding inclusive education, children with both behavioural and learning disabilities carry a high risk of social exclusion and school dropout when they are in mainstream environments. Meta-analyses indicated only a moderate impact of social skills training. To see what kind of intervention programme would be effective in modifying cognitive as well as socio-emotional behaviour and at the same time focusing on contextual interaction and intervention, a pilot study has been carried out in Belgium with 11–13-year-old students with learning disability and behaviour problems in special schools. A total of 24 children in the experimental group were matched against a control group of 24. Children in the experimental group, after having received 14 lessons of FIE (Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment Programme), showed a marked increase in some cognitive functions (hypothetical thinking, perception and understanding of humour) but not in others. A significant effect on socio-emotional behaviour could not be shown quantitatively, but was evident from qualitative interviewing. The mediating attitude of the teachers was a key influencing factor in producing lasting changes. Programmes such as FIE, provided they address children as well as teachers in a comprehensive way, focusing on cognitive as well as socio-emotional behavioural changes, may become powerful instruments to help children as well as teachers in a highly differentiated inclusive school environment.     

基于网络环境的合作学习设计探讨

随着科学技术的进步、学校教育技术的不断更新和家庭电脑的普及,整个社会进入了信息时代的一个崭新阶段,信息技术与各学科教学整合是大势所趋.传统意义上的合作学习已取得不错的教学效果,运用网络环境提供的丰富资源设计合作学习,将更有利于师生、生生之间的交互通信与合作.     

Challenging behaviour: the perceptions of teachers of children and young people with severe learning disabilities

This paper reports the findings of a study which aimed to elicit teachers' perceptions of pupils' challenging behaviour. Teachers were asked to indicate: which aspects of challenging behaviour concerned them; their responses to it; which strategies they found effective; what they believed to be the causes of it; how stressed they felt; and how effective they felt when dealing with it. They were also asked to identify sources of information, advice and help and to rate different types of challenging behaviour in terms of severity of challenge. Results indicate that teachers are concerned about challenging behaviour and find it stressful. Whilst considering themselves to be effective in dealing with it, a proportion report feeling frustrated by it, angry, upset and/or at a loss. The most frequently cited challenging behaviour was aggression, although self-injury was found to be the most challenging. Whilst recognising the communicative basis of many forms of challenging behaviour teachers nevertheless tended to select strategies which were concerned with diffusion rather than prevention. The most likely source of information, advice and help was other teachers. Some differences in responses were noted according to experience and whether or not additional qualifications were held.     

Impact of interactive online units on learning science among students with learning disabilities and English learners

The purpose of this study was to document the design, classroom implementation, and effectiveness of interactive online units to enhance science learning over 3 years among students with learning disabilities, English learners, and general education students. Results of a randomised controlled trial with 2,303 middle school students and 71 teachers across 13 schools in two states indicated that online units effectively deepened science knowledge across all three student groups. Comparing all treatment and control students on pretest-to-posttest improvement on standards-based content-specific assessments, there were statistically significant mean differences (17% improvement treatment vs. 6% control; p?相似文献   

Including young people with disabilities: Assessment challenges in higher education

Within a European context, facilitating the increased participation of marginalized groups within society has become a cornerstone of social policy. In higher education in Ireland this has generally involved the targeting for support of individuals representing groups traditionally excluded on the grounds of socio-economic status. More recently, people with disability have been included in this consideration. This approach has tended to focus on physical access issues and some technical supports. However, access is multi-faceted and must include a review of pedagogic practices, assistive provision (technological and personal), student’s engagement with their workload (e.g. recording) and evaluation procedures: achieving accreditation levels commensurate with ability. This small-scale Irish study examined the experiences of two groups of young people with physical disabilities and with dyslexia in two higher education institutions. It was apparent that for students with physical disabilities and with dyslexia, assessment practices were fraught with additional limitations. Assessment practices were mediated for these students through the physical environment, the backwash effect of assessment on curriculum, the availability and use of assistive technology, and through the attitudes of staff and students. It can be concluded that access issues within higher education have been inadequately conceptualized and as a result failed to address fundamental issues around assessment for students with physical disabilities and with dyslexia.     

网络服务程序的编程接口

网络服务程序的编程接口的选择将直接影响到网络服务程序的执行效率和对用户请求的响应结果,本文介绍了开发网络服务程序中使用到的三种编程接口,并对三种编程接口的组成和使用范围进行了阐述。     

Characterizing navigation in interactive learning environments

Interactive learning environments (ILEs) are increasingly used to support and enhance instruction and learning experiences. ILEs maintain and display information, allowing learners to interact with this information. One important method of interacting with information is navigation. Often, learners are required to navigate through the information space of an ILE, a process which can be quite difficult and cognitively exacting as the information space becomes very large and complex. Proper design can make this process less exacting and, at the same time, facilitate better learning of the information space. However, this is not easy to do, especially for ILEs. Frameworks can assist in the effective analysis and design of interactive environments. However, there is lack of conceptual frameworks for guiding the analysis and design of navigation in ILEs. This paper tries to address this issue by presenting a framework which can be used to characterize navigation within ILEs. To create this framework, this paper brings together research from various disciplines, such as human-computer interaction design, educational multimedia design, cognitive technologies and learning sciences. This framework prescribes a three-stage process for designing and analyzing navigation: 1. content structuring; 2. information navigation modeling; 3. interface presentation structuring. By bringing these three stages together, it is intended to provide a conceptual framework to assist and guide designers in the proper analysis and design of navigation in ILEs.     

学习障碍儿童的认知特征及教育矫治

学习障碍已成为当今学龄儿童常见的问题,并引起国内外各界研究者的高度重视。言语型学习障碍的认知特征及影响因素主要表现在视觉一空间、语言、抽象信息等方面;非言语型学习障碍儿童认知特征及影响因素主要表现在视觉和空间、性格和行为、社会认知等方面。对学习障碍的教育矫治需要学校、老师和家长的共同努力。     

近年来国内学习障碍儿童认知特征研究综述

学习障碍已成为当今学龄儿童常见的问题,并引起国内外各界研究者的高度重视。本文从视觉-空间认知缺陷、言语理解表达不足、注意集中困难、汉字再认困难、抽象信息的感知、加工处理能力受损几个方面对近年言语型学习障碍儿童认知特征的研究进行了分析,并从视觉-运动和空间认知障碍、神经心理缺陷、精神运动能力及性格、行为缺陷、社会认知缺陷几个方面对非言语型学习障碍儿童认知特征的研究进行述评。     

Consulting with children and young people who have disabilities: views of accessibility to education

The Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils' Educational Records) (Scotland) Act 2002 requires local authorities to prepare and implement an accessibility strategy to improve access to education for young people with disabilities. In this article, Dr Richard Woolfson, Principal Psychologist, Michael Harker, Depute Principal Psychologist, Dorothy Lowe, Senior Psychologist, Mary Shields, Senior Psychologist, and Hilary Mackintosh, Research Assistant, all from Renfrewshire Educational Psychology Service, report the response of one local authority. Staff from the psychological service carried out a two-stage research study with children and young people. Stage One involved a postal questionnaire for 290 pupils with a range of disabilities; parents and carers were asked to assist their children with the questionnaire. Stage Two involved young people with disabilities in a number of focus groups. The results recorded here confirm that the area of greatest pupil satisfaction is physical access to the school environment. Few problems are identified regarding access to information from school and most pupils with disability consider that their opinions are listened to and respected. Other findings suggest that pupils with disability generally view their teachers as supportive, while pupils often struggle to complete homework. Further, the pupils indicated that they would like to be more closely consulted about access to the curriculum, working independently and the provision of support. Older students suggested that preparation for post-school options should start much earlier. In the light of these findings, the authors discuss recommendations for future practice and for further research.     

学习不良儿童的心身症状与心理社会因素分析

本研究通过对初中一、二、三年级288名一般儿童和学习不良儿童实施问卷测量的结果发现,学习不良儿童的心理健康水平总体上明显低于一般儿童,且突出表现在躯体化,抑郁,焦虑,人际敏感和敌对性等方面,同时,学习不良儿童的个性特征,自尊及社会支持的获得等心理社会因素也与其心理健康水平有一定的相关性。     

Meeting the challenge of limited literacy resources for adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities

For adolescents and adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities (or, in the UK, learning disabilities or learning difficulties), the achievement of successful engagement with, and construction of meaning from, texts necessitates the implementation and use of specifically designed and adapted teaching strategies and resources. The careful selection and application of appropriate resources is vital to allow learners with intellectual disabilities to engage and participate with texts in positive, enjoyable and meaningful ways. The challenge for teachers of adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities is to overcome the limited availability of suitable literacy resources for these learners. In this article, Michelle Morgan, who teaches literacy at the University of Queensland, and Karen Moni, director of the secondary programmes in the School of Education at the University of Queensland, identify the literacy needs and reading practices of adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities based upon findings from an action research investigation. They go on to explore ways in which teachers can meet the challenge of limited resources for these learners through the specific and deliberate adaptation and creation of suitable texts.     

A Study of Cognitive Characters and Cognitive Strategy Training of Learning Disabilities

The article analyzes the matter of cognition of learning disabilities, and tries to explore the characters of learning disabilities＇ cognitive process. On the basis of mainstream cognitive strategy training, the problems that should be noticed in the process of learning disabilities＇ cognitive strategy training are discussed.     

PASS理论在数学学习困难研究领域中的应用

注重内部认知过程分析的PASS理论及其认知评估系统DN:CAS,为动态评估学习困难儿童的认知过程提供了系统的理论依据和有效的操作工具。国外近年来展开的基于PASS理论的数学学习困难研究主要集中在:PASS认知过程与数学成就的关系、不同类型数学学习困难儿童的认知特征与缺陷模式、及针对计划的干预研究。这些研究虽还不够深入,但却为数学学习困难领域的进一步系统化研究奠定了基础。     

An ecobehavioural analysis of interactive engagement of children with developmental disabilities with their peers in inclusive preschools

Ecobehavioural analysis procedures were used to examine the interactive engagement of children with developmental disabilities due to Down syndrome who attended inclusive preschools for 2 years. Compared with typical children, the children with disabilities displayed infrequent interactions with peers for the duration of the study. For the children with disabilities, interactive engagement was largely unrelated to the characteristics of class activities, while typical children responded positively to activities expected to promote peer interaction. The results are discussed in terms of the inadequacy of informal strategies commonly applied in inclusive preschool settings to promote interactive engagement in children with disabilities.     

Community-based vocational rehabilitation (CBVR) for people with disabilities: experiences from a pilot project in Nigeria

This article discusses the community-based vocational rehabilitation (CBVR) of persons with disabilities. In 1991, a pilot project was instituted by the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Development Programme in conjunction with Oyo State Government in Nigeria. The aim was to facilitate the reintegration of persons with disabilities into their communities after a vocational rehabilitation programme. This project has resulted in the successful training of about 155 individuals with disabilities since its inception and a number of the trainees have benefited from a revolving loan scheme. The initial seven areas of vocational training have, over the years, expanded to 24. Recently, the project has been introduced to six other states in Nigeria. Various problem-solving strategies have been employed in the course of the project as the need arose and the community-based vocational rehabilitation programme has proved to be a success in Nigeria so far. In this paper, Eunice Alade, associate professor in the Department of Special Education, Kenyatta University, Kenya, provides an evaluation of an innovative alternative approach to vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities. She discusses some of the problems experienced in Nigeria and offers suggestions about how to sustain the work. Her ideas will be of direct interest to those seeking to promote social inclusion in developing countries and elsewhere around the world.     

Numerical competence in young children and in children with mathematics learning disabilities

A longitudinal study was conducted on 82 children to investigate, firstly the numerical competence of young children and the predictive value of (pre)-numerical tests in kindergarten, and, secondly, whether children's knowledge of the numerical system and representation of the number size is related to their computation and logical knowledge and to their counting skills. In an additional cross-sectional study on 30 children with a clinical diagnosis of mathematical learning disability (MLD) of 8,5 years, age- and ability-matched with 2 × 30 children the same parameters of numerical competence were assessed. The longitudinal data showed individual differences in numerosity, as well as the relationship between a delay in arithmetics in grade l and problems on numerosity in kindergarten. In the cross-sectional results some evidence was found for the independence of numerical abilities in MLD-children. About 13% of them had still severe pre-numerical processing deficits (in number sequence production, cardinality skills and logical knowledge) in grade 3. About 67% had severe difficulties in executing calculation procedures and a lack of conceptual knowledge. A feature of 87% of the MLD-children was severe translation deficits, with a significantly worse knowledge of number words compared with the knowledge of Arab numerals. Finally a severe deficit in subitizing was found to be present in 33% of the MLD children. On a group level the processing deficits were linked to understanding numerosity, since the ability-matched younger children and the MLD-children had the same pre-numerical and numerical profile. Implications for the assessment of mathematical disabilities and the value of TEDI-MATH® as an instrument in this process are discussed.     

论网络环境下的课程整合

课程整合是学科教育中应用信息技术的主要途径,分析课程整合的目标和基于网络的学习的优点,认为基于网络的学习是课程整合的高级阶段,并提出了具体的设计要求,介绍了基于网络的学习的案例和试验结果。