新西兰学前数学教育发展现状及特点研究

数学作为幼儿学习的重要内容之一,已成为众多国家早期教育的优先发展课程。学前数学教育的教学质量、培养方式、实施理念等成为各国学前教育领域关注和思考的重点问题。新西兰学前数学教育以其独有的文化背景为支撑,通过多样化的培养方式以及不断更新的学前数学课程理念,使学前儿童的逻辑思维能力与理解能力等方面得到了良好的发展。综合研究新西兰学校机构及家庭学前数学教育,剖析其发展特点与改革动态,有利于为我国学前数学教育的发展提供借鉴。     

Rethinking the Status of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in Rural and Urban Areas of South Africa

This study documented the current status and determined the need for early childhood care and education in South Africa, including an assessment of the training needs of childminders and other individuals interested in working with young children in rural and urban areas of South Africa. The sample included 373 African men and women representing a range of occupations and different levels of education. The study employed primarily quantitative methodology, specifically a survey. The findings suggest that families and community members who have in the past responded to the needs of young children can no longer meet these needs due to social and economic dynamics. Respondents from both rural and urban settings perceived training, training centers, infrastructure, and the integration of African culture in early childhood education to be compelling needs. Programmatic and policy recommendations based on the interviews and observations are made.     

Rethinking the status of early childhood care and education (ECCE) in rural and urban areas of South Africa

This study documented the current status and determined the need for early childhood care and education in South Africa, including an assessment of the training needs of childminders and other individuals interested in working with young children in rural and urban areas of South Africa. The sample included 373 African men and women representing a range of occupations and different levels of education. The study employed primarily quantitative methodology, specifically a survey. The findings suggest that families and community members who have in the past responded to the needs of young children can no longer meet these needs due to social and economic dynamics. Respondents from both rural and urban settings perceived training, training centers, infrastructure, and the integration of African culture in early childhood education to be compelling needs. Programmatic and policy recommendations based on the interviews and observations are made.     

Motivations to Become Vocational Education and Training Educators: A Person-Oriented Approach

Given the scarcity of educators in Swiss vocational education and training (VET) and the lack of scientific knowledge about these individuals, the aim of the present study was to investigate motivations to become VET educators. In order to focus on individuals instead of variables, a typological approach was adopted and motivational profiles were built. The Factors Influencing Teaching choice framework was adapted to the context of the study and used to investigate multiple motivations, beliefs about the occupation, and pedagogical beliefs in a sample of 605 teachers and trainers from the German speaking and French speaking parts of Switzerland. Five profiles of motivation were extracted from the data, pointing to heterogeneity in the sample. Differences in socio-demographics, antecedent socialization, beliefs about the occupation, and satisfaction with career choice were found. On this basis, the authors suggest guidelines about how to advertise and attract individuals to become VET educators. Notably, the values to emphasize in order to make the occupation attractive have to be adapted to the linguistic region and the type of educators targeted.     

What is the current level of knowledge and confidence of mainstream school SENCOs in sensory integration theory and using sensory strategies within education?

The aims of the study were: to identify the number of SENCOs who have received specific training on sensory integration. To determine the understanding of the eight senses and sensory integration theory and sensory strategies. Determine any common gaps in knowledge or misconceptions. Fifty-five surveys were completed. 40% of respondents had received training on sensory processing. There was a significant chi-squared correlation between those that had received training and those that stated they did not know or made guesses about what the vestibular and proprioceptive senses are important for. There was a correlation between those that had received training and those that had good knowledge of the signs of sensory hyper-responsivity. There was no statistical significance of increased knowledge on sensory hypo-responsivity between those who had and had not received training. SENCOs who rated their school as being sensory-friendly had a greater understanding of what sensory integration is important for. Pertinently, those who rated their school as being ‘sensory-friendly’ (45.5%) were 8.5 times more likely to know sensory integration is needed for self-regulation. A number of recommendations are made including the need for greater collaboration between therapists and teachers to increase understanding of sensory integration and the impact of this on a child's education and wellbeing at school. Sensory strategy programmes are to be written with teaching staff and not given by the therapist in an ‘expert’ role. Sensory integration awareness training, including why and how to utilise sensory strategies, is to be encompassed in the SENCO national qualification.     

Using an Assistive Technology Toolkit to Promote Inclusion

Although the use of assistive technology for young children is increasing, the lack of awareness and the lack of training continue to act as major barriers to providers using assistive technology. This article describes an assistive technology toolkit designed for use with young children with disabilities that can be easily assembled and implemented by early childhood professionals. Specifically, we will describe assistive technology tools that support young children’s participation in their daily activities that involve movement and sensory needs, communication, and interaction with materials and offer strategies on how to implement these devices. An assembled toolkit that allows young children with disabilities immediate access to experiences that lead to acquisition of skills they need to learn and grow is discussed.     

脑瘫儿童入学前治疗、康复训练和教育状况调查

采用问卷调查法和访谈法了解脑性瘫痪儿童早期的治疗、康复训练和教育以及社会支持等方面问题。结果发现,脑瘫儿童的早期生活、治疗、康复训练和教育状况亟待改善,家庭经济、精神负担沉重,社会支持非常有限;相关的医学诊断、治疗,康复训练专业人员的技术水平有待提高,服务体系有待完善;学龄前融合教育相当薄弱,严重制约这些的全面发展。由此得出结论,脑瘫儿童是一个特殊的社会群体,不是一个个孤立的个案,他们的生存和生活需要社会多系统协同介入,通过教育宣传、出台相关政策和制定相关法律,逐步构建针对脑瘫儿童的诊断、治疗、康复训练、教育服务和家庭支持的社会服务体系。     

Using Qualitative Evaluation Methods to Identify Exemplary Practices in Early Childhood Education

The proliferation of early childhood programs for children with and without disabilities has occurred without clear indicators or standards of program quality. Evaluations of these programs often consist of compliance monitoring or outcome assessment. Little attention is given to program context or the quality of individual components of the program. In this paper, an alternative evaluation model, a connoisseurship or professional review model using on-site observations, interviews, and document review, was used to identify exemplary practices in early childhood education in one large midwestern state. The results indicated that with proper training and support, early childhood professionals without experience in qualitative methods can become proficient in interviewing techniques, observation, and document review. The resulting case study reports were useful for identifying and describing exemplary practices across the state, demonstrating the potential for this alternative approach to evaluation in early childhood education.     

Using Qualitative Evaluation Methods to Identify Exemplary Practices in Early Childhood Education

The proliferation of early childhood programs for children with and without disabilities has occurred without clear indicators or standards of program quality. Evaluations of these programs often consist of compliance monitoring or outcome assessment. Little attention is given to program context or the quality of individual components of the program. In this paper, an alternative evaluation model, a connoisseurship or professional review model using on-site observations, interviews, and document review, was used to identify exemplary practices in early childhood education in one large midwestern state. The results indicated that with proper training and support, early childhood professionals without experience in qualitative methods can become proficient in interviewing techniques, observation, and document review. The resulting case study reports were useful for identifying and describing exemplary practices across the state, demonstrating the potential for this alternative approach to evaluation in early childhood education.     

Current conceptions of literacy – insights from work with children and older learners with sensory needs

There have been many efforts to conceptualise literacy, both in terms of its essence and component parts, but it has proved difficult to define. This paper considers work that is undertaken with children and older learners with sensory needs in order to promote the early stages of literacy. Recent government initiatives aimed at fostering literacy development have caused teachers of children with sensory needs to re-examine their practice. The paper discusses early literacy as part of children's attempts to communicate and describes children with sensory needs engaging in a range of activities that are termed 'literacy' by those working with them. By taking into account these activities, the authors endeavour to throw light on the broader questions around concepts of literacy.     

Life-cycle educational choices in a system with early tracking and ‘second chance’ options

We study life-cycle educational transitions in the German education system which is characterized by early tracking and institutionalized branches of academic and vocational training, but with the possibility to revise earlier decisions at later stages. Our econometric model covers all major transitions ranging from primary education through secondary schooling to different forms of tertiary education and vocational training. We consider the role of previous decisions and background characteristics at each decision node and also study ‘indirect’ routes through the system. Our results suggest that a considerable proportion of the population takes ‘second chance’ decisions but that these decisions are as socially selective as the standard routes through the system. We also model unobserved heterogeneity and document the sorting of individuals along unobserved characteristics across the stages of the system.     

Leading from the Inside Out: Learned Respect for Academic Culture through Shared Governance

ABSTRACT

Traditionally, faculty members who expected to become presidents ascended through the typical labor chain to that position. However, questions are prevalent about whether these individuals gain the managerial experience needed to succeed in a presidency. Unlike the private business management model that has been successful in developing leaders in that arena, community colleges have not provided such formal training to former faculty members who are well-versed in their field and academic-related issues, but lack formal managerial skills development. One area where such training may be achieved is through the development of the leaders of faculty senate bodies. Faculty senate bodies provide their leaders with an opportunity to provide a voice in the campus decision-making process and, potentially, may present an opportunity for more formal training for those interested in the presidency. Further analysis of the perceived skills of these leaders is an important step in addressing this need. The purpose of this study was to identify areas of common thinking among community college presidents and faculty senate leaders about the importance of certain experiences and beliefs needed by effective community college presidents, and the extent that they can be learned by service on the faculty senate.     

对自闭症儿童进行心理理论训练的研究综述

对自闭症儿童进行心理理论训练具有重要的理论和临床意义。这些训练研究发现自闭症儿童的类似能力有限，支持了心理理论原发性亏空理论；并提供了一些特殊的训练程序和方法，为以后的心理理论的训练研究打下了基础。     

‘THOMAS’ Training: An early years intervention for children with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)

The ‘THOMAS’ course (The Hampshire Outline for Meeting the needs of under fives on the Autistic Spectrum) is a four‐day training programme to enhance the learning of young children with impairments in social understanding, communication and play by increasing the use of appropriate interventions. It has been supporting families and professionals in the early years settings for over five years and feedback has been exceptionally positive. This article reviews the extent to which training skills have been embedded in the long‐term. Results indicate that the training is still as effective a year on, with many techniques, including visual structure and behaviour management, seen as highly effective interventions. Furthermore, there is an indication that course participants may experience an increase in confidence that enables them to become more independent and generate their own solutions as skills and knowledge become embedded over time.     

Spannungsfeld Polyvalenz in der Lehrerbildung

The Bologna Process of higher education reform has led to a vast array of different programs of study in German teacher training. In this article, we firstly analyze the implementation of Bachelor programs in teacher training, comparing profession-oriented programs (i.e. those aiming to train students for the teaching profession from the beginning of studies) to polyvalent programs (i.e. those aiming at broad qualifications and including a late decision to become a teacher). Secondly, we investigate whether students enrolled in these study programs differ systematically in their subjective certainty about their career choice. To answer these questions, we analyze portfolios of documents related to teacher training programs from nine German universities that prepare students for teaching in the academic track. Additionally, we analyze data from N?=?2585 Bachelor and N?=?928 Master degree students. We found that most programs, even when they espouse polyvalence, require an early decision to become a teacher. Moreover, our data confirm findings from earlier studies indicating that student teachers are highly certain about their career choice from the very beginning, with students in polyvalent programs being slightly less certain than those in profession-oriented programs (d?=?0.32).     

Becoming a Psychotherapist

This article presents a first-person narrative about the author's experiences in learning to become a psychotherapist. Among the issues which are touched upon are beginning therapists' initial anxieties in working with patiennts, countertransference, training, supervision and how others outside the mental health field often regard psychotherpists with overvaluation or trepidation. The author concludes that continued training, experience and greater self-knowledge help dissipate the paralyzing effects of early performance anxiety.     

浅谈幼儿的早期阅读

在学前儿童各项能力培养中,阅读能力及幼儿的早期阅读成为国内外学者日益关注的一个焦点。但在实践中,人们对它还存在一些错误的认识和做法。针对这一现状,本文从早期阅读的内涵、早期阅读的价值、早期阅读教育的指导策略几个方面对此加以阐释,以此构建现实中的早期阅读教育的理性行为。     

The Development of Research Skills in Young Adults with Intellectual Disability in Participatory Research

There is limited information about specific research constructs developed by adults with intellectual disability in undertaking research despite increasing involvement in research with rather than on these individuals. Participatory research was used with three young adults with intellectual disability to collaboratively develop a training programme and investigate the skills used and developed when undertaking the research project. Three research domains—Knowledge, Conceptual understandings and Skills, were identified, within which 18 subsets were categorised. Development in all domains and subsets occurred for all young adults, with variations in gains across subsets and participants. These young adults attained research knowledge, understanding and skills that enabled them to become collaborative researchers within this project.     

Teaching Practices that Promote Motor Skills in Early Childhood Settings

Early childhood educators, especially those in preschool centers, are often expected to design and implement movement programs. However, these individuals may not have been taught these skills during their education. The purpose of this study was to determine if early childhood majors could successfully be taught to implement a mastery climate instructional approach to promote motor skill development to preschool-age children. Twenty undergraduate Early Childhood Education majors, who completed a Motor Development Across the School Years course, designed and implemented a movement program to develop preschoolers’ locomotor and object control skills. Fourteen preschoolers participated in an 11-week movement program. Preschoolers’ motor performance was assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development—2nd Edition prior to and following the intervention. Results indicate significant improvements in total performance (p < .05) and locomotor skills (p = .037). Findings indicate that with guidance and training, early childhood majors can effectively design and implement a mastery-based movement program that enhances motor skill competence. The findings also demonstrate the need and value for early childhood majors to receive training in the design and implementation of movement programs. This paper provides a conceptual framework and practical recommendations to assist teachers and educators with implementing a mastery climate movement programs.     

Guiding Low Spatial Ability Individuals through Visual Cueing: The Dual Importance of Where and When to Look

Research suggests that spatial ability may predict success in complex disciplines including anatomy, where mastery requires a firm understanding of the intricate relationships occurring along the course of veins, arteries, and nerves, as they traverse through and around bones, muscles, and organs. Debate exists on the malleability of spatial ability, and some suggest that spatial ability can be enhanced through training. It is hypothesized that spatial ability can be trained in low-performing individuals through visual guidance. To address this, training was completed through a visual guidance protocol. This protocol was based on eye-movement patterns of high-performing individuals, collected via eye-tracking as they completed an Electronic Mental Rotations Test (EMRT). The effects of guidance were evaluated using 33 individuals with low mental rotation ability, in a counterbalanced crossover design. Individuals were placed in one of two treatment groups (late or early guidance) and completed both a guided, and an unguided EMRT. A third group (no guidance/control) completed two unguided EMRTs. All groups demonstrated an increase in EMRT scores on their second test (P < 0.001); however, an interaction was observed between treatment and test iteration (P = 0.024). The effect of guidance on scores was contingent on when the guidance was applied. When guidance was applied early, scores were significantly greater than expected (P = 0.028). These findings suggest that by guiding individuals with low mental rotation ability “where” to look early in training, better search approaches may be adopted, yielding improvements in spatial reasoning scores. It is proposed that visual guidance may be applied in spatial fields, such as STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine), surgery, and anatomy to improve student's interpretation of visual content. Anat Sci Educ. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.