Parental teaching strategies and children’s cognitive style

A total of 83 mothers and 74 fathers worked with their respective 4-year-old sons or daughters on four problem-solving tasks. Observers evaluated the interaction between parent and child with a 49-item teaching strategy Q-sort (TSQ). As measures of field dependence–independence (FDI), the Rod-and-Frame Test (RFT) and the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) were administered when the children were 4, 7, 11, and 14 years of age, thus permitting an examination of concurrent and long-term effects (up to 10 years). Distinctive differences in parental teaching strategies were observed contingent on the child’s FDI status. Parents of FI children granted them autonomy in the task and assisted with its cognitive aspects. A positive emotional ambience characterized the teaching situation. Parents of FD children were controlling and quite critical of their children’s performance. Effects of gender were noted. Whereas outcomes for the father–son and father–daughter pairing were comparable, the mother–son dyad generated more powerful effects than were observed in the mother–daughter dyad. Results point to consistencies between beliefs and behaviors of parents of FI and FD children. Interpretation is offered within the FDI theoretical framework and linkages to other theories of parent–child interaction are considered.     

Adapting Grice’s maxims in the teaching of writing

Grice’s maxims,which define the conditions for efficient spoken communication,can be adapted to the teaching of writing by providing both teachers and writers with a way of understanding successful and unsuccessful written correspondence in mono-and cross-cultural settings.A survey of lay readers’ responses to a sample letter which show that,while there are individual differences in the way these maxims are interpreted,readers expect clarity,brevity,and sincerity,and writing which fails to meet these expectations will be unfavorably received.Also discussed are the issues of contrastive rhetoric,and ways of helping writers to position themselves in relation to their real or imagined reader.     

‘Fathers and sons’ in Xenophon’s teaching of the man taking care of himself

This article considers the oeuvre of Xenophon (c.430–354 bc) as providing an insight into the concept of ‘care of the self’ in Greek education. In many of his works the leading characters are men who take care of themselves through education. Addressing the theme of ‘fathers and sons’, Xenophon aimed to show that ‘care of the self’ is a particular way of upbringing in the family and in the polis, where the older instruct the younger in fulfilling their duties according to their age, following model examples of thought and conduct during work and leisure. Thus, with the help of specific situations involving parents and children, mentors and their pupils, Xenophon established a general framework for understanding the ancient citizens and family men, to whom education and self-education were a special means of finding their own identity in their culture.     

Boys' ‘underachievement’ and the feminization of teaching

In England, Scotland and other countries, policy‐makers often depict the targeted recruitment of men to the teaching profession as a panacea for male underachievement and disaffection from school. It is commonly assumed that the gender gap in achievement stems from the dearth of male role models in teaching, especially at primary level. Giving particular attention to recent literature on the influence of teacher gender on classroom interaction and educational outcomes, the paper begins by scrutinizing the policy's evidence‐base. We move on to examine the findings of a qualitative study conducted in English primary schools. Drawing upon data from semi‐structured interviews with teachers of 7‐ to 8‐year‐olds (25 men, 26 women), an attempt is made to assess their responses to the policy of targeted male recruitment and perceptions of the benefits of same‐gender matching. The paper (an earlier version of which paper was presented at the European Educational Research Association's Annual Conference at the University of Ghent, September 2007) concludes by tentatively exploring the implications of this small‐scale study for policy and practice.     

A primary teacher’s mathematics teaching: the development of beliefs and practice in different “supportive” contexts

This article refers to a longitudinal case study of a primary school teacher over a period of 4 years. The focus is on the development of the teacher’s beliefs regarding mathematics teaching and learning from the last year of her university studies up to the third year of teaching mathematics in school. This development has been investigated within three different contexts, which have been distinguished in terms of the kind of support provided to this teacher. Two dominant beliefs emerged which have been traced through the period of the study from both the teacher’s reflections and actions. The first belief drew on the idea that what was considered an easy mathematical task by an adult could also be easily understood by children, while the second was that children learn mathematics through their actual involvement in a variety of teaching activities. The results indicate the way that teacher’s experiences from her university studies, actual classroom practice and inservice education interact and influence her beliefs and professional development.     

University students’ and teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning in the biosciences

In this study we compare university teachers’ and first-year students’ conceptions of teaching and learning at the Faculty of Environmental and Biological Sciences. The conceptions were analysed using data from open-ended questionnaires. The results showed that at the beginning of studies the gap between teachers’ and students’ conceptions of teaching and learning is substantial. This finding has important implications for the educational process. In order to enhance successful studying from the beginning of students’ university careers, it is important for teachers to become aware of the differences between students’ and teachers’ conceptions of learning.     

Jordan’s primary curriculum and its propensity for student-centred teaching and learning

This article examines the Jordanian lower-primary national curriculum and its propensity for student-centred teaching and learning. It draws upon Basil Bernstein’s sociological theory of pedagogic codes to analyse the curriculum model and the advocated pedagogical approach within official curriculum documents, textbooks and teacher guides. Although the research conducted confirms the aspirations of the national curriculum for the adoption of student-centred pedagogies, analysis of the selected texts reveals mixed messages where in some areas the curriculum exemplifies an integrated code and in others a collection code. The messages about classroom framing are also found to be contradictory. The paper argues that if Jordan is to fulfil its stated aspirations to embrace more progressive pedagogies, a full review of the curriculum is needed to ensure its classification and framing cohere better with a student-centred approach.     

Analyzing the development of children’s thinking: a review of “learning and teaching early math: the learning trajectories approach”

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education -     

What’s inside the suitcases? An investigation into the powerful resources students and lecturers bring to teaching and learning

The study presents a framework for investigating the powerful resources within learners’ educational biographies, which, from their own accounts, appear to influence their engagement with teaching and learning practices. The research framework stresses the material, social and cultural influences on a learner’s biography and the need for recognition as well as the redistribution of resources. It assumes that both socio‐cultural influences as well as individual, affective and agentic phenomena play a role in shaping a student’s career. This framework is discussed in relation to a study undertaken at a South African university, at which 164 students, lecturers and academic support staff participated in semi‐structured interviews. The main focus of the interview was the individual’s educational biography as narrated by the individual. The findings support the socio‐cultural perspective and show that the relationship between identity, identification and feeling ‘at home’ with engagement in deep teaching and learning, is both complex and uneven.     

Teachers’ perceptions on technology-assisted mathematics teaching and the interactive activities

Education and Information Technologies - The methods and techniques used by teachers have an important place on the basis of many students’ negative perspectives and failures towards...     

Chester Finn and the Future of Whole Language—and Schooling

This year's crop of college graduates will likely have more concrete information stored away than did the crop of 1905. But they may not be as well educated. And they certainly will find it a harder pull to reach the level of worldly accomplishment than has been expected of college graduates at the turn of a century.     

Kempe’s linkages and the Universality Theorem

Inspired by James Watt’s approximate straight line generator, kinematicians of the 19th century challenged themselves to design a mechanical device that could convert rotary motion into a perfect straight line and vice versa. Few inventions emerged in 1864 due to Peaucellier and Lipkin and in 1875 due to Hart. Just a year later, in 1876, Alfred B Kempe presented a generalized method for linkages that could exactly trace any algebraic curve of degree n and not just a straight line. This work of Kempe is of classical importance. Yet, many are not aware of it perhaps because the resulting linkages are quite complex. This article discusses Kempe’s method that highlights the way he treated the rotations analytically using only parallelograms and contra-parallelograms to get the final rigidbody linkage tracing a given algebraic curve. An elaborate example with geometric construction using only a ruler and compass is presented to help the readers understand the assembly of Kempe’s linkages.     

The ‘datafication’ of early years pedagogy: ‘if the teaching is good,the data should be good and if there’s bad teaching,there is bad data’

Following the election of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat UK coalition Government in 2010, there has been an urgent intensification and focus upon early years numeracy and literacy and promoting systematic synthetic phonics. This paper argues that the current narrowing of early years assessment, along with increased inspection and surveillance, operates as a policy technology leading to an intensification of ‘school readiness’ pressures upon the earliest stage of education. The paper suggests that this governance has encouraged a functional ‘datafication’ of early years pedagogy so that early years teacher’s work is increasingly constrained by performativity demands to produce ‘appropriate’ data. The article argues that early years high-stakes national assessments act as a ‘meta-policy’, ‘steering’ early years pedagogy ‘from a distance’ and have the power to challenge, disrupt and constrain early years teacher’s deeply held child-centred pedagogical values.     

Inter-Parental Violence: The Pre-Schooler’s Perspective and the Educator’s Role

Early childhood educators are likely to encounter youngsters who experience problems at home impeding their abilities to learn and benefit from the program. One such group is children who live or have lived with adult domestic violence. Children yet to begin elementary school are over-represented among groups of young people known to live with inter-parental violence. A qualitative study using clinical interviews of young children was used to develop a model suggesting how key aspects of development among children 3–5 years of age can react to and be affected by inter-parental violence. Focus is on age-appropriate expression of emotions, salience of observations and conflicting messages, a child’s focus on outcome versus process, egocentricity and self-blame, learning of gender roles, and delay or regression in development of independence. Implications for the classroom are outlined, including providing a nurturing environment, supporting child adjustment, and helping caregivers. Special contingencies when families are in shelters are also discussed.     

Chinese tertiary teachers’ goal orientations for teaching and teaching approaches: the mediation of teacher engagement

This study investigated the effects of Chinese tertiary teachers’ goal orientations for teaching on their approaches to teaching mediated by teacher engagement. In a survey of 597 Chinese tertiary teachers, the respondents placed particular emphasis on relational and mastery goals and expressed a preference for student-focused approaches to teaching. An emphasis on mastery goals was found to predict a preference for student-focused teaching, whereas ability-approach and work-avoidance goal orientations predicted a preference for teacher-focused teaching. Ability-avoidance and relational goals were found to be positively related not only to teacher-focused approaches but to student-focused approaches to teaching as well. In addition, teacher engagement was found to significantly mediate the effects of ability-approach, mastery and work-avoidance goals on teacher-focused intention, student-focused intention and student-focused strategy. These results have significant implications for Chinese higher-education institutions in light of their transition from teacher-focused to student-focused approaches to teaching.