How children learn to use language

There have been many theories about how children learn to use language. Professor Narasimhan proposed a theory of child language acquisition based on behavioural pragmatics. In this article we present a simplified version of his theories about how children learn to communicate, to describe, manipulate and explore the world around them from exposure to variety of language utterances and non-verbal inputs such as gestures and pointing. We also discuss the method he used to substantiate his ideas, and briefly present a computational model of the ideas arising from his work. Raman Chandrasekar has been with Microsoft Research, Redmond, USA. since 1998. His current research interests are at the intersection of information retrieval, natural language processing and machine learning. He received his PhD from TIFR, Bombay.     

Accuracy and consistency in morphological spelling: evidence from Greek-speaking children with and without spelling difficulties

Reading and Writing - In this study, we examined the accuracy and consistency of Greek-speaking children with spelling difficulties using a spelling level-matched design at two time points....     

Helping children learn about disabilities: Part II

Cary A. Buzzelli is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Nancy File is a doctoral student in the Department of Child Development and Family Studies at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.     

Implicit and explicit instruction of spelling rules

The study aimed to compare the differential effectiveness of explicit and implicit instruction of two Dutch spelling rules. Students with and without spelling disabilities were instructed a spelling rule either implicitly or explicitly in two experiments. Effects were tested in a pretest-intervention-posttest control group design. Experiment 1 suggested that explicit instruction of a morphological spelling rule led to instance-based knowledge in students with spelling disabilities and to rule-based knowledge in students without. Implicit instruction led to instance-based knowledge in students with spelling disabilities, and in the group without spelling disabilities no learning at all occurred. Experiment 2 revealed that explicit and implicit instruction of an orthographical spelling rule were equally effective in both groups and that the spelling knowledge they had acquired was instance-based. Findings suggest that explicit instruction is more effective than implicit instruction for the teaching of spelling rules when generalization is aimed at.     

How children learn to read and why they fail

The present article considers the contrast between conceptions of reading as a natural and as an unnatural act, relying on the simple view of reading as a theoretical framework (Gough and Tunmer 1986). According to the simple view, reading comprehension is a product of both listening comprehension and decoding. Here it is argued that the comprehension aspect of reading depends on those same—natural—forces that govern acquisition of spoken language, whereas decoding depends on explicit tutelage, with little evidence that children will induce the cipher from simple exposure to written words and their pronunciations (sight-word instruction). Rejecting both sight-word and phonics instruction as inadequate in and of themselves, evidence is reviewed suggesting that successful readers require explicit awareness of the phonological structure of spoken words, which can and should be taught in kindergarten, prior to formal reading instruction. Beyond this point, reading success depends on a modicum of phonics instruction together with extensive practice with reading itself.     

学会辩论

文章简明地介绍了四种有组织的辩论形式及其广泛的社会实用性,阐述了辩论三大基本能力训练内容:心理训练、应变力训练和语言训练,为人们学习辩论,参予辩论活动提供一定的思路和方法。     

如何上数学课

课堂教学是学生获取知识的主渠道,数学知识在生活中应用广泛,如何上数学课,对于每一位小学数学老师来说,都有自己的经验和办法。但是,如何上好每堂数学课,使学生在课堂上最大限度地掌握知识,提高数学成绩,这就不仅需要我们备课精心设计,而且在教学过程中也要精益求精。现将如何上数学课的     

Trust in testimony: how children learn about science and religion

Many adult beliefs are based on the testimony provided by other people rather than on firsthand observation. Children also learn from other people's testimony. For example, they learn that mental processes depend on the brain, that the earth is spherical, and that hidden bodily organs constrain life and death. Such learning might indicate that other people's testimony simply amplifies children's access to empirical data. However, children's understanding of God's special powers and the afterlife shows that their acceptance of others' testimony extends beyond the empirical domain. Thus, children appear to conceptualize unobservable scientific and religious entities similarly. Nevertheless, some children distinguish between the 2 domains, arguably because a different pattern of discourse surrounds scientific as compared to religious entities.     

如何学好几何证明

在数学教学中，只要教师把握创新素质的培养目标，充分挖掘创新教育素材，运用有效的教学方法和手段，让学生尽可能地做到多练、多思，就会逐步提高证题方法。     

How to learn English well

Do you like playing sports？ I like it very much. My favorite sport is playing badminton. Because I think it＇s very interesting and cool. I often play it with my parents in the square. In my opinion, doing sports means a lot in our daily life.     

How to learn English pronunciation

发音正确的第一个好处就是能够增强你的信心。是不是你也有过这样的经历，有同学说出一个甸子，全班同学都不懂？这时往往要等老师重复一遍才能使其他同学明白。外国人听你说话，是不是都会伸长脖子，拱起腰骨。还听不明白你说的什么？     

Coming to my grown-up self: Young adults learn about young children

At first I didn't want to play with it because it looked too gooey, admits eighteen-year-old Sa'shawn about the fingerpaint she used in her child care class, until someone from my class put it on my hand and it didn't feel as bad as it looked. Then I got started and there was no stopping me. After that, when I came to my grown-up self, I noticed that the children would love it.Rachel Theilheimer teaches child care to young adults at YALA and is an instructor of Early Childhood Education at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Interested readers can write to YALA at 320 E. 96th St., New York, NY 10028.