Classroom projects – full steam ahead

Practical project work based on eBay selling prices is described. It is suitable for secondary school students of a wide range of statistical expertise and it may be used to introduce a statistical package.     

Discussion of ‘are Statisticians Cold‐blooded Bosses? A New Perspective on the “Old” Concept of Statistical Population’ by Y. Lu and K. S. S. Henning

This articles argues in favour of a recently introduced approach to statistical inference which focuses on understanding the data generating process. A comprehensive example supports the discussion.     

“Bugs” built into the system:: How privileged representations influence mathematical reasoning across the lifespan

The initial foundations of human mathematical reasoning appear to be based on “naïve mathematics”—specific and persistent privileged mental representations that develop as a normal part of the human evolved phenotype. Based on the proposed existence of privileged representations in the conceptual domain of mathematics, this paper incorporates findings from early development, childhood mathematical reasoning, and adult statistical decision-making research. The utility of such a framework is demonstrated by analyzing how common errors in fraction and decimal use are explicable in terms of these systematic and reliably developing aspects of human mathematical reasoning. Additionally, the idea that privileged representations continue to exert some influence beyond early childhood holds implications for both research and practice in mathematics education.     

Measuring ‘equity’ and ‘equitability’ in school effectiveness research

This paper introduces a Gini‐type index for measuring ‘attainment equity’ in schools; that is to say, how far a school (or group of schools) is from having a ‘fair’ proportion of its examination success attributable to a fair proportion of its student population. Using data from the National Pupil Database, the Index is applied to more than 20,000 students with matched attainment records at KS2 and KS4 in two ‘statistical‐neighbour’ local authorities in England, capturing the extent to which they are meeting a public policy notion of equity. It is then combined with existing contextual value added measures to analyse school and local authority performance in terms of both attainment equity and context.     

Teaching ‘Instant Experience’ with Graphical Model Validation Techniques

Graphical model validation techniques for linear normal models are often used to check the assumptions underlying a statistical model. We describe an approach to provide ‘instant experience’ in looking at a graphical model validation plot, so it becomes easier to validate if any of the underlying assumptions are violated.     

Researching early intervention and young children's perspectives – developing and using a ‘listening to children approach’

This article, by Alice Paige‐Smith and Jonathan Rix, considers the current context of early intervention in England from the perspective and experiences of two families and in particular focuses on two young children identified as having Down syndrome. This case study research has emerged from previous research conducted by the authors, both of whom are Senior Lecturers at the Open University and have a wealth of experience across all phases of education. Their previous research involved interviews with parents of children diagnosed as having Down syndrome, which raised further questions about early intervention and the pedagogical relationship between the parent and the child, and recognised that ‘early intervention’ can be more than structured activities led by professionals. The research in this article, which has been funded by the British Academy, used ethnographic methodology to understand the process of early intervention with two young children with Down syndrome and their families. The methodology developed to include narrative first‐person observation of the child and photography. In addition to this a method of reflecting on the process of early intervention developed that included the researchers, the parent and the child. The development of this research methodology is considered in detail in this article.     

‘Tell me your story!’ – Making the ‘Other’ Visible through the Development of Collaborative Visual Narratives

This article reports on the findings of a series of participatory video art/documentary workshops designed and implemented to enhance understanding and collaboration between teenagers of diverse cultural backgrounds in the city of Pafos in the Republic of Cyprus. This research initiative was part of The Alien Trail (2017); a photographic project that explored the everyday life of refugees and migrants currently living in the island through the images of four distinguished photographers: Antoine D’Agata, Nikos Economopoulos, Bieke Depoorter and Nicolas Iordanou (Project Creator). The workshops were co‐designed by artists, educators and anthropologists in order to promote visual and multimodal communication amongst participants through short video and documentary making and collaborative drawing sessions. The findings of this practice highlight that teenagers were able to develop empathy and understanding by discussing and sharing meaning through exploring each other’s visual narratives.     

‘It's like being in a zoo.’ Researching with people with intellectual disability

This paper introduces key debates in the contemporary practice of disability research and examines how these apply to conceptualising, designing and conducting research with people with intellectual disability. Specifically, it describes a collaborative action‐oriented reflexive approach to researching the lived experience of people with intellectual disability in self‐advocacy, offering a ‘reflective reprocessing’ of the methodological traditions, decisions, complexities and inadequacies of approaches to researching with such people. Emphasis on mutuality and the co‐construction of research agendas, interpretative frames and meanings is a method that has rarely been seen in research practice in intellectual disability. The approach described enables a merging of the skills of the ‘researcher’ and the ‘researched’ to create a process of integrated inquiry and reflection. It promises the possibility of new forms of co‐produced social knowledge about intellectual disability and self‐advocacy, with explicitly emancipatory values and assumptions.     

Torrance,Mark et al ed (2012) Learning to write effectively Brill (Leiden,Netherlands) isbn 978‐1‐78052‐928‐8 431 pp €113.95 http://www.brill.com/learning‐write‐effectively‐current‐trends‐european‐research

The European Co‐operation in Science and Technology Research Network supported European research on learning to write effectively from 2008 to 2011. This book outlines the results—with eight editors presenting over ninety contributions from people in a dozen or more European countries. There are four sections: writing development; learning and teaching writing; document design; and tools for studying writing. Thus the coverage is broad, but thin. It's probably best to order this text for the library unless you are personally involved in research on writing. James Hartley     

‘This is the best lesson ever,Miss…’: Disrupting Linear Logics of Visual Arts Teaching Practice

Research in visual arts education is often focused on philosophical issues or broad concerns related to approaches to curriculum. In focusing on the everyday work of teaching, this article addresses a gap in the literature to report on collaborative research exploring the experiences of secondary visual arts teachers in regional New South Wales, Australia. Drawing on qualitative data gathered through a process of educational connoisseurship and educational criticism, discussion focuses on visual arts teaching as a particular professional practice that is complex, intricate, emergent and adaptive. In drawing on themes emerging from the research, examples of unplanned aspects of teachers’ work that disrupt linear logics about teaching practice are examined. The article concludes by raising issues for further consideration and research.     

Thouësny,Sylvie & Bradley,Linda ed (2011) Second language teaching and learning with technology (Research‐publishing.net,Dublin) isbn 978‐1‐908416‐00‐1 217 pp Free of charge http://research‐publishing.net/publication/978‐1‐908416‐00‐1.pdf

This ten chapter volume intends to approach a number of current issues “from well‐established web‐based learning environments to mobile learning, through current web 2.0 applications such as blogs, which foster intercultural contexts and/or diverse means of computer‐mediated interaction”. In this sense, the valuable book aims to enable readers to gain a deep understanding of the field and to provide research procedures and processes to facilitate the learning of foreign languages through the use of information technology. If you expect the content of this book to be relevant to you, I recommend that you buy a copy for your own use. Jesús García Laborda     

Thouësny,Sylvie & Bradley,Linda ed (2011) Second language teaching and learning with technology (Research‐publishing.net,Dublin) isbn 978‐1‐908416‐00‐1 217 pp Free of charge http://research‐publishing.net/publication/978‐1‐908416‐00‐1.pdf

This ten‐chapter volume aims to approach a number of current issues “from well‐established web‐based learning environments to mobile learning, through current web 2.0 applications such as blogs, which foster intercultural contexts and/or diverse means of computer‐mediated interaction”. In this sense, this valuable book aims to enable readers to gain a deep understanding of the field and to provide research procedures and processes to facilitate the learning of foreign languages through the use of information technology. If the content of this book is likely to be important to you, I recommend you buy a copy. Jesús García Laborda     

‘Learning Careers’ or ‘Assessment Careers’? The Impact of Assessment Systems on Learning

Two increasingly important strands in current educational thinking are reflected in growing interest amongst researchers, policy‐makers and qualification designers in formative assessment strategies that motivate learners and enhance their educational attainment. In addition, a body of research suggests that learners develop ‘learning careers’ from primary education, through the National Curriculum into post‐compulsory education and beyond. This article engages with this work in order to highlight some key factors in ‘learning careers’, particularly in relation to the impact of formative assessment practices. It aims to relate findings from research on formative assessment in primary and further education, carried out by the authors, to studies which use Bourdieu's notions of ‘habitus’, ‘field’, ‘cultural capital’ and ‘social capital’ to explore learning careers and learning identities in different sectors of education. The article evaluates whether the concept of ‘assessment careers’ illuminates a specific strand within young people's ‘learning careers’. In particular, it asks whether the concept might offer more precise insights about how practices produced by different assessment systems, particularly those purporting to promote formative assessment, affect learners' identities and dispositions for learning.     

Arthur,James et al ed (2012) Research methods and methodologies in education Sage (London & Thousand Oaks CA) isbn 978‐0‐85702‐039‐0 456 pp £26.99 (paper and e‐versions; boards £75) http://www.sagepub.co.uk/arthur

Aimed at postgraduates within education and educational research methods courses, this book integrates the theoretical and practical aspects of educational research. It journeys through designing, planning and conducting research to analytical techniques, impact and dissemination. Whether you are a new educational researcher or more established, you might find your own copy of this book useful for in‐depth study or for reference: borrow a copy to help you decide. Nancy El‐Farargy     

Ducks and Green – An Introduction to the Ideas of Hypothesis Testing

Testing statistical hypotheses introduces new vocabulary, concepts and a way of thinking that some students might initially find difficult. We provide a simple case that can be used in class as a gentle introduction to the ideas and procedures of hypothesis testing.     

‘I guess it scares us’ – Teachers discuss the teaching of poetry in senior secondary English

This article reports on a participant‐centred research project with English teachers in a senior secondary college in Melbourne, Australia. It builds on previous research (Weaven and Clark 2009, 2011), which showed a low take‐up of the opportunities to teach poetry in Victoria's senior secondary English curriculum. This study explores the reasons why teachers of English are unwilling to use poetry texts in their senior classes. The teachers who participated in this study discussed and documented their attitudes towards the teaching of poetry and explored with each other the pedagogical challenges associated with teaching poetry. Their discussions – an analysis of which forms the empirical core of this article – reveal a range of explanations for teachers' reservations about offering poetry to their students. Importantly, these teachers were able to use professional discussion as a means to consider what changes in teaching practice could be successfully developed to facilitate more time spent on the teaching of poetry in senior secondary classes.     

‘Yes,but . . .’: rhetoric,reality and resistance in teaching assistants' experiences of inclusive education

This research examines the role of teaching assistants (TAs) working with children with special educational needs (SEN) in an increasingly complex and diverse context. The role of the TA has been given more attention recently, partly due to the increased focus on their effectiveness within an inclusive education system in a time of workforce reform. The research takes a life history approach to examining the experiences of TAs within inclusive contexts and focuses upon how their backgrounds impact upon their role within the classroom, as well as how their experiences demonstrate ambiguity, tension and contradictions. Rather than a focus on pupil and institutional outcomes, the article analyses the tensions between the policy and institutional frameworks of inclusion and how TAs experience this. TAs' contradictions, tensions, resistance and also pleasures within their work are explored from their own perspectives. The personal interpretations, understandings and day‐to‐day implementation of inclusion are the focus.     

Why educate “little scientists?” Examining the potential of practice‐based scientific literacy

In recent years, a number of curriculum reform projects have championed the notion of having students do science in ways that move beyond hands‐on work with authentic materials and methods, or developing a conceptual grasp of current theories. These reformers have argued that students should come to an understanding of science through doing the discipline and taking a high degree of agency over investigations from start to finish. This stance has occasionally been mocked by its critics as an attempt to create “little scientists”—a mission, it is implied, that is either romantic or without purpose. Here, we make the strong case for a practice‐based scientific literacy, arguing through three related empirical studies that taking the notion of “little scientists” seriously might be more productive in achieving current standards for scientific literacy than continuing to refine ideas and techniques based on the coverage of conceptual content. Study 1 is a classroom case study that illustrates how project‐based instruction can be carried out when teachers develop guidance and support strategies to bootstrap students' participation in forms of inquiry they are still in the process of mastering. Study 2 shows how sustained on‐line work with volunteer scientists appears to influence students' success in formulating credible scientific arguments in written project reports following an authentic genre. Study 3, using data from three suburban high school classes, suggests that involving students in the formulation of research questions and data analysis strategies results in better spontaneous use of empirical data collection and analysis strategies on a transfer task. The study also suggests that failing to involve students in the formulation of research can result in a loss of agency. The implications of these findings for future research and practice are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 234–266, 2004     

Is ADHD a ‘real’ disorder?

In many western countries, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has achieved celebrity status, such that it probably no longer requires introduction. The disorder is a global phenomenon, spreading rapidly as result of the increasing dominance internationally of US psychiatric models, the need for new markets for major pharmaceutical companies, increasing use of the internet by parents and professionals and changing approaches to schooling. There is a broad consensus among international experts and organisations that ADHD is a genuine neurodevelopmental disorder based on empirical research. However, many critics have questioned the legitimacy of ADHD. This paper reviews the arguments for and against the ADHD construct. First, the review examines the literature and research endorsing ADHD as a ‘real’ disorder. Second, the criticisms levelled against the ADHD construct are examined.     

Fletcher,J D & Tobias,Sigmund ed (2011) Computer games and instruction IAP (Charlotte,NC & Eurospan,London) isbn 978‐1‐61735‐408‐3 552 pp $45.99 (boards $85.99) http://www.infoagepub.com/products/Computer‐Games‐and‐Instruction

This excellent book provides strong, solid, and significant information and background for the educational practitioners who intend to use computer games in their instruction and educational researchers who want to develop a research agenda with computer games. If you are planning to use computer games for learning, instruction, or educational research, I advise you to use your own copy of this book as a valuable resource. Yavuz Samur