Supporting children with motor skills difficulties: an initial evaluation of the Manchester Motor Skills Programme

Children with motor difficulties are a very varied group. In order to target interventions more effectively researchers have attempted to identify specific sub‐groups; however, attempts to identify sub‐groups and provide interventions accordingly have met with limited success. Currently interventions can be classified into two main types, namely, general abilities and normative functional approaches. The current study outlines the Manchester Motor Skills Programme (MMSP), which adopts a normative functional approach and has been developed jointly by educational psychologists (EPs), specialist teachers and schools. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the MMSP a quasi‐experimental repeated measures study was undertaken involving 24 children. The quasi‐experimental study yielded a medium effect size, which is a promising result for a naturalistic intervention. Methodological limitations and areas of future research are considered and identified.     

Developing and sustaining provision for children with motor skills difficulties in schools: the role of educational psychologists

The current paper outlines a three-year action research project with 39 schools in one inner city local authority. A local need to improve provision for children with motor skills difficulties resulted in a team of educational psychologists (EPs) and specialist teachers developing the Manchester Motor Skills Intervention (MMSI), which is a flexible package of support for primary schools. Support provided ranged from staff training and resources aimed to improve universal provision through to motor skills groups for targeted children. A mixed method evaluation was undertaken which aimed to establish which aspects of the MMSI schools found most useful and whether the programme was sustainable. The evaluation involved interviews at the end of the two-year project and school provision audits one year after the project had ceased. Participants valued the contribution of the research team to the development of a targeted intervention programme and the provision of ongoing support, while evidence suggests that the whole-school element of the MMSI requires further development. Some barriers and facilitators to sustainability are identified and discussed.     

Enhancing visuospatial skills in second graders: An exploratory follow‐up study

This study was intended to assess the effect of a psychoeducational computer‐assisted and paper‐and‐pencil training designed to empower visuospatial skills in students attending the second grade of the primary school. At pretest, posttest and at the subsequent 3‐months follow‐up, 44 Italian second graders were presented with a battery of tests assessing nonverbal problem solving, imagery, speed of processing, visuomotor coordination, and verbal working memory. After pretest, 22 pupils were trained by the psychoeducational intervention for 15 weekly sessions (Fastame & Antonini (2011). RECUPERO IN… abilità visuo‐spaziali [Recovery in… visuo‐spatial abilities]. Trento, Italy: Edizioni Erickson). Posttest scores and a follow‐up assessment conducted after 3 months by the end of the training documented the positive effect of the psychoeducational intervention in enhancing visuospatial functions of the experimental group. These outcomes were also replicated when a questionnaire assessing visuospatial efficacy was proposed to the teachers of the participants.     

以培养从业技能为导向的小学科学教学技能课程改革策略研究

"小学科学教学技能"是小学教师的必修教法课程之一。通过本课程教学,使学生具备基本的小学科学教育理论和从事小学科学课程教学的能力,促使学生形成现代儿童观和教育观。但据调研,本课程的教学现状和教学目标达成度并不乐观。结合创新创业教育理念和教学实际,提出基于从业技能培养为导向的"小学科学教学技能"课程改革策略。     

The Development of the Manchester Motor Skills Assessment (MMSA): An initial evaluation

This article is an initial evaluation of a motor skills assessment for primary aged children. The Manchester Motor Skills Assessment (MMSA) is designed to be quick and easy for teaching assistants to complete, with the dual purposes of informing group programme planning and demonstrating an individual child’s progress following a period of intervention. Inter‐rater reliability checks were conducted during initial assessments of 37 children in 11 schools. Focus groups discussed practical relevance of the tool. The evidence from this small‐scale study suggests that a range of assessors can reliably complete the MMSA. The tool also taps into functionally relevant motor skills for primary age children and informs programme planning. The MMSA appears to be a promising tool for supporting primary schools in identifying children with motor skills difficulties. The contribution of EPs to the MMSA’s development and implementation is discussed.     

对一例成年智障者社会交往技能的社区干预研究

在以往文献报告中,对智障者的干预训练主要针对的是儿童和青少年,场所主要在特殊学校,而对成年智障者干预训练的报告却很少。这篇文章采用个案研究的方式,探讨了社区干预对成年智障者社会交往技能的辅导过程和效果,为提高成年智障者的社会适应力提供了依据。研究结果证明:(1)社区支持和家庭力量相结合是成年智障者社区干预的有效途径;(2)行为疗法的各种技术更适合于成年智障者社会交往技能的提高。     

Partnering with Districts to Expand an After-School Maths Club Programme

Abstract

A key intervention of the South African Numeracy Chair Project (SANCP) since 2011 has been the introduction of mathematics (or maths) clubs, which occur in the out-of-school time space. In 2016 the maths club concept was developed into a 15-week Pushing for Progression (PfP) teacher development programme which supports primary school mathematics teachers to run clubs beyond the SANCP local area. Expanding intervention models beyond local schools is imperative in the second phase of the SANCP (2016–2020). Working from a mixed methods methodological approach, the researchers collected pre- and post-data for a 4-operations assessment of the entire PfP programme. In this article they share learner data from one of the nine teachers who participated in the PfP maths club programme in the Uitenhague District, Eastern Cape, South Africa, to illuminate how partnerships between academics, district officials and teachers can enable powerful student learning in the club space. They argue further that within the tightly focused development programme run by teachers in this one district, it is possible for learners to make substantive progress in mathematical proficiency (MP) (especially procedural fluency and conceptual understanding) when comparing scores and learner methods between a pre- and post- assessment.     

师范生教学技能考核实践探索

为了加强综合性大学的"师范性",提高师范生的教学技能水平,一些综合性大学进行了一些探索和改革——尝试建立了由一般技能、学科特色技能和综合技能构成的师范生教学技能结构体系,研制出了中学、小学和学前各类师范生的教学技能考核标准,并建立了规范化的教学技能考核制度。通过研究证明,教学技能考核已初步显示出良好的效果,具有一定的实践价值和推广意义。     

未来小学英语教师教学技能发展与微格教学

自20世纪80年代中期以来,我国的一些师范院校将“微格教学”引入了教师教育领域,主要用于研究教师教学技能。由于小学英语教育是学生学习英语的启蒙阶段,对教师的要求往往高于初中、高中、甚至高于大学教师。为此,探索新形势下能促进学生发展的未来小学英语教师教学技能是新时期又一项重要任务。每位高校教师教育工作者只有通过对微格教学和不同层面上的未来小学英语教师教学技能的理性认识,了解微格教学与未来小学英语教师教学技能发展的关系,才能探究出微格教学在未来小学英语教师教学技能发展中的训练系统。     

The impact of video modelling on improving social skills in children with autism

Children with autism often show a lack of the interactive social skills that would allow them to engage with others successfully. They therefore frequently need training to aid them in successful social interaction. Video modelling is a widely used instructional technique that has been applied to teach children with developmental disabilities such as autism, and has been shown to be effective in teaching a variety of skills. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of video modelling on social skills development in children with autism living in the United Arab Emirates. The research was carried out by Mohammed Alzyoudi, AbedAlziz Sartawi and Osha Almuhiri, all from the United Arab Emirates University. A sample of five boys with autism was chosen to participate in this study. The boys ranged in age between five and seven years. Each child was asked to watch a videotape which presented two individuals interacting in a role‐play setting. One person portrayed a therapist giving cues, while the second portrayed a child acting appropriately and demonstrating correct social behaviours. The boys were then asked to complete a social task and their performance was compared against baseline assessment measures. The results of this study indicate that this is an effective instruction method. Results are discussed and implications for further research and practice are provided.     

Assessing a Remedial Intervention Programme in Developing the Planning Skills of Grade 4 and 5 Learners

The search for assessment procedures that are more fair and useful have led to the investigation of alternatives to traditional forms of intellectual assessment. This study explored an alternative which combined a dynamic assessment approach with the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous and Successive Processing (PASS) model of cognitive processing. The aim was to investigate the effectiveness of a planning intervention programme based on Feuerstein’s criteria for Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) with a group of Grade 4 and 5 remedial school learners who presented with a range of barriers to learning. Twenty six learners were assigned to the experimental group and 25 to the control group. The results showed that there was a significant improvement in the experimental group’s Planning Scale score on the Cognitive Assessment System, following the intervention. These results imply that children often have far greater potential than is realised and that intentional mediation can help to enhance cognitive functioning and assist in further developing children’s learning potential.     

Imprisonment and Career Development: An Evaluation of a Guidance Programme for Job Finding

This study describes the evaluation results of PORO; a three level occupational guidance programme designed to improve offender's job finding possibilities and to reduce reoffending after imprisonment. The programme is carried out at a Catalan prison, and the evaluation approach used is Stufflebeam's CIPP model, considering the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of the programme. Evaluation outcomes and practical suggestions for career development applications addressed to prison populations are reported.     

A Social Skills Training (SST) Programme for Victims of Bullying

The article begins with an introduction to the problem of bullying in schools. Next, the relative strengths and weaknesses of some interventions for victims of bullying are discussed. In the second part of this article the reader is introduced to the Social Skills Training Programme that the writers developed. In particular, some of the practicalities of setting up and conducting the groups are mentioned. The content of the sessions, in terms of the skills that were focused on and the techniques that were used, are described. In concluding the article some lessons learned for those interested in this type of intervention are offered.     

RESCUR Surfing the Waves: an evaluation of a resilience programme in the early years

ABSTRACT

RESCUR Surfing the Waves is a recently developed resilience curriculum for early years and primary schools in Europe. It seeks to develop in marginalized young learners the requisite competences needed to overcome the various challenges in their lives to achieve academic success and social and emotional wellbeing. The competences include developing a growth mindset, making use of one’s strengths, self-determination, effective communication skills and healthy relationships, and overcoming challenges and obstacles. This paper presents the findings of a study on the implementation of the programme in five kindergarten centres in Malta over a 1-year period. A pre- and post-intervention study in 20 classrooms (97 children) showed an improvement in resilience skills, prosocial behavior and learning engagement, but not in internalized and externalized problem behaviors. A small scale study in two nurture classes at two of the schools found similar findings. The findings suggest that there are indications that the programme as a proportionate universal intervention for early years leads to an improvement in social and academic behaviours, but more rigorous research is needed to substantiate these findings.     

小教专业学生的教师职业技能调查及对策

教师的职业技能，是指专门从事教师职业、运用教育理论知识完成教育教学任务所必备的专业性基本技能和技巧，它在整个教学环节中起着十分重要的作用。通过对小学教育专业学生的教师职业技能现状的调查，发现其存在的问题并提出相应的对策，即要提高小学教育专业学生的教师职业技能，必须做到：构筑明确的教师职业技能目标管理体系、优化教师职业技能训练管理过程、完善教师职业技能训练质量监控、建立有效的教师职业技能训练激励机制。     

Integration of physically disabled students

Abstract

The article reviews research in four areas: impact of integration on children's self‐concept, attitudes toward physically disabled children, effects on their school achievement and teacher reactions to integration. Research evidence suggests that being together with non‐disabled peers makes the disabled child more aware of his physical impairment and restraints. But there are also signs indicating that psychological factors essential for a positive self‐evaluation are activated to a higher degree in the integrated environment. With respect to attitudes of peers there are some, although not conclusive, results suggesting positive influence of integration. Research on school achievement demonstrates the great variability among the physically disabled pupils, in comparison with which the impact of school placement is relatively minor. Teacher opinions about integration of physically disabled pupils are mainly positive, but if the handicap is severe integration is considered possible only with a rich supply of teaching material, reduced class size and support from specialists. The review concludes with glimpses from reports on practical experience with integration.     

Effects of the Zippy’s Friends Programme on Children’s Coping Abilities During the Transition from Kindergarten to Elementary School

This article explores the effects of participation during kindergarten in Zippy’s Friends, a 24-week school-based programme to help young people better cope with everyday adversities, on their adaptation to first grade. The experimental group consisted of 140 children in the first year of primary school who had participated in the Zippy’s Friends programme the preceding year when they attended a kindergarten in a different school. Results show that, compared to a control group of 106 children, participation in Zippy’s Friends is related to better adaptation to the transition from kindergarten to first grade. The experimental group was higher in behavioral and emotional adaptation to school, had more positive reactions to the new school environment and used more appropriate and more diversified coping strategies, when compared with the control group. The discussion explores why Zippy’s Friends may be related to better adaptation to transition from kindergarten to first grade.     

高师生教师职业技能的现状与对策探究

师范院校学生的职业技能包括语言文字、教学工作和班主任工作等几个层面,从实习过程来看,很多学生的职业技能远不能达到所要求的标准．要想改变目前的现实情况,首先就要更新观念,正确认识师范教育的特点．加强针对师范生职业技能训练的力度;其次,改进和完善课程设置,加强职业技能师资力量及物质配备;第三,建立科学合理的训练和评价机制,提高师范生教师职业技能水平．     

现行本科教学工作水平评估制度的分析与思考

本科教学工作水平评估制度是监督高校办学方向和促进人才培养质量提高的关键措施。为此需要对制度本身以及实行该制度所带来的影响进行分析,这对于中国建立更加完善和有效的评估体系,全面提高本科教学质量具有重要的现实意义。在探讨实行本科教学工作评估制度意义的基础上,分析了现行制度本身主要存在的"评估主体单一性、评估时间周期性和评估结果裙带性"三个方面的问题,并提出了一些解决对策。