Teaching and learning in the special education setting: agency of the diagnosed child

ABSTRACT

This article is based on an extensive study of teaching-learning processes in special educational settings organised for children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). There is a general assumption that children’s learning will be supported through placement in a special class with few students and one or more teachers present. The issues explored concern what educational practices unfold in these settings, i.e. what are the children learning, and how do they participate in the activities? The empirical study is based on video-recorded classroom interaction in eight ADHD-classes during a period of seven years, in total about 200 h. The results show that the interactional format dominating is characterised by one teacher instructing one child at a time. These situations usually seem to follow the well-known Initiative-Response-Feedback (I-R-F) structure. The contributions from the children are generally minimal, and there is no indication that the student’s role in such dyads is more active. Thus, there is little evidence that children’s learning will improve and that they become more focussed and assume a more participatory role in the interactional formats offered in special classes. Also, it is not obvious how experiences of this kind will prepare children for a return to regular classroom or develop towards becoming active citizens.     

基于Kinect体感交互的儿童注意力测评系统

针对儿童心理发展特点,提出基于体感交互的注意力测评系统。该系统采用体感技术使被测通过肢体动作即可控制并完成相关基于生活情景的任务测试项目。体感技术在感官感受、行为方式及使用空间等方面提高交互的沉浸感,这种自然的交互方式更能反映被测在真实情境下的注意力情况。该系统可用于一般家庭学校儿童注意力测试和注意力缺陷的辅助治疗,并可随时跟踪注意力水平的发展状况。     

儿童钢琴启蒙教学初探

全面推进素质教育的今天,学前教育越来越得到重视,钢琴学习成为我国儿童学前教育的首选乐器。在儿童钢琴启蒙教学中,需要确定学琴的年龄、选择合格的教师,确立正确科学的学琴方法,培养学生持之以恒的学习兴趣。     

Begin Circle Time with yoga

Simple yoga exercises help the children settle down and focus on the new gathering time. If you begin each Circle with yoga, the children will expect it and learn to relax and enjoy this healthy activity. Yoga helps to develop awareness training, relaxation, strengthens the body, energizes the child, helps balance and muscle control. As you continue to use yoga, it will become second nature to the children and they will learn to come together for a more successful Circle Time.illustrations by Amy FlynnDeya Brashears is a preschool director/teacher in California. Sharron Werlin is a preschool teacher with speciality in motor skills. The article was excerpted from their bookCircle Time Activities for Young Children, available for $12.95 plus $1.20 for postage from Deya Brashears, 1 Corte Del Rey, Orinda, CA 94563.     

Using practical philosophy to enhance the self-regulation of children in secure accommodation

Secure accommodation provides extreme forms of control and support for a small minority of society’s most vulnerable children. Within such environments it is unclear how children exhibit or develop self-regulation when external controls affect every aspect of day-to-day life. This study provides an insight into self-regulation by examining children’s adherence to the rules associated with a practical form of philosophy, namely Community of Philosophical Inquiry (CoPI). Data was collected from a series of CoPI sessions which took place in secure accommodation and a thematic analysis was used to identify key themes emerging from participant’s rule-adherence. The findings suggest that argumentative dialogue allows children to demonstrate self-regulation in relation to the CoPI rules, although it is often sporadic and variable between individuals. Whilst encouraging argumentation and dialogue can seem counterintuitive, it might promote more adaptive behaviours, which will give children in secure accommodation greater control over their lives.     

试论新农村建设中的女童教育——以邦角村景颇族女童教育为例

占人口半数的农村妇女,是建设社会主义新农村的重要力量和主力军。要培养和造就"新型农村妇女",使她们能够发挥主力军的作用,女童的教育就不可忽视。通过对个案的实证研究,分析了当前女童教育的现状、存在的问题及影响的因素,提出在新农村建设中如何进一步增强女童教育的对策和建议。     

运用演员素质促进幼儿教师专业发展

幼儿的思维以具体形象性为主,幼儿教师掌握并合理运用一定的演员素质能使教师的引导、指导行为更加符合幼儿的学习方式,同时也有助于教育影响的最优化。因此,教师掌握并合理运用一定的演员素质不失为促进幼儿教师专业发展的一种有效途径。     

Progress in implementing the convention on the rights of the child: Factors helping and hindering that process

Conclusion Paper commitments by governments to the convention are not enough. This brief overview of the current state of children's education rights highlights the limits of the progress made so far. The convention provides us with a tool, a philosophy and a framework of standards against which to monitor progress. The challenge is to use it to develop concrete plans of action for implementing its principles in the lives of all children. At the present time, many schoolsfall far below its standards. Change is urgently needed not only to improve enrolment and reduce the number of dropouts but also to promote the rights of children to participate, to respect for their dignity, to an education directed at promoting fulfilment of potential, to freedom from violence and to a culture of respect for human rights. Respect for these rights will benefit not only individual children but also society as a whole. Children will be less disaffected if the curriculum is relevant to their needs. They will learn more effectively if they are valued as individuals. They will become socially responsible if they learn principles of respect for human rights through their treatment at school. Change will take time and will require more resources. But the outcome is win-win. There can be no excuse for failing to make an active commitment to the fullest possible implementation of the convention. We owe it to the world's children. Original language: English Gerison Lansdown (United Kingdom) Director of the Children's Rights Office established to promote implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and promote the case for a statutory Children's Rights Commissioner. She was co-editor of theAgenda for children (1994), a comprehensive analysis of the state of children's rights in the United Kingdom. She has published and lectured widely in the field of children's rights, both nationally and internationally. She is currently an associate fellow at UNICEF's International Child Development Centre in Florence.     

新形势下高校职业生涯教育存在问题及对策

随着高校的扩招,大学生的就业形势越来越严峻。如果有关部门制定充分的高校职业生涯教育法律法规,高校提高对高校职业生涯教育的重视程度,用人单位提高高校职业生涯关注程度,大学生家长转变子女择业观,大学生提高对职业生涯规划作用的认识,定会对大学生的就业有重大帮助。     

幼小衔接教育：培养科学素养

幼小衔接不仅对幼儿尽快地适应小学生活有着重要的作用,而且会影响幼儿一生的教育进程。在幼小衔接教育中加强对学前末期和学龄初期的儿童科学素养的培养,不仅能培养幼儿的学习兴趣、学习能力,养成科学的学习习惯,而且在与人交往、合作共事等方面打下良好基础。因此,城乡各类幼儿园都应从实际出发,探究幼小衔接教育中培养幼儿科学素养的途径和办法,因地制宜地实施科学素养教育,为幼儿一生的发展打好基础,为适应小学学习做好准备。     

幼儿足球教学的实践探索

足球活动对促进幼儿各种身体动作及运动素质品质和意志品质的发展均有着非常积极的作用。在实践研究中发现,幼儿园可以以基本技术动作、基本战术和基本素质为内容开展足球活动,并利用教研实践化、内容游戏化、环境浸润化等策略让孩子爱上足球,促进孩子身体素质全面发展。     

Building Full-Service Schools: Lessons Learned in the Development of Interagency Collaboratives

Although the history of clinical–school–community collaboration can be traced back to the end of the 19th century, the full-service school movement represents a new era in the quest for more effective ways to deliver human services to children. Building on the personal experience of the authors and the literature concerning the development of integrated service delivery systems, this article outlines conceptual, administrative, fiscal, legal–ethical, and practical issues that can hinder local efforts to develop full-service schools. The systematic analysis of potentially negative influences is presented as something that must be pursued by educational and psychological consultants so that, as the next millennium begins, they will be in a position to help local working groups develop interagency collaboratives that more effectively integrate school and human service systems, increase service use, and promote positive developmental outcomes for children living in high-risk situations.     

There’s Elly,It Must be Tuesday: Discontinuity in Child Care Programs and Its Impact on the Development of Peer Relationships in Young Children

This study traces patterns of attendance, times of arrival and departure, and policies and practices surrounding enrollment and moving children from classroom to classroom in a child care center. It appears that children’s efforts to acquire competence in developing friendships with their peers not only depends on their own capacities, but is also affected by above-mentioned patterns and policies and practices, over which children have no control. For a period of 6 months, we follow the trajectory of Elly, a young 3-year old girl, who is enrolled mid-year, part-time, in Sunshine Child Development Center. She is placed in a classroom with two-and-a-half to three and-a-half year old children, several of whom also attend part-time. It takes Elly 6 months to develop a meaningful relationship with some of her peers, an important yet tenuous milestone because, according to center policy groups will be reconfigured over the summer. Thus, Elly and her new friends may be placed in different groups in the fall. This study also documents the important role of social pretend play in helping children to initiate and develop friendships, especially in the company of more competent peers. Importantly, the child care center’s policies and practices for transitioning children in and out of classrooms seem to be at odds with current research on attachment, continuity, and the development of peer relationships. Recommendations are made for creating environments where continuity of care and education for young children are a priority.     

Reducing Prejudice Against Children with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings

Growing numbers of American children are being educated in inclusive settings. Legal mandates for inclusion cannot ensure that children will be accepted and treated equitably. Attitudinal barriers and discriminatory practices continue to prevent the full participation of students with disabilities in the United States. Understanding how children develop prejudice and the roles adults play in establishing equitable opportunities is critical to the inclusion of all minorities, including children with disabilities.     

如何培养聋童的口语阅读能力

对聋童来说,"阅读"是他们在接受几年的学校教育中主要发展的能力。由于聋童的词语匮乏,生活经验少,对一般的文章不能产生兴趣,语言能力发展迟缓,对文章中的语句不大了解。因而他们会渐渐地避开文字,不会去阅读文章,这就严重影响了他们将来融入社会生活、劳动、与人沟通、交流等能力。他们只有从小习得阅读方法,培养爱阅读、阅读后养成写读书笔记的习惯,他们长大以后就可以掌握资源,开拓视野,增进人与人的交往,从而肯定自我,融入社会。     

新课程改革背景下幼儿园教学的困境及超越

幼儿园教学是将幼儿教育理念转化为教育实践的重要环节,良好的教学能促进教育目标的有效达成.在新课程改革背景下,幼儿园教学有了很大的转变,但仍然存在一些问题,主要体现在教学目标、内容、方法及过程上.对此,幼儿教师应明确幼儿园教学的定位,做到：着眼长远目标,为幼儿全面发展打基础;回归日常生活,让幼儿学习实用性知识;联系各个领域,为幼儿创设整合型课程;尊重幼儿本能,让幼儿潜能得以彰显.在此基础上使教学过程更加完善,以促进幼儿各方面的均衡发展.     

在体验活动中促进幼儿的深度学习

幼儿的体验活动本质上是一种具有探究性和实践性的学习活动。良好的活动体验可以强化幼儿的学习兴趣,改善幼儿的学习态度,促进幼儿对事物的认识与理解,增强幼儿学习的目的性和持续性,往往代表着高水平的学习卷入,说明幼儿的体验活动与其深度学习之间存在着有机的内在连接。教师应尊重幼儿的学习主体性,给予幼儿充分的自主学习机会,提高幼儿对体验活动的情感参与;应为幼儿创设真实的学习情境,提升幼儿活动体验的水平与质量,促进幼儿学习能力与学习品质的发展;应加强与家庭、社区之间的合作,为幼儿开展体验活动、实现深度学习提供外部环境支持。     

自然主义视野下的中国儿童教育

自然主义教育就是以发展儿童的天性为目的,顺应人的生理、心理的自然本能的教育。当儿童天性、儿童身心生态遭受功利教育的破坏时,重温自然主义教育思想并以此审视中国儿童教育无疑对教育的反思与变革产生巨大推动力。     

Learning and schooling of Basarwa (Bushmen) children in Botswana

Conclusion This article highlights the inadequacy of the current model of schooling delivered to Basarwa children in Botswana, and contends that their education should be reevaluated from a cultural viewpoint. Children and teachers are enmeshed in a dynamic, cultural, social and political web, and there are serious language and cultural barriers to learning. These barriers underscore the need for a bilingual, multicultural model of education to affirm and strengthen the culture of the child. The high mobility of the Basarwa demands a flexible, less formal model of schooling and training of teachers from within the Basarwa culture. An innovative curriculum is needed, building on traditional Basarwa pedagogy and world view to develop skills needed to gain greater equity. The approach to health education known as Child-to-Child has considerable potential for curriculum development. Until a more relevant educational model is available Basarwa children will continue to be disadvantaged. A lecturer in education and development at the University of London Institute of Education, where she is responsible for advanced diploma and masters courses in health education and promotion. She is a qualified school-teacher and nutritionist, with more than ten years' experience in higher education and in community development for health in West and East Africa. She is conducting research in health through schooling, and will complete her Ph.D. thesis on ‘Children as health educators’ in 1995. She has a special interest in participatory research methods and gender issues, and is married with four children.     

日本幼儿社会性培养方法及其对我国的启示

由于受到计划生育和少子化的影响,当今幼儿的社会交往能力减弱,尤其是中国的独生子女更令人担忧,因此在幼儿园集体生活中培养幼儿的社会性具有重大意义。本文分析了日本幼儿教师培养幼儿社会性的两种途径,即通过同伴玩耍和通过幼儿纠纷培养幼儿的社会性。上述做法值得我们借鉴。