Burnout in Teachers of Young Children

The purpose of thi\s study was to identify variables or combinations of variables that are related to burnout in teachers of young children. The 353 participants were teachers who worked with young children more than 20 hours a week. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, a 22-item semantic differential measuring burnout, and a questionnaire about personal and job characteristics were administered to the subjects. A factor analysis, one-way analyses of variance, and maximum regression were used to analyze data. The factor analysis showed that the Maslach Burnout Inventory measures burnout and competence of teachers. The variables which account for burnout and competence are discussed.     

Burnout in Teachers of Young Children

The purpose of this study was to identify variables or combinations of variables that are related to burnout in teachers of young children. The 353 participants were teachers who worked with young children more than 20 hours a week. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, a 22-item semantic differential measuring burnout, and a questionnaire about personal and job characteristics were administered to the subjects. A factor analysis, one-way analyses of variance, and maximum regression were used to analyze data. The factor analysis showed that the Maslach Burnout Inventory measures burnout and competence of teachers. The variables which account for burnout and competence are discussed.     

Supporting the Narrative Development of Young Children

This article presents the developmental continuum of children’s storytelling skills and provides examples at each of five levels: labeling, listing, connecting, sequencing and narrating. The authors connect these developing narrative skills to communication, literacy and cognition. Strategies to facilitate development from one level to another are described.     

Supporting the Siblings of Young Children with Disabilities

In this article, Lynda Warren Dodd, who is senior educational psychologist for early years and the Portage Service supervisor in Stockport LEA, discusses the development of a support group for the brothers and sisters of young children with a wide range of disabilities. The group has been running, as an annual event, for eight years and offers a mix of socialising, games and group work. Through the group, the Portage Service aims to address some of the isues that emerge for families when there is a child with a disability. In order to evaluate the support offered to siblings, as well as to the child with special needs and their parents or carers, members of the Portage team gathered views from children and adults. Several key themes emerged from the comments made by children. All the participants enjoyed attending the sibling group. The children had varying degrees of understanding about their brothers' and sisters' disabilities. Some reported positive attitudes while others described the negative feelings they experienced in relation to their siblings' special needs. The parents also tended to value the sibling group and most of them asked for the provision to be extended. Lynda Dodd sets her account of this evaluation in the context of a constructive review of the literature on the sibling experience. She closes her article with a valuable summary of the implications of her work for future policy and practice in this important and often neglected area.     

Attitudes of Parents Toward War Play in Young Children

A questionnaire on attitudes toward war play was given to 316 Italian parents and 84 English parents of children aged 2 to 6 years. In both cultures, boys were significantly more likely to engage in war play, either social or solitary—most commonly weapon play, but also play with combat figures and acting out a combat role. Parental attitudes, television, and peers (including older siblings), appeared as common sources of influence. Parents expressed a range of views about how to respond to war play, varying from discouraging it (more common if their children did not engage in war play), to allowing it with limits, to allowing it unconditionally. There was more of a consensus that war toys should not be allowed in school and that playgroup supervisors and teachers should try to turn war play toward more constructive ends. Analysis of a range of attitudinal scales confirmed a general dimension of restrictiveness-permissiveness with regard to war play activities, linked to attitudes about rough-and-tumble play (R & T) and pretend play in the Italian sample but not in the English sample.     

Nonsocial Play Patterns of Young Children With Communication Disorders: Implications for Behavioral Adaptation

It has been well established that young children with communication disorders (CD) have considerable difficulties interacting socially with peers in free-play settings. The central purpose of this study was to determine whether behavioral adaptations of children with CD could contribute to their peer interaction problems. To accomplish this, the behavioral patterns of reticent, solitary-passive, and solitary-active subtypes of nonsocial play of children with CD were observed in unstructured playgroup settings and compared to the nonsocial play of matched groups of typically developing children. Also examined was whether the associations with peer social interaction measures and child and family characteristics differed among the reticent, solitary-passive, and solitary-active subtypes and whether the context factors of the developmental status and familiarity of peers influenced these patterns. Results revealed that preschool children with CD do not exhibit distinct patterns of nonsocial play and provide no evidence for situation-specific (i.e., with peers) behavioral adaptations despite difficulties interacting with peers. The developmental characteristics of or familiarity with one's peers did not influence these results. Moreover, the peer social interaction patterns corresponding to each subtype, as well as child and family characteristics associated with each subtype, were also similar for both groups of children. Recommendations for preventive intervention programs to minimize future peer interaction problems emphasizing social-information and emotional regulation processes were presented.     

Attitudes of Parents Toward War Play in Young Children

A questionnaire on attitudes toward war play was given to 316 Italian parents and 84 English parents of children aged 2 to 6 years. In both cultures, boys were significantly more likely to engage in war play, either social or solitary—most commonly weapon play, but also play with combat figures and acting out a combat role. Parental attitudes, television, and peers (including older siblings), appeared as common sources of influence. Parents expressed a range of views about how to respond to war play, varying from discouraging it (more common if their children did not engage in war play), to allowing it with limits, to allowing it unconditionally. There was more of a consensus that war toys should not be allowed in school and that playgroup supervisors and teachers should try to turn war play toward more constructive ends. Analysis of a range of attitudinal scales confirmed a general dimension of restrictiveness-permissiveness with regard to war play activities, linked to attitudes about rough-and-tumble play (R & T) and pretend play in the Italian sample but not in the English sample.     

表演游戏与幼儿同伴关系干预

表演游戏是深受幼儿喜爱的一种游戏形式,能促进幼儿情感、认知和社会性的发展.以表演游戏为干预因子,并从认知、情感、行为三个维度入手,对幼儿的同伴关系发展进行综合干预,能将教师的干预融入游戏活动之中,让幼儿在自然的状态下接受干预,达到良好的干预效果.这种方法具有较强的可行性.     

Sex,Male Teachers and Young Children

The recent case of a male student nursery nurse found guilty of sexually abusing children brought into focus the absence of policies on men working with young children in schools regarding such issues as how to handle physical contact, intimacy and masculinity, their female colleagues and the children in their care. This means individual male teachers have to construct their own frameworks in which to work ‘safely’ with children. If male teachers and children are to work together within a protective and supportive environment, issues involving sex and masculinity need to be given a forum for discussion.     

从大纲的新变化看大学英语教师的角色转变

《大学英语课程教学要求》在1999年大学英语教学大纲的基础上有了一些变化，这些变化要求大学英语教师在理论方面对自己在教学中的地位和作用有正确的认识，并且在实践上完成三种角色的转变。     

What Teachers of Young Children Should Know About Islam

Increasing numbers of Muslim children attend programs for young children yet many teachers appear to know very little about Islam. Along with its overview of Islam, this article suggests how teachers can better support the rights and special needs of Muslim children. A list of references for further information and resources for teachers concludes the article.     

Recognizing and Supporting the Critical Roles of Teachers in Special Education Leadership

Most discussions about special education leadership address the work of principals and district administrators, without reference to the collective and distributed forms of leadership that have taken center stage in contemporary discussions about improving schools. To explore the contributions of and roles for teacher leadership in special education, selected teacher leadership literature in general education is reviewed, including the emergence of new teacher roles in schools, roots and meanings of teacher leadership, and possible benefits of teachers as leaders. Although no studies were found that specifically investigated the work of special education teacher leaders, illustrations of their work are provided as they lead through school-wide collaboration, participate as clinical faculty in Professional Development Schools (PDSs), serve as mentors to new colleagues, and work in district-wide professional development. After a review of several examples of teacher leadership in special education, barriers to teacher leadership and ways of supporting the work of teacher leaders are considered.     

Preparing Teachers of Young Children in Brazil: Recent Problems and Issues

Early childhood teachers in Brazil might teach in a number of settings – crèches, preschools, and grades 1–4. Crèches, funded largely by the state and local governments, were designed to care for the physical needs and well-being of children ages 4 months to about 4 years. These facilities developed very rapidly during the period of military government from 1964–1985 (Rosemberg, 1992). In crèches, mothers have long been considered suitable caregivers for these children. Thus, it is easy to understand the current public perception of crèches as being facilities for “baby-sitting.” Teachers, then, are viewed primarily as entertainers and monitors of children. Further, because the official purpose is to assure children's physical health and hygiene, without regard to educational purposes, nurses are the professionals who generally take care of infants and young children (Campos, Grosbaum, Pahim & Rosemberg 1986).     

儿童哲学课程中的教师:角色与任务

马修李普曼创建的儿童哲学课程(philosophy for children即P4C)以"帮助构建更好人生"和"不以知识为最终目的"的指导思想,通过哲学的教育内容、教学材料和教学方式形成其独特的教学模式以实现培养儿童哲学思维的任务。独树一帜的课程模式给教师带来了新的角色形象,教师成为这场哲学教育实践中的共同探究者、促进沟通讨论者以及自我进步者。随着新的形象也给教师带来了新的挑战,要求儿童哲学教师需要不断提升自身的专业素养,进行持之以恒的教学实践练习。     

谈弱智幼儿教育中的游戏教学法

游戏教学法在弱智幼儿教育中有着重要的地位,具有其他方法不可替代的作用.利用游戏活动创设良好教育环境可改善弱智幼儿教育训练的效果,促进其各方面发展.     

Rough and Tumble Play: An Investigation of the Perceptions of Educators and Young Children

This research investigated rough and tumble (R&T) play in two early childhood settings. Participants included 11 educators and 17 children (5 years old). The study focused on gaining an understanding of how early childhood educators and young children interpret R&T play. The results indicate that while there is perceived value in R&T related to the development of young children, educators are uncertain of how to manage the play. The results of this study demonstrate the need for early childhood programs to develop policies to guide how R&T is managed.