Preparation never ends: Sustaining a mentorship model in early childhood teacher education

Abstract

This paper documents the development of a mentorship project for both inservice and preservice early childhood teachers. This mentorship model was conceived by university faculty who were concerned that developmentally appropriate practice was fast becoming a casualty of the present accountability reform in education, and distressed by the disconnect between the university and the prek‐grade three classroom. The first two years of the model are described with particular emphasis placed on the second year efforts to increase the interaction of preservice and inservice teachers. Central to these efforts has been the two‐way communication resulting from video mentorship, and this paper documents the reactions of the stakeholders to this initiative. The paper closes by discussing the challenges that lie ahead as the mentorship model continues to evolve.     

Improving early childhood teacher education: Preservice teachers' beliefs about inclusion

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe early childhood preservice teachers’ beliefs about the inclusion of children with special needs in early childhood settings. Nineteen female undergraduate early childhood education preservice teachers participated in one of five focus groups. Students were divided into three groups based on the courses they were enrolled in or had completed: Beginner (sophomore and junior courses), Intermediate (senior courses), and Advanced (student teaching). Additionally, 6 of the 19 students participated in individual interviews. Data analysis resulted in themes related to students’ beliefs and philosophies of inclusion, as well as their thoughts concerning practice in inclusive programs. This paper describes students’ beliefs within each group and compares responses across the different groups. Implications are discussed in relation to teacher education programs and directions for future research.     

好莱坞特效行业衰落

尽管《少年派的奇幻漂流》在全球范围内收获了超过5亿美元的票房成绩,但凭借此片在第85届奥斯卡颁奖典礼上获得"最佳视觉效果奖"的特效公司Rhythm&Hues Studios却在2013年2月13日沦落到申请破产保护的境地。这家已经拥有25年历史的好莱坞老牌视觉效果制作公司曾多次获得各大颁奖礼上的"最佳视觉效果奖",而如今的境遇则让人唏嘘不已。在如今高度商业化的好莱坞,艺术家们只有得到真正的尊重,才能创造出更好的作品。     

Self‐constructed exoticism: gender and Nation in Hōrōki by Hayashi Fumiko

This paper is a reading of Hōrōki (1928–30) by Hayashi Fumiko (1903–1951). The analysis demonstrates how the marginal status of the female protagonist is used as a literary device to create a challenging gendered critique of Japanese urban culture in the early 20th century. The paper discusses how the work reflects concepts of a ‘hybrid’ national identity as defined by Homi Bhabha, and highlights the links between gender and national identity using the concept of the exotic in relation to Alcoff’s concept of gender as positionality. It focuses in particular on the structure of the work, bringing out the idea that by using a disjointed narrative and a fragmented telling of the self, Hayashi Fumiko evokes ideas of the self in relation to the nation that are both unstable and destabilising, thus creating a revolutionary and anarchistic view of Japanese culture; the fluidity and hybridity of the nation are reflected in the fluid and hybrid nature of the work itself.     

An exploration of the relationship between argumentative prompts and depth to elicit alternative positions in ill-structured problem solving

Educational technology research and development - Little is known about the role of prompts to help learners solve ill-structured learning problems. Instructors do not devote adequate time to...     

Helping Business Students Acquire the Skills Needed for a Career in Analytics: A Comprehensive Industry Assessment of Entry‐Level Requirements

Fact‐based decision making is changing job functions within organizations more than any other technology. Analytics, once the purview of the data scientist, is now spread throughout organizations. No longer is there a single job title, job function, or set of required skills and credentials for an analytics career. Companies have moved away from seeking applicants with a specific degree to now recruiting analytics talent based on required skill sets. For more than a decade, business schools have been developing new programs in analytics in response to industry's needs. However, in developing meaningful career‐ready professionals, business programs must understand the skills required across different analytics job functions. In this article, the authors present a comprehensive assessment of the skills sought by employers when considering a candidate for an entry‐level analytics position. The authors describe the demand for various types of analytics professionals, identify the job titles and functions with the most significant demand, and then draw a comparison of the job requirements of hard skills, soft skills, software skills, and credentials between three of the most sought‐after analytics areas: data science, data analytics, and business analytics. The authors conclude by providing faculty and administrators with recommendations on how to adapt their courses and programs to provide students with the fundamental preparation necessary for careers in data science, data analytics, and business analytics.