Effectiveness of the Additional Early Mathematics program for teaching children early mathematics

This paper presents the results of a study of the development of early mathematical competence among young poor arithmetic achievers in the 4–7 year age group. Research has shown that arithmetic difficulties later in life can be explained by an insufficient development of early mathematical competence: i.e. different aspects of early mathematical competence. The different aspects of early mathematical competence are derived from cognitive psychology and from a didactical point of view with an emphasis on (the various phases of) counting. The Piagetian operations (seriation, correspondence and classification) are used, however, as much as possible embedded in a counting context.After selection by way of an early mathematical competence test, children with a score below a criterium are presented with an additional program. This program consists of activities, embedded in real (daily) life themes, in which attention is paid to the different aspects of early mathematical competence. The program is given to the children with a guiding or a structuring instruction form. The results of the study show that it is possible to stimulate the development of early mathematical competence among young poor arithmetic achievers. The way in which instruction is offered has no influence on achievement.     

We Made Progress: Collective Epistemic Progress in Dialogue without Consensus

Class discussions about ethical, social, philosophical and other controversial issues frequently result in disagreement. This leaves a problem: has there been any progress? This article introduces and analyses the concept ‘collective epistemic progress’ in order to resolve this problem. The analysis results in four main ways of understanding, guiding and judging collective epistemic progress in the face of seemingly irreconcilable differences. Although it might seem plausible to analyse and judge collective epistemic progress by the increasing vigour of the dialogue community, by how long the conversation is continued, or by how close we have moved towards consensus or the truth, I argue that these fail to provide serviceable analyses or epistemic criteria. Yet, we might instead analyse, understand and judge progress using epistemic criteria such as whether we have: furthered the one distributed process of inquiry or deliberation; and reached mutual understanding; inquiry milestones; or consensus about our procedures.     

1954–55 Representative Assembly

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of six motivating conditions on the performances of sixth-grade children on seven physical fitness tests. Data were obtained from three administrations of the seven tests, the final two of which were conducted with the subjects of the experimental groups performing under one of six motivating conditions. Two of the motivating conditions were found to be more effective than the other four, and motivation improved boys' performances more than girl's performances. The validity of the measures of physical fitness tests is dependent upon the motivating conditions under which the tests are administered.     

Learning about Mentoring; the Enfield experience

Over the last few years there has been a growing body of knowledge, both nationally and in Enfield, of the expertise required for mentoring newly qualified teachers (NQTs). Coordinating the LEA support for this group we identified a gap in the provision for those in their second and third years of teaching. The article describes the efforts that were made through the accreditation of teachers' work to support teachers new to the profession to develop as reflective practitioners. This work is based mainly on the experiences of a group of teachers who were NQTs in 1992–93 and who wrote assignments that were submitted in May 1994. It is in three parts. In Part One we identify the problem as we see it; in Part Two we present our model for filling the ‘gap’; and Part Three explores the learning outcomes for the new teachers and ourselves.     

Comparing children's attitudes towards disability

This study, carried out by Bernadette Cairns, principal officer for Additional Support Needs and Early Education in the Highland Council Additional Support Needs Team, and Kirstie McClatchey, a research assistant in the Highland Council Psychological Service, explores children's attitudes towards disability, making a comparison between a school with a high number of pupils with additional support and complex needs where the philosophy was one of inclusion, and a school with few children with additional support needs. An opportunity sample of children (N = 82) in Scotland was obtained, and interview data were collected from pupils regarding video clips they had viewed of children with varying disabilities. Results found that children from the more inclusive school had a greater number of prior experiences of children with disabilities, made different suggestions for helping children with disabilities and had more positive attitudes towards having a pupil with disabilities in their own class. To conclude, these findings suggest that inclusion in schools may lead to a positive effect on children's acceptance and understanding of disabilities.     

Curriculum mapping to embed graduate capabilities

Graduate capabilities are an essential aspect of undergraduate development in higher education. Accordingly, La Trobe University's Design for learning has identified particular university-wide graduate capabilities and required all faculties to explicitly embed these in their curricula. The Faculty of Law and Management developed an approach to map the teaching and assessment of eight graduate capabilities across the first year of the faculty's degree programmes, allowing staff to evaluate the embedding of graduate capabilities and identifying where they might further develop their curricula. This article describes a process designed to collect, analyse and present data on current teaching and assessment of graduate capabilities. The discursive approach supports reflective practice in curriculum design while the resulting heat maps provide diagrammatic accounts of current practices and indicators of where redesign of curriculum should centre.     

Interest,inferences, and learning from texts

Topic interest and learning from texts have been found to be positively associated with each other. However, the reason for this positive association is not well understood. The purpose of this study is to examine a cognitive process, inference generation, that could explain the positive association between interest and learning from texts. In Study 1, sixty undergraduate students participated by reading two science texts, which differed in coherence levels, silently. The results replicated previous findings that topic interest is positively associated with recall and accurate answers to comprehension questions for both texts. In Study 2, sixty-nine undergraduate students participated by reading the same two science texts while thinking aloud. The results indicated that topic interest was positively associated with inference generation while reading for the more coherently-written text. Subsequent analyses indicated inference generation partly explained the positive association between topic interest and accurate answers to comprehension questions for the more coherently-written text. The findings from Study 2 were independent of the effects of reading comprehension skill. Theoretical implications of the findings, in regard to standards of coherence and depth of processing while reading, are discussed.     

The Studio experience at the University of Georgia: an example of constructionist learning for adults

The Studio curriculum in the Learning, Design, and Technology (formerly Instructional Technology) program at a large research-extensive university in the southeastern U.S. represents a deliberate application of contemporary theory of how adults learn complex information in ill-structured domains. The Studio curriculum, part of a graduate program leading to a master’s degree, has been implemented since 1998 to prepare professionals to design, develop, evaluate, and manage educational multimedia. Theoretical considerations played a major role in shaping the design of the Studio curriculum. Prominent among these were constructionism, situated cognition/situated learning, and self-directed learning. Important related theoretical constructs included scaffolding and flow theory. This paper describes the Studio learning environment, presents these theoretical concepts, and discusses the application of theory to practice in the training of adults in instructional design and development (IDD).