Modifying Equipment in Early Skill Development: A Tennis Perspective

Purpose: The International Tennis Federation recently launched a worldwide campaign advocating the use of equipment scaling for children learning to play tennis. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence that varying racquet sizes and ball compressions had on children's ability to play a forehand groundstroke. Method: This was a quantitative repeated-measures design experiment. Children were required to perform a forehand hitting task using each of 9 combinations of tennis racquets and balls (i.e., 3 racquet sizes × 3 ball compressions). Children's hitting performance was measured using a points system. The aim for the children was to score as many points as possible. Hitting technique was measured via video replay. Results: Hitting performance was best when the smallest racquet combined with the ball with the least compression was used. The ball with the least compression also promoted 2 technique benefits: swinging the racquet from low to high and striking the ball in front and to the side of the body. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the benefits for young children playing with scaled racquets and low-compression balls. The findings are discussed with regards to their relevance to theories of skill acquisition.     

Music teaches children about themselves and others

Young children can learn about their own feelings and moods through listening to music, by singing songs, and by expressively moving to music. Music and song provide an enjoyable way to introduce young children to the songs and tales of other cultures as well as familiarizing children with words in other languages. A listing of folk songs suitable for early childhood classrooms is provided to support teachers' use of music with children's singing and moving.     

Exploring the role of computer-based assessment in diagnosing children’s mathematical errors in primary education in Ireland

Concern about children’s mathematics performance in Ireland and elsewhere has prompted a range of responses from researchers, policymakers, educators and the media. While policy-level responses in Ireland include revising curricula and implementing a numeracy strategy that calls for increased tuition hours, teachers have also drawn on a wide array of resources in mediating curriculum-based mathematical knowledge, concepts and skills for the children in their classes. In the classroom context, formative assessment tools can be of particular value. This paper explores the potential role for one such tool, a computer-based assessment (CBA), in supporting the teaching and learning of mathematics at primary level. That test requires children to respond to open-format items, and the study illustrates how traditional error-analysis techniques are combined with the affordances of CBAs to enable automated scoring of responses. Discussion focuses on the positive role that digitally mediated error-analysis approaches can play in helping teachers understand better and address the challenges being faced by children in relation to mathematics in the middle grades of primary school. Suggestions for further research are highlighted.