Children linking science and technology in the primary classroom

This research project exemplifies how technology can facilitate scientific investigations. It also highlights how enthusiastic children can be when they are encouraged to pose their own questions and take responsibility for finding the answers. Year 5 children, working in groups, were involved in designing, making and appraising catchers and enclosures used to investigate small animals found within their school's grounds. A videotape of this project was made and should be a valuable resource for the professional development of both trainee and practising teachers. Included in the tape are children's spontaneous comments, their concern for animal welfare, and reflection on the various aspects of their investigations. Syndal South Primary School     

Developing social and emotional fluency: an evaluation of a therapeutic group for girls who attend a school for students with complex needs

Beverley Flitton is a PhD student a the University of Hertfordshire, where Julia Buckroyd is Professor of Counselling, and Maria Vassiliou is employed at Durants School, Enfield, as a nursery nurse. In this article, they describe the process of setting up and running a therapeutic group for girls in a school for students with learning difficulties and complex needs in London, England. Six girls, from years 9 and 10, aged 14 to 15, participated in the group. They were offered 23 weeks of group work. The six girls, their teachers and their teaching assistants were interviewed before and after the series of sessions using a semi-structured schedule. These interviews formed a core part of an evaluation of the impact of the therapeutic group and data were also gathered from notes taken in the group sessions. This article describes the issues presented by the girls and their development in the group. Staff reported significant changes in two of the students and noticeable changes in the remaining four. The girls reported an awareness of changes in themselves and Beverley Flitton, Julia Buckroyd and Maria Vassiliou, reflecting on the girls' emotional problems and social development, suggest that they were able to transfer skills gained in the group into other situations.     

Learning in science project (teacher development): The framework

The Centre for Science and Mathematics Education Research at the University of Waikato is now undertaking the fourth Learning in Science Project, LISP(Teacher Development). The project builds on the findings of the previous three projects on the nature of learning and how to improve learning of science in classrooms. This two-year project is investigating the process of teacher development (as change in behaviour and beliefs) in the context of two kinds of teacher courses that acknowledge and take into account teachers’ existing ideas. This paper summarises the planning done for the first phase of the project as detailed in Bell, Kirkwood and Pearson (1990). Specializations: learning theories, curriculum development, equity issues. Specializations: science education, teacher professional development.     

eVALUate: an evaluation instrument for measuring students’ perceptions of their engagement and learning outcomes

In the current climate in Australian higher education, quality assurance in university teaching is a priority. In particular, the introduction of the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund (LTPF) has refocused attention on universities’ internal student evaluation survey instruments. This paper reports the development, validation and implementation of a new unit survey instrument which prompts students to reflect on what helps their achievement of unit learning outcomes, and to report their levels of motivation, engagement and overall satisfaction with a semester‐long course or unit of study. The instrument (eVALUate) was created from precepts reported in the research literature, current practices in evaluating teaching, and sound quality assurance practices appropriate to a university outcomes‐focused education paradigm.     

The National Library for the Handicapped Child

Beverley Mathias is one of the trustees of the Sidney Robbins Trust, set up in memory of the founder ofChildren's Literature in Education. Since 1985 she has been Director of The National Library for the Handicapped Child in the U.K. The Editors invited her to describe the work of this important institution in the field of learning to read.Beverley Mathias worked as a librarian in Australia, where she was also associated with Court and Joyce Oldmeadow, winners of the Eleanor Farjeon Award, specialising in children's books. From 1979 to 1985, Ms. Mathias was Children's Books Officer for the National Book League (now the Book Trust) in London. She has published two poetry compilations for children and a new series of books for deaf and hearing children.     

School-Level Environment and Student Outcomes in Mathematics

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a relationship exists between school-level environment and student outcomes. The study involved 620 teachers and 4645 students from 57 Australian secondary schools. Student outcome measures included mathematics achievement, career aspirations and students' attitudes and beliefs about success in mathematics. Teachers' perceptions of their school environment were measured using the School-Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ). Because previous research has shown that factors at the school level, such as environment, influence education at the classroom level, data regarding the instructional practices of teachers were included in the analysis in order to investigate this further. The results of these analyses show that various factors of the school-level environment were linked to improved student outcomes. Relationships were also found between teaching practices and student outcomes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Diagrammatic representation and event memory in preschoolers

This study investigated the use of diagrammatic representation as an aid for recalling a past event for 30 4–5‐year‐olds in their preschool year prior to commencing primary school. The children were randomly placed into one of two groups: ‘talkers’ (verbal memory) or ‘drawers’ (diagrammatic memory). They were interviewed individually, both one day and one month after the event that involved making a much‐needed tool for a game at their preschool. Both interviews were conducted by a familiar adult through three different levels of engagement—neutral, verbal and visual. Results showed that a combination of drawing and specific questioning (‘verbal’ level of engagement) facilitated better recall of detail than either drawing or talking independently. No significant differences regarding accuracy of responses were found between the two groups.     

How graphic novels support reading comprehension strategy development in children

This qualitative case study explored the relationship between comprehension strategies and graphic novels in one Grade 4 classroom, utilising children as informants. The primary research questions related to children's applications of metacognitive reading comprehension strategies as well as the potential for graphic novels to support the students’ development as readers. Findings demonstrated that the children were able to apply two types of strategies to their reading of graphic novels: ‘keys’ that supported form‐specific comprehension strategies and ‘master keys’ that supported more general comprehension strategies that could be applied to other types of texts. Student preferences for graphic novels aligned with their preferences for reading narrative novels and non‐fiction, and did not align with preferences regarding comics or cartoons. Student preferences for reading graphic novels increased throughout the study. Fluent student responses to graphic novels through process drama were identified. Implications of the study involve the employment of graphic novels to support metacognitive strategies for reading and writing as well as to facilitate process drama.     

Validating a teaching survey which drives increased response rates in a unit survey

At Curtin University, student perceptions of teaching and learning are gathered and reported online through eVALUate, a system that includes separate unit and teaching surveys. This article reports the development and validation of one of those surveys, the eVALUate teaching survey, which was developed based on the research literature on excellent teaching and evaluation. Since its development in 2006, repeated statistical testing using progressively larger samples has shown that the survey is valid and reliable. Moreover, the way in which the teaching survey is deployed within eVALUate, appended to the unit survey, which provides crucial institutional data, has significantly increased university response rates. This validated instrument is used for self-reflection, professional development, and rewarding staff.