Using Peers as Trainers to Increase an Autistic Child's Social Interactions

This report presents a data‐based intervention designed t o increase the social interactions between an autistic boy and his nondisabled peers. A “loose training” prompting tactic was used to teach the child to initiate to the peers. After several training sessions the autistic child increased his spontaneous interactions (a) with the training peers in non‐training, generalizationsessions and (b) with non‐training peersin the generalization sessions. The results show promise for the discovery and implementation of generalization tactics that promote the social integration of disabled and nondisabled children.     

Anonymous versus public student feedback systems: metacognition and achievement with graduate learners

Educational technology research and development - The aim of this repeated measures study was to examine an anonymous student feedback system (delivered using clickers) versus a public student...     

父亲和儿子的比赛:大学篮球变成家务事

正【阅读难度:★★★】道格?迈克德莫特是大学篮球的顶级得分手之一,并将参加今年6月29号在纽约新泽西进行的NBA选秀,颇受球迷关注。格雷格?迈克德莫特是克瑞顿大学的篮球教练,也是道格的父亲。当大学篮球变成家务事,这对篮球场上的父子搭档相处的怎么样?     

No Quick Fixes: Problems in the Development of A-level Students’ Writing (and Learning)

Over the past 15 years, there has been a range of standards-driven educational interventions in England: focused particularly on students’ writing, they have been targeted at particular students, short-term and based on the assumption that identifiable, quantifiable inputs would produce pre-identified, measurable outputs. This article explores one such intervention, aimed at students in Year 13 who were seen as having difficulty with academic writing. It looks closely at the work of one student, and raises questions about the effects of high-stakes testing upon pedagogy in schools and the damaging impact that this has upon student learning.     

Redefining Opportunity for the Library Employee with Autism: A Model of Positive Behavioral Support for Library Management

This article explores the 90% unemployment rate for job-seeking individuals with high-functioning autism, by presenting a theoretical model of positive behavioral support (PBS) adapted from the work of E.G. Carr and the information theory of Roger Greer, and considered within the context of library employment. The information transfer based model of PBS emphasizes the role of metalinguistic awareness and lexical-semantic processing in the design of traditional four-stage PBS intervention. This design may promote the successful employment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders within libraries and other settings.     

Justice for the Poor in a Land of Plenty: A Place at the Table

This article examines the dramatic increase in poverty in the United States of America. An analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2004 reveals the extent of poverty. The official poverty threshold is lower than what is needed for a person or family to provide for the necessities of life. The effects of poverty on women and children are presented. Respect for persons made in the image and likeness of God requires us to make a place at the table of social decision making for all persons. Educating for justice emerges from Christians' concern to make a better place at the table of life for the poor.     

Education for Older Adults with Early-Stage Dementia: Health Promotion for the Mind,Body, and Spirit

Later life learning (LLL) has a profound beneficial effect on older adults; therefore, it is important to assess older adults' learning needs. A representative random sample of 1,867 soon-to-be older adults (between 45 and 59 years of age) were assessed for their interest in formal learning after their retirement or when they become 60 years old. We examined their preferences for courses and identified the socioeconomic and health-related characteristics related to their planned participation in formal LLL. About 38% of these respondents expressed an interest in formal learning after retirement; the most popular three content courses included computers, interest classes, and physical exercise. Those who did not plan to commit themselves to formal LLL indicated "no interest" and "lack of time" as the most frequently reported reasons for not wanting to participate in LLL. Moreover, we found that LLL was positively related to socioeconomic indicators including education, income, and retirement protection; whereas those who received financial support from adult children or from the government (in the form of welfare) were less likely to express interest in formal LLL.     

Metacognition and the influence of polling systems: how do clickers compare with low technology systems

Recent research suggests that clickers (electronic feedback devices) influence metacognition. This article reports qualitative findings from a quasi-experimental study comparing clickers and low technology polling. We sought to establish how clickers influence metacognition and whether differences exist in how each response system influences metacognition. The qualitative data collected includes an open-ended survey administer to all study participants (n = 198), informal observations, and interviews conducted using purposeful sampling. While low technology polling appears to elicit more metacognition than clickers, negative feelings and conformity affect also increase. Clickers result in positive feelings and reduction of the conformity effect. In addition to significantly higher performance outcomes, findings indicate polling systems result in different qualities of metacognition, meaning either more or less productive, and either self-reflective or group reflective. These differences contribute to the degree to which the environment is learner centered.