A model for enhancing social communication and interaction in everyday activities for primary school children with ASD

Children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder may find the social aspects of learning particularly challenging because of the traits of diffculty with social communication and interaction. This paper evaluates the impact of an interactive model designed to support social communication and interaction for twelve students with ASD, who attend three international primary schools in Hong Kong. Using an exploratory mixed‐methods approach, the study investigates the children's participation and engagement when a Social Communication and Interaction model is in operation. The model is built around the concept of mediation and the use of tools, which were intended to encourage children with ASD to be engaged in high‐level participation activities. Attention is drawn towards the children's growth of self‐confidence, a reduction of adult support and the children's increased participation with others in the activity sessions.     

Enhancing Teachers’ Application of Inquiry‐Based Strategies Using a Constructivist Sociocultural Professional Development Model

This two‐year school‐wide initiative to improve teachers’ pedagogical skills in inquiry‐based science instruction using a constructivist sociocultural professional development model involved 30 elementary teachers from one school, three university faculty, and two central office content supervisors. Research was conducted for investigating the impact of the professional development activities on teachers’ practices, documenting changes in their philosophies, instruction, and the learning environment. This report includes teachers’ accounts of philosophical as well as instructional changes and how these changes shaped the learning environment. For the teachers in this study, examining their teaching practices in learner‐centered collaborative group settings encouraged them to critically analyze their instructional practices, challenging their preconceived ideas on inquiry‐based strategies. Additionally, other factors affecting teachers’ understanding and use of inquiry‐based strategies were highlighted, such as self‐efficacy beliefs, prior experiences as students in science classrooms, teacher preparation programs, and expectations due to federal, state, and local mandates. These factors were discussed and reconciled, as they constructed new understandings and adapted their strategies to become more student‐centered and inquiry‐based.     

Effects of Head Start REDI on Children's Outcomes 1 Year Later in Different Kindergarten Contexts

One year after participating in the Research‐based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) intervention or “usual practice” Head Start, the learning and behavioral outcomes of 356 children (17% Hispanic, 25% African American; 54% girls; M_age = 4.59 years at initial assessment) were assessed. In addition, their 202 kindergarten classrooms were evaluated on quality of teacher–student interactions, emphasis on reading instruction, and school‐level student achievement. Hierarchical linear analyses revealed that the REDI intervention promoted kindergarten phonemic decoding skills, learning engagement, and competent social problem‐solving skills, and reduced aggressive–disruptive behavior. Intervention effects on social competence and inattention were moderated by kindergarten context, with effects strongest when children entered schools with low student achievement. Implications are discussed for developmental models of school readiness and early educational programs.     

Paternal and maternal rejection and Chinese children's internalizing and externalizing problems across the transition to siblinghood: A developmental cascade model of family influence

This longitudinal study examined the reciprocal associations between paternal and maternal rejection and firstborn children's (M_age = 49.9 months; 55% boys) behavior problems across the transition to siblinghood in a sample of 120 families recruited from 2016 to 2018 from Shanghai, China. Parental rejection and behavior problems were assessed before (prenatal) and 1, 6, and 12 months after the birth of a baby sibling. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models revealed positive relations between internalizing problems and both maternal and paternal rejection, and between externalizing problems and paternal rejection at the between-person level (rs = .32–.37), but only cross-lagged effects from children's internalizing and externalizing problems to maternal rejection at the within-person level (βs = .30–.54).     

Relationship between creativity and classroom behavior

A relationship between creativity and misbehavior in the classroom often has been presumed by educators, but actually has had little substantiation. The present study attempts to clarify the dynamics of that relationship by determining the extent to which creativity test scores predict identification of students by teachers and/or peers as misbehavers. Intercorrelations between creativity subtests and peer perception of creative behavior suggest that students high in elaboration and in originality are more likely to be described by peers as exhibiting creative behavior. Results generally failed to support that high creativity scores predict teacher identification of students as behavior problems. However, the sociometric variables of popularity and misbehavior were significantly correlated with high creativity scores. Implications for further study are discussed.     

21世纪高等教育:开放与远程学习面临的挑战——在“2008世界开放与远程教育论坛”上的主题报告

我们生活在一个非同寻常的时代。这个世界以前从来没有像现在这么繁荣,从来没有这么多的人像现在这样健康长寿的活着,我们从来没有见到过如此令人眼花缭乱的技术,也从来没有达到像现在这样的平均教育水平。但是,就绝对数字而言,这个世界从来没有这么多的人像现在这样生活在如此贫困的状态之中,从来没有这么多的人像现在这样死于原本可以预防的疾病,这个地球从来没有像现在那样面临威胁,也从来没有像现在这样有这么多的人需要教育。