Exploring novice and experienced elementary teachers' science teaching and learning referents through videocases

In recent years, science educators have become increasingly interested in the use of classroom cases as instructional material, vehicles for inservice education and as raw data for research on teacher cognition (e.g., Abell et al., 1996; Colburn & Tillotson, 1998; Fetters, 1997). Although wide-spread interest in classroom videocases is a relatively new phenomena, case-based instruction has been a tradition in fields such as law, medicine and business for many years (Christensen, 1987; Neufeld & Chong, 1984). In teacher education, classroom cases have been used for more than 50 years. An early text by Waples (1927),Problems in Classroom Method, consisted of 40 cases highlighting classroom problems with solutions proposed by inservice teachers. As the use of classroom cases in teacher education have evolved over the past 50 years, a variety of formats have emerged to illustrate problems or dilemmas in teaching and learning. These formats have included the critical incident, protocols, vignettes, simulations, and more recently, videocases.     

A Validity Argument in Support of the Use of College Admissions Test Scores for Federal Accountability

In 2018, 26 states administered a college admissions test to all public school juniors. Nearly half of those states proposed to use those scores as their academic achievement indicators for federal accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA); many others are planning to use those scores for other accountability purposes. Accountability encompasses a number of different uses and subsumes a variety of claims. For states proposing to use summative tests for accountability, a validity argument needs to be developed, which entails delineating each specific use of test scores associated with accountability, identifying appropriate evidence, and offering a rebuttal to counterclaims. The aim of this article is to support states in developing a validity argument for use of college admission test scores for accountability by identifying claims that are applicable across states, along with summarizing existing evidence as it relates to each of these claims. As outlined by The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, multiple sources of evidence are used to address each claim. A series of threats to the validity argument, including weaker alignment with content standards and potential influences in narrowing teaching, are reviewed. Finally, the article contrasts validity evidence, primarily from research on the ACT, with regulatory requirements from ESSA. The Standards and guidance addressing the use of a “nationally recognized high school academic assessment” (Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Negotiated Rulemaking Committee; Department of Education) are the primary sources for the organization of validity evidence.     

Evidence for Common Etiological Influences on Early Literacy Skills in Kindergarten

Understanding how the etiology of print awareness and phonological awareness are related to the etiology of decoding can provide insights into the development of word reading. To address this issue, we examined the degree of overlap among etiological influences of prereading skills in 1,252 twin pairs in kindergarten. Genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental factors were significant for all three literacy phenotypes. The majority of genetic and shared environmental influence on decoding was due to common factors that included print awareness and phonological awareness. Notably, only a single genetic factor contributed to all three literacy phenotypes, but there was additional shared environmental influence common to phonological awareness and decoding. Findings suggest commonalities in the etiology of prereading literacy skills that could inform work on the development of reading skill.     

The Effect of Goal-Line Presentation and Goal Selection on First-Grader Subtraction Fluency

Math proficiency is related to math calculation fluency. Explicit timing provides repeated practice for math fluency. It is enhanced through goal setting, graphic feedback, and rewards. Self-selected goals have potential to increase performance for math fluency. This study compared the effect of goal lines, and researcher goals versus self-selected goals. The authors compared three groups: (a) researcher-selected goals only, (b) researcher-selected goals with goal lines, and (c) self-selected goals with goal lines. First-grade students completed subtraction probes and colored in a bar graph with their performance. When participants met or exceeded their goals, participants received rewards twice per week. Results indicated that the researcher-selected goals with goal lines procedures with explicit timing had the greatest effect on subtraction fluency for first-grade students. The researcher-selected goals with goal lines and self-selected goals with goal lines groups outperformed the researcher-selected goals-only group.     

A historical sketch of intercollegiate debating: II

Mediaeval Artes Praedicandi: A Hand‐List. By Harry Caplan. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1934; pp. 52. $1.50.

“The Four Senses of Scriptural Interpretation and the Mediaeval Theory of Preaching,”; Speculum, IV, No. 3, July, 1929.

“Classical Rhetoric and the Mediaeval Theory of Preaching,”; Classical Philology, XXVIII, No. 2, April, 1933.

“ ‘Henry of Hesse’ on the Art of Preaching,”; Publications of the Modern Language Association, XLVIII, No. 2, June, 1933. All by Harry Caplan.

The Making of a Pulpit Orator. By John A. McClorey, S.J. Macmillan, 1935. $2.00.

Public Speaking. By Donald Hayworth. New York: The Ronald Press Company, 1935; pp. 442.

The Debaters’ Workbook: State Medical Service. Prepared by A. W. Heath. Waverly, Ill.: Waverly Forensic Press, 1935; pp. 82. $.75.

Language and Its Growth. By H. F. Scott, W. L. Carr, and G. T. Wilkinson. Chicago: Scott, Foresman &; Co., 1935; pp. 389. $2.00.

A Dictionary of Modern American Usage. By H. W. Horwill, New York: Oxford University Press, 1935; pp. ix+360. $3.25.

The Thorndike‐Century Junior Dictionary. By E. L. Thorndike. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Co., 1935; pp. x+970. $1.32.

On the Teaching of Junior High School English. By Emma Glaser. New York: D. Appleton‐Century Co., 1935; pp. 307.

Stammering and Allied Disorders. By C. S. Bluemel. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1935; pp. 182.

The Gentleman from New York: a Life of Roscoe Conkling. By Donald Baer Chidsey. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1935; pp. 438.

How to Win a Sales Argument. By Richard C. Borden and Alvin C. Busse. New York: Harper and Bros., 1935.

Public Speaking for Everybody. By Charles W. Mears. New York: Harper and Bros., 1935.

French Pronunciation. By Jeanne S. Marie. Philadelphia: Plank Printing Co., 1935; pp. 70.

The Best English. By H. C. Wyld. New York: Oxford University Press, 1934.

So‐o‐o‐o You're Going on the Air. By Robert West, M.A. New York: Rodin Publishing Co., 1934; pp. 215.

The Professional Discussions—of the Ninth Annual Convention of the American Speech Correction Association, 1934. Edited by Robert West, Ph.D. Madison, Wisconsin: College Typing Co., 1935.

A Guide to Play Selection. By Milton Smith. New York: D. Appleton‐Century Co., 1934. $1.25.

The Art of the Drama. By Fred B. Millett and Gerald Eades Bentley. New York. D. Appleton‐Century Co., 1935; pp. 253. $2.25.

Parliamentary Law and Procedure. By John Q. Tilson. Washington: Ransdell, Inc., 1935; pp. xv+176. $2.50.

Speech Making. By F. J. Griffiths. New York: Oxford University Press, 1935; pp. 96.

The Technical Man Sells His Services. By Edward Hurst, S.B. New York: McGraw‐Hill Book Company, 1933; pp. 239.

Scenery Simplified. By Glenn R. Webster and William Wetzel. Eldridge Entertainment House, Franklin, Ohio, 1934; pp. 167. $1.50.     

Transforming the Social Practices of Learning with Representations: A Study of Disciplinary Discourse

This study used an interactive dynamic simulation of action potential to explore social practices of learning among first year undergraduate biology students. It aimed to create a learning environment that fosters knowledge building discourse through working with multiple concept-specific representations. Three hundred and eighty-nine students and twenty-four tutors from different tutorial classes in Queensland, Australia participated in the study. Students were randomly allocated to two experimental groups and a comparison group. In the experimental groups, pairs of students used the interactive simulation to explore action potential. Only one of the experimental groups received instruction that modelled the scientific and visual language conventions of the representations within the simulation. In the comparison group, small groups of students used a traditional paper-based activity. Students across all groups were audio recorded using a think-aloud protocol while completing the group activity. Individual learning gains in the experimental groups and the comparison group were similar. However, the experimental groups showed a significantly greater frequency of knowledge construction discourse that included explanatory answers, evaluations, interpretation, testing and synthesis compared to the comparison group, indicating a deeper understanding of action potential. Analysis of misconceptions on the post-test and tutors’ reflections revealed that the experimental group receiving instruction modelling the scientific and visual language conventions around the representations had a better grasp of the terminology associated with the concepts compared with the other groups. The findings suggest that instruction focussing on the language conventions of concept-specific representations fosters the development of disciplinary discourse by transforming students’ social practices of working with scientific knowledge.     

Building a space to dream: Supporting indigenous children's survivance through community-engaged social and emotional learning

Indigenous communities practice survivance and challenge social and political systems to support their children's identity and well-being. Grounded in transformative social-emotional learning (SEL) and tribal critical race theory, this 3-year community-based participatory research study (2019–2021) examined how a SEL program co-created with an Indigenous community in Flathead Nation in Montana supports anti-racism and anti-colonialism among Indigenous children. Critical reflexivity and thematic analyses of Community Advisory Board meetings and journals written by 60 students (M_age = 10.3, SD = 1.45; 47% girls; 60% Native American) during the SEL program revealed themes on Indigenous identity, belonging, wellness, and colonialism. These results shed light on challenging the racist and colonial roots of education to support Indigenous children's survivance and social-emotional well-being.     

The effect of curricular reform on gross anatomy laboratory examination performance: An institutional analysis

Many medical schools have undergone curricular reform recently. With these reforms, time spent teaching anatomy has been reduced, and there has been a general shift to a pass/fail grading system. At Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), a new curriculum was implemented in fall 2016. The year-long human gross anatomy course taught in 2015 was condensed into an integrated, semester-long course starting in 2016. Additionally, the grading scale shifted to pass/fail. This study examined first-year medical student performance on anatomy practical laboratory examinations—specifically, among lower-order (pure identification) questions and higher-order (function, innervation) questions. Participants included medical students from a pre-curricular reform cohort (year 2015, 34 students) and two post-curricular reform cohorts (years 2016, 30 students and 2017, 33 students). A Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA test was used to determine differences of these questions among the three cohorts. Additionally, 40 of the same lower-order questions that were asked on gross anatomy laboratory examinations from medical student cohort year 2015 and year 2016 were further analyzed using an independent samples t-test. Results demonstrated that the pre-curricular reform cohort scored significantly higher on both lower-order (median = 81, p < 0.001) and higher-order questions (median = 82.5, p < 0.05) than both post-curricular reform cohorts. Additionally, when reviewing the selected 40 similar questions, it was found that the pre-curricular reform cohort averaged significantly higher (82.1 ± 16.1) than the post-curricular reform cohort from 2016 (69.3 ± 21.8, p = 0.004). This study provides evidence about the impact of curricular reform on medical student anatomical knowledge.