Precision Teaching and Direct Instruction: Measurably Superior Instructional Technology in Schools

Although educators, policy-makers, business leaders, and the general public have become increasingly concerned about the “basic skills” crisis in American schools, research-based solutions have existed for over two decades in the form of measurably superior teaching methodologies: Precision Teaching and Direct Instruction. In federally validated research, each of these instructional technologies has been shown to produce far greater achievement and self-esteem among students than more traditional teaching practices, with favorable cost-benefit ratios when implemented in schools. These results have been obtained despite adverse socio economic influences on students so of ten blamed for failure in the classroom. These methods have not been widely adopted, partly due to political and philosophical resistance to measurably superior instructional technology among educators. This article provides overviews of Precision Teaching and Direct Instruction, discusses their origins and research backgrounds, cites effec tiveness data, and describes how they can complement one another when used together. It provides sufficient references to the literature and pointers to existing programs to enable interested readers to learn more about each of these measurably superior educational solutions.     

Interview with Keith Spicer

In 1969, the federal government enacted the Official Languages Act, the intent of which was to secure for the French minority their language rights within federal government administrations throughout Canada. Keith Spicer was appointed Official Languages Commissioner in 1970. As Commissioner, his task was to interpret and implement the Act within federal departments and agencies.Prior to his appointment, Mr. Spicer had taught political science at l'Université d'Ottawa, the University of Toronto, and York University. He has also been active in radio, television, and newspaper journalism, as a commentator and interview host on CBC's French network and editorial writer for the TorontoGlobe and Mail.In the following interview, which took place in July 1977, shortly before he resigned as Official Languages Commissioner, Mr. Spicer reflects upon strengths and weaknesses in the implementation of the Official Languages Act and expresses his views on the current status of French language rights in the spheres of government administration and education.Since leaving his Ottawa post, Mr. Spicer has returned to university teaching and journalism in British Columbia.     

Reproductive biology in the Oneida Community, 1848-1880

The Oneida Community -- a communistic settlement that originated in 1848 and was located in central New York State -- made medical history in the areas of birth control, sexuality, and selective breeding. The perfectionist theology of the Community's leader, John Humphrey Noyes, held that the 2nd coming of Christ had already occurred, that true believers had already been "saved," and that he had been designated as an agent of God to proclaim "Heaven on Earth." This spiritual condition involved freedom from sin, universal love, community property, and total unselfishness. All members of the Community were in effect married to all other members, in that Heaven "they neither marry, nor are given in marriage." "Complex marriage" was the term used for this sexual relationship. Some method of birth control was essential as a corollary of complex marriage. Noyes introduced as his "invention" a principle which he termed "male continence," meaning that the man voluntarily avoided a sexual climax. Noyes published pamphlets on the subject of "male continence" and suggested methods for its achievement. From a practical perspective, the successful application of male continence required some special considerations. In the Community, women were accepted on a par with men and were free to either choose or refuse intercourse with any man, as long as there was no "special love" involved. 20 years following its founding, Noyes believed that the Community was economically ready to have children, and during the following ten years 58 children were born. 45 of these were the result of selective breeding.     

Schematic pedagogy: supporting one child's learning at home and in a group

In this paper, we identify ways in which the learning of very young children can be supported by practitioners developing a schematic pedagogy which focuses on structures of children's thinking. First, we provide a critical overview of relevant literature on schemas and schematic approaches to pedagogy. We then outline an original study undertaken to identify and support the learning of seven young children. Taking one child, whom we call Annie, we illustrate how her attention to the fine detail of elements of her home and group environments as she played offered strong clues to her pedagogues about her persistent interests (schemas). We show how careful observation by practitioners can be used to understand and support future learning encounters through a schematic pedagogy, and we consider implications of such an approach for practice in toddlers’ early learning.     

Academic-industry liaison in the United Kingdom: economic perspectives

In recent years, higher educational institutions (HEIs) have been under increasing pressure to liaise more closely with industry. This paper draws on some relevant areas of economic theory to analyse the relationship between HEIs and industrial organisations. The nature of the benefits from liaison is examined, and the implications for financing liaison activities are considered. It is argued that liaison can frequently strengthen the traditional functions of HEIs by contributing to teaching and research. However, there is justification for the fears of many academics that in practice the outcome of closer industrial involvement may be to weaken these functions. Such undesirable outcomes reflect the weaknesses of the internal organisation of HEIs; in particular, the scope for opportunistic behaviour provided by the incompleteness of the academic contract, and the informational disadvantages suffered by senior management. In the light of these arguments, the final section considers alternative systems for organising liaison, drawing on examples from the United Kingdom. The criteria for assessment are concerned with the likely effectiveness of the systems in reducing the costs of both facilitating and policing liaison activities.     

"Chips with Everything": A Laboratory Exercise for Comparing Subjective and Objective Measurements of Potato Chips

ABSTRACT: The following laboratory exercise was designed to aid student understanding of the differences between subjective and objective measurements. Students assess the color and texture of different varieties of potato chip (crisps) by means of an intensity rating scale and a rank test and objectively with a colorimeter and texture analyzer. For data analysis, student are instructed to critically determine, using basic statistics, any differences between the subjective and objective measurement techniques. This laboratory exercise is very versatile, and although it is designed as a hands-on exercise in an undergraduate Food Analysis course, it has also been a demonstration for High School students.     

“Beyond the frame”: exploring children’s literacy practices

The aim of this small–scale research project was to examine the literacy events children choose to engage in outside school. Two groups of Primary School children were involved in investigating the use of literacy in their lives, using disposable cameras to record literacy events and texts. The photographs and the discussion stimulated by them provided evidence that these children used literacy in richly diverse ways for purposes which they saw as meaningful. Although limited in size and scope, the study showed that uses of literacy presented by these children reflected community literacy practices (as identified by Barton & Hamilton, 1998). However, it was also clear that the children acted with considerable autonomy, motivation and creativity in making their use of literacy meaningful to them. This paper provides a report on the project and discusses the implications of these findings for the teaching of literacy in school.