The new books on our shelf

An Art Outline for Grade Teachers. Compiled by American Art Aid (Stanford University, California). Pp. 34. Free.

The Third Great Plague. By John H. Stokes (University of Minnesota). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1920. Pp. 204.

Introduction to Rural Economies. By Paul L. Vogt. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1925. Pp. xii + 377.

The Smedley and Olsen First Reader. By Eva A. Smedley and Martha G. Olsen. Chicago: Hall and McCreary Co., 1925. Pp. 192. Price, $0.64.

A Study of Child‐Accounting Records. By Arch O. Heck. Ohio State University Studies; Bureau of Educational Research Monographs, No. 2. Columbus, Ohio, 1925. Pp. xvi + 245. Price, $1.50.

An Introduction to the Study of Education. By Ellwood P. Cubberley (Stanford University). Cambridge, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1925. Pp. xix + 476.

Burton Holmes Travel Stories of Japan, Korea, and Formosa. By Eunice Tietjens. Edited by William H. Wheeler and Burton Holmes. Chicago: Wheeler Publishing Co., 1925. Pp. xi + 404. Price, $1.28. Manual free.

Burton Holmes Travel Stories of Egypt and the Suez Canal. By Susan Wilbur. Edited by William H. Wheeler and Burton Holmes. Chicago: Wheeler Publishing Co., 1925. Pp. vi + 404. Price, $1.28. Manual free.

Physiography. By Douglas C. Ridgley (Clark University) and Mabel P. Crompton (Illinois State Normal University). Normal, Ill.: McKnight & McKnight, 1925. Pp. 96.

The Branom Practice Tests in Geography. By Mendel E. Branom (Harris Teachers College, St. Louis). New York: The Macmillan Co., 1925. Pp. 225.

Graded Outlines in Hygiene. By Walter F. Cobb. Yonkers: World Book Co., 1923. Pp. viii + 214.

The Climates of the United States. By Robert De Couecy Ward (Harvard University). Boston: Ginn & Co., 1925. Pp. xvi + 518. Price, $4.     

Dumbing down educational research: a response to John Wilson

The scheme offers operational guides based upon identifiable behaviours in a number of technical subjects classified, for rating purposes, with cognitive, affective and motor‐manipulative taxonomies. Two dimensions are postulated for each taxonomy, (i) complexity and (ii) extensiveness. The stages are briefly illustrated by reference to skilled performance in a number of crafts. Instructions for using the rating schedule to derive three profiles relevant to attainment are provided. Interpretations of profiles are suggested, including a tentative method for aggregating numerical scores for comparison with established examination grades at ‘O’ level and CSE. The results from a trial run with a simple version of the scheme are reported and discussed.

     

A GROUNDED THEORY ANALYSIS OF OLDER ADULTS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The study reported in this article used grounded theory methodology to investigate older adults accounts of their use of information technology (IT). A small number of SeniorNet Wellington members volunteered to be interviewed about their experiences with and opinions about computer technology. It was found that participants began using computers because technology was associated with modern life, leading them to recognize the potential that IT had to offer them. Their present, mostly positive, attitudes toward IT were strongly linked with the personal usefulness of IT and direct experience with and personal ownership of IT. Study findings illustrated how involvement with and use of IT by older adults is cyclic and serves to reinforce continuing involvement. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are also discussed.     

PEER GROUP COUNSELING FOR OLDER PEOPLE

>For a variety of reasons, psychological services are largely unavailable for older people who want help in coping with their interpersonal problems. Group counseling, when it is used, proves to be an effective and efficient method for meeting their needs. It also addresses the reality of the limited numbers of gerontologically trained professionals currently available in the field. A readily attainable, and largely untapped, resource for working with this population is older people themselves. The Continuum Center of Oakland University selects, trains, and supervises older men and women, who serve as paraprofessional group leaders in a self‐exploration program offered in a variety of community centers in the Detroit metropolitan area. The service and training programs, and some of the outcomes for clients and group leaders, are briefly described.     

Development of angle concepts by progressive abstraction and generalisation

This paper presents a new theory of the development of angle concepts. It is proposed that children progressively recognise deeper and deeper similarities between their physical angle experiences and classify them firstly into specific situations, then into more general contexts, and finally into abstract domains. An angle concept is abstracted from each class at each stage of development. We call the most general angle concept the standard angle concept. To investigate the role of the standard abstract angle concept in conceptual development, 192 children from Grades 2 to 8 were tested to find how they used it in modelling 9 physical angle situations and in expressing similarities between them. It was found that the standard angle concept first develops in situations where both arms of the angle are visible. Even at Grade 8, there are still significant proportions of students who do not use standard angles to represent turning and sloping situations. Implications for theory and practice are explored.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The effects of three school psychological consultation modes on selected teacher and pupil outcomes

Six Kansas school psychologists structured their teacher consultation in terms of three consultative modes which varied primarily in the number of follow-up contacts. The findings indicated that follow-up contacts led to greater teacher implementation of recommendations, greater perceived pupil behavior improvement, and greater sense of cooperative planning by the teachers. These outcome differences occurred between follow-up contacts and no follow-up contacts, with outcome differences not occurring between more and less extensive contacts.     

Evaluation of a learning analytics tool for supporting teachers in the creation and evaluation of accessible and quality open educational resources

The learning analytics (LA) field seeks to analyze data about students’ interactions, and it has been applied in the development of tools for supporting both learning and teaching processes. Recent research has paid attention on how LA may benefit teachers in the creation of educational resources. However, most of the research on LA solutions is carried out to support teachers in analyzing students’ behavior data collected as they interact with virtual learning environments. While solutions to support teachers in different virtual learning and teaching contexts have become important, to date little research has been done on how LA solutions can help teachers to create and evaluate Open Educational Resources (OERs). This study aims at presenting the evaluation of a LA tool for supporting teachers in the creation and evaluation of accessible and quality OERs considering that both processes fall within the competences that teachers can acquire and strengthen by participating as authors (creation) and evaluators (evaluation) of OERs. The study was conducted with Colombian teachers and the results obtained highlight the positive effect the tool had on the teachers’ acquisition of the competences and the positive attitude they had toward using the tool.