The Development of Children’s Understanding of Speed Change: A Contributing Factor Towards Commonsense Theories of Motion

Previous research indicates children reason in different ways about horizontal motion and motion in fall. At the same time, their understanding of motion down inclines appears to result from an interaction between horizontal and vertical motion understanding. However, this interaction is still poorly understood. Understanding of speed change may shed further light due to its critical role in natural object motion. This is addressed by the present two studies. Children (n = 144) aged 5–11 years predicted whether a ball, either heavy or light, would accelerate, decelerate or move at unchanging speed along a horizontal, in fall and down an incline, both in a real-object task (Study 1) and a computer-presented task (Study 2). The results suggest understanding of speed change is typically limited to the expectation that change takes place between a point of no motion and any subsequent point in motion, but not between two subsequent points. Despite improvements with age, predictions of continued speed change barely exceeded chance levels in the oldest age group. Modest effects of object mass were noted. Response time data provide further insight regarding children’s predictions, highlighting similarities and differences in reasoning between motion dimensions. The overall findings are used to develop clearer ideas about the development of children’s understanding of speed change as well as to advance commonsense theories of motion.     

Open access central funds in UK universities

This paper reports on the extent to which higher education institutions in the UK have set up central funds and similar institutionally co‐ordinated approaches to the payment of open access article‐processing charges. It presents data demonstrating that central funds have only been set up by a minority of institutions and that the number of institutions has not changed significantly between 2009 and 2011. It then explores the barriers to the establishment of such funds and discusses recent developments that might lower these barriers. Finally, it provides a case study of the development of the central fund at the University of Nottingham in the UK and considers the sustainability of such an approach.     

Alternative Perspectives on Playroom Practice Autres Perspectives sur les Pratiques en Salle de Jeux Perspectivas Alternativas sobre la Pra´ctica en el Cuarto de Juegos

This paper reports on research designed to explore alternative perspectives on playroom practice. Two perspectives on the role of practitioners were articulated. One was an outside, context-free perspective constructed in consultation with a group of experienced assessors of pre-school provision and presented as a Framework for Good Practice. Observations of acknowledged good practice (using the Framework as the observation tool) and interviews with practitioners supported its ready applicability to the range of pre-school settings typical in Scotland. The second perspective was an 'insider' view encapsulating the way in which practitioners think about their work in the playroom, their professional craft knowledge. The characteristics of each perspective and the insights that can be derived from each are discussed, along with the value of considering first the 'insider' perspective when staff are engaged in continuing professional development. Cet article fait état de recherches conçues dans le but d'explorer de nouvelles perspectives sur les pratiques en salle de jeux. Deux perspectives sur le rôle des praticiens ont été retenues. L'une consiste en une perspective externe, totalement dénuée de contextuatisation, élaborée en consultation avec un groupe d'inspecteurs d'établissements préscolaires expérimentés et présentée en tant que Structure de bonne pratique. Des observations de bonne pratique reconnue (se référant à cette Structure comme outil d'observation) ainsi que des entretiens auprès de praticiens sont venus étayer son application pratique dans la gamme d'établissement pré-scolaires typiques en Écosse. La seconde perspective représente une vue e interne f qui retrace la façon dont les praticiens réfléchissent àleur travail en salle de jeux, leurs connaissances professionnelles sur le terrain. Les caractéristiques de ces deux perspectives et les aperçus qui sont offerts sur chacune d'entre elles font l'objet de discussions. Est également débatue la validité d'introduire en premier la perspective e interne f dans le cadre d'un programme de formation continue éventuellement suivi par le personnel. Este artículo informa sobre una investigación diseñada para explorar las perspectivas alternativas sobre la práctica de los juegos en el aula. Se articulan dos perspectivas sobre el papel de los docentes. Una era una perspectiva externa, libre de contexto construida tras consultar a un grupo de asesores con experiencia en la disposición preescolar y presentada como un Marco para la Buena Práctica . Las observaciones de una reconocida buena práctica (usando el Marco como una herramienta de observación) y las entrevistas con los docentes apoyaron su pronta aplicación en el ámbito de los escenarios preescolares típicos en Escocia. La segunda perspectiva es una visión interna que engloba la manera en la que los docentes reflexionan sobre su trabajo en el aula de juego, el conocimiento profesional de su oficio. Se habla de las características de cada perspectiva y de las percepciones que pueden extraerse de cada una, junto con el valor que tiene considerar primero la perspectiva interna cuando los docentes están comprometidos con un continuo desarrollo profesional.     

Coming to Voice: Preparing Bilingual-Bicultural Teachers for Social Justice

This study examined the development of bicultural voice in Latina/o preservice teachers. Researchers used survey, interview, and observational data to probe students' knowledge, beliefs, and orientations related to teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students. The researchers found that the bilingual cohort courses afforded students with opportunities to juxtapose personal narratives with broader social contexts, thereby allowing students to examine and critique the ideology and curricula of schools. The authors assert that cultivating social justice orientations in bilingual-bicultural preservice teachers is crucial to the empowerment of bilingual-bicultural teachers and their students.     

Evaluating the usability and instructional design quality of Interactive Virtual Training for Teachers (IVT-T)

Educational technology research and development - Simulation offers unique affordances over traditional training (e.g., remote access, mastery learning experiences, immediate feedback) relevant to...     

User Behaviour in Relation to Electronic Information Services within the UK Higher Education Academic Community

The User Behaviour Monitoring and Evaluation Framework has been established to investigate and profile the use of electronic information services (EIS) within higher education in the UK. Electronic information services are defined as: collections of information tools/products delivered to requesting users electronically, and usually computer mediated. This encompasses media of all types. This article discusses aspects of the methodology of the Framework, and preliminary findings from the first annual cycle of the Framework. Findings are based on interactions with 1500 users, including academic staff, library and information services staff, and students. Executed through three strands, the framework methodology uses an array of quantitative and qualitative approaches to lend a variety of insights into user behaviour with electronic information services, factors that encourage the use of electronic information services, and those that act as barriers to the effective integration of electronic information services into the learning experience.     

Working toward integrated practice: Understanding the interaction among formative assessment strategies

The purpose of this study was to directly observe and investigate the factors that support or hinder the implementation of an integrated approach to formative assessment and to understand how the implementation of formative assessment strategies interact. The authors present findings from a collective case study that included the observation of six teachers (three mathematics and three English language arts) who were purposefully sampled from a large, public, suburban high school in the northeast United States. The analysis of the case studies resulted in the identification of different patterns in teachers’ formative assessment practice. These patterns illustrate how the complex interaction between formative assessment practices can either support or hinder the implementation of an integrated approach to formative assessment and suggests classroom observations as a potential mechanism for identifying challenges and informing just-in-time professional development.     

Professional Development How To's: Strategies for Surveying Faculty Preferences

The primary purpose of this paper is to report the development, results, and conclusions of a university campus-wide faculty development needs assessment survey. The survey is unique in that it asked faculty to first identify their professional goals and then select activities to help them reach the desired goals. The second purpose is to discuss how faculty at different stages of their careers have different goals.Christine B. Eleser: She also serves as the Chairperson of the University Faculty Excellence CommiteeeSheila W. Chauvin: which she also serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine USA     

Taking Comics Seriously: Children’s Periodical Reading in England in the 1990s

Periodicals, that is newspapers, magazines and comics, have always represented a substantial proportion of children’s reading outside school. They have not always been accepted or considered as reading within schools. Martin Coles and Chris Hall here present the results of the most recent survey to shed light on the periodical reading which is actually happening among today’s children. They present some important findings which have the potential to alter significantly the ways teachers see this kind of reading and its possible contribution to the development of literacy.