The evolution of an effective pedagogy for teachers using the interactive whiteboard in mathematics and modern languages: an empirical analysis from the secondary sector

There has been considerable investment in the use of interactive whiteboard technology in schools in the UK. There is evidence that whilst teachers understand such technology, many do not understand the nature and implications of interactive learning. Observation and analysis of 50 video‐recorded lessons taught by ‘successful’ teachers drawn from mathematics and modern foreign language departments in secondary schools led to the classification of three types of practice representing a spectrum of increasing interactivity. The nature of this good practice was analysed together with criteria for assessing the changes being wrought by technology in approaches to learning and teaching. The investigation concluded that the use of new technology alone cannot lead to enhanced learning. Teachers also need training to develop awareness of the relationship between approaches to interactive learning and conceptual and cognitive development in subject areas.     

Reception Teacher Responses to the Foundation Stage Réactions des enseignants des premières classes du primaire à la phase de fondation Las Racciones de los Maestros del Primer Año (de un parvulario) respecto a la Etapa Preparatoria

Teachers of children aged four and five years in England (the Foundation Stage), since 2000, have been bound by the Curriculum Guidance produced by central UK Government. We were interested to learn of the responses of these teachers to this newly introduced document. We found that teachers welcomed the Foundation Stage Curriculum Guidance, not least because it recognised that there exists a valuable and separate stage in children's education. Further, the teachers were relieved that there was, within the document, the acknowledgement of the importance and value of play as integral to the educational needs of young children. The teachers indicated that the document was also beneficial in that it allowed them to return openly to what they felt to be sound Early Years practice which some had felt had been undermined by previous curriculum guidance. However, concerns remained in that not all stakeholders are yet aware of the needs of young children and of the resources necessary to meet these needs. En Angleterre, depuis 2000, les enseignants des enfants de quatre et cinq ans (phase dite de 'fondation') doivent se conformer à la Curriculum Guidance (Lignes directrices des programmes scolaires) produite par le gouvernement central du Royaume-Uni. Nous souhaitions connaître les réactions de ces enseignants face à ce nouveau document. Nous avons constaté que les enseignants accueillent favorablement la Foundation Stage Curriculum Guidance tant elle reconnaît l'existence d'une phase utile et distincte d'assimilation chez les enfants. En outre, les enseignants ont été soulagés de constater que la document reconnaît l'importance et l'utilité du jeu comme faisant partie intégrante des besoins éducatifs des jeunes écoliers. Ils ont également fait savoir qu'ils trouvent ce document utile dans la mesure où il leur permet de revenir ouvertement à des pratiques qu'ils considèrent comme étant saines pendant les premières années scolaires des enfants et qui, selon certains, avaient été amoindries par les lignes directrices des programmes scolaires précédents. Ils s'avèrent néanmoins toujours préoccupés du fait que toutes les parties prenantes ne sont pas encore conscientes des besoins des jeunes enfants et des ressources nécessaires pour les satisfaire. Desde el año 2000, en Inglaterra, los profesores de niños de la edad de 4 y 5 años (la Etapa de Fundación) han tenido que conformar con las reglas de curriculum introducidas por el gobierno central del Reino Unido. Tuvimos interes de enterarnos de las respuestas de aquellos profesores a ese documento nuevo. Encontramos que los profesores estan de acuerdo con la 'Guía de Curriculum de la Etapa de Fundación', por lo menos porque reconoció que existe una etapa válida y aparte en la educación de niños. Además estuvieron contentos que el documento reconició la importancia y validez de juegos infántiles imprescindible en el desarrollo del niño. Los profesores indicáron que el documento fue beneficioso también porque les permitió volver abiertamente a lo que sentieron que fueron 'prácticas sanas' de los años primeros que algunos de ellos pensaron que habían estado desacreditadas por las 'Guías de Curriculum' previas. No obstante quedan preocupaciónes que algunos interesados todavía no estan enterados de lo que los niños necesitan y los recursos que hacen falta.     

Mental Calculation Methods Used By 11-Year-Olds in Different Attainment Bands: a reanalysis of data from the 1987 APU survey in the UK

This paper describes thereanalysis of data obtained in 1987 on themental calculation strategies used by asample of 11-year-olds in the course of anational survey of schools in England,Wales and Northern Ireland. The mentalskills test was administered to pupils in aone-to-one situation and the reanalysismade use of classifications of mentalstrategies developed in the past decade ininternational research. These pupils werea subsample of the main sample of about 10000 who took a written test of mathematicsin the survey, 247 taking both tests. Thescores on the written test were used todistribute these pupils into three bands ofattainment in order to compare thefrequency and effectiveness of thestrategies used by pupils of differentlevels of attainment. Eight of thereanalysed questions are discussed, each ofthem involving one of the four basicarithmetic operations. Some are purelynumerical and in others the numbers are ina context. Top band pupils mostly preferredsequential strategies which leave one ofthe numbers in the calculation complete,while the Bottom band generally preferredto split complete numbers and operateseparately on the components of the numbersthus partitioned. The most popularstrategy for Middle band pupils in severalquestions was the standard algorithm usedmentally. Complete number strategies werethe most successful for pupils in all threebands. Possible implications for theNational Numeracy Strategy in Britain arediscussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The management and training needs of reception teachers working with the Foundation Stage Curriculum

In England, since 2000, teachers of children aged three to five (the Foundation Stage) have been bound by the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage produced by central government. Initially, we were interested to learn of the responses of early years teachers to that document. We found that teachers welcomed the Curriculum Guidance, not least because it recognized that there exists a valuable and separate stage in children’s education. However, in relation to ensuring that quality learning experiences were provided, teachers identified two issues of concern to them—professional training of early childhood teachers, and the leadership and management of the Foundation Stage. Concerns also remained that not all stakeholders were yet aware of the needs of young children and of the staff training resources necessary to meet these needs. Upon our return to the respondents three years later, we found that, despite the incorporation of the Curriculum Guidance, some practitioners continued to feel that both colleagues and managers sometimes had limited understanding of the unique nature of the early childhood curriculum. Concerns about resources and an appropriate learning environment also continued to be evident.     

The effect of changes in item sequence on student performance in a multiple-choice chemistry test

It is standard practice to arrange items in objective tests in order of increasing difficulty, on the assumption that such an arrangement increases student motivation and produces more reliable tests. The validity of this assumption was investigated in the context of a multiplechoice chemistry test. Fifty items were arranged in three sequences of difficulty: random (R), easy-to-hard (E-H) and hard-to-easy (H-E). The mean test score was significantly higher for the test sequenced E-H than for the test sequenced H-E. Item difficulty index was raised by placement of the easier items toward the beginning of the test and lowered by placement of these items toward the end of the test. Test reliability was largely independent of item sequence.     

Towards An Understanding of Muslim American Adolescent High School Experiences

The researchers conducted a grounded theory study to explore the experiences of Muslim American adolescents in high school. Findings indicate that students had to navigate unique challenges because of their religious faith, but those obstacles presented opportunities to confront bias and discrimination. Recommendations for how school counselors can support the development of Muslim American adolescents are presented.