Mock Interdisciplinary Staffing: Educating for Interprofessional Collaboration

Training for interprofessional collaboration is important because professionals are increasingly required to work together in a coordinated and collaborative manner to meet the complex needs of clients. However, few published reports exist on interprofessional training for community counselors and marriage and family therapists. The authors discuss the use of a mock interdisciplinary staffing with students who are training to be counselors and marriage and family therapists. This method of instruction holds promise as an effective means of introducing students to a range of issues, including the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for interprofessional practice.     

Perceptions of Portuguese undergraduate students about assessment: a study in five public universities

This paper draws upon a broader piece of research on assessment in higher education, particularly focusing on issues regarding the fairness and effectiveness of the assessment methods and their implications for the learning process. The perceptions of undergraduate students are analysed taking into account the effectiveness and fairness of both traditional and learner-centred assessment methods, as well their influence on the learning process. In total, 624 students participated in this study in five Portuguese Public Universities in different areas of knowledge and programmes. Data were collected through questionnaires. Findings suggest that assessment is seen as more effective and fairer when it is done through the use of learner-centred assessment methods rather than by traditional assessment (e.g. written tests or exams). The students also claim that they devote more time to study when assessment is performed through learner-centred assessment methods than by traditional ones. The most used assessment methods are written tests and oral presentations in group. However, differences in the programmes were identified as well as differences according to gender. Implications of the findings for assessment and for the teaching and learning process are discussed.     

Speaking to read: The effects of speech recognition technology on the reading and spelling performance of children with learning disabilities

In recent literature on persons with learning disabilities (LD), speech recognition has been discussed primarily as an assistive technology to help compensate for writing difficulties. However, prior research by the authors has suggested that in addition to helping persons to compensate for poor writing skills, speech recognition also may enhance reading and spelling; that is, what was designed as assistive technology appears to serve remedial functions as well. The present study was conducted to determine whether elementary and secondary students with LD who used the technology to write self-selected compositions and class assignments would demonstrate improvements in reading and spelling. Thirty-nine students with LD (ages 9 to 18) participated. Nineteen participants used speech recognition 50 minutes a week for sixteen weeks, and twenty students in a control group received general computer instruction. Results indicated that the speech recognition group showed significantly more improvement than the control group in word recognition (p<.0001), spelling (p<.002) and reading comprehension (p<.01). Pre- and posttests on five reading-related cognitive processing measures (phonological, orthographic, semantic processing, metacognitive reading strategies, and working memory) indicated that for the experimental group, only phonological processing improved significantly over the treatment period when compared to controls (p<.04). Further ANCOVA suggested that growth in phonological processing was associated with significant differences among conditions for all three academic measures: word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension. Address correspondence to 971 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena, CA 91107. E-mail center@frostig.org.     

Effectiveness of Podcasts Delivered on Mobile Devices as a Support for Student Learning During General Chemistry Laboratories

Chemistry instructors in teaching laboratories provide expert modeling of techniques and cognitive processes and provide assistance to enrolled students that may be described as scaffolding interaction. Such student support is particularly essential in laboratories taught with an inquiry-based curriculum. In a teaching laboratory with a high instructor-to-student ratio, mobile devices can provide a platform for expert modeling and scaffolding during the laboratory sessions. This research study provides data collected on the effectiveness of podcasts delivered as needed in a first-semester general chemistry laboratory setting. Podcasts with audio and visual tracks covering essential laboratory techniques and central concepts that aid in experimental design or data processing were prepared and made available for students to access on an as-needed basis on iPhones^® or iPod touches^®. Research focused in three areas: the extent of podcast usage, the numbers and types of interactions between instructors and student laboratory teams, and student performance on graded assignments. Data analysis indicates that on average the podcast treatment laboratory teams accessed a podcast 2.86 times during the laboratory period during each week that podcasts were available. Comparison of interaction data for the lecture treatment laboratory teams and podcast treatment laboratory teams reveals that scaffolding interactions with instructors were statistically significantly fewer for teams that had podcast access rather than a pre-laboratory lecture. The implication of the results is that student laboratory teams were able to gather laboratory information more effectively when it was presented in an on-demand podcast format than in a pre-laboratory lecture format. Finally, statistical analysis of data on student performance on graded assignments indicates no significant differences between outcome measures for the treatment groups when compared as cohorts. The only statistically significant difference is between students who demonstrated a high level of class participation in the concurrent general chemistry lecture course; for this sub-group the students in the podcast treatment group earned a course average that was statistically significantly higher than those in the lecture treatment group.     

How reliable is marking in GCSE English?

In a re-marking exercise to investigate the reliability of marking in GCSE English examinations, the Principal Examiners' marks were adopted as 'true' marks for comparison with the actual or 'live' marks that had been awarded by the appointed examiners. A variety of approaches to investigating mark/re-mark reliability collectively led to the conclusion that marking reliability was particularly strong in the Higher tier of the specification that differentiates by outcome.     

A strengths-based,culturally responsive family intervention improves Latino kindergarteners’ vocabulary and approaches to learning

Food routines are an ecocultural asset of Latino families. This cluster-randomized trial with 248 children (M_age = 67 months; 50% girls; 13 schools) investigated the impact of a 4-week family program designed to capitalize on food routines in improving Latino kindergarteners’ outcomes in the United States. There were moderate-to-large impacts on child vocabulary (especially food-related) at end-of-treatment and the 5-month follow-up, and suggestive evidence of moderate impacts on approaches to learning (ATL; including ATL math) and executive function at the 5-month follow-up (d = .38–.95). There were no statistically significant impacts on children's math or literacy skills. A strengths-based, culturally responsive family intervention that is integrated into Latino family life can improve the skills needed to succeed in school.     

The Challenge and Opportunity of Competency‐Based Counselor Education

There is increased responsibility for programs to demonstrate evidence of student learning and skill. Application of competency‐based education is delineated, including prior learning assessment and personalized learning. Implications such as awarding credit for experience in admissions or variable clinical training timelines and requirements are explored.     

Informing research (practices) through pedagogical theory: focus groups with adolescents

The focus of this article is how pedagogical theory and applied linguistic research informed the development of a multifaceted methodology designed to elicit middle school students’ perspectives on bilingualism and their language identities within the context of a one-way French Immersion programme in New Brunswick, Canada. The theoretical context of our research is language socialization theory which emphasizes how learners actively construct new identities for themselves, consciously or unconsciously, as they acquire and use language. This language socialization is embedded in particular socio-political and historical contexts, bringing fluidity to the meanings of bilingualism and to identity. Our discussion is about our methodological journey, how we drew upon the broader principles of constructivist learning, and specifically Universal Design for learning and Multiple Intelligences, within focus group research to access these perspectives and identities. Our methodology involved multiple opportunities to present, express and engage in the construction of knowledge, and to engage students in identifying and expressing meaning related to their identities and perspectives as learners of French. Our research demonstrated that, by drawing on pedagogical theory, focus groups can be transformative for participants, and they provide ways to circumvent challenges in conducting qualitative research with adolescents.     

Classroom communication satisfaction,teacher uncertainty and course certainty over time 1

Classroom communication satisfaction (CCS), teacher uncertainty and course certainty were examined over time. Results indicated a decrease in teacher uncertainty while CCS and course certainty did not significantly change over time. Discussion focused on an interpretation of the results.