Techniques used by primary school pupils in drawings during science activities

Conclusion It is apparent from the data that pupils use a wide variety of techniques to aid the clarity of their drawings and that they are able to discriminate between them. The data support the value of the teaching method used, where drawings were used as the principal means of communication between the children. The study has shown how, without any teacher instruction on drawing techniques, the children have been able to identify and adapt ones which they see as meeting their requirements. The study has established one teaching method which, following further investigation, could be presented to teachers as a useful strategy during science lessons.     

Information Technology and Gender. Problems and Proposals

The paper examines the possible reasons why there is a gender bias towards males studying computing at secondary school level. The authors have surveyed recent research in the area of information technology (IT) and gender, highlighted some of the major areas for discussion and made a number of recommendations for improving classroom practice. The recommendations are arranged under five headings: access to the curriculum; course design; teachers' attitudes and teaching styles; language; assessment issues; and the role of technology. The aim is to alert teachers to the importance of considering how gender bias is being perpetuated, and then to examine how practice can be improved. The recommendations follow the example already set by the Association for Science Education in the United Kingdom, and note the work done in Scotland by the General Teaching Council in addressing gender as a key issue. Although the discussion focuses upon the Scottish context and in particular the development of computing studies, many of the points apply equally well to the introduction of IT as a cross‐curricular theme at both the primary and secondary stages. This is particularly relevant as IT is a significant development within the 5‐14 Programme in Scotland and mirrors innovation in the area of IT in England and Wales.     

Intellective Functioning and Strategy Use in Children with Insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus

The cognitive development of children with either early or late onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) was investigated with tasks measuring intellectual ability, memory, and academic progress. In addition, children's perceptions of their competence and parents' perspectives on family functioning and their children's behavior were compared. It was found that children with IDDM scored within the normal range on standardized measures of intelligence and academic performance but evidenced some school difficulties, as reflected in subscale performance as well as in their need of remedial education services. Further, evidence was found to suggest deficiencies in children's use of strategies to organize and recall information, particularly for those with early onset of disease. Children's perceived self-competencies and parents' reports of family functioning were strikingly similar across groups. However, parents of those children whose illness began prior to age 5 reported their children to have poor attention spans and difficulty completing tasks.     

Distributed retrieval practice promotes superior recall of anatomy information

Effortful retrieval produces greater long‐term recall of information when compared to studying (i.e., reading), as do learning sessions that are distributed (i.e., spaced apart) when compared to those that are massed together. Although the retrieval and distributed practice effects are well‐established in the cognitive science literature, no studies have examined their additive effect with regard to learning anatomy information. The aim of this study was to determine how the benefits of retrieval practice vary with massed versus distributed learning. Participants used the following strategies to learn sets of skeletal muscle anatomy: (1) studying on three different days over a seven day period (SSSS_7,2,0), (2) studying and retrieving on three different days over a seven day period (SRSR_7,2,0), (3) studying on two different days over a two day period (SSSSSS_2,0), (4) studying and retrieving on two separate days over a two day period (SRSRSR_2,0), and (5) studying and retrieving on one day (SRx6₀). All strategies consisted of 12 learning phases and lasted exactly 24 minutes. Muscle information retention was assessed via free recall and using repeated measures ANOVAs. A week after learning, the recall scores were 24.72 ± 3.12, 33.88 ± 3.48, 15.51 ± 2.48, 20.72 ± 2.94, and 12.86 ± 2.05 for the SSSS_7,2,0, SRSR_7,2,0, SSSSSS_2,0, STSTST_2,0, and SRx6₀ strategies, respectively. In conclusion, the distributed strategies produced significantly better recall than the massed strategies, the retrieval‐based strategies produced significantly better recall than the studying strategies, and the combination of distributed and retrieval practice generated the greatest recall of anatomy information. Anat Sci Educ 10: 339–347. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.     

Sensitivity of Four Subtests of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA‐Ch) to Stimulant Medication in Children with ADHD

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were examined on four subtests of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA‐Ch) when on and off stimulant medication. Performance was assessed relative to 18 individually age‐matched controls. Children with ADHD performed significantly worse on TEA‐Ch measures when off compared to when on stimulant medication. This was found in both predominantly inattentive (n = 6) and combined inattentive and hyperactive‐impulsive (n = 12) subtypes. The age‐matched controls significantly improved with repeated testing on most TEA‐Ch measures. Significant differences were found between the unmedicated children with ADHD and age‐matched controls on sustained attention (Score! and Walk Don’t Walk) and attention control measures (Same and Opposite Worlds). When the ADHD group was on stimulant medication, with the exception of the Walk Don’t Walk subtest, no significant differences were found between them and the age‐matched controls. Unlike the TEA‐Ch subtests, the significant differences between the two groups on the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) subtests remained when attentional status was altered in the children with ADHD. The study supports further investigations of the TEA‐Ch as a measure sensitive to changes in stimulant medication in children with ADHD.     

Settling into school: The importance of early friendships for the development of children's social understanding and communicative competence

This paper reports an exploratory study of 37 children (aged 4–5 years) throughout their first term of formal schooling. Children in two different schools were included in the study. Four pairs of friends and four isolated children were targeted for in‐depth observation every week throughout the term. The behaviour and speech of these 12 children were coded systematically in various activities and settings to assess their level of social involvement and their adjustment to school. Sociometric interviews were carried out with all 37 children. These were used to examine the pattern of social relationships in the two classes and to investigate Children's understanding of concepts such as ‘friendship’. The target children also took part in a communication game with other children from their classes, matched in age and verbal ability, but who were not friends. It was predicted that children who started school in the company of a friend or friends would have better developed social and communicative skills than children who began school without the support of existing friendships. As predicted, children who had well established friendships on entry to school gave more sophisticated reasons as to why children liked and disliked each other. These children were also more effective communicators than the isolated children. The results suggest that friendship not only plays an important part in developing young Children's social competencies, but also that it influences children'sperformance on a range of classroom‐based learning activities, particularly those which involve mutual collaboration and co‐operation.     

Responding to the Special Needs of Refugee Children: Practical Ideas for Teachers

Increasing numbers of refugee children are entering our public schools. In addition to carrying with them memories of untold trauma, they bring with them many special needs. This article explores these needs and ideas for assisting teachers in making our classrooms more responsive to our refugee children.