Book review

Kahin, B., & Keller, J. (Eds.). (1995). Public access to the Internet. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Kahin, B., & Keller, J. H. (Eds.). (In press). Coordinating the Internet. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Minow, N. W., & LaMay, C. L. (1995). Abandoned in the wasteland: Children, television, and the First Amendment. New York: Hill & Wang.

Messaris, P. (1997). Visual persuasion: The role of images in advertising. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.     

Effects of Age,Walking Speed,and Body Composition on Pedometer Accuracy in Children

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of age group, walking speed, and body composition on the accuracy of pedometer-determined step counts in children. Eighty-five participants (43 boys, 42 girls), ages 5–7 and 9–11 years, walked on a treadmill for two-minute bouts at speeds of 42, 66, and 90 m·min^-1 while wearing a spring-levered (Yamax SW-200) and a piezoelectric (New Lifestyles NL-2000) pedometer. The number of steps taken during each bout was also recorded using a hand counter. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from height and mass, and percentage of body fat (%BF) was determined using hand-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis. The tilt angle of the pedometer was assessed using a magnetic protractor. Both pedometers performed well at 66 and 90 m·min^-1, but undercounted steps by approximately 20% at 42 m·min^-1. Although age group, BMI, waist circumference, and %BF did not affect pedometer accuracy, children with large pedometer tilt angles (≥ 10°) showed significantly greater percent bias than those with small tilt angles (< 10°). We suggest that the style of waistband on the child's clothing is a more important determinant of tilt angle and thus pedometer accuracy than body composition. Our results also indicate that the NL-2000 pedometer provides similar accuracy and better precision than the SW-200 pedometer, especially in children with large tilt angles. We conclude that fastening pedometers to a firm elastic belt may improve stability and reduce undercounting in young people.     

‘In the hands of the Receivers’: The Politics of Literacy in The Savage by David Almond and Dave McKean

David Almond and Dave McKean??s The Savage is a hybrid prose and graphic novel which tells the story of one young man??s maturation through literacy. The protagonist learns to deal with the death of his father and his own ??savage?? self by writing a graphic novel. This article reads The Savage in the context of earlier, ??Northern?? literacy narratives??particularly Tony Harrison??s poem ??Them & [uz]?? and Barry Hines?? Kes??through the discourse of neoliberalism and the notion of the reluctant boy reader. It is suggested that Almond and McKean are influenced by currently dominant ideologies of gender and literacy.     

Purposeful Reflections: Scaffolding Preservice Teachers' Field Placement Observations

ABSTRACT

In this qualitative study we examine preservice teachers' abilities to connect theory and practice through the use of a collaboratively developed field observation guide, namely the “Targeted Field Observation Guide.” The goal in developing and implementing this field-based observation guide was to help preservice teachers make explicit, purposeful connections between their required, course-embedded field placements and the secondary undergraduate content area literacy courses in which they were enrolled. Forty-three preservice teachers participated in this study and were enrolled in a large public university or a small private college in the Midwestern United States. Analysis of participants' weekly written reflections shared via computer-mediated communication (Google Docs) reveals that using a field-based observation guide further supported connections and conversations with peers regarding their field reflections and observations. However, many participants' reflections still demonstrated limited connections between theory and practice.     

Monitoring the Effectiveness of the Wilson Reading System for Students with Disabilities: One District's Example

The current study detailed the manner in which one school district monitored the effectiveness of the Wilson Reading System for students with disabilities who were experiencing difficulty with reading. Effectiveness was measured by growth in the reading skills that have been documented to be critical for successful readers. Twenty fourth- and fifth-grade students participated in the Wilson Reading System for two consecutive years. Pretest and posttest reading scores from the Scholastic Reading Inventory and the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement were examined. Results revealed gains in the students' reading comprehension skills as well as their overall basic reading skills, including word decoding and reading fluency. Limitations of this type of applied research are discussed.     

Desiring development? Psychoanalytic contributions to antidevelopmental psychology

This paper explores how psychoanalytic ideas might support a project of critiquing the developmental paradigm as it influences, and links, models of economic and individual development on which educational policy and practice rely. After outlining the conceptual domain and questions at issue, the paper rereads some key claims about Enlightenment and its relationship with representations of immaturity as inviting scope for reinterpreting contemporary intensifications of developmentalism. This provides some further rationale and focus for the turn to psychoanalysis as a critical conceptual and methodological resource (although with some key qualifications). Ideas drawn from feminist and postcolonial engagements with psychoanalysis are used to inform discussion of two indicative texts about childhood, drawing on contemporary Lacanian interpretations that are applied to address the problematic of childhood, before finishing with some speculations on alternative modes of engagement with Enlightenment and developmental approaches.     

Contemporary approaches to learning science: technologically-mediated practical work

This paper describes the current state of science education in Arab states and anticipates some of the challenges faced by those states as they reform their science education. After discussing problems of illiteracy, access and quality we provide contextual information about the structure of the educational systems and describe recent efforts to reform them. We focus on issues pertaining to science curriculum and textbooks, language, religion, student learning in science, science teacher education and science education research and summarise the challenges and opportunities for research faced in each area. We conclude the paper by proposing a set of policy and research recommendations that could aid in the development of lasting solutions for recurring problems.     

Assessment as a vehicle for learning: extending collaboration into testing

Tertiary educators increasingly recognize the benefits for student learning of collaboration and group work; however, it is commonly perceived that examinations should be completed without the opportunity for interaction with other learners or use of relevant resources. An alternative approach is suggested in this article, based on the sociocultural concept that learning is a fundamentally social process, and on the notion of dynamic assessment (Magnusson et al. 1997 Magnusson, S.J., Templin, M. and Boyle, R.A. 1997. Dynamic science assessment: a new approach for investigating conceptual change. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 6: 91–142. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar]). The primary advantage of this approach is that students are given the opportunity to learn during the assessment, rather than simply being penalized for not knowing. Student feedback, both qualitative and quantitative, suggests that learning is significantly enhanced by this approach. Drawbacks include the possibilities of regressive collaboration and student ‘loafing’; however, these concerns can be addressed within the overall assessment context.