Instructional systems development in the schools

The authors of this commentary take exception to several points made in an article that appeared in the most recent issue of this journal (ETR&D, Vol. 38, No. 2). Following this explanation of their concerns is a reply by the authors of the original article.     

The Role of Executive Functions in Socioeconomic Attainment Gaps: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial

The socioeconomic attainment gap in mathematics starts early and increases over time. This study aimed to examine why this gap exists. Four-year-olds from diverse backgrounds were randomly allocated to a brief intervention designed to improve executive functions (N = 87) or to an active control group (N = 88). The study was preregistered and followed CONSORT guidelines. Executive functions and mathematical skills were measured at baseline, 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year posttraining. Executive functions mediated the relation between socioeconomic status and mathematical skills. Children improved over training, but this did not transfer to untrained executive functions or mathematics. Executive functions may explain socioeconomic attainment gaps, but cognitive training directly targeting executive functions is not an effective way to narrow this gap.     

Teaching Education about Sexuality: a Scottish Regional Case Study

This article examines the efficacy of policy and practice, within one Scottish region, of education about sexuality in secondary schools. The primary focus is on teaching sexuality to pupils with recorded learning difficulties, with a particular emphasis on the concepts of inclusion, normalisation and integration. The authors are Sheila Watt, Lecturer in the School of Education, University of Dundee; Elizabeth Horn, a teacher of pupils with special educational needs; and Cassie Higgins, a research assistant also based in the School of Education at the University of Dundee.     

Using Film Text to Support Reluctant Writers

This article is the result of working with several schools concerned with improving achievement in boys' writing. It begins by describing a range of effective teaching and learning strategies, observed in my role as a Literacy Consultant, which had a positive influence on writers especially boys. The article goes on to explore how a small group of boys, described by their teacher as ‘reluctant writers’, were encouraged by the use of film text to make the most of their preferences for action‐driven narratives to improve story writing. It suggests that ‘slowing down’ this action in the author's eye gives pupils, and boys in particular, an opportunity to consider detail to enhance composition in the same way that a film director uses camera angles to capture the viewer's attention.     

Effects of strategy-oriented training on children’s inference drawing from pictures

It is important that children learn to draw inferences from pictures. But can that ability be taught? This study sought to develop the picture-interpretation strategies of fourth-grade children by providing training in the use of such verbal guidelines as “Help yourself to all the given information.” The program apparently helped the children produce more inferences, but did not enhance their skills in evaluating inferences at least not over the 16 30–40 minute sessions devoted to the training.     

The Use of Film in Marriage and Family Counselor Education

The authors introduce an innovative technique that can be included in marriage and family counselor education curricula. Feature films are discussed as an educational technique for the instruction and development of perceptual, conceptual, and executive counseling skills. They also outline the advantages for using film in counselor education, present various strategies for using them in the classroom, and offer examples of how they have integrated movies into introductory marriage and family courses.     

数字技术支持的教师学习:研究与项目综述(下)

本文在系统回顾教师知识与教师学习本质的基础上,讨论了数字技术与教师学习活动之间的关系,主张将数字技术的效用描述为教师学习中有目的的一组活动,即：知识建构、分布式认知、社群与沟通以及约定,通过对五个技术支持的教师学习的典型案例,分析了数字技术对教师学习的支持作用。最后指出了数字技术支持的教师学习与专业发展之方向。