Rhyme generation in deaf students: the effect of exposure to cued speech

This study compares the rhyme-generation ability of deaf participants with severe to profound hearing losses from cued speech (CS) and non-cued speech (NCS) backgrounds with a hearing comparison group for consistent orthography-to-phonology (O-P) rhyming elements, or rimes (e.g., -ail in sail is always pronounced the same), and inconsistent orthography-to-phonology (I-O-P) rhyming elements where the orthographic rime (e.g., -ear) has different pronunciations in words such as bear, and rear. Rhyming accuracy was better for O-P target words than for I-O-P target words. The performance of the deaf participants from CS backgrounds, although falling between that of the hearing and the NCS groups, did not differ significantly from that of the hearing group. By contrast, the performance of the NCS group was lower than that of the hearing group. Hearing and CS participants produced more orthographically different responses (e.g., blue-few), whereas participants from the NCS group produced more responses that are orthographically similar (e.g., blue-true), indicating that the hearing and CS groups rely more on phonology and the NCS group more on spelling to generate rhymes. The results support the use of cued speech for developing phonological abilities of deaf students to promote their reading abilities.     

Gender and sexuality diversity and schooling: progressive mothers speak out

Abstract

Although social acceptance of gender and sexuality diversity is growing in Australian society, in schools, visibility and inclusion of knowledge pertaining to those who are gender- and/or sexuality-diverse, such as lesbians, gay men and transgender people, remain marginalised. This may be due, in part, to a belief that parents are opposed to such content inclusions in their children’s education; yet, virtually no Australian research supports this belief nor have parental perspectives on gender and sexuality diversity inclusion been specifically examined. This paper draws on a broader research study that examined New South Wales parents’ perceptions about the visibility of gender and sexuality diversity and the inclusion or exclusion of related content in school curriculum. It focuses on one particular focus group comprised of only mothers who lived in a specific enclave of Sydney known for its gender and sexuality diversity. The discussion highlights their awareness of gender and sexuality diversity and the dynamics surrounding it; and their perceptions of local school approaches to, and limitations around, gender and sexuality diversity in school curricula, policy and practices, despite potential support for it.     

Responsibility for nurturing a child’s wellbeing: teachers teaching mindfulness with children

ABSTRACT

A thriving and evolving pool of research and commentary is emerging in relation to the integration of mindfulness techniques in school and out-of-school settings. In the current study the author explored how experienced mindbody wellness instructors make sense of teaching children mindfulness. The methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to interview eight teachers teaching mindfulness with children from the United States and Australia. Four thematic categories emerged from the analysis and in this article the author discusses findings related to the theme of, Responsibility for Nurturing a Child’s Wellbeing. It was discovered that having a holistic-wellness-orientated vision was an important aspect of how teachers made sense of mindfulness instruction. The findings showed that teaching children mindfulness has the capacity to raise academic performance while synergistically enhancing a child’s spiritual, environmental, emotional, social, creative and physical wellbeing. It is recommended that mindfulness teacher training programs be established in universities to better prepare students to meet the demands of 21^st Century education.     

Integrated policies for the preparation of educational personnel

Drawing on the literature and developments in Lifelong Education in the 1960s and 1970s, this paper seeks to offera contribution to the updating of the concept to address the pressing new needs of the 1980s for integrated policies for the preparation of educational personnel. Such policies are seen as necessitating the ability to forge new curricula across sectoral boundaries, linking education and economic activity, school and community, and achieving delivery in different modes and locations. The article offers a conceptualization of policy options for such preparation, comprising four major dimensions, each comprehending tendencies to conservation and change. The author proceeds to illustrate the conceptualization by reference to programmes provided, often on an inter-agency basis, in the United Kingdom by the Manpower Services Commission. The paper concludes by highlighting the continuing disjuncture between education and training and between education and national needs in many developing countries, partly as a legacy of colonial concepts of schooling, and points to the requirement for comprehensive and coherent policies which can link education and the economy and schooling and training, harnessing them to the response to pressing national needs.

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Zusammenfassung Gestützt auf die Literatur und Entwicklungen im Bereich des Lebenslangen Lernen in den 60er und 70er Jahren versucht der Verfasser dieses Artikels eine Aktualisierung des Konzepts, um auf die dringenden neuen Bedürfnisse der 80er Jahre für integrierte Richtlinien zur Vorbereitung des Erziehungspersonals einzugehen. Schwerpunkte dieser Richtlinien sind: neue Curricula über Sektorengrenzen hinweg zu entwickeln, Bildung und wirtschaftliche Aktivität sowie Schule und Gemeinschaft miteinander zu verbinden und auf verschiedene Art und Weise und an verschiedenen Standorten zu vermitteln. Im nachfolgenden Artikel wird eine Konzeptualisierung der Optionen bei Richtlinien für eine derartige Vorbereitung angeboten, die aus vier Hauptdimensionen besteht. Jede diese Hauptdimensionen enthält Tendenzen zu Erhaltung und Veränderung einschließen. Der Verfasser veranschaulicht die Konzeptualisierung mit einem Verweis auf die im Vereinigten Königreich von Manpower Services Commission angebotenen Programme, die häufig auf einer Vermittlungsbasis zwischen den verschiedenen Regierungsstellen beruhen. Abschließend betont der Verfasser die fortdauernde Trennung zwischen Bildung und Ausbildung sowie zwischen Bildung und nationalen Bedürfnissen in vielen Entwicklungsländern, die teilweise als ein Erbe kolonialer Entwicklungskonzepte weiterbestehen. Es besteht ein Bedarf nach umfassenden und kohärenten Methoden, die Bildung und Wirtschaft sowie Erziehung und Ausbildung verknüpfen und sie an eine Antwort auf dringende nationale Bedürfnisse koppeln.

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Résumé S'inspirant de la littérature et des développements de l'Education Permanente enregistrés au cours des années soixante et soixante-dix, cet article s'efforce d'apporter une contribution à la mise à jour de ce concept afin de présenter les nouveaux besoins pressants apparus dans les années quatre-vingts aux politiques intégrées pour la formation du personnel enseignant. On considère que de telles politiques nécessitent la capacité de forger de nouveaux curricula à travers les limites sectorielles, établissent des liens entre l'éducation et l'activité économique, l'école et la communauté, et opèrent de diverses manières et en différents endroits. L'article présent offre une conceptualisation des options politiques pour une telle préparation, qui englobe quatre grandes dimensions, chacune d'elles renfermant des propensions à l'invariabilité et à l'évolution. L'auteur illustre ensuite cette conceptualisation en se référant aux programmes offerts, sur une base interopérationnelle souvent, au Royaume-Uni par la Commission des Services de la Main-d'Oeuvre. Il conclut en soulignant l'incohérence constante entre l'éducation et la formation, l'éducation et les besoins nationaux que de nombreux pays en développement ont hérités en partie de concepts coloniaux d'éducation et il met en relief la nécessité de politiques générales et cohérentes capables de nouer des liens entre l'éducation et l'économie, l'instruction et la formation, les exhortant à répondre aux besoins nationaux urgents.

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I am indebted to a Unesco Seminar for a number of the ideas contained in this paper. See Unesco,Interregional Symposium on Integrated Policies and Plans for the Training of Educational Personnel. Paris: Unesco, 1985.     

The Community of Practice among Mathematics and Mathematics Education Faculty Members at an Urban Minority Serving Institution in the U.S.

Using narrative inquiry as a research method, four mathematics and mathematics education faculty members explored the integration of theoretical perspectives into their personal narratives as they developed a community of practice. Initially their focus was strictly on improving their students’ mathematical knowledge. As their community of practice matured, however, their work took on a larger meaning as they contributed to the institution’s strategic goal of raising the annual dollar amount of external funding and to the development of their personal and collective identities. This unusual level of inter-departmental collaboration has been recognized by the institution’s highest administrators, who have called upon its members to develop new, collaborative partnerships with regional school districts and community colleges.     

The multimedia case as a tool for professional development: an analysis of online and face-to-face interaction among mathematics pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, mathematicians, and mathematics teacher educators

In this study, we consider the potential of multimedia cases as tools for teacher professional development. Specifically, we examined online and face-to-face discussions that occurred within groups composed of pre-service mathematics teachers, in-service mathematics teachers, mathematicians, and mathematics teacher educators. Discussions within these heterogeneous groups tended to focus on issues of classroom implementation of the tasks shown in the multimedia case. Secondary foci of discussion included task characteristics and appropriateness of tasks for engaging students in thinking about mathematical concepts and processes. Analysis of contributions to discussions across group member type revealed differences that suggest that the variety of backgrounds and experiences of group members can blend in ways that support rich and critical discussions of mathematics, teaching, and learning.     

A pedagogical alliance for academic achievement: Socio-Emotional effects on assessment outcomes

Assessment of student learning outcomes is often discussed in relation to curriculum, standards and even administration practices. However, assessment of learning outcomes is rarely discussed in light of students’ socio-emotional contexts, which might help or hinder learning outcomes. For example, do students’ perceptions of the teacher as trustworthy influence their empathic views on classmates, learning engagement, academic achievement and wellbeing? The present paper reports the results of a theoretically-driven, short-term longitudinal study designed to explore the effects of socio-emotional variables, specifically students’ trust in teachers and empathy towards self and peers on engagement for learning, academic achievement, and wellbeing. Grounded in attachment theory and the LEAFF model, Panel Structural Equation Modeling (P-SEM) results revealed three significant pathways, which provide evidence that student trust in teachers may serve to launch a domino effect of outcomes, predicting students’ empathic views of classmates, learning engagement, academic achievement, and wellbeing.     

The use of limericks to engage student interest and promote active learning in an undergraduate course in functional anatomy

The study of anatomy is a content-dense discipline with a challenging vocabulary. A mnemonic is a series of letters, a word, a phrase, or a rhyme that students can use when studying to facilitate recall. This project was designed to promote active learning in undergraduate students studying anatomy and physiology by asking them to create limericks based on course content and then to evaluate the limericks written by their peers for learning value, accuracy, style, and adherence to limerick characteristics. Students (278 and 288, respectively, in the 2009 and 2010 sections of ANP1107) worked in groups of three to create a total of 242 limericks. Peer evaluation was accomplished in two stages using a 20-point marking rubric. In Stage 1, students were randomly divided into 10 groups (n = 23 ± 2 students) with each group member evaluating the same 12 ± 1 limericks. In Stage 2, the top 19% of limericks were reevaluated by all students so that the best three could be chosen. In each of the two years, 60% of students completed all parts of the assignment. Higher percentages (75-80%) participated in limerick writing and one of the two assessment stages. A positive association was noted between level of student participation in the limerick assignment and final course marks. Limerick creation and evaluation can be used to promote active learning by encouraging students to review functional-anatomy-based content to create limericks with good learning value and to provide valid assessments of limericks written by their peers.