Storytelling Dramas as a Community Building Activity in an Early Childhood Classroom

Healthy social-emotional development is promoted by building a safe, secure and respectful environment in an early childhood setting with positive and consistent relationships among adults, children, and their peers. This study explored storytelling dramas as an opportunity to build community within the context of one early childhood classroom. The study was a qualitative, interpretive analysis of 20 videotaped storytelling drama sessions containing approximately 100 stories told by children in one preschool classroom over a 6-month period. Videotapes of the 20 storytelling sessions were analyzed for patterns and themes that may represent community building within the context of one preschool classroom. Qualitative methods were used to identify themes that emerged from the videotaped data. Triangulation across investigators, time, and methods enhanced trustworthiness of interpretations. Results showed that the storytelling drama activity provided opportunities to promote community building through four emerging themes: (1) individual roles, (2) group membership, (3) inclusion, and (4) relationship building. Storytelling dramas provide teachers with an easy to implement teaching strategy that builds community and aligns with current early childhood education quality standards and child development theory.     

Modeling the Etiology of Individual Differences in Early Reading Development: Evidence for Strong Genetic Influences

We explored the etiology of individual differences in reading development from post-kindergarten to post–4th grade by analyzing data from 487 twin pairs tested in Colorado. Data from three reading measures and one spelling measure were fit to biometric latent growth curve models, allowing us to extend previous behavioral genetic studies of the etiology of early reading development at specific time points. We found primarily genetic influences on individual differences at post–1st grade for all measures. Genetic influences on variance in growth rates were also found, with evidence of small, nonsignificant, shared environmental influences for two measures. We discuss our results, including their implications for educational policy.     

Longitudinal Stability of Reading-Related Skills and Their Prediction of Reading Development

Individual differences in word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension for 324 children at a mean age of 16 were predicted from their reading-related skills (phoneme awareness, phonological decoding, rapid naming, and IQ) at a mean age of 10 years, after controlling the predictors for the autoregressive effects of the correlated reading skills. There were significant and longitudinally stable individual differences for all four reading-related skills that were independent from each of the reading and spelling skills. Yet the only significant longitudinal prediction of reading skills was from IQ at mean age 10 for reading comprehension at mean age 16. The extremely high longitudinal latent-trait stability correlations for individual differences in word recognition (.98) and spelling (.95) left little independent outcome variance that could be predicted by the reading-related skills. We discuss the practical and theoretical importance of these results and why they differ from studies of younger children.     

Becoming a coach: reform,identity, and the pedagogy of negation

This article examines one US high school teacher's attempt to become a coach by enacting what I call ‘a pedagogy of negation’. For this teacher, the challenge of becoming a coach is nested within a wider agenda of social and personal transformation. That agenda is symbolized first in words as she constructs ‘a language of coaching’ to inform her interactions with students and content as well her conception of herself as a teacher. Second, talk is transformed into pedagogical action through, as described by Driver, the ‘playful work’ of ritualized negation. I argue that the phenomenon of negation is a logical sense-making strategy for teachers attempting to realise transformed pedagogical identities. Negation also reveals a range of uncertainties involved in enacting the practice of coaching. As this case reveals, the pedagogy of negation is constructed as a corrective to restrictive and oppressive forms of schooling. It serves as a mechanism for ‘becoming’ a different, presumably better, kind of teacher. And though the results are mixed, this portrait of practice in the midst of change illuminates the complex and reciprocal links between identity and practice entailed in becoming a coach.     

Exploring knowledge processes based on teacher research in a school–university research network of a master’s program

School–university research networks aim at closer integration of research and practice by means of teacher research. Such practice-oriented research can benefit both schools and universities. This paper reports on a multiple-case study of five participants in a school–university research network in a Dutch master’s program. The research question was: In what way is knowledge based on practice-oriented research by master’s students developed, shared, and used in school–university research networks in which education is primarily offered within a university setting? Twenty interviews were conducted, on the basis of logs, over a period of 10 months. Results show that (1) for master’s students, the most significant motive for developing, sharing or using knowledge was that the content knowledge about their research topic could be useful to school practice and colleagues; (2) research supervisors reported more than master’s students about the procedural knowledge that they had developed and shared. This knowledge focused on the collaborative process of supporting research and knowledge processes in school and university; (3) activities of knowledge sharing and use appeared to depend to a significant extent on individual purposes and leadership initiatives of master’s students and their supervisors; and (4) in the school–university research network, master’s students and research supervisors continued—to a limited extent—knowledge processes based on master’s students research after their graduation. Outcomes indicate that use of existing network structures in master’s programs is complex, but could be a promising avenue for creating successful school–university research networks.     

Agriculture and HIV/AIDS: A Challenge for Integrated and Interactive Approaches

Abstract

One of the main problems in Southern Africa in relation to HIV/AIDS is food insecurity. The vicious relation between malnutrition, HIV infection and AIDS impact drives individuals, households and communities in a downwards spiral of impoverishment. Although scientists and development practitioners have stressed the importance of interactive approaches to mitigate the impact of AIDS on agriculture and rural development, sustainable implementation is far from easy and straightforward. This study aims to gain insight into the main lessons and challenges with respect to their design and implementation. Literature review of interactive approaches in agriculture and natural resource management shows that several principles and process guidelines are considered key factors to successful implementation. Although HIV/AIDS does not seem to change these conditions, personal experiences from researchers, development practitioners and extension workers do reveal new and unforeseen challenges.     

Succession Planning for Libraries

ABSTRACT

It is imperative for libraries of all types to be responsive to the forecasted changes in the demographics of the library workforce. Succession planning is a key strategy for ensuring that libraries are prepared to meet changing and emerging organizational needs. Succession planning is broadly defined as a range of activities focused on both internal and external talent development to fill anticipated needs for library leadership and other key personnel. The aim of this article is to offer a number of recommendations relevant for LIS education to help build an awareness of succession planning for future library managers. In particular, practical ideas for course-related activities and assignments that may help to incorporate succession planning more fully into the LIS curriculum are discussed.     

An Exploratory Investigation of the Counseling Competencies Scale: A Measure of Counseling Skills,Dispositions, and Behaviors

The authors examined the psychometric properties of the Counseling Competencies Scale (CCS; University of Central Florida Counselor Education Faculty, 2009 ), an instrument designed to assess trainee competencies as measured in their counseling skills, dispositions, and behaviors. There was strong internal consistency for the 4‐factor model for midterm data (.927) and the 5‐factor model for final data (.933). Interrater reliability for the total CCS score was .570, and criterion‐related validity (correlation between the total score on the final CCS and semester grade) yielded a moderate correlation (r= .407, p < .01). Thus, the results provide initial support for using the CCS to assess counseling students’ professional competencies.     

Getting the most out of audience response systems: predicting student reactions

Audience response systems (ARS) are effective tools for improving learning outcomes and student engagement in large undergraduate classes. However, if students do not accept ARS and do not find them to be useful, ARS may be less effective. Predicting and improving student perceptions of ARS may help to ensure positive outcomes. The present study expands on previous work by simultaneously evaluating several student and practice variables that may predict student perceptions of ARS. Perceived learning outcomes, engagement, interaction in class, enjoyment of ARS, attendance, and preparation for class were examined using multivariate regression analysis in two undergraduate samples. Student variables, including gender, grade, and year of program predicted student perceptions of ARS. Practice variables, including the consistency of ARS use, question type, question difficulty, and ease of use also predicted student perceptions. The nature and implications of these findings are discussed.