Challenging Educational Assumptions: Lessons from an Italian-American collaboration

In this paper, the authors argue that in order to create a curriculum of the future, we need to re-evaluate at least four key assumptions about teaching and learning that have guided educational decisions in the past. These assumptions are: learning is the result of individual, rather than group, activity; teachers are consumers, rather than generators, of theory; assessment is concerned with evaluating learning outcomes, rather than learning processes; teaching and learning are primarily cognitive, rather than aesthetic, ethical or affective, acts. Drawing on recent cross-cultural research, the authors use the example of the municipal pre-schools and infant-toddler centres of Reggio Emilia, Italy, to challenge these assumptions and suggest alternative ways for imagining classrooms of the future.     

I’d rather they did Experiments with us…. Than just Talking: Irish Children’s Views of Primary School Science

This paper reports on a national study that explored primary pupils’ attitudes towards and experiences of school science in the Republic of Ireland. The study focussed on collecting data from children and in doing so recognises the importance of children’s views as an essential part of reviewing curriculum implementation. The findings of this large-scale study are based on an analysis of data gathered from observations of 15 primary classrooms, 1,149 children’s questionnaires and 11 group interviews. In this paper the findings regarding the extent to which the children appear to be engaging in ‘deductive’ (didactic) and ‘inductive’ (inquiry-based) approaches in their science classes, and their attitudes towards school science are presented. Encouragingly, evidence from all parts of the study revealed that in general Irish children are very positive towards learning science in school and are being provided with some opportunities to engage in hands-on inquiry in science, commonly via group work. However, there were also indications that, for some pupils, hands-on science experiences were infrequent, and for a few did not appear to be happening at all. It was not especially evident that pupils were being afforded opportunities to lead their own scientific investigations. Teacher explanation, teacher demonstration, reading and writing featured frequently in pupils’ responses and while the pupils expressed mixed feelings about these methodologies, one thing was apparent: hands-on inquiry based approaches to science had far greater appeal to the children. The significance of the findings of this study are considered in light of the findings and recommendations from recent national and international reports on inquiry-based approaches in science education.     

Alternative research paradigms in the analysis of mnemonics

Four types of comparisons for evaluation of mnemonics are identified, two based on equating exposure to the critical to-be-learned associations and two based on total study time. Two experiments on a new mnemonic, the cueword method, are reported, each of which incorporated three of the four comparison procedures. In general, the cueword method proved useful only in comparisons involving control of exposures to the critical to-be-learned associations. The experiments illustrated how highly analytical experiments on mnemonics can be conducted, and the results illustrated that choice of comparison in mnemonics research can greatly affect the evaluation of a mnemonic. General design suggestions for mnemonics research are made.     

Transcending widgets: the nature of technical services

This paper was presented as the keynote address at the Ohio Library Council, Technical Services Division conference,“Technical Services, 2003: Inspiration, Example, Synthesis” at Mohican State Park, Ohio, May 7, 2003. The keynote was to fill the role of “inspiration.” The author considers why technical services personnel may feel isolated, misunderstood, or dispensable; why technical services personnel may be misunderstood or underappreciated by others; the nature and mission of librarianship and how technical services relates to them; the consequences of having a bad image and a bad self-image; and how harmful opinions and actions might be countered.     

Establishing the Reliability and Developmental Validity of a Neurobehavioral Assessment for Preterm Infants: A Methodological Process

The Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant was developed in 3 phases: a pilot study, an exploratory study, and a validation study. In the exploratory study, clusters characterized by conceptual cohesion and face validity were systematically subjected to statistical analyses to determine whether they also had high test-retest reliability and developmental validity. In the validation study, a shortened version of the test was used with an independent cohort of 290 preterm infants. A step-by-step methodological process was used to test whether the results from the exploratory study would generalize over cohorts, different versions of the test, different hospitals, and changes in examiners. This process yielded 7 highly stable, developmentally valid, and representative preterm neurobehavioral functions that generalized over the exploratory and the validation studies. These were: motor development and vigor, scarf sign, popliteal angle, alertness and orientation, percent asleep ratings, irritability, and vigor of crying.