A comparison of reading strategies in genetic dyslexics and children with right and left brain deficits

The reading levels and reading strategies of 43 children with genetic dyslexia, right-hemisphere lesions/dysfunction, and left-hemisphere lesions/dysfunction were retrospectively compared. Age and IQ were comparable. Only children who had a verbal or performance IQ over 90 were included in the study. Although the genetic dyslexics had a significantly higher Full Scale IQ than the other two groups, their reading level was significantly lower. This suggests that a disturbance of the normal processes of neuronal migration during fetal development may have profound effects on specific cognitive processes, without affecting others. In contrast, 50 percent of the boys with left-hemisphere deficits were disabled readers. One-third of the boys with right-hemisphere deficits were also poor readers. With one exception, the girls, who had comparable deficits, were good readers. A comparison was made between the groups in terms of reading strategies and patterns of errors.     

Individualised educational programmes. Part I: a literature review

This review was undertaken as part of a research project commissioned by the Scottish Executive and carried out by a team from Glasgow and Newcastle Universities between January 2000 and January 2001 when the report was published ( Banks et al., 2001 ). The research study, entitled 'Raising the Attainment of Pupils with Special Educational Needs', followed the issuing of new guidelines ( SOEID, 1998a ; SEED, 1999 ) which linked the use of individualised educational programmes (IEPs) to the wider political enterprise of raising standards through target-setting.     

The effects of the Webster-Stratton parenting program on maltreating families: fostering strengths

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of the Webster-Stratton parenting program on the parenting skills of maltreating mothers and on the autonomy of their children (3-8 years). METHOD: A randomized controlled trial was used. Twenty-six maltreating families were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: the 16-hour weekly intervention group, or the 4-month wait list control group. Pre- and post-intervention independent assessments included a 2-hour home visit involving videotaped mother-child interactions during two prescribed, 10-minute play activities. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, treatment mothers demonstrated significant improvement in involvement and marginally significant improvement in autonomy-support, but no improvement in structure. Treatment group children showed no significant improvement in autonomy when compared to control group children. CONCLUSIONS: This parenting program proved effective with maltreating parents. The lack of demonstrated effect on children may reflect the need for a larger and more sustained treatment dose and/or the need to include parent-child interaction opportunities in the program. At the same time, while treatment gains were limited to the parent, the high treatment adherence rate (92% attended six or more of the eight program sessions) and low attrition rate (n=1) indicate that the treatment gains may hold potential for more thorough examination.     

Questioning techniques to promote thinking

Research has shown that children as young as three and four can think on many different levels if they are encouraged to do so (Pepler & Ross, 1981; Turner & Durrett, 1975). Educators can promote young children's thinking by asking appropriate questions and by providing learning activities that require children to think beyond the recall or memorization level (What Works, 1986). Asking good questions is an art — an art that can be learned and refined with practice and with conscious effort.Jean M. Shaw and Mary Jo Puckett Cliatt are associate professors in the School of Education at the University of Mississippi in University, MS.     

The Protection of a Statement? Permanent exclusions and the SEN Code of Practice

The number of pupils with Statements who are permanently excluded from school has been identified as an issue in several national studies. This paper reports on a small-scale research project within one local education authority (LEA), aimed at identifying common factors and issues around the exclusion of Statemented pupils from mainstream schools. Key findings include a high rate of significant literacy and numeracy difficulties in the sample, limited communication between some schools and LEA support services, the schools' predominant use of Statements to provide in-class support from a learning support assistant rather than other more targeted interventions, and teachers' perceptions that no amount of increased funding through the Statement would have prevented the exclusion.     

Empirical evidence of the impact of lesson study on students’ achievement,teachers’ professional learning and on institutional and system evolution

In this article we review the evidence of the impact of lesson study on student learning, teacher development, teaching materials, curriculum, professional learning and system enhancement. We argue for lesson study to be treated holistically as a vehicle for development and improvement at classroom, school and system levels rather than as a curricular or pedagogical intervention. We illustrate the need for this approach to evaluating lesson study through a complex case exemplar which used Research Lesson Study (a form of lesson study popular in the UK and Europe) to develop learning, teaching, curriculum and local improvement capacity across schools initially involved in a two‐year mathematics curriculum development project that later evolved into three self‐sustaining, voluntary lesson study school hubs in London. We discuss resulting changes in culture, practice, belief, expectation and student learning. We argue as a result for greater policy level understanding of this expanded conception of lesson study as a vehicle in classroom, school and system transformation.     

Educational Configurations for Teaching Environmental Socioscientific Issues Within The Perspective of Sustainability

Education for Sustainability has become an institutional requirement in many countries. It takes many forms that can integrate the teaching of environmental Socioscientific Issues (SSIs). In this context, we present the French notion of Socially Acute Questions (SAQs). We develop a theoretical frame to analyse educational configurations applied to the teaching of SAQs within the perspective of sustainability. This frame is built with a reference to a matrix integrating attributes of knowledge (universal, plural, engaged or contextualised), teachers’ epistemological postures (scientism, utilitarianism, skepticsm or relativism) and various didactic strategies (doctrinal, problematizing, critical or pragmatic). To illustrate this frame, three situations of teaching-learning are compared.     

Sex differences in the missing-letter effect: A question of reading or visual–spatial skills?

When readers must search for a target letter while reading a continuous text, they are more likely to miss targets in frequent function words than in less frequent content words. This missing-letter effect has been found across many languages, methodologies, and types of reading materials. Despite the ubiquity of the missing-letter effect, sex differences have been reported, but their pattern is conflicting and no clear interpretation has been offered so far. In two experiments, sex differences were examined in the letter search task, while also measuring spatial and reading skills. In both experiments, the missing-letter effect was found for both genders and a larger missing-letter effect was found for faster readers. It is concluded that when sex differences are observed in the missing-letter effect, they are likely due to reading speed and not to spatial skills as previously hypothesized. Results are interpreted in light of the Attentional Disengagement model of the missing-letter effect.