Reviews: 10

Salmon, Gilly (2002) E-tivities Kogan Page (London (& Stylus, Sterling VA)) ISBN 0-7494-3686-7 223 pp £19.99
http://www.kogan-page.co.uk kpinfo@kogan-page.co.uk     

Supporting Early Childhood Social-Emotional Well Being: The Building Blocks for Early Learning and School Success

The period of early childhood sets the stage for how well children view themselves, each other, and their world. Shared positive emotional experiences between caregivers and children serve as building blocks for the development of social and emotional well-being in infants and toddlers. Incorporating the three principles of promotion, prevention, and intervention within a systems framework (child–parent–environment) will enable early childhood practitioners to foster the emotional health and well-being of all children and families, especially those individual children who are more vulnerable due to the presence of multiple risk factors. The primary intent of the authors of this paper is to discuss the importance of attending to the social and emotional well being of very young children as a primary focus of early learning and school success.     

Technology and educational empowerment: Students' perspectives

As part of a two-year investigation of technological innovation in one secondary school, nine senior students participated in one-hour interviews that explored their perceptions of the proper role of technology in their schooling. Student responses were analyzed and compared to those of their teachers for similarities and differences in perceptions about desirable uses and goals for technology. Like their teachers, a majority preferred to adapt technology to support traditional, teacher-centered instruction. A minority valued technology as a facilitator of student-centered inquiry and appeared to differ from the majority in beliefs about schooling and in dispositional tolerances for uncertainty.This paper is based on work done as part of the author's doctoral dissertation at the University of Georgia. Portions of the paper were presented at the 9th Annual International Qualitative Research in Education Conference, Athens, GA, January, 1996.     

Sociology and Music Education: a response to Swanwick

This paper is a response to Professor Swanwick's critique of our sociological perspective on music education. A detailed presentation of the sociology of music thesis demonstrates that accusations of ‘social determinism’ and ‘referentialism’ are both misconceived. Moreover, Swanwick's position leads to difficulties in his approach to music aesthetics, where at times he makes assumptions concerning the work of theorists such as Meyer and Keil which these authors have themselves explicitly repudiated. We then relate certain observations which Swanwick makes concerning the processes of schooling to wider sociological theories of schooling that help make sense of the kinds of constraints Swanwick correctly identifies. Finally, we accept Swanwick's challenge to be more explicit concerning both our response to his charge of relativism and our practical recommendations for the reform of music teaching.     

Harnessing the power of superheroes: An alternative view

Superhero play offers opportunities for superfun and superlearning