Traditional tales

Rachel Theilheimer teaches early childhood education at Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York City. Josh R. Allen is a fifth-grader at Dows Lane Elementary School in Irvington, NY, where Rena I. R. Allen is in first grade.     

Children with Special Educational Needs: Parents' Knowledge of Procedures and Provisions

The author carried out an investigation in Sheffield in 1989, when he was a student nurse (RNMH). He addressed a questionnaire to parents of children with learning difficulties, concerning their knowledge of the procedures for issuing statements of special educational needs, their communications with teachers and other professionals and their attitudes towards integration in mainstream schools.     

Cast Aside

This paper examines the role of user-generated content in a traditional news organization during the coverage of the Boston marathon bombings. In-depth interviews were conducted with the journalists who made up the interactive team at the Boston Globe. The interactive team was in charge of the live blog during the week-long coverage of the marathon bombings. The study identifies the perceptions journalists hold of user-generated content during crisis reporting and the impact user-generated content had during the tense coverage. The findings suggest that user-generated content has a good way to go before being considered an integral part of breaking news content.     

BBC Radio Leicester in 1976: Kick Starting British Asian Radio

This article examines how, in 1976, BBC Radio Leicester revolutionized broadcasting to Asian communities in England by launching a 5-nights a week Asian program. Aimed at helping to diffuse the toxic racial atmosphere in the city and improve community relations, the program proved to be a huge success and a direct forerunner of the BBC Asian Network.     

Strengths-based blended personalized learning: An impact study using virtual comparison group

Abstract

This study describes a strengths-based blended personalized learning model, the implementation of the model over a 4-year period, and the results of an impact study focused on measuring its effectiveness. The model includes many commonly-used features of personalized learning, including (a) competency-based progressions, (b) flexible learning environments, (c) personal learning paths, (d) frequently updated student profiles, and (e) frequent informal and formal measurement. However, it differs from other personalized learning models by including a focus on strengths-based learning. Strengths-based learning identifies and builds upon students’ strengths, supporting their ability to make informed decisions when setting goals and choosing and implementing learning experiences. The longitudinal study took place in a diverse mid-size pre-K to Grade 8 school district in California. The findings suggest that the strengths-based blended personalized learning model is effective in supporting student learning in the academic areas of mathematics, reading, and language usage. Over the 3-year period in which the intervention was gradually implemented, and one year of full implementation, students significantly outpaced their matched student counterparts in all subject areas. The results of the current study further the growing literature in the field of personalized learning by contributing learnings and evidence related to a successful personalized learning model.     

The organization of exploratory behavior in Down syndrome and nondelayed infants

The exploratory behaviors of a sample of 11 infants with Down syndrome and 11 nondelayed infants, matched on Bayley mental raw scores and gender, were analyzed. Transitional probabilities and z scores were computed for each possible behavior change as well as frequencies of each behavior. The analyses revealed significant differences in how the 2 samples distribute their exploratory activities. The significant transitional probabilities among the 6 behavioral states revealed a pattern of similarities and differences. In general, both groups of infants organized their exploratory activities in a similar manner. However, there were differences that appeared to depend on the level of exploratory sophistication. The results are discussed in the context of the similarities and differences between the samples.     

Drawing: An Image‐Making Approach

This paper is based on a lecture given at the University of Oporto in Portugal to mark the opening of the Lugar Do Desenho, Oporto in 1999. It describes a method of teaching drawing from observation that was developed by the authors for first year fine art students at Coventry University and as a short refresher course for seconded art teachers. It continues to be offered as one of three options in the inaugural drawing module of the visual arts programme. Its holistic approach is designed to encourage flexibility and invention as a way of enlarging the drawing vocabulary of students. The paper describes the thinking behind the course and how it sets about fulfilling its aims of broadening students understanding of observational accuracy and equipping weaker students in particular for the difficulties they might encounter when trying to make a coherent image.