Adaptations in the teaching of composition to non-native speakers of English

This article defines the problem of teaching foreign students in standard American university composition courses. It describes how two composition courses were modified to meet the needs of students who were beyond English as a Second Language composition but not yet ready for mainstream study. The article suggests that adaptations, not only in technique, but in approach and content as well, are required in order to fulfill the needs of these special students.Sally L. Chirinos, M.A. was the Academic Director of the EFL Program at the Instituto Cultural Peruano-Norteamericano, Arequipa, Peru from 1977–78. Suellen Rundquist is a M.A. candidate in Foreign Language Education and English as a Second Language at the University of Minnesota. Lisa Washburn holds a M.A. in English as a Second Language and a M.A. Germanic Philology from the University of Minnesota.     

Wearable technologies for students with disabilities

Students with disabilities typically experience academic, social, and behavioural challenges in school. Some of these students also often experience anxiety and stress associated with school situations and events. Wearable technologies are an emerging innovation in the United States that can support students with disabilities during stressful academic or social situations. This article discusses issues associated with wearables, offers questions to consider when considering a wearable device for a student, and describes several wearable technologies for students with disabilities.     

A Second-Order Longitudinal Model for Binary Outcomes: Item Response Theory Versus Structural Equation Modeling

Measuring academic growth, or change in aptitude, relies on longitudinal data collected across multiple measurements. The National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS:88) is among the earliest, large-scale, educational surveys tracking students’ performance on cognitive batteries over 3 years. Notable features of the NELS:88 data set, and of almost all repeated measures educational assessments, are (a) the outcome variables are binary or at least categorical in nature; and (b) a set of different items is given at each measurement occasion with a few anchor items to fix the measurement scale. This study focuses on the challenges related to specifying and fitting a second-order longitudinal model for binary outcomes, within both the item response theory and structural equation modeling frameworks. The distinctions between and commonalities shared between these two frameworks are discussed. A real data analysis using the NELS:88 data set is presented for illustration purposes.     

Early childhood teachers' views of nature of science: The influence of intellectual levels,cultural values,and explicit reflective teaching

This study tracked the influence of explicit reflective instructional methods on cultural values, ethical and intellectual development, and the relationship of these with preservice teachers' views of nature of science (NOS). The researchers used the Views of Nature of Science Form B (VNOS B) to describe NOS views, the Learning Context Questionnaire (LCQ) to classify preservice teachers' ethical and intellectual positions using Perry's scheme, and the Schwartz Values Inventory (SVI) to measure preservice teachers' cultural values. The interventions took place in two concurrent courses: a science methods course, and a foundations of early childhood course. The science methods course explicitly emphasized NOS throughout the semester, and the foundations of early childhood course reinforced these ideas through cultural activities that stressed empirical evidence. Analysis of data showed relationships between preservice teachers' Perry positions and responses on the VNOS B with those at higher positions exhibiting more informed NOS views. Relationships between preservice teachers' NOS views and their cultural values were identified, such as those at the dualism position holding achievement more highly for scientists than those at other Perry positions. The values preservice teachers held personally were different from those they held as important for scientists. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 748–770, 2008     

Trainee teachers in unpaid teaching posts: volunteering,risk and vulnerability

This paper explores the experiences and perceptions of a little-known category of in-service trainee teachers in the Further Education (FE) and Skills sector in England: those who meet the practical teaching requirements of their course mainly through unpaid teaching as ‘volunteers’. The paper reports findings from mixed-methods research which used surveys, interviews and focus groups involving trainee teachers within a large FE–HE partnership. Themes relating to motivations to volunteer, the development of teacher identity within marginal roles, and the risks associated with unpaid teaching are discussed. For increasing numbers of trainees, unpaid teaching provides an opportunity for career entry. However, the quality of teaching experience gained is mixed, with some trainees receiving high levels of support, whilst others experience marginalisation and limitations on their developing teacher identities. The paper highlights the specific challenges to professionalism posed by unpaid teaching within the FE and Skills sector, and relates these challenges to a broader context of insecurity and risk. As work experience becomes an increasingly valuable commodity, this paper illustrates the pressures individuals face as they exchange payment and security for the opportunities volunteering provides.     

Desiring silence: Gender,race and pedagogy in education

In my work with white teachers, predominantly female, I assert that ‘desire’ is functioning to produce silent discourses that serve to perpetuate a continuation of white privilege. Based on a qualitative research study exploring the nature of silences in teacher education classrooms, this paper seeks to explore how desire is functioning to produce such silences and how they can be productively understood. Using the concept of desire as presented by Deleuze, this paper engages a notion of desire that is not spawned from lack but a desire that is generative and seeking, resulting in the production of privilege, power and voice.     

Face-to-face versus computer-mediated discussion of teaching cases: Impacts on preservice teachers’ engagement, critical analyses, and self-efficacy

Two frequently-used discussion protocols were investigated as part of a program to implement teaching cases in undergraduate educational psychology classes designed for preservice teachers. One protocol involved synchronous face-to-face (FTF) discussion of teaching cases, which occurred in class after students had individually completed written case analyses as homework outside of class. The other was asynchronous computer-mediated (CM) discussion taking place outside of class, simultaneous to students’ completion of their written case analyses. Six class offerings of an undergraduate child development course taught by two instructors (three classes by each instructor) were randomly assigned within instructor in a quasi-experimental design to one of the three discussion conditions: FTF, CM, or no discussion of the cases across the semester. Findings indicated that both CM and FTF discussion conditions were associated with positive outcomes relative to the control condition. Both CM and FTF discussion related to higher cognitive–affective engagement with the cases than the control condition; and the CM discussion condition was associated with higher cognitive–affective engagement than FTF discussion. In contrast, FTF discussion, but not CM discussion, was associated with higher-than-control-condition case analysis ability at the end of the semester. Potential explanations for these findings and directions for future research are discussed.