Teachers as writers: learning together with others

In the context of renewed interest in teachers' identities as writers and the writers as artist‐educators, this paper reports upon the findings of “Teachers as Writers” (2015–2017). A collaborative partnership between two universities and a creative writing foundation, the study sought to determine the impact of writers' engagement with teachers on changing teachers' classroom practices in the teaching of writing and, as a consequence, in improving outcomes for students. The project afforded opportunities for writers and teachers to work together as learners in order to improve student outcomes. The study involved two complementary datasets: a qualitative dataset of observations, interviews, audio‐capture (of workshops, tutorials and co‐mentoring reflections) and audio‐diaries from 16 teachers; and a randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 32 primary and secondary classes. The findings reveal that the teachers' identities and assurance as writers shifted significantly. The Arvon experience also led to pedagogic shifts which the students reported impacted positively upon their motivation, confidence and sense of ownership and skills as writers. However, these salient dispositional shifts did not impact upon the young people's attainment. The professional writers gained new understandings which substantially altered their conceptions of writers' potential contribution in schools.     

微笑前行

一个小镇姑娘如何成长为乡村乐坛的奇迹 　　1.RD:不久前你还在靠做女招待为生. 　　M:如果我不得不回去,那我也会过得不错的.我是个超级优秀的招待,因为我把它看做是个挑战. 　　……     

The effects of the kinesthetic-tactile component of the VAKT procedure on secondary LD students' reading performance

Multisensory instructional approaches have been used in teaching handicapped children for many years, but have never been adequately validated. Using a multiplebaseline design and direct measurement of words read and spelled as the dependent variable, this study evaluated the effects of the kinesthetic-tactile component in VAKT instruction. The results indicated that the three secondary LD students read more words correctly after VAKT instruction than after VA instruction, and retained more VAKT instructed words at one-week, three-week, and six-month retention probes. The instruction did not differentially affect the speiling of words. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Applying effective instructional strategies for teaching dyslexic students in a remedial college algebra course

For many secondary and postsecondary students with dyslexia, passing required algebra courses presents a formidable challenge. Although dyslexic students do have specific and sometimes severe learning deficits that can affect their chances of success in algebra, they can succeed if given appropriate and effective instruction that meets their special and individual needs. This article briefly describes the application of effective instructional practices to the teaching of remedial algebra that have been used with dyslexic students in the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Project Success program.     

Excellence in coaching: the art and skill of elite practitioners

During this study, 10 expert coaches were interviewed to examine their views on aspects of their individual coaching practice. Four themes emerged from the interviews: (a) the long-term approach, (b) the authentic coaching environment, (c) creating a learning environment, and (d) the quality and quantity of training sessions. These coaches were consistent in their attempts to facilitate learning experiences for the athletes, while setting high standards in both training and competition. The study's findings show that expert coaches have to orchestrate a large number of variables when planning and executing a training session, and their success depends on their coaching knowledge and their skill at contextualizing the necessary components for specific situations.     

Tacit Knowledge in Expert Coaching: Science or Art?

Effective coaching is a mixture of pedagogy and principles of sciences, e.g., motor skill acquisition, sociology, and physiology, often referred to as the science of coaching. Instinctive or intuitive coaching has often been incorrectly viewed as the art of coaching. More important should be how coaches develop knowledge, how they access that knowledge at the appropriate times and how this affects their decision-making process. The study of expert coaches should allow inferences to be drawn from their development and applied to coach education. This article intends to clarify coaching expertise and examine the role of tacit knowledge within coaching. The lack of a clear development pathway for aspiring expert coaches is a clear indicator that the current coach education system needs review. Any effective education system should be based on knowledge and understanding rather than mimicry and the implications for the future of coach education are considered.     

Predicting Participation in Environmental Education by Teachers in Coastal Regions of Tanzania

Theories of responsible environmental behavior (REB) have most often been applied in developed countries and to direct forms of REB such as recycling and conserving water. This study applied a model of REB to a developing country setting in Tanzania based in part on variables from a Hungerford and Volk (1990) Hungerford, H. R. and Volk, T. L. 1990. Changing learner behavior through EE. Journal of Environmental Education, 21: 8–21. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] model and targeting an indirect form of behavior: teaching environmental education (EE) to youth. A quantitative survey was developed and administered to 397 teachers from schools in coastal regions of the country. Regression analyses revealed a sequential model in which entry level variables predicted ownership variables, and ownership variables predicted empowerment variables. In addition, cognitive variables were particularly strong in predicting behavioral intent compared to affective variables.     

Those Hands

When examined cross-culturally, the formal incorporation of sport by American colleges and universities is rather unique. Although higher education in the United States is largely the result of European influences, only in America has sport become an official responsibility of the educational organization. The openness of the “charter” of higher education was the primary factor in the formal incorporation of sport responsibilities within American institutions. Without an agreed upon understanding of the role of American higher education, the business-minded leadership of its colleges and universities was allowed to use sport as a survival mechanism in response to financial and enrollment exigencies.     

Federal Policies and Local Realities: The Case of Appalachian Senior Programs

ABSTRACT

National senior service programs have had a long and relatively successful history. Emerging at the intersection of federal aging and poverty policy initiatives in the early 1960s, projects such as the Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) and the Senior Companion Program (SCP) have expanded in size and scope over the last several decades. These two programs were first introduced into northwestern North Carolina in the 1980s. While the experiences of FGP and SCP in the region have broadly mirrored the successes of programs located elsewhere, they have also confronted difficulties unique to their local realities that federal policy guidelines are often not sensitive to.