Articulation and student intentionality in professional development: A proactive model for teacher educators

Abstract

The Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) professional development movement, community college students’ emerging intentionality, and the role of two‐ and four‐year higher education faculty intersect in a proactive model proposed by the author that advocates ECEC community college programs separate from the vocational tradition and establishes ECEC transfer degrees to four‐year programs. Degree structures must be built with flexibility, and encompass checkpoints and highly articulated options as student intentionality unfolds. The proactive model is constructed from Morgan's (1994) 21 st century model of professionalism and her conception of students’ emerging intentionality, combined with Brint and Karabel's (1989) models that attempt to explain why community colleges moved from conferring primarily transfer degrees to conferring primarily vocational degrees.     

Play – a multi-modal manifestation in kindergarten education in China

Play, as an educational concept, has entered many kindergartens in China; yet it has not become a core idea, or been prioritised in the teaching and learning process. An ongoing trans-provincial study started in 2008, using observation, interviews and document analyses. Based on findings from nine kindergartens in three provinces, this article illustrates how the concept of play is perceived and manifested in kindergartens located in three cities across China. It is suggested that there is a certain relationship between the rank and the status of play in a kindergarten, which may offer a systematic way to better understand how the concept of play is represented in Chinese kindergartens. Evidence also shows that the play concept has influenced Chinese educational ideas and pedagogy at certain levels but without changing the fundamental Chinese ideas of a play and learning relationship. Explanations for the phenomena observed, such as ranking versus forms of manifestation will be suggested.     

A technology foundation course for women

The Technology Foundation Course for Women at Huddersfield Polytechnic is designed to help women compensate for their previous lack of experience in technology and to prepare them to enter diploma and degree courses in higher education. The course has several distinctive features in that it is for women only and is designed to meet the needs of mature students with family commitments. Students are allowed flexibility in their choice of subjects, enabling them to study mathematics, physics, computing or chemistry to approximately A‐level standard. Students from the first intake have evaluated the course positively and the majority are studying computing or engineering‐related subjects in higher education. The design of the course is discussed in the light of the requirements of women taking the course and the demand within industry and higher education for more qualified scientists and engineers.     

The Role of Theory in the Study of Peer Collaboration

This special issue illustrates how research on peer collaboration is influenced by different theoretical perspectives. In the first part of this commentary, the role of theory in each article is discussed. The authors use connections among theory, research questions, and study methods to identify how theory affected the work of each group of researchers. They then make the case that the real need lies in the integration of those theories and in the integration of all findings relevant to applied questions of collaborative processing. Following a brief review of relevant theories, the authors demonstrate how a cohesive, integrated theory of group processes can be adopted.     

Manipulatives Work!

This essay invites reflection on the phenomena of time as it impacts the day-to-day life of teachers. It also explores assumptions about time and teaching in three areas: first, beliefs about the force of time and the teacher's struggle to control it; second, beliefs about the potential of time and the benefits of its passing for teachers and students; and finally, beliefs about significant moments in time and the teacher's courage to be appropriately responsive to them.     

Internet/E-mail Usage and Well-Being Among 65–84 Year Olds in New Zealand: Policy Implications

Research indicates that significant groups of older people are using Internet/e-mail technology. Using data from a 2007 random sample of 1,680 New Zealanders aged 65–84, predictors of Internet/e-mail usage and the impact of usage on well-being were investigated. Gender, age, education, household composition, income, and work were significant predictors of Internet/e-mail usage. Significant positive relationships were also found between Internet/e-mail usage, self-rated health, leisure/recreation participation and leadership, and well-being. These research findings suggest that public policies should encourage older people to adopt Internet/e-mail technology to ensure continued participation, learning, and well-being throughout later years.     

Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations Between Children's Sleep and Cognitive Functioning: The Moderating Role of Parent Education

Relations between children's sleep and cognitive functioning were examined over 2 years, and race and socioeconomic status were assessed as moderators of effects. Third-grade African American and European American children ( N  =   166; M  =   8.72 years) participated at Time 1 and again 2 years later ( N  =   132). At both Time 1 and Time 2, sleep was examined via self-report and actigraphy. Children were administered selected tests from the Woodcock–Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities, and Stanford Achievement Test scores were obtained from schools. Children's sleep was related to intellectual ability and academic achievement. Results build substantially on an emerging literature supportive of the importance of sleep in children.