Effect of the Medium of Item Presentation on Examinee Performance and Item Characteristics

Studies that have investigated differences in examinee performance on items administered in paper-and-pencil form or on a computer screen have produced equivocal results. Certain item administration procedures were hypothesized to be among the most important variables causing differences in item performance and ultimately in test scores obtained from these different administration media. A study where these item administration procedures were made as identical as possible for each presentation medium is described. In addition, a methodology is presented for studying the difficulty and discrimination of items under each presentation medium as a post hoc procedure.     

Sensitivity to Visual-Tactile Colocation on the Body Prior to Skilled Reaching in Early Infancy

Two experiments examined perceptual colocation of visual and tactile stimuli in young infants. Experiment 1 compared 4- (n = 15) and 6-month-old (n = 12) infants’ visual preferences for visual-tactile stimulus pairs presented across the same or different feet. The 4- and 6-month-olds showed, respectively, preferences for colocated and noncolocated conditions, demonstrating sensitivity to visual-tactile colocation on their feet. This extends previous findings of visual-tactile perceptual colocation on the hands in older infants. Control conditions excluded the possibility that both 6- (Experiment 1), and 4-month-olds (Experiment 2, n = 12) perceived colocation on the basis of an undifferentiated supramodal coding of spatial distance between stimuli. Bimodal perception of visual-tactile colocation is available by 4 months of age, that is, prior to the development of skilled reaching.     

Decentering: A construct to analyze and explain teacher actions as they relate to student thinking

Mathematics educators and writers of mathematics education policy documents continue to emphasize the importance of teachers focusing on and using student thinking to inform their instructional decisions and interactions with students. In this paper, we characterize the interactions between a teacher and student(s) that exhibit this focus. Specifically, we extend previous work in this area by utilizing Piaget’s construct of decentering (The language and thought of the child. Meridian Books, Cleveland, 1955) to explain teachers’ actions relative to both their thinking and their students’ thinking. In characterizing decentering with respect to a teacher’s focus on student thinking, we use two illustrations that highlight the importance of decentering in making in-the-moment decisions that are based on student thinking. We also discuss the influence of teacher decentering actions on the quality of student–teacher interactions and their influence on student learning. We close by discussing various implications of decentering, including how decentering is related to other research constructs including teachers’ development and enactment of mathematical knowledge for teaching.     

Fostering Empathy through an Inclusive Pedagogy for Career Creatives

With the emergence of an entire generation of technologically infused learners comes a new challenge for educators to combat their desire for technologically enhanced isolation. The impact of social media on self‐absorption and the ramifications of excessive screen time are already evident in our current generation of tech‐native students. Meanwhile, the need for more empathetic employees who show compassion toward clients, exercise tolerance for co‐workers and demonstrate cultural awareness in all aspects of their work is already being prioritised over discipline‐specific skills and even STEM expertise by current business leaders. Similarly, the demand for more empathetic creatives is being catalysed by a design industry that now values human‐centredness. Empathy brings the human component to user‐experience and interface design and is now widely acknowledged as the first step in any design process. As a corollary, the development of empathy as a pedagogical deliverable will not only be necessary for the workplace of the future but for future generations to become fully‐functioning members of society. This research explores how an inclusive art and design pedagogy can foster collaborative learner‐centred approaches to develop empathy as a key component of emotional intelligence. Our methodology for triggering meaningful experiences and transformational growth harnesses collaborative play as a way to engage learners in stimulating, socially conscious teamwork. By becoming more intentional about designing the future of higher education in order to nurture more empathetic career creatives, we also lay the groundwork in preparation for educating the most technologically advanced, yet potentially socially isolated learners of any generation yet.     

Creative pedagogies and collaboration: an action research project

This action research study involves nine elementary school teacher-researchers, one university faculty member, and one graduate student engaged in developing creative pedagogical practices in one elementary school in an urban school in Alabama, USA. Participants found that a teacher’s experience of agency and their ability to work creatively depended upon a clear articulation of structures and the identification of areas of flexibility and possibility. Further, participants endeavored to promote avenues for ongoing communication and collaboration between teachers and the principal with the view that creativity based in communication would sustain transformative dialogues in the school.