Co‐operative Learning for Children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Mainstream and Special Class Settings: An exploratory study

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a cooperative learning (CL) intervention on the levels of social and task engagement of a child with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) conducted in a mainstream class setting and a child with ASD implemented in a special needs class setting. The target children were two 8‐year‐old boys diagnosed with high functioning autism. Both children were placed in CL groups which included three typically developing peers, one male and two females. Four baseline sessions taught in a traditional teaching format and seven CL intervention sessions based on a “learning together/conceptual approach” took place. All sessions were recorded for video analysis. CL was found to be successful in substantially increasing the level of social engagement for both the child in the special needs class and the child in the mainstream class. CL was not found to facilitate task engagement. Active task engagement was found to remain relatively stable and passive task engagement was found to decrease for one child and remain stable for the other. Teacher concerns and issues relating to the practical implementation of CL in both settings are discussed.     

Pedagogical Content Knowledge and the 2003 Science Teacher Preparation Standards for NCATE Accreditation or State Approval

The 2003 National Science Teachers Association Standards for Science Teacher Preparation (NSTA-SSTP) were developed to provide guidelines and expectations for science teacher preparation programs. This article is the fourth in a special JSTE series on accreditation written to assist science teacher educators in meeting the NSTA-SSTP. In this article, the authors discuss pedagogical content knowledge and how this is expressed in the NSTA-SSTP. Included are competencies and examples needed for a science teacher preparation program to document developing pedagogical content knowledge in preservice science teachers.     

“Did you do your homework?” Mathematics teachers’ homework follow‐up practices at middle school level

Teachers’ homework follow‐up practices, the in‐class strategies teachers use to monitor their students’ homework assignments, have an impact on their students’ homework behaviors and academic achievement. The current study explored the perspectives of middle school mathematics teachers on the three domains of homework follow‐up: the practices used in class, the purposes of each practice, and the aspects that may influence this process. Data were collected from two data sources (i.e., focus groups and classroom observations) and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that teachers monitored homework either using a single strategy or a combination of strategies (e.g., checking homework completion and providing individual feedback) linked to a specific purpose (e.g., promote students’ involvement). The teachers also reported that they were under certain constraints when they delivered homework follow‐up practices (e.g., pressure to follow the curriculum), so their practices’ effectiveness sometimes can be compromised. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Whose curriculum? Critical notes on integration and entitlement

ABSTRACT

This paper considers the way in which current notions of integration and curriculum entitlement may disadvantage pupils with exceptional needs. An illustrative case of a pupil with profound and multiple learning difficulties is discussed along with general issues of entitlement arising, and the implications for that individual. Through an examination of the effects of the criteria for ‘being educated’ that result from the implementation of the National Curriculum in the UK, we question current perceptions of issues such as normalization, age appropriateness and 'integration’. We use a case study of a child with autism to question whether his educational interests are best served by current notions of integrated education. We suggest a broader notion of education that encompasses rather than contrasts with care, and suggest that curriculum entitlement should involve common curricular principles rather than common curricular content and should not deny within‐child factors. We further suggest that ‘integration’ should be reconceptualized as 'inclusion’ and we query the features that make educational needs ‘special’