I don't want to learn things,I'd rather just find out: Jan Mark'sThunder and Lightnings

Children's Literature in Education -     

From Network Learning to Classroom Teaching

In this period of designing controls to producegreater teacher accountability, the NationalWriting Project (NWP) stands as an importantcontrast, teaching us what it means to developthe capacity of teachers. We undertook atwo-year study of the NWP by looking intenselyat two sites, an urban and a rural site. Wesought to understand and document what teacherslearned from their induction to the WritingProject, what they took back to their classroomand how they stayed involved in various localnetwork activities. By looking at the five weeksummer invitational seminar held on thecampuses of their respective sites, we foundcore activities as well as other ancillary onesthat helped teachers gain a set of principlesand ways of working that they took back totheir classrooms. We also found a welldeveloped set of activities run in networkfashion that gave teachers numerousopportunities to stay connected, to leadprofessional development in their localcontexts, to explore special interest groups,and to become members of a powerful learningcommunity. We highlight two of six teachersthat we studied who provide an example of hownetwork learning is linked to classroomteaching. The success of the NWP as aprofessional development network rooted inteachers' work with teachers teaching teachersas a core element, suggests that networks suchas these may be well suited to the rapid changein our society as well as to the growingcomplexity of teachers' work.     

Comparing motor development of deaf children of deaf parents and deaf children of hearing parents

Deaf children of Deaf parents perform better academically (Ritter-Brinton & Stewart, 1992), linguistically (Courtin, 2000; M. Harris, 2001; Vaccari & Marschark, 1997), and socially (Hadadian & Rose, 1991; M. Harris, 2001) than Deaf children of hearing parents. Twenty-nine Deaf children in residential schools were assessed to determine if a significant difference also exists in motor development between Deaf children with Deaf parents and Deaf children with hearing parents. In the locomotor area, 78.6% of Deaf children of Deaf parents and 73.3% of Deaf children of hearing parents reached or surpassed average performance levels. In regard to object control, 92.9% of Deaf children of Deaf parents and 93.3% of Deaf children of hearing parents reached or surpassed average performance levels. The study results show no significant difference between the motor development of Deaf children of Deaf parents and Deaf children of hearing parents.     

Novice Supervisees' Self‐Evaluations and Their Perceptions of Supervisor Style

Multiple regression analyses of data obtained for 36 counseling supervision dyads indicated that attractiveness, an aspect of supervisory style, was negatively associated with supervisees' self‐evaluations and positively associated with the difference between trainees' and supervisors' evaluations of counseling competence at the end of the 1st practicum experience. Supervisors' interpersonal sensitivity and task orientation were not found to contribute significantly to either of the criterion variables.     

Dewey in His Skivvies: The Trouble with Reconstruction

In this essay, Robbie McClintock argues that educational theorists have inflated John Dewey's deserved reputation beyond what the quality of his work can sustain. He briefly recounts how Dewey developed a program for reconstruction in philosophy, education, and social life with the aim of overcoming chronic dislocations in social life. McClintock sees two parts to Dewey's reconstruction: a negative program, in which Dewey rejects the metaphysical heritage that had induced these social dislocations; and a positive program, in which he advances scientifically grounded instrumentalities for a more humane conduct of life. McClintock hypothesizes that Dewey's negative reconstruction, based on facile historical reasoning, dismissed historical resources that could have strengthened his positive program to develop a naturalistic humanism, one more instrumental in the art of living. To explain his hypothesis, McClintock selectively shows how, in numerous works, Dewey rejected prior thinking unnecessarily as a means to advance his ideas, focusing in particular on Dewey's dismissive assessment of Immanuel Kant's and G. W. F. Hegel's work. McClintock criticizes Dewey's historical views to encourage present‐day educational thinkers to avoid emulating them and to make full, creative use of the philosophical tradition instead. He closes the essay by suggesting how historical reason can anticipate future possibilities and thus inform present action, and by calling on all to use it in humanizing the lifeworld we share.     

Does First Sex Really “Just Happen?” A Retrospective Exploratory Study of Sexual Debut Among American Adolescents

First sex marks a significant transition for most adolescents, yet teens often report that it was unplanned. Seventy-four college students participated in exploratory focus groups about their first sex. Although initially asked whether their first sex was spontaneous or planned, many participants revealed evidence of forethought or anticipation, signifying a third option, anticipation. This study suggests that the development and timing of sexual health messages should build on the apparent, albeit often unacknowledged, planning and thought that accompany the transition to first sex. Specifically, during the time immediately preceding first sex, young people might be particularly open to such messages.     

Prevalence of overweight among deaf children

The study examined the prevalence of overweight cases in a sample of 151 deaf children aged 6-11 years. Participants were deaf students attending six elementary schools, both regular and special, in four states. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using height and weight, plotted on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) U.S. BMI-for-age growth charts, then compared to national values for same age and gender (CDC, 2006a, 2006b; National Center for Health Statistics, 2005). The results indicated that the prevalence of overweight deaf children aged 6-11 years was above the national percentage for same age and gender. A larger percentage of boys was overweight (24.7%) than girls (20.4%). After age 8 years, girls showed a consistent decrease in BMI with increasing age, a trend not demonstrated by boys. As a group, deaf children demonstrate a higher prevalence of overweight than national averages.