The Influence of Informal Science Education Experiences on the Development of Two Beginning Teachers’ Science Classroom Teaching Identity

In case studies of two first-year elementary classroom teachers, we explored the influence of informal science education (ISE) they experienced in their teacher education program. Our theoretical lens was identity development, delimited to classroom science teaching. We used complementary data collection methods and analysis, including interviews, electronic communications, and drawing prompts. We found that our two participants referenced as important the ISE experiences in their development of classroom science identities that included resilience, excitement and engagement in science teaching and learning–qualities that are emphasized in ISE contexts. The data support our conclusion that the ISE experiences proved especially memorable to teacher education interns during the implementation of the No Child Left Behind policy which concentrated on school-tested subjects other than science.     

Staging peace: Televised ceremonies of reconciliation

The visit of Egypt's President Anwar Sadat to Jerusalem was the model for Dayan and Katz's conceptualization of the genre of media events, as live programs which have the power to transform history. Fifteen years later, a series of televised reconciliation ceremonies, which marked the stages of the peace process between Israel and its Arab neighbors (the Palestinians and the Jordanians), are used to re‐examine the model. We demonstrate (1) how the effectiveness of these ceremonies depends on the type of contract among the three participants—leaders, broadcasters and public—each of whom displays different kinds of reservations, and (2) how the aura of the ceremonies draws on the prior status of the participants (Hussein), but also confers status (Arafat).     

Research methods and Guides

The Territory of the Historian by E.. Le Roy Ladurie(Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1979 —S21.00)

Harvard Guide to American History edited by Frank Freidel, (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Universiry Press, 1974 with 1479 as first date for this paperback edition—$12.50 (on tne book cover) or 39.95 (in the slip inside from the publisher)

Witham Katz Your Library: A Reference Guide (New: York: Holt. Rinehart & Winston, 1919—price not given, gaper)

Alan E. Thompson, Understanding Futurology: An Introduction. to Futures Study (Newton Abbot, U.R /North Pomfret, Vt. : David & ,1979 —$12.50)     

Dimensions of concern over telecommunications privacy in the United States

Abstract

Analyses of attitudes and concerns about privacy from a national survey sample of 1,532 adult Americans in 1988 revealed several separate dimensions. A modification of Tryon's method of clustering variables (third‐order correlations) yielded groups of variables whose meanings were much more interpretable than they had been when factor analysis was initially used. We tested the validity of the clustering by a highly comprehensive system of item analyses. The main findings were that (1) respondent concerns over telephone privacy were not related to other aspects of privacy, (2) interest in devices like Caller ID that enable recipients to know the number of the caller were not related to other aspects of telephone privacy, and (3) general privacy concerns under conditions where the respondent and the other party know each other were independent of those conditions where they do not know each other. Implications for telecommunications policy and new services are discussed.     

Stages in the History of Algebra with Implications for Teaching

In this article, we take a rapid journey through the history of algebra, noting the important developments and reflecting on the importance of this history in the teaching of algebra in secondary school or university. Frequently, algebra is considered to have three stages in its historical development: the rhetorical stage, the syncopated stage, and the symbolic stage. But besides these three stages of expressing algebraic ideas, there are four more conceptual stages which have happened along side of these changes in expressions. These stages are the geometric stage, where most of the concepts of algebra are geometric ones; the static equation-solving stage, where the goal is to find numbers satisfying certain relationships; the dynamic function stage, where motion seems to be an underlying idea, and finally, the abstract stage, where mathematical structure plays the central role. The stages of algebra are, of course not entirely disjoint from one another; there is always some overlap. We discuss here high points of the development of these stages and reflect on the use of these historical stages in the teaching of algebra. Commentary from a Mathematics Educator Bill Barton. See also the last page. Commentary from a Mathematics Educator     

Phonological and semantic factors in the object-naming errors of skilled and less-skilled readers

Children who read poorly have difficulty naming objects, and their errors usually bear a semantic or a phonetic resemblance to the correct words. Excessive semantic and phonetic naming errors could both be due to underlying phonological deficiencies in poor readers. When children cannot name an object because its name is not represented well in long-term memory or cannot be processed well, semantic information as well as partially available phonological information may be used in selecting an alternative response. This hypothesis was tested by looking for the joint influence of semantics and phonology in the naming errors of third-grade children. The same children were asked to name a set of pictured objects, repeat the object names after being spoken by the examiner, and recognize the objects from their spoken names. A separate group of children produced associative responses to the same pictures. First, it was found that, compared with skilled readers, less-skilled readers who named objects without any time pressure had a deficit that could not be attributed to repetition difficulty or limited vocabulary. Second, the naming errors showed a semantic relationship to the correct words that was as strong as that of the associative responses. Third, the naming errors also showed a phonetic relationship to the correct words, whereas the associative responses did not. Finding a joint semantic and phonetic effect in the naming errors of children suggests that the errors may be attributable to phonological deficiencies.     

Trends and Issues in the Dissemination of Child Development and Early Education Knowledge

Drawing upon the experience gained from 25 years as director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education this paper is presented in two parts. First some observations on current trends in the environment to which the dissemination of child development and early education knowledge is directed. Included within these trends are the expansion of the information environment as an increasing number of specialist journals emerge and the collision in some countries between these specialised professionals and experts and public and political sentiment. Second, some issues related to the dissemination of knowledge are presented ending with the suggestion that those in advisory and training positions have an important role to play in helping the scientific and practitioner cultures understand each other. The paper concludes with a discussion of some implications of the trends and issues.

     

Harnessing Teacher Potential as Israel Education Curriculum Developers

In this article I investigate how one group of teachers deliberated about Israel education with the intention to “modify the myth” as they engaged in curriculum reform. I begin from the idea that curriculum development should be an in-house endeavor that encourages faculty to embrace their roles as curricular decision-makers. Participants readily shared insights and suggestions from personal experiences and practices and explored goal language for teaching a critical Israel. However, moving from individual reflection to practical decision-making proved complicated due to factors stemming from personal and professional identities, school structure and culture. I consider implications for harnessing teacher potential as Israel education curriculum developers.