Technology and Physical Education: Present,Possibilities, and Potential Problems'

During the early 20^th Century, female athletes who did not fit into the model of feminine beauty and grace, represented through select models of sport, were often not considered in media reports and newspapers. Through an examination of the use of narrative inquiry in the exploration of women's experiences in 20th Century Canadian sport, a lack of representation and gaps in information concerning women's participation in sport has been identified. In order to discuss how these gaps can be accounted for, the examination of narrative inquiry as an epistemological methodology is required. Building on this analysis, this paper compares and contrasts the use of a causal chain model versus the use of the story as an explanation. Through this discussion, an assessment of how an application of this school of inquiry can be used to account for the experiences of female athletes will be discussed.     

ONLINE ASYNCHRONOUS COLLABORATION IN MATHEMATICS TEACHER EDUCATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHING

In this article the authors describe their efforts to support teachers' development of deep, connected understandings of school mathematics and to find ways to make use of the teachers' learning as a context for subsequent mathematical and pedagogical development. The authors detail the evolution of their model for Online Asynchronous Collaboration (OAC), which is grounded in current research in mathematics teacher education and that takes advantage of the collaborative nature of the Internet and the permanent nature of the online interactions. They believe that OAC is a promising practice in teacher education and will discuss both the rationale for their design decisions and provide examples of teachers' activity within OAC.     

Effects of a multimedia enhanced reading buddies program on kindergarten and Grade 4 vocabulary and comprehension

Reading buddies programs, which pair older and younger students to read books together on a regular basis, are common in many U.S. elementary schools. Yet, the research base on these programs is limited. Therefore, we conducted a quasiexperimental study of a reading buddies program targeting vocabulary and comprehension. The program we studied paired fourth-grade students with kindergarten students to read, talk, play, and write together. In all, 16 Grade 4 classrooms and 16 kindergarten classrooms participated in the treatment group and in the comparison group. The treatment included 10 one-hour sessions implemented over the course of roughly 10 weeks. Analyses revealed effects of treatment on proximal measures of vocabulary for both kindergarteners and fourth-grade students. However, there were no effects on distal measures for either group. Teachers' perceptions of the program are presented, and findings are discussed in light of the extant literature.     

Collaboration of Teacher Education and Child Disability Health Care: Transdisciplinary Approach to Inclusive Practice for Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers

The purpose of this paper is to describe the collaborative efforts between an Early Childhood Teacher Education Program and a Child Disability Health Care Program to incorporate a transdisciplinary model in the preparation of early childhood teachers in inclusive practice. Recent studies suggest essential components of teacher preparation in early childhood inclusion include: helping students construct a positive image of inclusive practice, incorporating a family-centered approach, and collaborating and relationship building across disciplines (Campbell et al. 2003; Pretti-Frontczak et al. 2002 and Able-Boone et al. 2002). In this paper, we describe the collaboration between the University of Michigan-Dearborn Early Childhood Teacher Education Program and Oakwood Health Care Center for Exceptional Families to co-teach and mentor early childhood pre-service teachers as they create a family-centered event for children with disabilities and their typically developing peers in a natural environment. Researchers analyze student reflection papers about the family-centered event for evidence of new learning about child disability and inclusive practice. The reflections demonstrate the power of the students’ active role in creating and implementing family-centered activities in a collaborative context. Other key reflective components include rewards and challenges in creating inclusive contexts, integral role of families in supporting child relationships in natural settings, and collaboration and teaming.