Prospective teacher learning: recognizing evidence of conceptual understanding

This study examined prospective teachers’ (PSTs) ability to recognize evidence of children’s conceptual understanding of mathematics in three content areas before and after an instructional intervention designed to support this ability. It also investigates the role PSTs’ content knowledge plays in their ability to recognize children’s mathematical understanding. Results of content knowledge assessments administered at the beginning of the study revealed that content knowledge did seem to support PSTs’ analyses of children’s understanding when the child’s response demonstrated understanding or demonstrated a misconception. Content knowledge did not seem to support PSTs’ analyses of children’s procedural responses, as many PSTs with good content knowledge initially characterized procedural solutions as evidence of conceptual understanding. Similarly, content knowledge did not seem to support PSTs’ analyses of children’s responses with features commonly associated with understanding but not evidence of understanding. After the instructional intervention consisting of three multifaceted lessons in which PSTs examined many examples of student thinking, they showed improved ability to analyze responses with conceptual features and no evidence of conceptual understanding and responses demonstrating procedural knowledge. Results suggest that content knowledge is not sufficient for supporting PSTs’ analysis of children’s thinking, and that building activities such as the intervention into content courses may help develop this ability. Implications for teacher education programs and future research are considered.     

Museums and Technology: Being Inclusive Helps Accessibility for All

This paper explores accessibility issues for museums in the context of growing dependence on technology. The background of these issues is described, along with the evolution from physical access to digital access—for example, via the Web—and, increasingly, mobile technology. The authors are people with different disabilities and they describe personal experiences, giving a sense of the various barriers and benefits that are involved. The aim of this paper is to provide museums with a disabled person's point of view, which could help in inspiring improvements for the future. Often the task is one of understanding as much as financial constraints, since many solutions can be implemented at little additional cost.     

Notes on authors

Abstract

Although both the number of online learning opportunities and students with disabilities in higher education has increased over the last two decades, students with disabilities may be overlooked. The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes toward requesting accommodations in the online learning environment among college students with disabilities compared with requesting accommodations in the face-to-face learning environment. Accommodations refer to those adjustments and modification made to instructional and/or curricular requirements in order for students with disabilities to fully participate in a course (Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Results indicate that students with disabilities did not have significantly different attitudes toward requesting accommodations as a whole in the face-to-face versus online learning environments. Results, however, do indicate that students who report having visible disabilities appear to have more positive attitudes toward requesting accommodations in the online versus face-to-face learning environment compared with students who report having hidden disabilities.     

The large musical in the small arena

Some of the aesthetic and practical considerations in producing musical comedy in the intimate arena theatre.     

Promoting Research Writing in an Undergraduate Measurement Course

The purpose of this article is to introduce a 12-step approach for an abbreviated research project to promote research writing in an undergraduate measurement course. This 12-step approach assumes a 14-week semester schedule that is common among many colleges and universities. The steps for the proposed research project include selecting a topic, identifying and reading published research, writing the Introduction section, designing the methods, developing the Methods section, applying for Institutional Review Board approval, scheduling appointments with participants, collecting data, analyzing the data, writing the Results section, writing the Discussion section, and presenting the final product. Content of this article includes both details of the 12-step approach to research writing and a discussion of possible concerns that measurement instructors may have when considering adoption of the proposed research project.     

云南省非体育教育专业组男子运动员短距离定向成绩对比分析

采用文献资料、OCAD(定向运动制图)软件路线分析、china health定向计时系统等研究方法,以2011年云南省第六届大运会非体育教育专业男子短距离定向比赛前8名运动员为研究对象,对该比赛三个赛段的成绩进行对比分析,提出提高技能水平的相关建议。     

新媒体环境下青年群体人际交往现状调查

随着手机的普及,网民年龄呈低龄化趋势。青年群体占全国网民一半以上,平均上网时长也逐年增加,但青年群体人际交往情况不容乐观。因此,研究青年群体使用新媒体及人际交往现状,对其改善人际交往具有重要意义。通过调研青年群体的新媒体使用和人际交往现状,发现青年群体在新媒体使用上存在耗费时间长、使用类别繁多、使用目的繁杂等现象。同时发现青年群体的人际交往方式多样化、人际交往群体集中、人际沟通时间较少、人际情感关系疏远等问题。从而提出规范新媒体平台,多样化人际交往,积极倡导平等交流,树立正确人际交往价值观,扩大人际交往群体,加强情感教育、改善人际情感关系、增加人际沟通时间等对策。以此使得青年群体正确对待人际交往,擅于利用新媒体进行人际交往,让新媒体成为人际沟通的桥梁,促进青年群体的人际交往得到健康发展。     

Teachers' Mind,Brain, and Education Literacy: A Survey of Scientists' Views

While there is a growing interest among teachers to embed Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) knowledge in their practice, most are still not clear about the key concepts in the field that have the potential to improve their pedagogical knowledge. The present study was conducted to identify the domains of current MBE knowledge that are important for teachers to know. Using a deductive qualitative survey design, data were collected by an online questionnaire from 112 experts of the global MBE community. Findings indicated that there are at least 18 conceptual areas of MBE literacy that need to be included in teacher professional development programs.     

CLASSROOM CONTEXTS AS THE FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING SOCIAL–EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT: A NATIONAL STUDY IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Contextually based assessments reveal the circumstances accompanying maladjustment (the when, where, and with whom) and supply clues to the motivations underpinning problem behaviors. The Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA) is a teacher rating scale composed of indicators describing behavior in 24 classroom situational contexts. This study examines the Trinidad and Tobago national normative process for the ASCA contextual dimensions with a representative sample of elementary school children (N = 900). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded the same three dimensions (peer context problems, teacher context problems, and learning context problems) observed in U.S. national samples. Dimensions were scaled using item response theory (IRT) and Bayesian scoring methods, with peer and learning context problems scores relating more strongly to clinical behavior disturbances and learning context problems showing stronger association with classroom learning styles. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.