Helping preservice teachers realize the transformative potential of read alouds

ABSTRACT

A common instructional practice in early childhood classrooms is the picturebook read aloud. The purpose of this investigation was to help preservice teachers learn to plan picturebook read alouds with the goal of helping children interpret the visual affordances of picturebooks, including visual elements (e.g., cclor, line) and peritextual components (e.g., title page, endpapers) as they engage in collaborative meaning making. In this qualitative study, the participants were 12 preservice teachers enrolled in an undergraduate children’s literature course. The findings presented here are focused on three participants that represented a range of growth and understandings about the picturebook format as well as growth and understandings about designing read aloud lessons. Findings indicate that while participants grew in their understandings of picturebook formats and in their ability to develop read aloud lesson plans with a visual focus, the rates and ways in which this occurred varied. Furthermore, the findings also suggest that crafting read alouds with a focus on visual affordances is a complex process and deserves careful attention in teacher preparation programs.     

A quoi servent les reunions d'enseignants?

Résumé Le C.P.E.D.S. de Barcelone est une institution chargée de l'intégration des déficients sensoriels à l'école dite normale. Sur la base d'une étude longitudinale effectuée entre 1978 et 1986 dans 12 écoles, on a analysé le matériel recueilli concernant les réunions d'enseignants. Avec une méthode à orientation ethnographique, on a distingué trois types de réunions: Les réunions d'évaluation de toutes les classes d'un même cycle, où participent enseignants, personnel spécialisé et le directeur; des réunions programmées entre un enseignant et le spécialiste du C.P.E.D.S.; et des réunions informelles (dites de couloir) entre ces derniers. Dans un premier niveau on a analysé les actions, pour chercher à dégager, dans une deuxième étape, la structure sous-jacente à la réunion en dévoilant les rôles, les rites et les stratégies de défense et d'évitement. En guise de synthèse, enfin, l'analyse a été replacée dans son contexte (institutionnel et historique), le but étant de saisir l'écart entre les objectifs explicites et le mode de fonctionnement des réunions d'enseignants.

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TheCentro Psico-Pedagógico para la Educación del Deficiente Sensorial (C.P.E.D.S.) in Barcelona was established for the purpose of integrating children with sensory handicaps into so-called normal schools. On the basis of a longitudinal study carried out in 12 schools between 1978 and 1986, the authors have analysed the data collected on teachers' meetings. Using an ethnographically based approach, they have identified three types of meeting: evaluatory meetings for all classes in one year-group in which teachers, specialist staff and the director participate; scheduled meetings between one teacher and the C.P.E.D.S. specialist; and informal, so-called corridor meetings between the latter. At the first level the actions of participants have been analysed, in order to try and bring into the open the latter's roles, rituals, defence strategies and methods of evasion. By way of synthesis, the analysis is finally placed once more into its institutional and historical context, the aim being to indicate the disparity between the explicit objectives of the teachers' meetings and the manner in which these function.

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Zusammenfassung DasCentro Psico-pedagógico para la Educación del Deficiente Sensorial (C.P.E.D.S.) in Barcelona ist eine Einrichting zur Integration sinnesgestörter Kinder in sogenannte Normal schulen. Die aufgrund einer in der Zeit von 1978 bis 1986 an 12 Schulen durchgeführten Langzeitstudie gesammelten Daten über Lehrerzusammenkünfte wurden von den Verfassern analysiert. Anhand einer ethnographisch-orientierten Methode wird zwischen drei verschiedenen Arten von Lehrerzusammenkünften unterschieden: Zusammenkünfte für die Auswertung aller Klassen einer Stufe unter Beteiligung der Lehrer, der Fachkräfte und des Direktors; Zusammenkünfte, die zwischen einem Lehrer und der C.P.E.D.S. Fachkraft geplant sind; und informelle, sogenannte Korridorgespräche zwischen den beiden letztgenannten. In einem ersten Schritt werden die Handlungen der Teilnehmer untersucht, um anschließend deren Rollen und Rituale sowie Verhaltensweisen des Abwehrens und Ausweichens ans Licht zu bringen. Abschließend wird in Form einer Synthese die Analyse wiederum in ihren institutionellen und historischen Kontext gestellt, mit der Absicht, die Ungleicheit zwischen den expliziten Zielsetzungen der Lehrerzusammenkünfte und der Art und Weise, in der diese ablaufen, zu verdeutlichen.

     

Sex-differences in elite-performance track and field competition from 1983 to 2015

The purpose of this study was to assess the veracity of the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s assertion that sex-differences in athletic performance in elite-standard track and field competition is of the order of 10–12%. Exponential curves were fitted to the data of selected track and field events of the finals of all IAAF World Championships and Olympic Games from 1983 to 2016. For each curve, the coefficient of determination R² was calculated, in combination the corresponding 95% confidence intervals for the curve constants. Sex-differences were evaluated via differences in the fitted curves between men and women. Mean performances of winners, as well as overall performance means of all participants, were also analyzed. The calculated sex-difference was 8.2 ± 1.0% – 11.8 ± 2.1% for sprints, 10.3 ± 3.3% – 12.8 ± 4.0% for middle and long-distance events, 9.7 ± 2.9% – 13.1 ± 2.9% for relays and 14.2 ± 2.2% – 25.0 ± 4.4% for jumps. This study therefore confirms that the percentage difference accepted by the CAS is appropriate for elite-standard track and field events.     

Hyperandrogenic athletes: performance differences in elite-standard 200m and 800m finals

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the difference in elite-standard track and field performance between women athletes with and without hyperandrogenism reaches the 10–12% difference in performance between men and women, using only results from elite-standard track and field final competitions. Officially available data from two hyperandrogenic women (Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand) were compared with the characteristic performance of 200m and 800m elite-standard finals. The finishing times of Caster Semenya, before her ineligibility to compete in 2009 and after the suspension of the 2011 IAAF Hyperandrogenism Regulations were found to be respectively 1.24% and 1.49% faster than the predicted performance in 800m finals. When compared with the result of the second classified, the difference was respectively 0.65% and 2.08%. The analysis of the finishing times of Dutee Chand did not lead to any conclusions due to the lack of available data. The present study indicates that the percentage difference in performance between women with and women without hyperandrogenism does not reach the 3% difference requested by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for the reinstatement of the Hyperandrogenism Regulations, neither does it reach the 10% accepted range of difference in performance between men and women.     

The genesis of a catalog of oral health-related surveys: locating oral health-related datasets

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), in collaboration with the Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DOH, CDC), has established a Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Data Resource Center (DRC). One element of the DRC is the Catalog of Surveys Related to Oral Health. The Catalog is a searchable electronic database that includes federal, state, international, and privately sponsored surveys and other datasets. Its purpose is to make researchers aware of surveys that have been conducted and to highlight features of complex surveys that relate to oral health. Other components of the DRC include an Archive of Procedures and Methods, Archive of Procedures and Methods Used in Oral Health Surveys, which is linked to the Catalog; an Annual Report, Oral Health U.S., 2002; and a data warehouse of acquired datasets. A Web-based statistical query system related to oral health is also under development. It is the intention of the DRC to meet the needs of NIDCR and DOH, CDC staff as well as other researchers interested in the status of oral health. The Catalog is available on CD-ROM at no cost and in the future will be made available through the NIDCR Web site.     

The Zika Virus: A Look at the Societal Impact of Performance Improvement

According to the World Health Organization, as of March 2016 there have been over 16,000 reported cases of individuals infected with the Zika virus. The estimates are even greater for unreported cases. This article applies the principles of human performance technology (HPT) to the current ZIka virus epidemic, highlighting the utility and potential impact of HPT theory when applied to real‐world situations in real time.     

Proliferation dynamics in new sciences

The paper studies the dynamics of production of knowledge in an emergent scientific field, Nanoscience. It suggests that scientific knowledge advances by proliferation, or the turbulent entry of new sub-fields, each generating opportunities for further entries at each time. It suggests a new methodology to define and measure the dynamics of knowledge, based on the industrial dynamics of keywords and a formal representation through bipartite graphs. An empirical examination of the graph dynamics in the early stage of the scientific field (1988-2002) confirms the notion of proliferation.     

Teaching: A Job or a Profession? The Perceptions of Educators

Researchers designed a study to investigate educators’ perceptions about whether teaching is a job or a profession. A survey was developed to investigate factors such as individual definitions of a job and a profession, years of experience teaching, grade level or category of education, and individual perceptions of a profession. The respondents were 401 upper-level undergraduate preservice teachers and graduate students who were professional educators. Data collected showed many aspects of individuals’ perceptions of teaching including control of teaching and working situations, ethics, and personal perceptions of being a professional. Based on the findings from the study, researchers concluded that educators believe teaching is a profession.     

Does Educational Preparation Match Professional Practice: The Case of Higher Education Policy Analysts

This study compares the extent to which higher education policy analysts and master’s and doctoral faculty of higher education and public affairs programs match on a set of competencies thought to be important to higher education policy analysis. Analysts matched master’s faculty in three competencies while analysts and doctoral faculty matched in five competencies. The findings suggest possible reasons why analysts and graduate faculty agree or differ on various competencies. Also, the findings raise important questions regarding the preparation of higher education policy analysts and the graduate programs that educate them. This study is an addition to the body of competency literature. Eduardo C. Arellano  obtained a B.A. in Political Science and an M.P.A from the University of Texas at El Paso, and he holds the Ph.D. in Educational Administration from New Mexico State University. He is an assistant professor at New Mexico State University in the Department of Educational Management and Development. His special interests are interactional diversity, competency, and US–Mexico border studies. Mario C. Martinez  has a B.A. in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University, an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from Arizona State University. He is an associate professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in the department of Educational Leadership. His special interests are higher education policy, governance, finance, competency modeling, and strategy.     

A phenomenology of learning large: the tutorial sphere of xMOOC video lectures

The current discourse surrounding Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is powerful. Despite their rapid and widespread deployment, research has yet to confirm or refute some of the bold claims rationalizing the popularity and efficacy of these large-scale virtual learning environments. Also, MOOCs’ reputed disruptive, game-changing potential for education remains unsubstantiated. A sober counterbalance is needed, in particular, via attending to students’ everyday accounts of the complex realities of learning in these massive online courses. This article reports on an exploratory, phenomenological study of the xMOOC learning experience. Our interest was not the xMOOC experience of students in general, but in its singular, lived particularities. What we discovered was a unique and intimate tutorial sphere that seemed to develop for some xMOOC students in the context of the video lectures, an experience sometimes marked by a sense of fandom surround.