Technology,learning and instruction: distributed cognition in the secondary English classroom

In this paper, we analyse interactions between secondary students and pre‐service teachers in an online environment in order to understand how their meaning‐making processes embody distributed cognition. We begin by providing a theoretical review of the ways in which literacy learning is distributed across learners, objects, tools, symbols, technologies and the environment in modern English language arts classrooms. This is followed by a case study where we identify how programme values, textual resources and cultural schema function as distributed tools. In traditional schools, with an emphasis on taking standardised tests, the learning environment is designed on the view that learning is a transaction that happens solely ‘inside the head’. Unfortunately, this pushes many students to the margins of classroom engagement and participation. By analysing students' and pre‐service teachers' online discourse, we argue that virtual spaces can facilitate critical dialogue and can act as catalysts for a distributed theory of mind.     

Developmental characteristics in judgments of emotion from nonverbal vocal cues

In an exploratory study on the developmental trends in judgments of emotion from nonverbal vocal cues, content free speech tapes designed to express one of the four emotions of happiness, surprise, sadness, and anger were presented to 47 American and 56 Japanese children, ages 4 through 9. The children indicated which emotion they thought was expressed by selecting a color photograph depicting one of the four emotions from a small group of photographs. Four- and 5-year-old American children were able to identify the emotion surprise, while American children 6 through 9 correctly identified all four emotions. Four- and 5-year-old Japanese children, on the other hand, were able to identify both surprise and sadness, while 6-year-olds correctly identified happiness, surprise, and sadness. Japanese children aged 7 through 9 were able to identify all four emotions. The results supported the concept of increasing decoding ability with increasing age across cultures, but also provided evidence for culture bound differences in growth of nonverbal emotional sensitivity     

Winning Is(n't) Everything: The Paradox of Excellence and the Challenge of Organizational Epideictic

Encompassing both the controlled messages of values advocacy and less explicit rhetorical actions such as philanthropy, community programs, and volunteerism, organizational epideictic affirms common values. This essay argues that such common values are problematized by the presence of paradox even in seemingly innocuous epideictic subjects. Through a case study of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's “Stay in Bounds” program teaching children to be good sports both on and off the field, the essay demonstrates the challenges of organizational epideictic through the paradox of excellence. It also provides suggestions for the management—but not elimination—of paradox in organizational epideictic, particularly directed at external publics.     

太极拳促进中枢神经与外周本体 感觉的心理生理学效果

通过对太极拳常用的基本姿势进行自我控制,试图探讨太极拳运动是否具有对中枢神经与外周本体感觉的促进效果。实验结果表明,与自然姿势相比,当控制为放松姿势时肌肉张力明显减少,静止性伸张性收缩姿势时显著增加。同时两方都表现出Pz和Oz部位脑波α1节律的含有量比自然姿势时明显减少,α2节律的含有量则明显增加。根据自我控制的运动神经生理学理论以及心身疗法原理,通过实施太极拳加强对身体的自我控制,能促进和易化中枢神经与外周感觉机能,同时作为一种心身运动疗法也将有着广阔的发展前景。     

Codeswitching techniques: evidence-based instructional practices for the ASL/English bilingual classroom

The authors present a perspective on emerging bilingual deaf students who are exposed to, learning, and developing two languages--American Sign Language (ASL) and English (spoken English, manually coded English, and English reading and writing). The authors suggest that though deaf children may lack proficiency or fluency in either language during early language-learning development, they still engage in codeswitching activities, in which they go back and forth between signing and English to communicate. The authors then provide a second meaning of codeswitching--as a purpose-driven instructional technique in which the teacher strategically changes from ASL to English print for purposes of vocabulary and reading comprehension. The results of four studies are examined that suggest that certain codeswitching strategies support English vocabulary learning and reading comprehension. These instructional strategies are couched in a five-pronged approach to furthering the development of bilingual education for deaf students.     

Effective Writing Assessment and Instruction for Young English Language Learners

The total number of English Language Learners in the American public schools is more than 4.5 million students or 9.6% of the total school population. This article focuses on instructional writing strategies and assessments for English Language Learners in the elementary classroom. This article provides early childhood education teachers with information about differences amongst English Language Learners because they are not a homogenous group. English Language Learners’ academic abilities can range from emergent readers, writers, and speakers of English to proficient readers, writers, and speakers of English.