Parent-teacher conference communication: a guide to integrating family engagement through simulated conversations about student academic progress

Abstract

Teachers regularly communicate with families, yet few candidates are well-prepared for this professional activity. This gap can hinder family–school partnership and pupils’ success. Given that candidates’ opportunities to learn about family engagement (FE) depends on the decisions and values of individual teacher educators, we illustrate how FE can be integrated into an existing educator preparation programme. Specifically, we describe how to design and use simulated parent–teacher conferences (PTCs) to: foster candidates’ conference communication skills; assess their understanding of content knowledge and their ability to plan instruction. Specifically, we designed two simulation tasks that required candidates’ to analyse and respond to a given student assessment profile and then share their interpretation of the information in ways that developed parent–teacher partnership. Modelled after simulation-based medical education, we describe three steps teacher educators can take to integrate simulated PTCs into their existing curriculum. To illustrate how and why simulations impact professional readiness, we also describe the advantages, sequence and psychological processes of simulation training. A sample of candidate profiles across the two tasks are shared to illustrate what candidates take away from their experiences and the kinds of findings faculty may encounter when integrating simulation pedagogy.     

Seeking big ideas in algebra: the evolution of a task

In this paper we describe a strand of activities for teachers of mathematics that we used with two cohorts of participants in a professional development program called Revitalizing Algebra (REAL). We first discuss our goals and describe the participants, and then we describe the construction and selection of the tasks followed by teacher responses. Finally, we reflect on different iterations of the tasks, their impact on the teachers’ thinking and practice, and the role of school and department culture in the process of change.     

Retention challenges for indigenous Peruvian college students on Beca 18 scholarship and strategies to improve their experiences and academic success

ABSTRACT

This paper analyzes challenges indigenous Peruvian college students face in completing their studies, based on field research that included interviews with Peruvian higher education leaders, administrators, researchers, and faculty, and a review of published research. Since 2012, the government of Peru has sponsored Beca 18, a comprehensive scholarship designed to attract and support students from underrepresented populations, namely impoverished and largely indigenous communities. While the program has provided opportunities to thousands of students from all provinces, the struggles they have mirror those of other indigenous students around the world, including discrimination, unpreparedness, and attrition. The analysis pinpoints areas in which lessons from international scholarship and success strategies with other indigenous populations may enhance the success of the Beca 18 scholarship program and the experiences of its students. It discusses the critical role higher education institutions play in developing future leaders through future identity formation.     

Processing of identity and conditional relations in monkeys (Cebus apella) and pigeons (Columba livid)

Learning & Behavior - As a test of differential processing of identity and conditional relations, subjects were first highly trained on 0-sec delay identity matching (IM) and conditional...     

Achievement emotions with location-based mobile augmented reality: An examination of discourse processes in simulated guided walking tours

The purpose of this study is to experimentally manipulate discourse processes hypothesized to impact the emotions students experience when interacting with handheld augmented reality devices in informal learning settings. Research conducted in the field is often limited by practical constraints, requiring heavy investments in time and resources to collect data from large samples of students. To demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed method, a guided walking tour with 60 students using a location-based augmented reality app was simulated in the context of a controlled laboratory setting. The difference between groups of students clustered into distinct profiles of positive and negative self-reported emotions was attributed to patterns in the mined dialog between students and tour guide. Furthermore, student engagement predicted the ability to recall topics covered in the tour. We discuss the implications and directions for future research in tour simulations conducted in a laboratory setting as a means to evaluate the role of mobile technologies in enhancing learning and desirable emotions.     

Reactive attachment disorder: Implications for school readiness and school functioning

School readiness and functioning in children diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) are important issues due to the dramatic impact RAD has on multiple areas of development. The negative impact of impaired or disrupted early relationships, characterized by extreme neglect, abuse, parental mental illness, domestic violence, and repeated changes in caregivers is examined. A key component of social and emotional development is self‐regulation, which is a critical variable in school readiness and is often impaired in children with RAD. Highlighted topics include the academic and school areas which may exacerbate attachment disturbances as well as ways in which teachers and other school professionals can encourage the development of more productive relationships. Interventions are provided which lead to greater success in school for these children. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 471–479, 2006.