Lexical prosody as an aspect of oral reading fluency

The purpose of the study was to determine whether the lexical compounding, suffixation, and part of speech aspects of lexical prosody rendered while reading text aloud are predictive of children’s developing oral reading fluency and reading comprehension skills. Ninety-four third grade children were recorded while reading aloud a grade-level passage targeting lexical prosody contrasts related to suffixation, compounding, and part of speech. Children also completed assessments on reading fluency, word reading efficiency, and reading comprehension skills. Prosodic measurements of pitch and amplitude for each syllable of the targeted words, and spoken head word length in ms for targeted compound words, were carried out. Spectrographic analyses indicated that children generally displayed appropriate prosody for each lexical prosody contrast examined. The extent to which children made these prosodic distinctions between syllables was related to their reading fluency and comprehension skills. The study finds that, in the oral reading of connected texts, children’s use of lexical prosody is an aspect of general reading prosody that is predictive of reading fluency.     

Understanding and Promoting Resilience in the Context of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Brain development in the early years is especially susceptible to toxic stress caused by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). According to epigenetics research, toxic stress has the capacity to physically change a child’s brain and be hardwired into the child’s biology via genes in the DNA. The compelling nature of the impact of early adversity on later health and development has generated interest in protection against the impact of early adversity. Research highlights three interrelated “core protective systems” associated with positive adaptation. Early childhood educators are in a unique position to play a role in early identification of ACEs and to contribute to the development of protective skills. Adults within the early childhood education community can assist in increasing physical health and mental well-being for children who have encountered ACEs. Safe and healthy environments that allow the child to play, explore, and maximize his/her capacities are examples of how individual protective factors can be enhanced. Early childhood educators can support the child’s protective system by building the child’s personal attributes associated with resiliency, such as self-efficacy and self-regulation. Early childhood educators can provide a secure relationship, which is especially critical for children who have experienced trauma because it can provide extra support in times of stress. Additionally, by working collaboratively with parents, early childhood educators provide an additional layer of protection for children who experience adversity. Lastly, at the community level, early childhood educators can bring awareness to the public and private sectors by informing others of ACEs effect on early brain development and the link to later outcomes on individuals and society. Society is positively impacted when ACEs are reduced and individuals are raised in thriving families and communities.     

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF WRITING INTERVENTIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES: A SYNTHESIS OF THE LITERATURE

Twenty‐three single‐subject studies aimed at improving the writing achievement of students identified as having a learning disability were analyzed meta‐analytically. The effect size phi was used to compare the writing strategies. The dependent measures used to assess the efficacy of the interventions were also coded and reviewed. Results suggest intervention studies using the self‐regulated strategy development (SRSD) or a non‐SRSD writing strategy produced high effect sizes, suggesting the overall success of the writing interventions. Findings also indicate the 23 studies used a total of 39 dependent measures, which show the way writing achievement is measured varies greatly. Furthermore, many of the dependent measures were not standardized or technically sound.     

'A democracy tempered by the rate of exchange': Audit culture and the sell-out of progressive writing curriculum

In this article, the authors draw on the concept of 'audit culture' to examine the political and professional implications for teachers emerging from contemporary, commercially distributed, writing programmes. They argue that, in adapting what began as a progressive understanding of children's writing and teacher professionalism for commercial distribution, fundamental values and concerns have been lost. Drawing on the work of James Britton, the authors assert that the market ideologies of audit culture have turned the idea of teacher professionalism on its head, naming the professional not as the teacher who continually develops her/his expertise through intellectual inquiry into the lives, strengths and needs of the children in the classroom but, rather, as the teacher who submits her/himself to constant measures of fidelity to a particlar programme, and to documentation of practices, supervision and correction. The authors argue for a return to the values of Jimmy Britton: commitment to the promotion of play, social engagmentment, freedom of thought and intellectual and emotional experimentation.