Effects of inter-limb asymmetries on physical and sports performance: a systematic review

The prevalence of inter-limb asymmetries has been reported in numerous studies across a wide range of sports and physical qualities; however, few have analysed their effects on physical and sports performance. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken using the Medline and SPORT Discus databases, with all articles required to meet a specified criteria based on a quality review. Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria, relating participant asymmetry scores to physical and sports performance measures. The findings of this systematic review indicate that inter-limb differences in strength may be detrimental to jumping, kicking and cycling performance. When inter-limb asymmetries are quantified during jumping based exercises, they have been primarily used to examine their association with change of direction speed with mixed findings. Inter-limb asymmetries have also been quantified in anthropometry, sprinting, dynamic balance and sport-specific actions, again with inconsistent findings. However, all results have been reported using associative analysis with physical or sport performance metrics with no randomised controlled trials included. Further research is warranted to understand the mechanisms that underpin inter-limb differences and the magnitude of performance changes that can be accounted for by these asymmetries.     

英语多媒体教学模式下的元认知能力

本文分析了多媒体教学模式与元认知能力的关系,提出元认知能力是多媒体教学的核心自主学习效果的保证,并探讨了元认知能力的培养方式。     

Do You Want to Know What I Learned? Using Informational Trade Books as Models to Teach Text Structure

Informational text is an important resource for classroom teachers that places unique comprehension demands on young students. Research on teaching expository text structure to young children shows that explicit instruction improves student comprehension. This practical article addresses how to use “well-structured” expository trade book titles to teach text structure. A lesson plan template and an extended example of an explicit lesson on order/sequence are provided.     

‘The world must stop when I’m talking’: gender and power relations in primary teachers’ classroom talk

The present paper examines male and female teachers’ language practices in relation to ‘censuring’ talk in the primary classroom, in the context of the debate around boys’ ‘underachievement’ and the ‘feminisation’ of primary school culture. Through an analysis of classroom observations with 51 men and women teachers, it looks to see whether gender differences could be found in the ways individual men and women teachers communicated in terms of their ‘censuring’ comments of pupils’ work or behaviour. Secondly, the paper takes issue with the notion that teachers operate within a ‘feminised’ educational culture, by looking at the ways in which teachers’ classroom talk can be seen to be constrained by two contrasting discourses relating to the power relation between teacher and pupil: a ‘traditional’ disciplinarian discourse, and a more ‘progressive’ liberal discourse. Both discourses have complex gendered and class dimensions, challenging the conception of a ‘feminised’ primary school culture.     

Giftedness and variability in strategic processing on a multitrial memory task: Evidence for stability in gifted cognition

This study examined strategic variability and variability-performance relations in intellectually gifted (mean IQ = 142.31; n = 85) and non-gifted (mean IQ = 112.44; n = 81) children who received five trials on an organizational memory task. Children were presented with different sets of categorizable words (e.g., boat, bus, car, banana, apple, orange) on each trial and were asked to remember the words for later recall. Four strategies were coded on each trial: sorting at study, rehearsal, category naming, and clustering at recall. Strategic variability was assessed in terms of fluctuations in the use of single strategies over trials, use of different combinations of multiple strategies over trials, and trial-bytrial switches in strategy use. In general, gifted children showed lower levels of variability (or higher levels of stability) in strategy use and higher levels of recall than non-gifted children. In addition, stability in strategy use was consistently associated with relatively high levels of recall for gifted but not non-gifted children. These findings confirm and extend research on non-strategic elementary cognitive tasks showing that cognitive stability is a prominent characteristic of gifted cognition.     

The conceptualisation of a modified formative assessment model for non‐verbal students with autism and severe learning difficulties

The popularity of formative assessment has increased since the publication of work by Black and Wiliam in 1998. Even though it is a useful teaching tool, in most cases it has only been possible to use it for students with high levels of cognitive and communicative ability. The aim of this article is to propose a modified, personalisable model of formative assessment for non‐verbal students with autism and severe learning difficulties. Five students with autism and severe learning difficulties participated in systematic video observations over a period of eight weeks, during which student behaviour and attainment were recorded. The behaviour checklist gave an accurate representation of the students' level of engagement and predicted attainment, but differences in passive learning objectives (those requiring passive co‐operation) and active ones (those requiring active contribution) were noted. The introduction of engaging resources improved engagement, but tangible rewards had a negative effect on attainment. Praise had a positive effect on engagement and attainment.