Children's Ideas about Strengthening Structures

This research focused on 181 school children's (aged 5-13 years) responses to an Awareness of Technology Survey question intended to explore their conceptual knowledge of structural strength. The survey responses showed that the children had many productive ideas about structural strength prior to formal classroom instruction. After instruction, the children's ideas showed little overall change. The Discussion explores how the framework of the programme and professional development opportunities did not help the teachers to implement the programme. Suggestions for productive classroom experiences related to structural strength include: introducing children to a greater variety of building materials; assisting children to explore the physical and mechanical properties of materials; practising with vocabulary needed to describe properties of materials; providing opportunities to understand the pushes and pulls at work in a structure; and promoting design technology discourse.     

Scottish Higher Education and the FE-HE Nexus

Over half of Scottish higher education entrants in 2000/01 began their studies in further education. This reflects the growing diversity of higher education in Scotland as a result of institutional change and trends in policy and practice. While these changes have been constructed positively as contributing to the accessibility of Scottish higher education, clear differences between HE provision in the two sectors and sectoral differentiation in patterns of participation have given rise to two relatively disconnected systems of higher education. The emergence of parallel systems may conceal new patterns of inequality, giving rise to a new learning divide.     

领导力补给线从这里开始

亚洲商界领袖面临着一个快速增长的商业环境--似乎有无限商机,但是客户要求的更多.在这种环境下,成功的企业必须建立一个强健的基础设施以适应这种增长,能够预见并回应全球竞争力量,同时保持灵活性,以掌握不断出现的各种机会.……     

Learning the MI Way: The Effects on Students' Learning of Using the Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Since the 1988 Education Reform Act, issues of curriculum differentiation, varied learning styles and teaching approaches relevant to the needs of individual pupils have maintained high priority on the education agenda. This article discusses the effects on pupils' learning of using Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. It is based on explorations carried out in a project 'using multiple intelligences in the classroom', initiated by co-ordinators Brenda Hopper, Val Chamberlain and Barbara Jack in the School of Education at Edge Hill College of Higher Education. The project aimed to focus equally on teachers' individual professional development, and the learning experiences and development of the pupils involved, and was carried out with teachers in local primary and secondary schools, across a wide range of subjects.     

Low-Income Central American Immigrant Mothers' Goals and Their Children's Classroom Competencies in Preschool

Research Findings: Unlike other Latino groups, there is little information about the early socialization of children from Central American (CA) immigrant families. This study examined CA immigrant mothers' short-term goals and the implications of these goals for children's behavior in preschool. A total of 47 low-income mothers described their goals for their children's behavior at home/with family and at school. Nearly all mothers described relatedness-oriented goals for their children at home and at school. Mothers emphasized autonomy-oriented goals predominantly for the school context. Mothers' emphases on certain goals in the home, but not goals for school, predicted teacher reports of children's social cooperation and approaches to learning in the classroom. Practice or Policy: Educators should be aware that relatedness-oriented goals are highly salient for CA immigrant parents. Immigrant parents might benefit from more information regarding the general goals of preschool. Educators should encourage mothers to set multiple early goals for their children, including learning-related goals for home. Educators and CA immigrant parents may support home–school continuity for children through mutual understanding of goals and values.     

Effects of Head Start REDI on Children's Outcomes 1 Year Later in Different Kindergarten Contexts

One year after participating in the Research‐based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) intervention or “usual practice” Head Start, the learning and behavioral outcomes of 356 children (17% Hispanic, 25% African American; 54% girls; M_age = 4.59 years at initial assessment) were assessed. In addition, their 202 kindergarten classrooms were evaluated on quality of teacher–student interactions, emphasis on reading instruction, and school‐level student achievement. Hierarchical linear analyses revealed that the REDI intervention promoted kindergarten phonemic decoding skills, learning engagement, and competent social problem‐solving skills, and reduced aggressive–disruptive behavior. Intervention effects on social competence and inattention were moderated by kindergarten context, with effects strongest when children entered schools with low student achievement. Implications are discussed for developmental models of school readiness and early educational programs.     

General Communication

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP edited by Donald Sexton and Raymond Smilor (Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, 1986—$32.00)

MINORITIES AND MEDIA: DIVERSITY AND THE END OF MASS COMMUNICATION by Clint C. Wilson II, and Felix Gutierrez (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1985—price not given, paper)

MEDIA GRATIFICATIONS RESEARCH: CURRENT PERSPECTIVES edited by Karl Erik Rosengren, et al. (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1985—pricenot given, paper)

PROGRESS IN COMMUNICATIONS SCIENCES VII edited by Brenda Dervin and Melvin J. Voigt (Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1986—$45 to institutions, $29.50 to individuals)

MASS MEDIA VS. ITALIAN AMERICANS by Adolph Caso (Brandon Publishing, 21 Station St., Box 843, Brookline Village MA 02147 $4.95, paper)