Assessing Technical Writing in Institutional Contexts: Using Outcomes-Based Assessment for Programmatic Thinking

Technical writing instruction often operates in isolation from other components of students' communication education, partly as a consequence of assessment practices that lead to a narrow perspective. We argue for altering this isolation by moving writing instruction into a position of increased programmatic perspective, which may be attained through a means of assessment based on educational outcomes. Two models of technical writing instruction, centralized and diffused, are discussed, and we show how outcomes-based assessment provides for the change in perspective we seek.     

Undergraduates' attitudes and beliefs about subject matter and pedagogy measured periodically in a reform‐based mathematics and science teacher preparation program

This study describes the design and use of a valid and reliable instrument to measure teacher candidates' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and science and the teaching of those subjects. The instrument, Attitudes and Beliefs about the Nature of and the Teaching of Mathematics and Science, was developed for the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP), a statewide, standards‐based project in the National Science Foundation's Collaborative in Excellence in Teaching Preparation (CETP) Program. We report on two applications of the instrument: (a) a contrast between MCTP teacher candidates' and non‐MCTP teacher candidates' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and science as they initially encountered reform‐based instruction in their undergraduate courses, and (b) a landscaping of how the MCTP teacher candidates' attitudes toward and beliefs about mathematics and science evolved over a 2.5‐year period. In support of current reform in science and mathematics teacher education, we determined that over an extended period the MCTP teacher candidates' attitudes and beliefs moved substantively and significantly in the direction intended. However, we also found that the non‐MCTP teacher candidates in the same reform‐based courses did not mirror this improvement in their attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and science or the teaching of those subjects. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 713–737, 2002     

Child Care Subsidy and Quality

This study compared the quality of child care programs serving children receiving government subsidies to those not serving such children. Thirty-four classrooms in full day programs serving preschool aged children (19 subsidized, 15 unsubsidized) were observed using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales-Revised (ECERS-R). (1) Research Findings: One way ANOVA indicated that programs not serving children receiving subsidies were rated higher on overall quality, language and reasoning, learning activities, and social interactions. Teacher salary was significantly correlated with overall quality, and after controlling for teacher salary, subsidy density did not uniquely predict variance in overall quality. (2) Policy Implications: Overall low quality indicates a need for a quality improvement initiative using proven methods. Minimum guidelines for quality beyond state licensing standards should be used to ensure that children in subsidized programs are receiving adequate care and to oversee state and federal investments in early childhood education.     

Service Provision for Disturbed Children

Service provision for children classified as emotionally disturbed, behaviourally disordered or maladjusted involves a variety of service agencies including health, education and welfare. Recently a collaborative approach to service delivery, which recognises the multi‐disciplinary nature of the problem area and the necessity to avoid wastage of resources through duplication has been adopted. To determine priorities for service delivery the present study involved a multi‐disciplinary sample of experienced professionals working in the area of emotional disturbance. Using the Delphi technique, goals for service delivery in terms of system, instructional, adjustment and social objectives were assembled, clarified, rated in terms of their importance, and rank‐ordered to more clearly determine priorities. Results indicate that a collaborative multi‐disciplinary approach to service provision for disturbed children is feasible and that, despite diverse theoretical and professional backgrounds, competent workers in the field are able to arrive at substantial consensus in setting objectives.     

Basic art materials

All children enjoy using crayons, chalk and clay, especially during the cold winter months when they may be confined indoors. These basic art materials can be expensive, so why not take the time to make your own. With careful supervision, even young children can help with the measuring, stirring and kneading ... and what fun you'll have together, while they are learning about math, science, colors, textures and so forth, and developing their small muscle coordination too. The following pages provide recipes for making these basic art materials, as well as creative projects to keep kids productively busy and happy for hours! Carolyn Haas is co-author of the new book Purple Cow to the Rescuepublished by Little, Brown and Co., as well as many other creative activity books for parents, teachers, and children. These activities are excerpted from the book Recipes For Fun and Learningby Carolyn Haas, Ann Cole, and Betty Weinberger, CBH Publishing, Box 236-D, Glencoe, IL 60022. For a copy of the book, send $4.95 plus $1.00 for postage and handling to the above address.     

The role of school psychology in preventing depression

To advance the role of school psychologists in mental health prevention and wellness activities, in this article we describe (a) a social ecological theory for guiding school‐based prevention research, (b) the role of schools in the development and prevention of depression, (c) a continuum of school‐based support for meeting the needs of children who are currently depressed for preventing future internalizing distress for all children, and (d) social and political factors that must be considered if lasting change is to occur. We conclude with specific considerations for school psychologists. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 763–775, 2004.     

Re-Culturing Educator Preparation Programs: A Collaborative Case Study of Continuous Improvement

Teacher educators at one institution of higher education collaborated to reculture systems for a focus on continuous improvement even within mounting accountability pressures. A framework of social network theory allowed for themes to develop around layered interactions of faculty, processes, and professional capital. Findings focused on people, groups, and systems for sustaining a culture of continuous improvement.     

A meta‐analysis of national research: Effects of teaching strategies on student achievement in science in the United States

This project consisted of a meta‐analysis of U.S. research published from 1980 to 2004 on the effect of specific science teaching strategies on student achievement. The six phases of the project included study acquisition, study coding, determination of intercoder objectivity, establishing criteria for inclusion of studies, computation of effect sizes for statistical analysis, and conducting the analyses. Studies were required to have been carried out in the United States, been experimental or quasi‐experimental, and must have included effect size or the statistics necessary to calculate effect size. Sixty‐one studies met the criteria for inclusion in the meta‐analysis. The following eight categories of teaching strategies were revealed during analysis of the studies (effect sizes in parentheses): Questioning Strategies (0.74); Manipulation Strategies (0.57); Enhanced Material Strategies (0.29); Assessment Strategies (0.51); Inquiry Strategies (0.65); Enhanced Context Strategies (1.48); Instructional Technology (IT) Strategies (0.48); and Collaborative Learning Strategies (0.95). All these effect sizes were judged to be significant. Regression analysis revealed that internal validity was influenced by Publication Type, Type of Study, and Test Type. External validity was not influenced by Publication Year, Grade Level, Test Content, or Treatment Categories. The major implication of this research is that we have generated empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of alternative teaching strategies in science. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 1436–1460, 2007     

Recipes for fun

Summertime means hours of outdoor play! Children of all ages will enjoy these games and nature activities whether in their own backyards or at a playground, or a nearby park or forest preserve. Ann Cole and Carolyn Haas are parenting consultants and the authors ofI saw a Purple Cow, Pumpkin in a Pear Tree andChildren are Children are Children (all Little, Brown & Co.), as well as theRecipes For Fun books (each $2.50 from PAR, 464 Central, Northfield, II. 60093). Their newest book isThe Big Book of Recipes For Fun (from PAR, $12.98 plus 1.00 postage and handling).