Language Does Matter: But There is More to Language Than Vocabulary and Directed Speech

In response to Golinkoff, Hoff, Rowe, Tamis-LeMonda, and Hirsh-Pasek's (2018) commentary, we clarify our goals, outline points of agreement and disagreement between our respective positions, and address the inadvertently harmful consequences of the word gap claim. We maintain that our study constitutes a serious empirical challenge to the word gap. Our findings do not support Hart and Risley's claim under their definition of the verbal environment; when more expansive definitions were applied, the word gap disappeared. The word gap argument focuses attention on supposed deficiencies of low-income and minority families, risks defining their children out of the educational game at the very outset of their schooling, and compromises efforts to restructure curricula that recognize the verbal strengths of all learners.     

A Longitudinal Analysis of Elementary School Students'' Achievement Goals in Literacy Activities

The authors examined the temporal stability of elementary school students' (N = 432) motivation goals (task-mastery, performance, and work-avoidant) for literacy activities in the classroom. Task-specific assessments of students' goals were collected in the fall and spring of Grades 3, 4, and 5. Stability coefficients indicated a reasonable degree of consistency in students' goal responses over time, even though goals were initially assessed in relation to a specific learning assignment. However, there were also significant mean-level changes in students' goals within the school year and significant linear declines in task-mastery and performance goals over time. Changes were consistent across gender groups and across ability levels. Additionally, changes in task-mastery goal ratings explained variations in students' reported use of active learning strategies in reading and writing activities. The important implications of this study for future research are discussed.     

Stop Counting the Books! IMC is Here

Students with mild disabilities have a difficult time recording notes from lectures. Accurate note taking is important because it helps students understand the content from lectures and notes serve as a document for later review. In this article, the author describes what teachers can do before, during, and after the lecture to help students become better note takers.     

STRATEGIES FOR COPING WITH JOB CHALLENGES IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEPARTMENT: A COMPARISON OF CHAIR PERCEPTIONS BY WORK EXPERIENCE

Department chairs in community colleges face a number of job‐related challenges that have been well documented by practitioners and scholars. Despite the identification of these challenges, few efforts have been undertaken to develop a battery of coping strategies for them. This study sought to identify and prioritize coping strategies related to the challenges of chairing a department in the community college. In addition, the work experience background of practicing chairs was selected to determine differences in the use of the various coping strategies.     

Narrowing the distance: Using There are no children here in the classroom

This paper describes a pedagogical process used in an introductory criminal justice class to challenge typical university students' preconceptions and beliefs about the personal and neighborhood factors that most often characterize crime and criminals. Students were asked to respond to the similarities and differences between themselves and the characters in Alex Kotlowitz's (1991) book There Are No Children Here. They also were asked to relate the book conceptually to issues discussed in the classroom. In contrast to their earlier expressions of ideological narrowness, the students' response papers reflected consistent themes of injustice, powerlessness, unfair police or court practices, and racism. The students were able to stop distancing themselves from “criminals” and to examine how social disorganization and social institutions shape individuals' hopes and opportunities.     

Intercultural teaching and learning strategies for global citizens: a Chinese EFL perspective

External quality monitoring of higher education is explored and analysed. The different types of external bodies and their modus operandi are reviewed. The reasons for undertaking the evaluation are also examined in detail. It is argued that external evaluation legitimates the status quo and fails to ask substantial questions about the nature of learning. External quality monitoring is preoccupied with method and has almost entirely ignored a quarter of a century of research into learning theory, the nature and styles of learning, and classroom innovations. It is suggested that higher education monitoring agencies need to adopt an explicit 'transformation' approach to quality and to address the implications of that for student learning. Only then will they shift from accountability- and compliance-orientated agencies to ones that raise substantial questions about improving student learning.     

External quality monitoring in the market place

Abstract

The paper presents a case‐study about the experience of leading sector‐wide change from within a national agency. This experience is analysed in relation to the literature on leadership and change and against the back‐drop of wider social, economic and political changes affecting higher education in the UK ‐ changes that have parallels in other countries. From the literature, the author draws out certain ‘principles’ about leading change and highlights the activities that were developed in practice. The case that is discussed is that of the 3‐year ‘Graduate Standards Programme’ mounted by the former Higher Education Quality Council in the UK. This Programme (the GSP) was formally set up to define and establish threshold standards for undergraduate degrees in the UK, but also sought to examine UK approaches to defining and assuring standards in the light of far‐reaching changes affecting the higher education system. Lessons about leadership, managing change and quality enhancement in an academic context are drawn out. The author concludes that ‘good process’ is more important than the static notion of ‘good practice’ when seeking to create and lead change in higher education.     

Module Development Through Peer-assisted Student Support: An initial evaluation

The importance of effective module development in terms of content and delivery is becoming increasingly significant within higher education. The majority of evaluation exercises are relatively static and reactive, predominantly utilising standardised evaluation questionnaires. This paper examines the effectiveness of utilising peer-assisted student support, a form of student-centred learning to provide module feedback that cannot be easily identified through traditional methods. Data from meeting logs, observations, interviews and questionnaires demonstrates that student-centred learning feedback can enhance module development, identifying and prompting effective remedial action in shorter timescales. The paper therefore concludes that feedback from student-centred learning initiatives is a viable and dynamic alternative to traditional modes of module development that requires further consideration .