Development of an informal learning opportunities assay

Learning that takes place outside the formal classroom, called informal learning, has been a difficult parameter to assess due to the heterogeneous nature of the subjects and everyday learning situations. To date, no instrument has been developed to effectively examine the wide variety of informal experiences a child may encounter. Central to this study was the development and field testing of such an instrument, the Informal Learning Opportunities Assay (ILOA). The ILOA was administered to a total of 2128 middle and high school students and was found to be ethnically neutral, easily scored, and flexible in design to accommodate practitioners and researchers. The instrument was found to provide a reliable assessment of informal learning opportunities.     

爱是一个古老的故事,但它却是万古常新

经典代表: 说起经典的爱情小说,怎么能不提简·奥斯汀和她的《傲慢与偏见》,这部主要针对一个有着五位性格迥异的女儿的家庭展开,以爱情为主要线索,涉及婚姻、金钱、地位等话题,全书情节富有喜剧性,语言机智幽默,是奥斯汀小说中最受欢迎的一部.     

‘And When did You Last See Your Father?’ Exploring the Views of Children with Learning Difficulties/Disabilities

The Gulliford Lecture 2003 was given by Professor Ann Lewis of the School of Education at the University of Birmingham. Professor Lewis's lecture, on which this article is based, focused on the process of listening to the views of children and, in particular, children with learning difficulties. Following the near-universal ratification of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child, a plethora of recent initiatives, both in the UK and internationally, has encouraged professionals to access children's views about provision (educational, health-related, social and legal). A range of materials has been developed to support this process, often by, or in liaison with, children's charities. At the same time, research provides valuable insights into effective practice in exploring the views of children with learning difficulties. In this article, Ann Lewis reviews ten strategies for gathering the views of children and raises four challenges for the further development of policy and practice. She closes her argument with a call for greater rigour and critical evaluation in this crucial and demanding area.     

Who's afraid of the big,bad wolf?

Ann Trousdale is an assistant professor at Northern Illinois University, where she teaches courses in children's literature, language arts, language acquisition and development, and storytelling.     

Changes that Occur in Families as Children with Intellectual Disability Grow Up

The effect on families and the changes that occur in relation to a child with disability or independently are considered through the life span. The recent advances in prenatal screening, special care baby units and genetic counselling may increase fear of disability and have not decreased the incidence. As the rest of the family grow older, the disabled child goes through school years, faces adult life, often with disappointments, and remains having special needs and specific vulnerability until old age.