Preschool Directors’ Attitudes Towards the Integration of Children with Disabilities Into Regular Preschools in New South Wales

THE ATTITUDES of preschool directors in New South Wales towards the integration of children with disabilities were surveyed using a questionnaire that had been developed in early studies in this area. Analysis of data showed that directors were most positive about children with mild impairments, for whom they felt they had appropriate training and resources. They were least positive about children who required additional help that was outside their regular duties. Skills required by teachers and directors involved in integration included general competence, knowledge of specialised techniques that are required and an ability to work with therapists, special advisors and other support staff. Directors who had postgraduate qualifications and those from community preschools tended to be more positive about integration than other groups. Overall, it was concluded that integration is most likely to be successful if children are placed in centres where staff are positive and feel they have the necessary skills.     

The development of science concepts in primary children by discovery strategies

A year three/four class of thirty primary school children was selected and then exposed to a series of twenty discovery lessons on electricity, discovery learning being: The learning of scientific principles or concepts which occurs as a generalisation of experiences by the learner in the absence of direct telling by the teacher. (Carin and Sund, 1975) The performance of these children was evaluated, both before and after the discovery lessons, on the basis of their ability to solve problems requiring the application of one or more of the thirteen concepts covered. On comparing the performance of the “discovery” class on pre-test items with the performance of children from years three and four, as well as five to seven in other Perth suburban schools on subsets of these items, it was found that the “discovery” group was no better and no worse than other primary classes. A team of ten graders (examiners) was used for rating purposes. The Rasch Model was the statistical model used and enabled comparison to be made between the “discovery” group and all other class groups.     

Student Teachers’ Beliefs and a Changing Teacher Role

This article discusses the encounters between the changing expectations on the teacher role, teacher education and Swedish student teachers’ beliefs about their role as teachers, with special emphasis on the socialisation process of the pupils and the teacher's possible influence on it. The discussion is based on two empirical studies among Swedish compulsory school student teachers (M. von Wright, (1996) Propedeusis? Om motet mellan lärarstuderande och lärarutbildningen, in: Grundskollärarutbüdningen 1995. En utvärdering. Högskoleverkets rapportserie 1996:1 R.; M. von Wright (1997) Socialisationsprocessen. Metaforer och synsätt hos blivande lärare. Licentiatuppsats. Lärarhögskolan i Stockholm). The results show that student teachers when they enter their education on the one hand tend to carry with them explicit expectations which strongly reflect the values of what is considered pedagogically correct. At the same time students express implicit beliefs and underlying conceptions of human development, which in many cases are incoherent. During teacher education the pedagogically correct beliefs might become replaced, but implicit beliefs as affinity to certain pedagogical discourses are not changed or brought to awareness unless they are seriously challenged and problematised. Yet these beliefs direct the students’ attention. Changing demands on the teacher role bring about expectations on a shift in thinking about teaching and learning. Teacher education and educators can play important roles in making the students aware of their everyday beliefs and eventually change them.     

A meta‐analytic review of the cover‐copy‐compare and variations of this self‐management procedure

Studies that examined copy‐cover‐compare (CCC) and variations of this procedure were reviewed and analyzed. This review revealed a substantial number of studies that validated the use of CCC across spelling and math skills and across students with and without disabilities. A meta‐analysis of findings indicated that CCC and variations of this procedure were effective for helping students acquire and become fluent in academic skills. The strongest effects were evident when CCC and variations of this procedure were combined with other evidence‐based instructional components. Limitations, future directions for research, and recommendations for practice are offered. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Teacher education in the United Kingdom post devolution: convergences and divergences

This paper examines the roles of research in teacher education across the four nations of the United Kingdom. Both devolution and on-going reviews of teacher education are facilitating a greater degree of cross-national divergence. England is becoming a distinct outlier, in which the locus for teacher education is moving increasingly away from Higher Education Institutions and towards an ever-growing number of school-based providers. While the idea of teaching as a research-based profession is increasingly evident in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, it seems that England, at least in respect of the political rhetoric, recent reforms and explicit definitions, is fixed on a contrastingly divergent trajectory towards the idea of teaching as a craft-based occupation, with a concomitant emphasis on a (re)turn to the practical. It is recommended that research is urgently needed to plot these divergences and to examine their consequences for teacher education, educational research and professionalism.     

Young Children's Use of Surface and Object Information in Drawings of Everyday Scenes

Pictorial symbols such as photographs, drawings, and maps are ubiquitous in modern cultures. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how children relate these symbols to the scenes that they represent. The present work investigates 4‐year‐old children's (N = 144) sensitivity to extended surface layouts and objects when using drawings of a room to find locations in that room. Children used either extended surfaces or objects when interpreting drawings, but they did not combine these two types of information to disambiguate target locations. Moreover, children's evaluations of drawings depicting surfaces or objects did not align with their use of such information in those drawings. These findings suggest that pictures of all kinds serve as media in which children deploy symbolic spatial skills flexibly and automatically.     

Focus folklore: Reflections of focus teachers on the SCI-TEC in-service project

In June 1988, the SA Minister of Education announced the allocation of $650,000 to boost science and technology in State primary schools. Subsequent allocations have raised funding for Phase 1 and 2 of this ‘SCI-TEC Project’ to over $1m. This level of funding for science and technology in primary schools is unprecedented in Australia. During 1989 the Independent Schools Board sponsored a pilot project along similar lines and in 1990 the Disadvantaged Schools Program of the Catholic Education Office followed suit. Although different structures have been provided, an interactive approach to in-service has been the underpinning for all three projects. This paper examines what has happened in each of these projects so far, and reviews the strategies used to:

1. develop interactive models of in-service education.
2. involve teachers as effective change agents in their schools
3. enhance the impact of focus teachers working in neighbouring schools
4. record the insights of all participants in the projects
5. maintain accountable procedures when using a model of in-service which rejects a ‘top-down’ approach.

     

Reasons for Utilizing Mental Health Services as Predictors of College Students’ Alcohol Risk

The authors examined college student drinkers’ (n = 153) reasons for seeking counseling services and risk for alcohol problems. Students seeking help for impulse‐ or anger‐related issues and depression were at heightened risk for alcohol problems. Only 10% of students sought alcohol‐related help despite high rates of hazardous alcohol use (80%) and dependence (39%). Targeted screening and intervention in college counseling centers may enable providers to effectively identify and treat students in need of alcohol treatment.