The longer‐term effects of reading interventions delivered by experienced teaching assistants

This study explored the responsiveness of children at risk of reading problems in Year 1 to a phonics intervention delivered by teaching assistants (TAs). Based on their non‐word decoding skills in the immediate post‐tests, 74 children were clustered together at the high end as ‘treatment responders’ (n = 49) and at the low end as ‘treatment non‐responders’ (n = 25) and were followed up at the end of Key Stage 1, 16 months after the intervention finished. The treatment‐responder group was superior in all areas of rated attainment and, unlike the non‐responders, achieved national averages in most teacher ratings of attainment. These results suggest that experienced TAs can help two out of three children at risk of reading difficulties.     

How to Think about Environmental Studies

It is not possible to date when environmental studies became 'Environmental Studies'. Nevertheless it has had a turbulent history marked by inconsistency, conflict and change. It is not surprising that at present it lacks disciplinary coherence and is subject to various definitions, often contradictory. There is ongoing speculation as to the cause of this identity crisis: 'curricular universalism' (absence of a unifying concept), academic territorialism and pedagogical clashes. I argue that a philosophical inquiry into the role of values in Environmental Studies provides the missing coherence and unity. Further, I argue that environmental problems directly related to deliberate human action are the province of applied philosophy and offer a formal argument to support this claim, and briefly address and dismiss the controversy over the teaching of values. I conclude that Environmental Studies is inherently part of the philosophical enterprise; as such it belongs with the humanities. The discussion takes as its starting point the context of college and university education in the US, but the issues raised have more general relevance.     

Philosophy as a Basis for Policy and Practice: What Confidence Can We Have in Philosophical Analysis and Argument?

The purpose of this article is to suggest how philosophy might play a key, if precisely delineated, role in the shaping of policy that leads educational development. The argument begins with a reflection on the nature of confidence in the relationship between philosophy and policy. We note the widespread resistance to abstract theorising in the policy community, disguising the enormous potential of a philosophical approach. Defending a philosophically equipped approach to policy, which is inevitably theoretically laden, we argue that philosophical investigation should be construed not as an initial step anterior to the task of research, but as a way of standing in relation to evidence and policy making throughout the process of investigation and adjudication. To illustrate the distinctive contribution philosophy can make, we propose five interrelated stages where philosophical thinking plays a constitutive role in the full process of policy development, critique and instantiation.     

The Meaning of Artistic Tradition in a Multicultural Society

Teaching art in a multicultural society requires teachers to develop an understanding of the nature of artistic knowledge with regard to the cultural backgrounds of all children, so that the validity of art relates to the ethnic structure of contemporary society and takes full account of its historical origins. This requires a sound basis for interpretation of other cultures so that children can see the interrelated connections between what they are shown and know, and how this is always contingent upon historical antecedents of society and societies. No longer can artistic traditions be isolated or prioritised in hierarchies that alienate or marginalise the cultural roots of those children who happen to come from ethnic minorities. Therefore, to better teach the requirements of the National Curriculum in Art, with particular regard to Attainment Target 2, teachers need to be aware of their responsibilities in interpreting the traditions of non-indigenous cultures. This paper draws on experience of teaching art in a largely homogenised minority of Scottish Gaeldom, where historical perceptions of what constituted its tradition were profoundly significant to the aims of educating its young. And where, the teacher happens to come from outside that tradition, the importance of understanding the formation and interpretation of tradition[s] is a paramount consideration in deciding what and how to teach art. This paper focuses on the central issues and draws upon relevant literature to support the case that art must be taught with commitment to the context and artistic future of a multicultural society.     

PART VII: PSYCHOLOGY AND MOTOR CONTROL

The main aim of this study was to examine the age- and sex-associated variation in neuromuscular capacities of young distance runners. A secondary aim was to compare the magnitude of sex differences in young athletes in the same sport compared with the general population. Twenty-seven male and 27 female distance runners were enrolled in the study, whose ages ranged from 8.0 to 15.1 years at initial visit. Twenty males and 16 females were followed at approximate annual intervals for 4 or 5 years. Seven neuromuscular capacities were measured: quadrant jump, figure 8 run, standing long jump, vertical jump, flexed arm hang, sit-and-reach and sit-up. Age- and sex-associated variation was analysed by two-way analysis of variance. There were significant main effects for age for quadrant jump, figure 8 run, long jump, vertical jump, sit-and-reach and sit-up. There were significant main effects for sex for figure 8 run, long jump, vertical jump, flexed arm hang and sit-and-reach. The interaction between age and sex was statistically significant for long jump and vertical jump. In general, differences in neuromuscular agility (figure 8 run, quadrant jump) and explosiveness-power (long jump, vertical jump) between the sexes were attenuated before 13 years of age in young distance runners. However, during the adolescent growth spurt, differences in agility and power between the sexes emerged as a result of a continued increase in males and a plateau in females. Differences between the sexes in upper body neuromuscular endurance (flexed arm hang) and sit-and-reach persisted throughout the age range. The magnitude of sex differences between the runners and the general population varied by age and neuromuscular capacity.