Which Words? Words which 4 to 6 Year Old Children Use in Their Writing

The use of high frequency word lists has re-emerged recently as a useful part of the knowledge base of primary teachers of literacy. The National Literacy Project framework for teaching makes explicit use of such lists. In this article Laura Huxford and her colleagues examine the contents of word lists and make some useful observations about the words it appears important to teach children to read at Key Stage 1.     

Juggling multiple accountability systems: how three principals manage these tensions in Ontario,Canada

Accountability in education is not new. Schools have always been accountable in one way or another to the communities they serve, regardless of the policy environment of the time (Elmore, The Educational Forum, 69:134–142, 2005). This article explores how three principals from Ontario, Canada manage the tensions of multiple accountability systems in their work. Findings indicate that the principals were able to find ways to be accountable to a variety of communities and ideals by prioritizing and honoring local needs and beliefs within the larger provincial mandate. Principals could not ignore the various accountability pressures; indeed, their success hinged on the ability to negotiate them. This delicate balancing act requires school principals to develop skills necessary to successfully juggle these competing demands.     

Subject competency of teachers and level of dependence on resource packs to teach levers,gears and pulleys

This pilot study set out to ascertain whether the level of dependence on resource material is related to teaching experience, existing understanding in mechanics, and perceived self confidence in science and technology. Details of teaching experience and qualifications were obtained from 11 experienced teachers and 10 initial teacher trainees, and understanding of mechanics was assessed by a written test. Each teacher worked through one commercially produced inservice pack about levers, pulleys or gears, and then prepared a 30 minute session for 4 ten year old children. Videos of the sessions were analysed with respect to the extent to which the pack was the sole focus; the amount of integration with other teaching aids and approaches; and the extent individual children's needs were satisfied. Although science qualifications influenced teacher confidence, they were not accurate predictors of relevant knowledge and teaching competence. As the majority of teachers followed pack instructions closely, the children's needs were not always well matched. Specializations: primary science and technology, teacher education. Specialisations: science education.     

The cues that infants use to distinguish discontinuous quantities: evidence using a shift-rate recovery paradigm

A novel experimental method, shift-rate recovery, was developed and used in a series of three experiments. These examined the extent to which 6-month-old infants (N = 131) find perceptual cues such as density and length useful in the discrimination of linearly arranged sets containing large numbers of objects. Results showed that infants discriminated between arrays that differ in number and density, with length held constant, when the arrays were presented either simultaneously or successively. On the other hand, infants discriminated only between arrays that differ in number and length, with density held constant, when the arrays were presented simultaneously. Infants were, however, able to perform a successive length discrimination when the arrays were continuous rather than consisting of discrete items. These findings support the conclusion that infants are able to discriminate between large number sets by relying on absolute cues such as density (but not length) and on relative cues such as optical one-to-one correspondence.     

Supporting children’s transition to school age care

While a great deal of research has focused on children’s experiences as they start school, less attention has been directed to their experiences—and those of their families and educators—as they start school age care. This paper draws from a recent research project investigating practices that promote positive transitions to school and school age care. Data were generated through questionnaires, document analysis, visits to sites and conversations with a wide range of participants. In this paper, data related to school age care are reported. The results emphasise the importance of communication in the development of strong positive relationships among all those involved in transition. The practices identified as effective reflect the principles of My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia, and are aligned with the Transition to School: Position Statement, which focuses on the opportunities, expectations, aspirations and entitlements for all during educational transitions. Drawing on these practices, possibilities for enhanced professional practice are explored.     

Single‐sex classes in co‐educational schools

This research investigated social and academic outcomes from single‐sex classrooms in a Tasmanian coeducational government primary school. Interviews, observations and surveys formed the basis of the evidence. Teachers, parents and children reported positive benefits from the class organisation, but these differed according to gender. Staff identified increased confidence and higher self‐esteem among girls, whereas boys developed increased motivation and more commitment to schoolwork. Teachers and parents noted that boys’ accountability and self‐discipline improved. Teachers adopted different strategies from those used with mixed‐gender classes and gained higher levels of satisfaction from teaching, attributable to increased children’s time ‘on task’. Paradoxically, standardised school testing indicated no increase in academic achievements. However, there may be an extended lag between establishing changed social relationships and measurable academic outcomes, suggesting that if the new class structure is to achieve its full potential, it should be established early in primary school and continue to adolescence.     

Deal‐making and rule‐breaking: behind the façade of equity in academia

A glass ceiling for women still exists in academia after two decades of equal employment opportunity (EEO) legislation in Australia. There are complex factors that when combined make gender inequity in the higher education sector highly resistant to change. Using personal histories as a reflexive device, the paper makes explicit the embedded male patterns of behaviour in academia that operate beneath the façade of policies and rules put into place to counter inequity. In particular, the paper focuses on the cognitive dissonance individuals experience due to the disparity between formal organizational policies promoting equity, such as workload allocations, and perceptions of the unequal opportunities for women and men. Using social identity theory and the leader member exchange (LMX) framework, the daily experiences of three academic women are interpreted, the impediments to equality identified, and suggestions made for more fundamental change to gendered organizational structures within academia. The analysis of such behaviours shows that the traditional emphasis of EEO legislation on formal policies and procedures to bring about gender equity in academia needs to be accompanied by cultural change programs that make explicit and challenge behaviours that reproduce and reinforce male hegemony in academia.