Culturally Responsive Literacy Practices in an Early Childhood Community

Early childhood educators continue to see an increase in their culturally diverse student population. As our country continues to grow as a multicultural nation, it is imperative that our early childhood classrooms embrace this rich diversity and provide experiences that affirm all students, families and communities. We (teacher educators) synthesized the current research into the following five frameworks that we believe embody the foundation of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) in an early childhood setting: (a) developing a culturally responsive classroom community, (b) family engagement, (c) critical literacy within a social justice framework, (d) multicultural literature, and (e) culturally responsive print rich environments. In this article we situate each framework within the larger context of research. Next we move beyond discussing CRT practices by offering ideas on how culturally responsive classrooms look and how to implement this pedagogy and in an early childhood setting with real classroom practices.     

A historical analysis of electric currents in textbooks: A century of influence on physics education

The typical model of electric current which we present to students is one of electron movement between points at different potentials. The problems associated with this model of electricity have been the subject of much educational research, particularly with respect to the use of analogies. The water-circuit analogy, especially, has received considerable attention. Despite this, students continue to hold remarkably persistent alternative conceptions about the nature of simple circuits. Historically, the electromagnetic field theories of Faraday and Maxwell constitute important steps towards modern understanding of transmission of electric current along a wire. Textbooks from 1891 to 1991, however, reflect remarkably little change in their presentation of direct-current circuitry, most texts by implication portraying, in various ways, a fluid model which predates Faraday. Against this background, this paper describes the ways in which textbooks interpret historical developments for teaching texts and the time which may elapse before such developments have an impact in the classroom. It also highlights important issues relating to the intrinsic merit of contemporary textbook treatments of electricity and examines their importance with respect to classroom teaching.     

Ages of diagnosis,amplification, and early intervention of infants and young children with hearing loss: findings from parent interviews

A survey was conducted to determine the status of early identification of children with hearing loss in Illinois. Over a 3-year period, parents of 77 children with severe to profound hearing loss were interviewed while attending an educational program at a state residential school for the Deaf. Results indicated that these children had lower ages of identification than those reported in national studies (Arehart, Yoshinaga-Itano, Thomson, Gabbard, and Stredler Brown, 1998; Harrison & Roush, 1996) and in an earlier study in Illinois (Kittrell & Arjmand, 1997). Delays between suspicion and the initiation of diagnosis and amplification were reported, and were most often attributed to physicians' failure to investigate the possibility of hearing loss. Delays in the onset of early intervention services were noted for half of the children. Although the study reports progress across all areas, the ages of identification, amplification, and early intervention remain higher than recent research (Harrison & Roush, 1996; Kittrell & Arjmand, 1997; Marschark, 1998) indicates is justifiable.     

Higher education recruitment in the United States: a chronology of significant literature

ABSTRACT

Given the absence of a chronology of the historical philosophies, perspectives, and practices of recruitment within the higher education institutions in the United States, the authors have assembled an overview of the material on recruitment strategies and ideologies of American higher education institutions. Literature from and about the past aids in illuminating the current context while helping to navigate the future of higher education recruitment. The authors have identified five general periods: prior to 1920, 1921 to the end of the Second World War, the post-War decade, mid-1950s through the 1970s, and 1980s to the present. Documentation for each period varies significantly in quality and amount, with the densest data found for the two later periods. Future researchers may explore how recruitment practices and language encourage or discourage under-represented populations in higher education. Further research in other areas of educational recruitment is also suggested.     

Maternal and Child Characteristics that Influence the Growth of Daily Living Skills from Infancy to School Age in Preterm and Term Children

Research findings. Growth across 6 months to 8 years of age, assessed at seven time points, for daily living and cognitive skills was compared for term (n = 122), very low birth weight (VLBW) children of low (n = 114) and high (n = 73) medical risk and lower socioeconomic status (SES). Dramatic declines in daily living skills were found for all children, while cognitive skills were stable across this age range. By 8 years, daily living skills were in deficient ranges for all groups with both VLBW groups showing lower levels in both skill areas across all ages compared to term children. Relations between child and parenting factors and daily living skill growth were examined in order to better understand this decline. Early maternal general stimulation and directiveness predicted slower declines in daily living skills while higher parental developmental expectations predicted higher levels in daily living skills. Practice. These results demonstrated the negative impact of lower SES and biological risk on children's growth in daily living skill. The findings highlighting several parenting factors that are important in understanding individual differences in children's daily living skill development have implications for early intervention.     

The development of a group consultation approach to service delivery

This paper outlines the development, within a small, rural educational psychology service in Wales, of a group consultation approach to service delivery. This involved educational psychologists offering consultation to small groups of teachers as an alternative to direct assessment work. The process of implementing the group consultation approach is described and the findings of a pilot evaluation in the northern area of the county are discussed. The evaluation is a report on initial findings. It is expected that further update reports will be submitted.     

Assessing the Practicum

The practicum appears in many different forms in professional education — as field placement, cooperative education, sandwich programs, internship and clinical placement. This review of current literature reveals many different conceptions of the kinds of learning outcomes that can be achieved through learning in the workplace and the contribution that the practicum can make to professional education. In consequence, assessment philosophies and methods are equally varied. Five distinct approaches to assessment of the practicum are identified and the strengths and weaknesses of each are evaluated. While assessment of the practicum in some programs has been very limited, in the best examples cited, integration of the practicum with the educational program has provided opportunities for students to bring together a range of knowledge and skills in a complex natural environment. Well‐designed assessment requirements can make a significant contribution to learning in the practicum by putting pressure on supervisors to structure the opportunities available and by requiring students to identify and reflect on what they have learned.     

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

This article shows how consideration of seating arrangements in theatres can be used as a basis for constructing an interesting probability model.     

The architecture of human information processing: Empirical evidence

This article outlines a path analytic interpretation of data collected in light of a theoretical formulation of a dynamic model of memory, which provides a perspective on the human information processing system as a whole. The model of memory represents an attempt to integrate the relatively static models of memory structures with the more dynamic concepts underlying research on control and processing mechanisms. The outcomes of the study emphasise the role of relational knowledge (taxotomic subject matter structures), strategic knowledge (procedural algorithms) and empirical knowledge (based on first hand experience) in cognitive skill performance.