Teachers in early childhood policy

This paper examines teacher accountability and authority in early childhood policy. It reports on data from a study that investigated the influences affecting early childhood teacher decision-making at the preschool level in Victoria, Australia. Using a question raised by Ball ‘Where are the teachers in all this [policy]?’ provided a starting point for the critical discourse analysis into how forms of control, teacher authority, obligation and constraint within policies potentially influenced teachers’ curriculum decisions. The study found that despite no government-mandated curriculum framework at the time, teachers were held accountable for their curricular practice. Yet as professionals, early childhood teachers were denied public acknowledgement of their expertise as they were almost invisible in policy. In the four policies analysed, proprietors of early childhood settings and preschool agencies held authority over curriculum. Subsequently, teachers’ authority as professionals with curricular knowledge was diminished.     

新课改以来课程与教学研究知识增长方式的探究——基于CiteSpace知识图谱的分析

知识增长方式可成为评价新课改效果的角度之一。利用文献计量软件CiteSpace3．5．R10及内容分析,从“问题情境”、“组织形式”角度对2001—2012年间的课程与教学研究成果进行梳理。结果表明,该领域的知识生产方式出现变化：1．主题重构。从宏大、抽象主题向微小、情境化主题转移。2．机构重组。研究机构以高校为主;话语权被分解;机构间的异质合作增多。由此推论,该变化可能是研究对多元应用情境的回应;该领域知识增长初具良性的异质特征。建议今后研究应强化对知识市场需求的回应、对应用情境的观照、机构闻的异质合作。     

Tronto's notion of privileged irresponsibility and the reconceptualisation of care: implications for critical pedagogies of emotion in higher education

This article takes on some of care theorist Joan Tronto's ideas on care and responsibility and asks what implications they have for critical pedagogies in higher education. The authors argue that Tronto's political ethics of care framework enriches the transformative potential of critical pedagogies, because it helps expose how power and emotion operate through (ir)responsibility. In particular, Tronto's notion of ‘privileged irresponsibility’ is analysed in relation to the gendered and emotional ideologies and practices that are constructed discursively and materially. It is argued that critical pedagogies of emotion grounded in Tronto's political ethics of care provide the concepts and openings to critically explore the emotions arising from failing to recognise different teachers' and students' needs and from engaging in practices of privileged irresponsibility. Also, critical pedagogies of emotion encourage students and educators to be attentive to their own emotional positions and practices with regard to caring responsibilities and (gendered and other) privileged irresponsibilities.     

Using early care and education quality measures with dual language learners: A review of the research

As the number of young dual language learners (DLLs) in early care and education (ECE) programs is increasing, it is critical to examine how well measures of the quality of practices in these settings reflect the needs of the diverse groups of children being served. This review of the research literature addressed these questions for ECE settings serving children birth-five: whether quality differs for settings serving high proportions of DLLs compared to typical samples, whether existing quality measures exhibit similar psychometric characteristics and associations with child outcomes in settings serving DLL and non-DLL children, and whether DLL-specific measures perform differently than general measures of quality. The search procedure produced 10 research studies that met the criteria for inclusion in the review out of approximately 3800 that were found initially and more than 300 that were reviewed. These studies included 10 out of 46 identified measures of ECE quality, including both general and DLL-specific measures. Findings suggested that widely used general ECE quality measures function similarly for DLLs compared to typical populations with regard to overall quality, psychometric characteristics, and child outcomes. Further research is needed to broaden the knowledge base for a wider variety of measures, beyond center-based settings, and beyond Spanish-speaking DLLs, as well as to enhance methodological approaches. There appear to be potential research opportunities through numerous existing studies that included DLL populations but had not analyzed their data in regard to these groups.     

Unstable and multiple child care arrangements and young children's behavior

Growing evidence suggests that child care instability is associated with child behavior problems, but existing studies confound different types of instability; use small, convenience samples; and/or control insufficiently for selection into child care arrangements. This study uses survey and calendar data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study to estimate the associations between three different types of child care instability—long-term instability, multiplicity, and the use of back-up arrangements—and children's internalizing, externalizing, and prosocial behaviors at age 3, controlling for a large number of child and family background characteristics. Long-term instability between birth and age 3, as measured in both the survey and calendar data, is associated with higher levels of externalizing behavior problems. Current multiplicity at age 3 (as measured by survey data) is associated with higher levels of both externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, but stable multiplicity over time (as measured using calendar data) is not. Finally, the use of back-up arrangements at age 3 is associated with higher levels of internalizing behaviors. We find no consistent differences in these results by the timing of instability, child gender, family income, or type of care.     

Exploring the Use of Podcasts and Vodcasts: Multimedia Tools for Word Learning

The study investigated the impact of podcasts and vodcasts accessed through an iPod on fourth- and sixth-grade students’ vocabulary acquisition. Students were randomly assigned to either a podcast group or a vodcast group. Regardless of group assignment, each student completed three six-minute podcasts or vodcasts a day for three days. On average, students learned four out of nine words taught regardless of group assignment. The vodcast group learned significantly more words compared to the podcast group at the receptive level and at the expressive level. Student comments indicated that iPods should be used to teach and to review words.     

Head Start and child care providers’ motivators,barriers and facilitators to practicing family-style meal service

This paper presents a qualitative investigation of the motivators, barriers, and facilitators for practicing family-style meal service (FSMS) from the perspective of 18 child care providers serving preschool children in Head Start (HS), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) funded, and non-CACFP child-care centers. Providers were selected based on maximum variation purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews were conducted until saturation was reached. Provider responses were systematically coded using thematic analysis. HS and CACFP providers reported being motivated to practice FSMS because it created pleasant mealtimes, opportunities to role model healthy eating, and healthful child development. CACFP and non-CACFP providers reported not using FSMS because it was resource intensive, messy, and seemed to violate CACFP policy. HS and CACFP providers offered suggestions to overcome these barriers. They suggested that FSMS eventually becomes easier with practice, children can self-regulate their energy intake, and teaching children self-help skills during play time can avoid messes during mealtimes. Findings from this study have implications for programming, policy, and research.     

中国素材在外文教材授课中的重要性研究——以生态学课程为例

文章以生态学外文原版教材为例,分析了外文教材的特点,发现外文教材中普遍缺乏中国素材。经调查发现,国内许多典籍都记载了许多与生态学有关的案例。近些年来,以我国作者为主(或参与)或以中国为研究区发表的生态学英文文献不断增加。这些都为用外文教材授课时多引入中国素材提供了可能性。课堂教学表明,适当地引入中国素材,可以激发学生兴趣和课堂发言,加强师生间的交流与讨论。     

儿童写作教学需凸显“课程意识”

＂课程意识＂在儿童写作教学中占据重要地位,凸显＂课程意识＂可以改变小学写作课堂教学随意、低效,甚至＂不作为＂的现状。＂课程意识＂观照下的儿童写作教学应促使学习目标更趋循序性,教学内容更趋丰富性,写作策略知识的渗透更趋显性化,写作评价更具针对性。凸显＂课程意识＂,将促使儿童写作教学走向有序、有效、有用。