Searching for pedagogical adaptations by exploring teacher’s tacit knowledge and interactional co-regulation in the education of pupils with autism

The purpose of this article is to introduce a research design, which aims to find useful pedagogical adaptations for teaching pupils with autism. Autism is a behavioural syndrome characterised by disabilities and dysfunctions in interaction and communication, which is why it is interesting to explore educational processes particularly from an interactional perspective in a class with pupils with autism. The main focus is in exploring teacher’s tacit knowledge and interactional co-regulation between the teacher and the pupils. This study is a part of a larger Finnish project, which involves the education of pupils with autism in the primary school system. In the study described, six video recordings (each about 30?min) were taken under analysis due to the uniqueness in the research context of special education: the videos are rare in that they involve only the teacher and her six pupils with autism; no helpers are present in the classroom. This study explored the phenomenon ethnomethodologically. This study indicated that it is possible to apply a general theory of interaction when exploring people with autism, although the main diagnostic criteria of autism are disabilities in social interaction and communication. It was possible to extract episodes from the behaviour of the teacher that showed her tacit knowledge becoming concrete. These results could be taken into consideration when planning and carrying out teaching in different contexts and in teacher education, too.     

Integration of physically disabled students

Abstract

The article reviews research in four areas: impact of integration on children's self‐concept, attitudes toward physically disabled children, effects on their school achievement and teacher reactions to integration. Research evidence suggests that being together with non‐disabled peers makes the disabled child more aware of his physical impairment and restraints. But there are also signs indicating that psychological factors essential for a positive self‐evaluation are activated to a higher degree in the integrated environment. With respect to attitudes of peers there are some, although not conclusive, results suggesting positive influence of integration. Research on school achievement demonstrates the great variability among the physically disabled pupils, in comparison with which the impact of school placement is relatively minor. Teacher opinions about integration of physically disabled pupils are mainly positive, but if the handicap is severe integration is considered possible only with a rich supply of teaching material, reduced class size and support from specialists. The review concludes with glimpses from reports on practical experience with integration.     

网络课程学习平台的交互机制设计及其应用

影响网络学习的一个重要因素是学习过程中的各类交互,而学习平台的交互机制对提供交互手段和促进有效交互起着非常重要的作用。在分析网络课程学习平台的交互现状和网络学习特点的基础上,提出并设计了网络课程学习平台的交互机制,主要包括学习交互机制(如任务引导式交互机制、"协作+自主"交互机制)和激励保障机制(如积分机制、学级修炼机制、"学习之星"考核机制和开设"学习商城")。同时,将这些机制具体应用到网络课程中,对平台的结构和交互机制进行了设计。实践应用证明,合理的交互机制设计,能够促进平台的健康运行和内部活力,提升交互效果,能够激发学生的学习积极性,提高学生的参与度和竞争意识。     

增强现实技术支持下的儿童虚拟交互学习环境研发

增强现实环境中的学习注重虚拟与现实的结合,通过在现实环境之中叠映虚拟三维场景信息,让学习者使用电脑或移动终端在虚实融合的学习环境中交互学习。文章在精要阐述增强现实技术可为儿童构建四种类型的虚实结合的交互学习环境的基础上,以交互式儿童多媒体科普电子书为例,论述基于增强现实的儿童虚拟交互学习环境的结构功能、开发工具、三维模型和标志物的设计及制作、增强现实引擎的实现,以及阅读机理与流程。     

当代文化语境下虚拟学习社区在艺术教育中的建构研究

在当代文化语境下,开展艺术教育有助于促进学生的人性完整和全面发展。运用虚拟学习社区开展艺术教育应当符合艺术活动的特点和规律,遵循审美性原则和多元交互原则,以调动学生审美心理的积极参与,并在广泛的互动交流中增强审美意识和独立个性。运用虚拟学习社区时教师应当发挥实时交互和非实时交互的优势,引导互动交流的方向和重点,以及调动学生审美主体意识的参与。     

Responding to children’s answers: questions embedded in the social context of early childhood education

This article presents analysis of question–answer sequences during problem inquiry between a teacher and two children in an early childhood crèche in New Zealand. Conversation analysis is used to reveal which questions the teacher asks, how children answer the questions, and the teacher’s responses to the child’s answers. Although adults’ ‘effective’ questions were identified and promoted in the REPEY study much less attention has been given to how adults respond to children’s answers. It is imperative to investigate the sequences of talk which follow a question in order to establish how teaching and learning is co-constructed in context, one utterance at a time and as a joint project between teacher and child. The findings suggest that task problems and emotional problems are treated in a similar way during problem inquiry, highlighting the complexity of interactions when teachers are providing both emotional care and educational support for young children.     

Formative assessment: translating high-level curriculum principles into classroom practice

The curriculum is the totality of experiences which are planned for young learners through their education, wherever they are being educated. It determines the ethos of the school as a learning community, curriculum subjects and areas, interdisciplinary learning, and opportunities to attain personal and learning goals. An effective curriculum, which meets the needs of the twenty-first century learner improves numeracy and literacy, promotes health and well-being, and supports the social and technical skills required for learning, life and work (lifelong learning). Relatively recent developments in the policy frameworks of numerous nations have seen the implementation of an interactive style of teaching and learning called formative assessment. Formative classroom assessment is a potentially powerful instructional process because the practice of sharing assessment information that supports learning is embedded into the instructional process by design. This article uses a range of sources, including policy and framework documentation relating to the development and implementation of a curriculum which drives interactive assessment practices designed to make evidence of learning visible as assessment data with potentially lifelong effects. The purpose of this article is to delineate a ‘formative curriculum’ designed to drive classroom practices that create responsible citizens, confident individuals, effective contributors, and successful learners.     

基于Virtools的教育游戏设计与开发

根据教育游戏的现状引入了Virtools的组成结构和开发流程。从剧本创作、角色设定、关卡设计和结尾构思四个方面提出了教育融入游戏的途径。基于Virtools技术开发了一款教育游戏,展示了虚拟世界的场景建设、碰撞检测、实时交互等实现方法,使游戏具有趣味性、挑战性和教育性。最后总结了应用Virtools技术开发教育游戏的特点。     

都市和乡村：两极对立与互动图景

新世纪以来都市题材文学在中国获得了发展,而乡村题材文学依然占据了文坛主流。中国社会在改变,都市和乡村从对立趋向于相互的渗透和交流融合。随之在当前文学之中出现新的动向。其中创作思维方式也在发生改变。文学参与文明进程的努力是明显的,从中也可以看出社会学意义上的变化。     

THE MISCONCEPTION OF ONLINE COMMENT THREADS

Web 2.0 has opened the gates to journalism for online audiences which increasingly participate in the production, dissemination and response processes of news. Comment threads in particular have grown exponentially in recent years as readers have embraced the opportunity to bypass the Letters' Editor and publish their opinions directly to a newspaper website. This rise in participatory journalism has led to new challenges for journalists as they have strived to negotiate the often murky waters of user-generated content. To date, research in this field has been mostly limited to national and international news websites despite local news providers having a close connection and engagement with their communities. This paper therefore seeks to fill this gap partially by analysing the content of comment threads on two British local newspaper websites via a content analysis, while also exploring the experiences of journalists via news room observation and interviews. A contradictory picture emerges whereby journalists accept with some reluctance that comment threads possess a democratic function but one which is potentially damaging to the brand as well as resource intensive. This is juxtaposed by more positive findings that reveal buoyant levels of interactivity between readers in comment threads together with a thirst for engagement in public affairs.