Probing the neurocognitive trajectories of children's reading skills

Emerging evidence of the high variability in the cognitive skills and deficits associated with reading achievement and dysfunction promotes both a more dimensional view of the risk factors involved, and the importance of discriminating between trajectories of impairment. Here we examined reading and component orthographic and phonological skills alongside measures of cognitive ability and auditory and visual sensory processing in a large group of primary school children between the ages of 7 and 12 years. We identified clusters of children with pseudoword or exception word reading scores at the 10th percentile or below relative to their age group, and a group with poor skills on both tasks. Compared to age-matched and reading-level controls, groups of children with more impaired exception word reading were best described by a trajectory of developmental delay, whereas readers with more impaired pseudoword reading or combined deficits corresponded more with a pattern of atypical development. Sensory processing deficits clustered within both of the groups with putative atypical development: auditory discrimination deficits with poor phonological awareness skills; impairments of visual motion processing in readers with broader and more severe patterns of reading and cognitive impairments. Sensory deficits have been variably associated with developmental impairments of literacy and language; these results suggest that such deficits are also likely to cluster in children with particular patterns of reading difficulty. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Learning to 'understand backwards' in time: children's temporal cognition and the primary history curriculum

This study examines children’s temporal ways of knowing and it highlights the centrality of temporal cognition in the development of children’s historical understanding. It explores how young children conceptualise time and it examines the provision for temporal cognition at the levels of the intended, enacted and received history curriculum in the Irish primary school context. Positioning temporality as a prerequisite second-order concept, the study recognises the essential role of both first-order and additional second-order concepts in historical understanding. While the former can be defined as the basic, substantive content to be taught, the latter refers to a number of additional key concepts that are deemed fundamental to children's capacity to make meaningful sense of history. The study argues for due recognition to be given to temporality, in the belief that both sets of knowledge, the content and skills, are required to develop historical thinking (Lévesque, 2011). The study addresses a number of key research questions, using a mixed methods research design, comprising an analysis of history textbooks, a survey among final year student teachers about their teaching of history, and school-based interviews with primary school children: What opportunities are available for children to develop temporal ways of knowing? How do student teachers experience being apprenticed into the available culture for teaching history and understanding temporality at primary level? What insights do the cognitive-developmental and sociocultural perspectives on learning provide for understanding the dynamics of children’s temporal ways of knowing? The study argues that the skill of developing a deeper understanding of time is a key prerequisite in connecting with, and constructing, understandings and frameworks of the past. The study advances a view of temporality as complex, multi-faceted and developmental. The findings have a potential contribution to make in influencing policy and pedagogy in establishing an elaborated and well-defined curriculum framework for developing temporal cognition at both national and international levels.

A Jaworskian analysis of four senior class primary teachers endeavouring to teach mathematics from a constructivist-compatible perspective

A constructivist philosophy underlies the Irish primary mathematics curriculum. As constructivism is a theory of learning its implications for teaching need to be addressed. This study explores the experiences of four senior class primary teachers as they endeavour to teach mathematics from a constructivist-compatible perspective with primary school children in Ireland over a school-year period. Such a perspective implies that children should take ownership of their learning while working in groups on tasks which challenge them at their zone of proximal development. The key question on which the research is based is: to what extent will an exposure to constructivism and its implications for the classroom impact on teaching practices within the senior primary mathematics classroom in both the short and longer term? Although several perspectives on constructivism have evolved (von Glaserfeld (1995), Cobb and Yackel (1996), Ernest (1991,1998)), it is the synthesis of the emergent perspective which becomes pivotal to the Irish primary mathematics curriculum. Tracking the development of four primary teachers in a professional learning initiative involving constructivist-compatible approaches necessitated the use of Borko’s (2004) Phase 1 research methodology to account for the evolution in teachers’ understanding of constructivism. Teachers’ and pupils’ viewpoints were recorded using both audio and video technology. Teachers were interviewed at the beginning and end of the project and also one year on to ascertain how their views had evolved. Pupils were interviewed at the end of the project only. The data were analysed from a Jaworskian perspective i.e. using the categories of her Teaching Triad of management of learning, mathematical challenge and sensitivity to students. Management of learning concerns how the teacher organises her classroom to maximise learning opportunities for pupils. Mathematical challenge is reminiscent of the Vygotskian (1978) construct of the zone of proximal development. Sensitivity to students involves a consciousness on the part of the teacher as to how pupils are progressing with a mathematical task and whether or not to intervene to scaffold their learning. Through this analysis a synthesis of the teachers’ interpretations of constructivist philosophy with concomitant implications for theory, policy and practice emerges. The study identifies strategies for teachers wishing to adopt a constructivist-compatible approach to their work. Like O’Shea (2009) it also highlights the likely difficulties to be experienced by such teachers as they move from utilising teacher-dominated methods of teaching mathematics to ones in which pupils have more ownership over their learning.

Concept maps as a tool to analyze the ideas of teacher training students regarding what to teach on human nutrition in Primary Education

Concept maps are a technique used to obtain a visual representation of a person's ideas about a concept or a set of related concepts. Specifically, in this paper, through a qualitative methodology, we analyze the concept maps proposed by 52 groups of teacher training students in order to find out the characteristics of the maps and the degree of adequacy of the contents with regard to the teaching of human nutrition in the 3rd cycle of primary education. The participants were enrolled in the Teacher Training Degree majoring in Primary Education, and the data collection was carried out through a training activity under the theme of what to teach about Science in Primary School? The results show that the maps are a useful tool for working in teacher education as they allow organizing, synthesizing, and communicating what students know. Moreover, through this work, it has been possible to see that future teachers have acceptable skills for representing the concepts/ideas in a concept map, although the level of adequacy of concepts/ideas about human nutrition and its relations is usually medium or low. These results are a wake-up call for teacher training, both initial and ongoing, because they shows the inability to change priorities as far as the selection of content is concerned.

Elvaåringars skriftbruk till vardags och i skolan

The written word ‘surrounds us round the clock’. Consequently, it is difficult to determine the border between children’s school literacy and their vernacular literacy outside school. The aim of this article is therefore to describe some everyday literacy events and their relation to literacy events in grade 5 in school.  The concept literacy covers broader ways of reading and writing and is understood in the social context in which it is used and acquired. Children use different written modes of communication outside school, for example, Facebook and blogs, but seldom books. In school, on the other hand, they usually write with a pen and read books made of paper. The children’s vernacular literacy practices and school literacy practices meet during school breaks, where students’ texting and typing are visible. The different use of modes, tools and literacy events among students are something that probably should be problematized and discussed within schools with the aim of drawing on everyday practices to enhance educational development.

The Design and Development of Educational Immersive Environments: From Theory to Classroom Deployment

Computer game technology is poised to make a significant impact on the way our youngsters will learn. Our youngsters are ‘Digital Natives’, immersed in digital technologies, especially computer games. They expect to utilize these technologies in learning contexts. This expectation, and our response as educators, may change classroom practice and inform curriculum developments. This chapter approaches these issues ‘head on’. Starting from a review of the current educational issues, an evaluation of educational theory and instructional design principles, a new theoretical approach to the construction of “Educational Immersive Environments” (EIEs) is proposed. Elements of this approach are applied to development of an EIE to support Literacy Education in UK Primary Schools. An evaluation of a trial within a UK Primary School is discussed. Conclusions from both the theoretical development and the evaluation suggest how future teacher-practitioners may embrace both the technology and our approach to develop their own learning resources.

Creating Educational Immersive Environments Using a Computer Game Engine: Case Studies and Design Theory

This paper aims to crystallize recent research performed at the University of Worcester to investigate the feasibility of using the commercial game engine ‘Unreal Tournament 2004’ (UT2004) to produce ‘Educational Immersive Environments’ (EIEs) suitable for education and training. Our research has been supported by the UK Higher Education Academy. We discuss both practical and theoretical aspects of EIEs. The practical aspects include the production of EIEs to support high school physics education, the education of architects, and the learning of literacy by primary school children. This research is based on the development of our novel instructional medium, ‘UnrealPowerPoint’. Our fundamental guiding principles are that, first, pedagogy must inform technology, and second, that both teachers and pupils should be empowered to produce educational materials. Our work is informed by current educational theories such as constructivism, experiential learning and socio-cultural approaches as well as elements of instructional design and game principles.

Moving together – conditions for intercultural development at a highly diverse Swedish school

This thesis is a case study of a primary school in a highly diverse urban neighbourhood in Sweden. Basic pre-conditions for intercultural school development are studied by examining the overall organisation of teaching, learning and opportunities for collaboration in the investigated case. The study focuses on the targeted support measures to enhance learning for students with an immigrant background: Mother tongue instruction, Swedish as a Second Language, and tutoring in the mother tongue, as well as looking at pedagogical support provided by the school library. The latter has a mission to promote learning and inclusion, where non-native speakers of Swedish are a prioritised group. Communities of practice linked to the work organisation at a meso-level are investigated, and the collaborative relationships between professional groups at the school involved in the various support measures. Teacher relationships and categorisations implied by support measures impact the learning spaces that are shaped for students and the teaching spaces within which teachers work. Collaborative opportunities and convergence of concerns in the teaching spaces combine to shape the overall space for intercultural development. The raw data for the case study consists of interviews, national policy documents and additional information on local work organisation gained through documents and observations. Four articles resulted from the case study, each focusing a specific support measure. An overarching analysis is then made of findings from these articles and the other dimensions of the investigation. The analysis describes the organisation in terms of monocultural or intercultural school cultures, pointing to significant characteristics of the landscapes of practice, with respect to their overall implications for the spaces of school development. In the discussion, findings are considered in relation to research on professional development in education, collaboration, democracy and inclusive schooling. The relative positioning of languages and cultures is given particular attention, to ascertain if the school culture is monocultural or intercultural in the sense given by Lahdenperä (2008), and to what extent it could enable intercultural development. Such positioning plays a role interms of affordances for identity, participation and engagement discussed by Wenger (1998). This case study should be understood against the wider background of recent social developments in Europe linked to globalisation and technological changes. It is argued that looking at the concrete specifics which facilitate or obstruct school development, and simultaneously reflecting on how the different forms of teaching interrelate in the overall organisation and in policy may provide a useful vantage point from which structural changes can be contemplated.The discussion underlines the importance of the physical localisation of activities, continuity in personal contacts and time available for joint pedagogical reflection, as basic conditions for effective intercultural dialogue in the organisation. Finally, the impact of policy is considered, looking at connections between levels of policy, expressed in official steering documents, and conditions for teaching and learning at the level of an individual school.

Die Koranschule. Eine Alternative zur öffentlichen Grundschule in einem laizistischen Staat? Ein Fallbeispiel: Die Republik Senegal

In Anbetracht der sich eher verschlechternden Lage des öffentlichen Schulwesens in den Ländern Schwarzafrikas sucht man in den internationalen und nationalen Diskussionen u.a. nach alternativen, auf traditionelle und private Bildungsformen aufbauenden Strategien zur Förderung der Grundbildung. Das sich verändernde islamische Bildungswesen in der zu über 90% muslimischen Republik Senegal könnte für einen großen Teil der Bevölkerung zu einer solchen Alternative werden, weil nur 48% der Kinder im Primarschulalter die öffentliche Schule besuchen, die sich am französischen Vorbild orientiert. (DIPF/Orig.)

Prática de ensino supervisionada em pré-escolar e ensino do 1.º ciclo do ensino básico: educação literária : a literatura para a infância e as expressões artísticas

O presente Relatório de Estágio de Prática de Ensino Supervisionada em Educação Pré-escolar e 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico foi realizado no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Pré-escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico, da Universidade de Évora, tendo por base as unidades curriculares de Prática de Ensino Supervisionada em Educação Pré-escolar e em 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico. Ao longo das respetivas práticas foi desenvolvido o tema Educação Literária: A Literatura para a infância e as expressões artísticas, assente na metodologia da investigação-ação e teve como principal objetivo promover nas crianças a educação literária e a sua relação com as expressões artísticas. Deste modo, este documento encontra-se organizado em cinco capítulos: o primeiro capítulo inclui todo o enquadramento conceptual que suporta a temática investigada; o segundo capítulo refere-se à conceção da ação educativa em Pré-escolar e 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico; o terceiro capítulo considera a metodologia utilizada na investigação-ação; o quarto capítulo remete para a intervenção nos respetivos contextos; o quinto capítulo diz respeito ao trabalho de projeto de cariz literário, desenvolvido em ambos os contextos; concluindo com as respetivas considerações finais; Report of Supervised Teaching Practice in Pre-school Education and the 1st Cycle of Primary Education: Literacy Education- Children’s Literature and Artistic Expressions Abstract: This Internship Report of Supervised Teaching Practice in Pre-school Education and the 1st Cycle of Primary Education was carried out within the framework of the Master's Degree in Pre-school Education and the 1st Cycle of Primary Education, at the University of Évora, based on the courses units of Supervised Teaching Practice in Pre-school Education and the 1st Cycle of Primary Education During the respective practices it was developed the theme of Literary Education: Children's literature and the artistic expressions, based on the research-action methodology and had as a main objective the promotion of literary education in children and their relationship with the artistic expressions. Thus far, this document is organized into five chapters: the first chapter includes all the conceptual framework that supports the thematic investigated; the second chapter refers to the conception of educational activity in Pre-school Education and the 1st Cycle of Primary Education; the third chapter considers the methodology used in the research-action; the fourth chapter refers to the intervention in the respective contexts; the fifth chapter concerns the work project of literary nature , developed in both contexts; concluding with the final considerations.

European primary pupils show their life to African peers

Since primary school pupils lack a common language, primary school pupils from Germany and Africa show a piece of their origin and of their daily live through simple drawings to their peers in a other, distant land. The teachers accompanying the exchange of these drawings communicated in natural language, but helped to transform what their pupils wanted to show by their drawing. Five students drawings are presented in order to explain and illustrate this exchange method.

Avaliação de um programa de intervenção sobre leitura e escrita numa escola de intervenção prioritária

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Educacional.

O papel das histórias no desenvolvimento da oralidade

Relatório de estágio para obtenção do grau de mestre em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico

O papel das histórias no desenvolvimento da oralidade

Relatório de estágio para obtenção do grau de mestre em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico

Prática de ensino supervisionada em Pré-escolar e em 1.º ciclo do ensino básico: organização de ambientes educativos promotores da educação em ciências naturais

O presente relatório, elaborado no âmbito Prática de Ensino Supervisionada em Pré-Escolar e em 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico dá a conhecer os processos de aprendizagem imanentes à prática desenvolvida em contexto. Em Educação Pré- Escolar elaborei um memorial de formação que permitiu refletir sobre as experiências vividas no estágio, possibilitando a aquisição de conhecimentos e aprendizagens profissionais. No 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico o estágio também assumiu uma perspetiva reflexiva que me permitiu aprender a profissão, mas a dinâmica do trabalho com as crianças possibilitou, igualmente, a realização de um projeto alinhado com a investigação-ação. Os contextos foram diferenciados pela sua especificidade, quer pela situação geográfica e cultural das instituições, quer pelo nível de ensino em que se desenvolveram. A prática educativa em 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico ocorreu na escola EB/JI Galopim de Carvalho em Évora, já a prática em Pré-Escolar ocorreu no Núcleo de Educação Infantil Colônia Z-11, na cidade de Florianópolis no Brasil. No que respeita à dimensão investigativa, dediquei especial atenção à “Organização de Ambientes Educativos Promotores da Educação em Ciências Naturais”, com vista a compreender como é que aprender ciências pode contribuir para a literacia científica das crianças tendo em vista o exercício de uma cidadania informada. Para tal as crianças envolveram-se ativamente no processo de construção do seu próprio conhecimento. Recorri a autores que me deram contributos para conceber, planear e fundamentar as práticas, quer do ponto de vista pedagógico quer do ponto de vista dos conteúdos curriculares. Para a recolha e tratamento da informação, atendi aos contextos onde o trabalho se realizou, bem como às observações dos diversos intervenientes na supervisão dos estágios, a planificações e reflexões semanais que fui elaborando e me permitiram concretizar uma análise imprescindível para as aprendizagens concretizadas e apresentadas no presente Relatório; REPORT OF SUPERVISED TEACHING PRACTICE IN PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION AND THE 1ST CYCLE OF PRIMARY EDUCATION: ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS PROMOTERS OF EDUCATION IN NATURAL SCIENCES Abstract: The present report, elaborated in the scope of the Practice of Supervised Teaching in Pre-School and in the Primary Education, makes to known the learning processes inherent to the practice developed in context. In Pre-School Education, I created a training memorial that allowed me to reflect on the experiences I had live in the internship, making possible the acquisition of professional’s knowledges and learnings. In Primary School the internship also assumed a reflexive perspective which allowed me to learn the profession, but the dynamic of the work with the children allowed me to, equally, the realization of a project lined up with the action-research. The contexts where differentiated by their specificity, by the institutions geographic location, by the cultural situation and by the learning level where they were developed. The educational practice in Primary School occurred in the school EB/JI Galopim de Carvalho in Évora and the Pre-School practice occurred in Núcleo de Educação Infantil Colônia Z-11, in Brazil in the city of Florianopolis. In the matter of the investigative dimension, I dedicated special attention to the “Organization of Educative Environments Promoters of Natural Sciences Education”, to understand how learning sciences can contribute to scientifically literacy of the children, having in view the exercise of an informed citizenship. For this the children involved actively in the process of building their own knowledge. I resorted to authors who give me contributes to conceive, to plan and to fundament the practices, both from the pedagogical point of view and from the curricular contents point of view. To the collect and treat of data, I attend to the contexts where the work were realized, to the observations of the diverse actors in the internship supervision, to the daily plans and weekly reflections which I had been elaborating and which allowed me to concretize an indispensable analysis to the learnings achieve and presented in the present report.