Spelling performance of third grade students : a comparison of whole-language-plus-strategy instruction, strategy instruction only, and the whole language approach

This study investigated three methods for teaching children how to spell. Third grade students were divided into three conditions for a one-week training period consisting of 15- to 20-minute lessons. One of the two experimental conditions used a whole language approach along with explicit strategy instruction. The second condition used strategy instruction within a traditional setting. The control used strictly a whole language approach to le~ing hO\\l to spell. The spelling perfonnance of all three conditions improved after the one-week training period. However, students in the strategy instruction groups did significantly better on the study "'7ords than the whole language only group. The students in whole-Ianguage-plusstrateg)! instruction outperformed both other groups. Significantly better spelling perfonnance was observed even at the nine-week posttest. This study frrst supported the hypothesis that children can make significantly greater improven1ents in their spelling when explicitly taught how to use spelling strategies. Secondl)', this study indicated that whole language provided a relevant context for the study words, clearly giving the students in the whole-Ianguage-plus-strategy condition an additional advantage.

Factors affecting performance proficiency : a case study involving intermediate piano students

The goal of this study was to determine the effect of a number of factors on the performance proficiency of three intermediate piano students having different learning styles, all of whom shared the same teacher. Four sets of data were collected in this investigation: the methodology of the teacher; the practice behaviour of the participants; the effect of intrinsic factors, such as participant attitude, motivation, and ownership of learning; and the effect of extrinsic factors that included parental influence, and participants' school- and employment-related responsibilities. Performance proficiency and assessment of practice behaviour were measured by three external, professionallyqualified music examiners. Performance proficiency varied to some extent between participants, but they shared similar practice behaviours. Learning style does not, therefore, affect practice behaviour. Although they planned their practice time, participants did not show much evidence of monitoring the quality of their practice. On the other hand, participants showed positive attitude; they were motivated to learn; and they were observed to plan their practice time, all indicators of, among other things, positive influence of the teacher and parents. Participants showed evidence that these constructive habits were a denominator common to both their schoolwork and piano practice. It was apparent that, except for learning style, all factors examined had an effect on performance proficiency. Performance proficiency is, therefore, influenced by a large web of factors, a finding that is instructive for classroom teachers. Teachers need to avoid the temptation to teach toward performance expectations. Emphasis should be placed instead on teaching and assessing formative learning strategies.

Teaching persons with intellectual disabilities and limited receptive and expressive communication how to recognize and assert their human rights

Persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) are far more likely to be abused than the general population, but there is little research on teaching people with ID about their rights. The goal of this study was to teach four participants with ID and limited communication abilities about their human rights by training them on specific rights topics. The training program included icebreaker activities, instruction on rights concepts, watching and answering questions about videotaped scenarios of rights restrictions, watching and answering questions about role pl ay scenarios of rights restrictions, and responding to brief, low risk in situ rights restrictions imposed by the researchers. Participant performance did not improve significantly or consistently from baseline to training on the questions asked about the videotaped or the role play scenarios, but two of three participants demonstrated defmite improvements in responding to in situ rights restrictions.

Educator Evaluation of Academic and Social Competence in Students with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Relative to Assessed Performance and Sense of Belonging

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is the leading cause of death and disability amongst children and adolescents andpresents itself with challenges associated in cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioural domains. These changes may interfere with academic performance and social inclusion, influencing self-esteem and personal success. The current study examined a subset of data to capture the sense of academic and social belonging for students with ABI as a function of the classroom teachers’ subjective perception of ability, their ABI knowledge, and student identification. Overall, a discrepancy was found between educators’ subjective ratings of student performance and students’ neurocognitive capacity. Educator knowledge and identification of ABI influenced student success in academic and social domains independent of teaching approach. This research has implications for the identification of ABI in the classroom and related challenges students experience. Educators are underprepared for the reintegration of students returning to school and lack appropriate knowledge and strategies to accommodate individual needs.

Les contrats de performance et les universités québécoises : une orchestration étatique de la subordination du champ universitaire aux règles du jeu économique

Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures en vue de l’obtention du grade de maître ès sciences (M.Sc.) en sociologie

Truth - the essential dimension of ethics in scholarship, teaching, learning and research

The introduction of metrics, league tables, performance targets, research assessment exercises and a range of other pressures placed by society, funding bodies and employers on scholars, teachers and students have resulted in diminished value being placed on the essential ethical criterion of truth. The impact of reduced valuation for truth has a huge impact on the standing of science and not least horticultural science in the eyes of the general public at a time when this should be a primary concern. This contribution discusses examples of the impact of diminished valuation of truth, the causes of this phenomenon, the results that come from this situation and remedies that are needed.

The role of drama in the teaching of speaking and listening as the basis for social capital

This paper explores how the concept of 'social capital' relates to the teaching of speaking and listening. The argument draws on Bourdieu's notion that a common language is an illusion but posits that an understanding of the grammar of speech can be productive in the development of both an understanding of what constitutes effective speech and the development of competence in speaking. It is argued that applying structuralist notions of written grammar is an inadequate approach to understanding speech acts or enhancing the creative use of speech. An analysis is made of how typical features of speech relate to dramatic dialogue and how the meaning of what is said is contingent upon aural and visual signifiers. On this basis a competent speaker is seen as being one who produces expressions appropriate for a range of situations by intentionally employing such signifiers. The paper draws on research into the way drama teachers make explicit reference to and use of semiotics and dramatic effectiveness in order to improve students' performance and by so doing empower them to increase their social capital. Ultimately, it is concluded that helping students identify, analyse and employ the aural, visual and verbal grammar of spoken English is not an adjunct to the subject of drama, but an intrinsic part of understanding the art form. What is called for is a re-appraisal by drama teachers of their own understanding of concepts relating to speech acts in order to enhance this area of their work.

L2 performance and context of language learning: a comparative study of learners in Tehran and London

The importance of learning context has stirred debates in the field of second language acquisition over the past two decades since studying a second language (L2) abroad is believed to provide authentic opportunities that facilitate L2 acquisition and development. The present paper examines whether language performance of learners studying English in a formal language classroom context at home (AH) is different from performance of learners who study English abroad (SA) where they would have to use English for a range of communicative purposes. The data for this comparative study is part of a larger corpus of L2 performance of 100 learners of English, 60 in Tehran and 40 in London, on four oral narrative tasks. The two groups’ performances are compared on a range of different measures of fluency, accuracy, syntactic complexity and lexical diversity. The results of the analyses indicate that learners in the two contexts are very similar with respect to the grammatical accuracy and aspects of the oral fluency of their performance. However, the SA group appears to have benefited from living and studying abroad in producing language of higher syntactic complexity and lexical diversity. These results have significant implications for language teaching in AH contexts.

The impacts of learning styles, learning patterns and demographic factors on learners’ performance in a blended learning environment

Many studies have widely accepted the assumption that learning processes can be promoted when teaching styles and learning styles are well matched. In this study, the synergy between learning styles, learning patterns, and gender as a selected demographic feature and learners’ performance were quantitatively investigated in a blended learning setting. This environment adopts a traditional teaching approach of ‘one-sizefits-all’ without considering individual user’s preferences and attitudes. Hence, evidence can be provided about the value of taking such factors into account in Adaptive Educational Hypermedia Systems (AEHSs). Felder and Soloman’s Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was used to identify the learning styles of 59 undergraduate students at the University of Babylon. Five hypotheses were investigated in the experiment. Our findings show that there is no statistical significance in some of the assessed factors. However, processing dimension, the total number of hits on course website and gender indicated a statistical significance on learners’ performance. This finding needs more investigation in order to identify the effective factors on students’ achievement to be considered in Adaptive Educational Hypermedia Systems (AEHSs).

Assessment for Learning in teaching English to Young Learners: teachers’ understanding, classroom practice and impact on interactions

It has been suggested that Assessment for Learning (AfL) plays a significant role in enhancing teaching and learning in mainstream educational contexts. However, little empirical evidence can support these claims. As AfL has been shown to be enacted predominantly through interactions in primary classes, there is a need to understand if it is appropriate, whether it can be efficiently used in teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) and how it can facilitate learning in such a context. This emerging research focus gains currency especially in the light of SLA research, which suggests the important role of interactions in foreign language learning. This mixed-method, descriptive and exploratory study aims to investigate how teachers of learners aged 7-11 understand AfL; how they implement it; and the impact that such implementation could have on interactions which occur during lessons. The data were collected through lesson observations, scrutiny of school documents, semi-structured interviews and a focus group interview with teachers. The findings indicate that fitness for purpose guides the implementation of AfL in TEYL classrooms. Significantly, the study has revealed differences in the implementation of AfL between classes of 7-9 and 10-11 year olds within each of the three purposes (setting objectives and expectations; monitoring performance; and checking achievement) identified through the data. Another important finding of this study is the empirical evidence suggesting that the use of AfL could facilitate creating conditions conducive to learning in TEYL classes during collaborative and expert/novice interactions. The findings suggest that teachers’ understanding of AfL is largely aligned with the theoretical frameworks (Black & Wiliam, 2009; Swaffield, 2011) already available. However, they also demonstrate that there are TEYL specific characteristics. This research has important pedagogical implications and indicates a number of areas for further research.

University teaching: recognition and reward

Teaching in universities has increased in importance in recent years which, in part, is a consequence of the change in funding of universities from block grants to student tuition fees. Various initiatives have been made which serve to raise the profile of teaching and give it greater recognition. It is also important that teaching is recognised even more fully and widely, and crucially that it is rewarded accordingly. We propose a mechanism for recognising and rewarding university teaching that is based on a review process that is supported by documented evidence whose outcomes can be fed into performance and development reviews, and used to inform decisions about reward and promotion, as well as the review of probationary status where appropriate.

Piano Performance at the New York Trade School

A piano player is shown performing at the New York Trade School. He is likely playing on a piano tuned or built by students in the Piano Crafts Department at the school. Black and white photograph.

Enhancing Intercultural Communication in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language : An Action Research Study

Enhancing Intercultural Communication in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language – An Action Research Study Over the past few decades, the rapid development of information communication technology, internationalization and globalization worldwide have required a shift in the focus of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) towards competence in intercultural communication in which the role of culture in the acquisition of CFL and in the pragmatic use of the language is emphasized and promoted. However, most of the current research in this academic area remains only on a theoretical level. Practical examples, particularly with regard to distance learning/teaching of the Chinese language, are very limited. This motivated the implementation of an action research study which aimed at exploring the possibilities and limitations of integrating Chinese culture and applying intercultural communication theory into a contemporary distance CFL course for beginners. By observing and comparing the performance of subjects in the control and experimental groups, this action research study focuses on exploring three basic areas. Firstly, it discloses the cultural elements which underlie effective daily communication. Secondly, it investigates how students acquire cultural knowledge and develop their ability to competently communicate in the target course. And thirdly, it evaluates how the modified course syllabus could enhance students’ intercultural communicative competence. The findings of the research aim to serve as both a resource and reference for educators and researchers who are interested in carrying out reforms and research in this academic domain.

Faculty Instructional Quality Assessment Practices Incorporating Teaching Portfolios and Peer Review with Student Course Evaluations

Program directors and department chairs require different means of assessing faculty quality due to the unreliability of student course evaluation data. This report outlines alternative strategies for review committees to assess faculty instructional quality. This report also details incorporation of annual performance reviews for tenure-track faculty into tenure decisions.

Predictors of adherence to influenza vaccination for healthcare workers from a teaching hospital: a study in the prepandemic era

Introduction: Even before the 2009 pandemics, influenza in healthcare workers (HCW) was a known threat to patient safety, while Influenza vaccine coverage in the same group was generally low. Identification of predictors for HCW adherence to Influenza vaccination has challenged infection control committees. Methods: Our group conducted a cross-sectional survey in December 2007, interviewing 125 HCWs from a teaching hospital to identify adherence predictors for Influenza vaccination. The outcomes of interest were: A - adherence to the 2007 vaccination campaign; B - adherence to at least three yearly campaigns in the past five years. Demographic and professional data were assessed through univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: of the HCWs interviewed, 43.2% were vaccinated against Influenza in 2007. However, only 34.3% of HCWs working in healthcare for more than five years had adhered to at least three of the last five vaccination campaigns. Multivariate analysis showed that working in a pediatric unit (OR = 7.35, 95% I = 1.90-28.44, p = 0.004) and number of years in the job (OR = 1.32, 95%CI = 1.00-1.74, p = 0.049) were significant predictors of adherence to the 2007 campaign. Physicians returned the worst outcome performances in A (OR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.16-0.97, p = 0.04) and B (OR = 0.17, 95%CI = 0.05-0.60, p = 0.006). Conclusions: Strategies to improve adherence to Influenza vaccination should focus on physicians and newly-recruited HCWs. New studies are required to assess the impact of the recent Influenza A pandemics on HCW-directed immunization policies.