Understanding Early Elementary Children's Conceptual Knowledge of Plant Structure and Function through Drawings

This study examined children''s drawings to explain children''s conceptual understanding of plant structure and function. The study explored whether the children''s drawings accurately reflect their conceptual understanding about plants in a manner that can be interpreted by others. Drawing, survey, interview, and observational data were collected from 182 students in grades K and 1 in rural southeastern United States. Results demonstrated the children held a wide range of conceptions concerning plant structure and function. These young children held very simple ideas about plants with respect to both their structure and function. Consistent with the drawings, the interviews presented similar findings.     

Using the Science Writing Heuristic Approach to Enhance Student Understanding in Chemical Change and Mixture

This study investigated the effect of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach on grade 9 students’ understanding of chemical change and mixture concepts. Four intact classes taught by two chemistry teachers from a Turkish public high school were selected for the study; one class was assigned as the treatment group, and the other class was assigned as the comparison group. Students in the treatment group were instructed by the SWH approach, while those in the comparison group were instructed with traditionally designed chemistry instruction. Tests measuring students’ conceptual understanding in the units of chemical change and mixture were administered as pre- and posttest for both groups. At the end of the instruction, semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 students from the treatment group and eight students from the comparison group. ANCOVA results revealed that the SWH approach was superior to the traditional approach on students’ understanding of chemical change and mixture concepts. Interview results indicated that students in the treatment group demonstrated better scientific understanding of chemical change and mixture concepts compared to those in the comparison group.     

Characteristics of General Education Reading Interventions Implemented in Elementary Schools for Students with Reading Difficulties

The implementation of response to intervention requires interventions for struggling students be provided through general education prior to referral for special education. We surveyed elementary teachers (K-3) in one state to examine the characteristics of the supplemental reading interventions that their students receive through general education. Findings reveal differences between grade levels in the amount of time interventions are provided to students, the providers of the intervention, and the material selection for the interventions. No differences between grade levels were noted in the frequency of intervention or instructional group sizes. Three-quarters of the teachers reported providing the supplemental interventions to students in their class. The findings provide insight into the resources utilized by schools to implement supplemental interventions.     

Using Analogy and Model to Enhance Conceptual Change in Thai Middle School Students

This study examined conceptual change of Thai middle school students after learning photosynthesis with analogy and model. The analogy mapped key features from the analog （cooking food） to the target concept （photosynthesis） Modeling photosynthesis activity provided the opporttmity for students to understand how plants use sugar to synthesize cellulose and starch. To determine students＇ prior knowledge, the photosynthesis questionnaire was administered to 58 Grade 7 students of urban school. The result revealed that students held alternative conceptions in many aspects, including the origin of plant nutrients, the substances required for photosynthesis, the products of photosynthesis and the role of chlorophyll. After the instruction~ the students were post-tested to determine how students＇ conceptions had changed. The result indicated that the students demonstrated better comprehension than that of the we-test. The percentage of students who changed their ideas to the scientific one was reported and discussed. The present study has implication for both science educators and science teachers who are interested in teaching with analogy and model.     

浅谈如何面对数学“学困生”

"学困生"是指学习有困难的学生,产生的原因有学生自身原因,有教师原因,有教材原因,还有评价机制原因。为了让"学困生"脱困,不同的教师使用的方法也不尽相同,但激发学生的学习兴趣,优化课堂教学,注重学习方法,培养良好的学习习惯,处理好师生关系显得尤为重要。     

Using Evidence‐Based Practices to Build Mathematics Competence Related to Conceptual,Procedural, and Declarative Knowledge

Abstract Mathematics continues to be one of the most difficult components of the school curriculum for students with learning disabilities (LD). The National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, in conjunction with current educational legislation, challenges teachers to maintain high standards for student performance in mathematics. Fortunately, over the past two decades, researchers have identified and validated a number of instructional practices that help students with LD understand and use mathematics in meaningful ways. The purpose of this article is to discuss instructional guidelines and evidence‐based practices for building conceptual, procedural, and declarative knowledge within a comprehensive mathematics curriculum. The importance of balancing these three knowledge areas across mathematics content areas is noted.     

Using Number Lines to Solve Math Word Problems: A Strategy for Students with Learning Disabilities

Students with learning disabilities (LD) consistently struggle with word problem solving in mathematics classes. This difficulty has made curricular, state, and national tests particularly stressful, as word problem solving has become a predominant feature of such student performance assessments. Research suggests that students with LD perform poorly on word problem‐solving items due primarily to deficits in problem representation. Therefore, it is imperative that teachers provide these students with supplemental problem‐solving instruction that specifically targets the development of representational strategies. This article describes how one representational strategy, using number lines, can be used to model word problems as part of a comprehensive problem‐solving intervention to improve the conceptual understanding of math word problems and, subsequently, the problem‐solving performance of students with LD.     

Exploration of a Blended Learning Approach to Reading Instruction for Low SES Students in Early Elementary Grades

This study investigated the potential benefits of a blended learning approach on the reading skills of low socioeconomic status students in Grades 1 and 2. Treatment students received English language arts instruction that was both teacher-led and technology-based. Comparisons were made with control students who received the same English language arts instruction without the blended learning component. Results showed significantly greater pretest/posttest gains on a standardized reading assessment for the treatment students compared to the control students. The greatest discrepancy occurred in reading comprehension. A sub-analysis of low-performing English language learner students in the treatment group revealed the largest reading gains. At posttest, these students performed at the level of non-English language learner students in the control group. Results indicated a blended learning approach can be effective in enhancing the reading skills of low socioeconomic students.     

Longitudinal Relations Among Parents' Reactions to Children's Negative Emotions,Effortful Control,and Math Achievement in Early Elementary School

Panel mediation models and fixed‐effects models were used to explore longitudinal relations among parents' reactions to children's displays of negative emotions, children's effortful control (EC), and children's math achievement (N = 291; M age in fall of kindergarten = 5.66 years, SD = .39 year) across kindergarten through second grade. Parents reported their reactions and children's EC. Math achievement was assessed with a standardized achievement test. First‐grade EC mediated the relation between parents' reactions at kindergarten and second‐grade math achievement, beyond stability in constructs across study years. Panel mediation model results suggested that socialization of EC may be one method of promoting math achievement in early school; however, when all omitted time‐invariant covariates of EC and math achievement were controlled, first‐grade EC no longer predicted second‐grade math achievement.     

Erratum to: Effect of Current Electricity Simulation Supported Learning on the Conceptual Understanding of Elementary and Secondary Teachers

This study examined the impact of computer simulation and supported science learning on a teacher’s understanding and conceptual knowledge of current electricity. Pre/Post tests were used to measure the teachers’ concept attainment. Overall, there was a significant and large knowledge difference effect from Pre to Post test. Two interesting interactions were observed during the data analysis. The first was the difference between Elementary and Secondary teachers. Both groups had significant gains, with large effect sizes, but the Elementary teachers (Pre-Mean = 3.70, Post-Mean = 7.51) started lower and ended higher exhibiting a significantly larger gain than the Secondary teachers (Pre-Mean = 4.96, Post-Mean = 6.71). The second interaction was the impact of gender. Both groups showed significant gains, with large effect sizes, but females (Pre-Mean = 3.90, Post-Mean = 7.21) gained significantly more than males (Pre-Mean = 5.13, Post-Mean = 7.01). These results confirm that computer simulation supported science learning can have a positive effect on concept attainment in teachers.     

Enhancing Established Counting Routines to Promote Place-Value Understanding: An Empirical Study in Early Elementary Classrooms

Understanding place value is a critical and foundational competency for elementary mathematics. Classroom teachers who endeavor to promote place-value development adopt a variety of established practices to varying degrees of effectiveness. In parallel, researchers have validated models of how young children acquire place-value understanding. Faced with competing demands, teachers may resist abrupt, disruptive, or time-intensive changes to existing practices. In this study, we explore ways of introducing changes in pedagogical supports that minimally disrupt existing classroom routines that nonetheless offer potential gains in children’s understanding of base-ten number concepts. Specifically, we examine the impact of modifying how teachers demonstrate and discuss representations of the ten-for-one structure during the familiar “Days in School” counting routine on young children’s place-value understanding. We report on a 2-year longitudinal study of a cohort of students beginning in grade one, conducted in nine classrooms across a control school and a treatment school. We describe the modifications in the counting routine and report the results of children’s development of base-ten number concepts. The percentage of children who identified base-ten number concepts was three times higher for the children in the treatment group than for the children in the control group. Moreover, nearly twice as many children in the treatment group as compared with the control group advanced beyond a concatenated single-digit conception by the end of second grade when counting two-digit quantities. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for early elementary mathematics education more generally.     

Using a Planetarium Software Program to Promote Conceptual Change with Young Children

This study explored young children’s understandings of targeted lunar concepts, including when the moon can be observed, observable lunar phase shapes, predictable lunar patterns, and the cause of lunar phases. Twenty-one children (ages 7–9 years) from a multi-aged, self-contained classroom participated in this study. The instructional intervention included lunar data gathering, recording, and sharing, which integrated Starry Night planetarium software and an inquiry-based instruction on moon phases. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, student drawings, and a card sorting activity before and after instruction. Students’ lunar calendars and written responses, participant observer field notes, and videotaped class sessions also provided data throughout the study. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Nonparametric statistical analyses were also performed to support the qualitative findings. Results reflected a positive change in children’s conceptual understanding of all targeted concepts including the cause of moon phases, which is remarkable considering the complexity and abstractness of this spatial task. Results provided evidence that computer simulations may reduce the burden on children’s cognitive capacity and facilitate their learning of complex scientific concepts that would not be possible to learn on their own.     

The Effects of a Fluency Intervention Program on the Fluency and Comprehension Outcomes of Middle‐School Students with Severe Reading Deficits

Despite advances in the science of teaching reading, there still exists a small percentage of students who fail to make the expected progress in reading‐related skills, notwithstanding attempts at intervention. Even if these struggling readers learn to decode adequately, fluency remains a problem for many, and little is known about the effectiveness of fluency interventions for older students with severe reading deficits. This study used a randomized experimental design to test the efficacy of a fluency intervention program on the word‐identification and reading‐comprehension outcomes of 60 middle‐school students with severe reading delays. Results showed that students in the experimental group made more progress on standardized tests of reading fluency than students in the control group. No gains were seen in reading comprehension.     

Using the Concrete-Representational-Abstract Sequence to Teach Conceptual Understanding of Place Value,Rounding, and Expanded Notation

This study investigated the effects of a place value intervention with third-grade students with learning disabilities. The intervention added content to a research-based intervention using the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) sequence. The added content reflected current mathematics standards for third grade. Students’ place value understanding was measured using probes in which students had to identify the value of each digit within a three-digit number, round three-digit numbers to the nearest 10 or 100, and write three equations showing an expanded form of a three-digit number. A single-case, multiple-probe-across-students design showed a functional relation between CRA and completion of items requiring place value understanding. Students completed a generalization task by estimating the sum of a given equation.     

Morphological Awareness: A Tool to Promote Reading Fluency and Accuracy in Hebrew in Students with Reading Disabilities

The effectiveness of a morphological awareness (MA) intervention program on reading fluency and accuracy performance was examined in 40 students with reading disabilities in fourth to sixth grade, ranging in age from nine to 12 years old (M = 10.51, SD = 0.89). The study used an experimental pre–post design consisting of a morphological intervention group and a comparison group. Students participating in the 15‐week intervention program showed an advantage over comparison group students in all measures. Their improvement in MA resulted in a better reading fluency and accuracy performance as well as a significant change in reading level according to national norms. The results suggest that disabled readers can benefit from morphological intervention and use morphological cues in reading.     

Responsible Eclecticism: Using a Structured Analysis Process to Facilitate Curriculum Discourse with Graduate Preservice Early Childhood Students

Teaching from an informed and culturally responsive philosophy of education is critical for teaching in the 21^st century and engagement in reconceptualizing the field of early childhood. This article describes a process used with graduate preservice early childhood education students over a two-course sequence, to generate a personal philosophy through structured synthesis of (a) personal beliefs, (b) major schools of Western thought, (c) non-Western educational traditions, and (d) widely known and used early childhood curriculum models. Five key questions, numerous graphic organizers, criterion-referenced rubrics, and examples of student work are provided to illustrate the process used for content analysis and reflective activities.     

Math Is Not a Universal Language: Supporting Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities Using Explicit Vocabulary Instruction in Mathematics Classrooms

Middle school students with learning disabilities often struggle with reading and literacy skills, including vocabulary, and require support in content-area classes such as mathematics where weak vocabulary knowledge can negatively affect learning, achievement, and deep understanding. However, in general, middle school mathematics teachers do not receive training in literacy instruction, much less in explicit vocabulary instruction. Additionally, relatively few studies have examined content-area vocabulary instruction at the middle or secondary school level. This study addressed these gaps in the research by examining the effect of a performance feedback and coaching intervention on middle school mathematics teachers’ use of explicit mathematics vocabulary instruction. Results of the study indicate that performance feedback and coaching had moderately positive effects on teachers’ use and quality of explicit mathematics vocabulary instruction.