Language,Mathematics and Educational Television in Infants' Schools

Educational Television language series are used extensively by infants' schools teachers, but there is insufficient evidence to suggest that they are incorporated into the curriculum or that their use abides by a school's language policy. A survey of over 400 teachers indicates that the teachers' criterion for usefulness seems to be the scope which a programme offers for follow‐up, particularly for discussion and phonic training in the teaching of reading. Similarly, there is little evidence of effective use of mathematics series; follow‐up and children's enjoyment of broadcasts seem to be the emphasis. Many teachers feel that it is difficult to present aspects of mathematics on television when children vary widely in their levels of mathematical development. Others teachers follow a mathematics scheme, in which television is irrelevant. The habit of whole classes of infants' school children watching language and mathematics broadcasts is not in keeping with primary school principles. Most infants' schoolteachers appear to use the programmes as a means of direct teaching to the class at the expense of children's real life experiences. Neither do the series in their present forms appear to be flexible enough to cater for the individuality of young children. Although these factors relate to educational television, they reveal a lack of flexibility in much infants' school practice, a charge which is not often levelled at infants' schools in this country.     

The structure of primary and secondary teachers' attributions for pupils' misbehaviour: a preliminary cross-phase and cross-cultural investigation

The purpose of this study was to see if systematic contrasts in educational culture and curricular emphases might affect the underlying structure of teachers' attributions for children's behaviour. Thus, responses to a questionnaire developed from earlier work by Miller and colleagues (2000, 2002) were gathered from primary and secondary school teachers in England and the Republic of Ireland. Exploratory factor analyses revealed that teachers participating in the study appear to have attributed pupils' misbehaviour at least as much to teachers' and adult behaviours as much as to any distinctive parental or home factors. The structure of primary and secondary teachers' attributions appears to have differed, with primary teachers distinguishing between their own and parental influences on children's behaviour. However, contrary to expectation the demands of the curriculum did not seem to have figured highly in these teachers' perception of causes of misbehaviour. Finally, some speculations on possible differences in relative weighting between English and Irish teachers' views are offered. Teachers in the Republic of Ireland appear to have attached greater importance to children's personalities and pressures on children. Further, teachers in primary schools in England seem to have rated their classroom management strategies and other more general adult behaviours as more important associates of behaviour than did their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland. The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to cultural and curricular differences and teachers' constructions of behaviour and special educational needs.     

Educational Television and the Curriculum for Children up to the Age of Seven Years

The results of a three-year investigation in England and Wales into the way educational television was used by 259 teachers of children up to the age of seven years indicated that only a few teachers were using the medium effectively. Class viewing and mass viewing of programmes were the normal methods, even when a video-recorder was available. In most instances the video-recorder was used for timetable convenience, and'view and follow-up'the common practice. These factors, together with a lack of continuity between programmes and separation from other activities the children were pursuing, suggested that educational television was isolated from other aspects of the curriculum. The findings indicated the necessity for a course on educational television to be included in the initial training of teachers, the need for a vastly increased in-service programme for serving teachers and the provision of adequate resources.     

Primary school pupils' ability to see scientific problems in everyday phenomena

Conclusion Although the experiments reported here are only a beginning to the research needed, the results obtained so far suggest that some teachers and some curriculum planners have overlooked factors in their consideration of problem solving as a learning method in primary school science. There appear to be teachers who have rejected this approach prematurely because many of the problems children suggest when they are first introduced to this method of working are not sound starting points for investigation. Curriculum palnners, on the other hand, do not appear to have given serious consideration to the fact that some subject matter provides a better starting point for pupil problem solving than others. Further, there has been inadequate information available for teachers on the type of classroom situations and teacher behaviour which will maximize pupils' ability to see investigable science problems in everyday phenomena. The type of research reported here will be continued and expanded to provide a clearer picture of contexts in which the ability of pupils to see investigable scientific problems is maximized.     

Parents,teachers, and learning: Fostering communication skills in children

Conclusion It cannot be stressed enough that parental involvement in their child's learning process is necessary. However, this involvement must be more than attending periodic parent-teacher conferences and asking how the child is doing in school. Parents need to understand, and teachers need to reiterate, that the parent is one of the most important teachers a child will have. While curriculum improvement in the schools continues to dominate educational agendas, the home environment unfortunately is easily overlooked as being influential in a child's learning. Educators need to recognize that influence, and while curricula continue to improve, the integration of communication skills at home must be considered to ensure the child the best possible education. Communication between home and school should be ongoing. This combined effort develops a speech and language arts curriculum to its fullest and includes all appropriate individuals involved in the development: educators, parents, and children.     

EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION IN THE RESOURCES PLANNING INFRASTRUCTURE OF LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES

This paper summarizes some of the findings in the first part of a three part IBA Fellowship study on curriculum decision‐making and educational television in secondary schools in England, Wales and Scotland. It focuses on the local education authority (LEA) context in which teachers and others make decisions about using educational television programmes to serve curricular goals. Four LEAs were selected for detailed study and interviews were conducted with officials and teachers to investigate the relationship between LEA decisions and decision‐makers and school decisions and decision‐makers.     

How can we Teach History through Television?

This article contrasts the often ambivalent attitudes of teachers towards television and generalised research on teachers’ uses of television, with detailed empirical evidence from primary school history co‐ordinators describing their reactions to and expectations of the medium. The data describes a wide variety of reasons why television is educationally useful in the teaching and learning of history. The argument is articulated that teachers and children can be sophisticated viewers of televisual schools history, offering useful guidelines for programme makers; but that teacher conservatism and lack of advisory support for teachers’ deployment of the medium may be hindering its educational effectiveness.     

Supplementing literacy instruction with a media-rich intervention: Results of a randomized controlled trial

This study investigates whether a curriculum supplement organized as a sequence of teacher-led literacy activities using digital content from public educational television programs can improve early literacy outcomes of low-income preschoolers. The study sample was 436 children in 80 preschool classrooms in California and New York. Preschool teachers were randomly assigned to implement either a 10-week media-rich early literacy intervention that employed clips from Sesame Street, Between the Lions, and SuperWhy! or to a comparison condition. The media-rich literacy supplement had positive impacts (+0.20 ≤ d ≤ +0.55) on children's ability to recognize letters, sounds of letters and initial sounds of words, and children's concepts of story and print. The study findings show the potential for incorporating literacy content from public media programming into curriculum supplements supported by professional development to impact early literacy outcomes of low-income children.     

论学生、教师和家长自由的有限性——彼得斯分析教育哲学的伦理学视角

自由具有正当性,但自由是有限的。在学校教育中,学生、教师和家长的自由也是有限的。其伦理学依据表现为:自由原则不是人类生活的唯一原则,人类社会中的一些制度对自由起着限制的作用,自由会受到实际条件的限制,“恐惧自由”心理的作用,自由原则的应用有特定的范围。就学生而言,义务教育的强迫性表明儿童自由是有限的,学校对教学秩序的需求,控制了的教育环境,学生一些要求的“无理性”,以及教师布置的作业和组织的活动决定了学生自由的有限性;就教师自由而言,教育的目的和任务,中小学学生身心发展不同阶段的特殊性.教育考试制度和教师特殊的社会角色,决定了教师自由的有限性;就家长而言,在儿童的义务教育问题上家长没有选择的自由,在子女就学的学校选择中不少家长的自由会受到限制。因此,我们对教育领域中的学生、教师和家长的自由问题必须有清醒的认识,弄清楚在哪些地方允许自由,在哪些地方则应当对自由作适当的限制,不能将自由的概念用错地方,“在不应当给予自由的地方给予了自由,而在应当给予自由的地方又往往不给予自由”。     

Challenges to primary education

Summary

The above examples are but a few ideas which may stimulate teachers and children to develop other activities that have an educational benefit and which motivate children in design and technology and physical education. They will not replace core teaching and learning in physical education and design and technology but should form an integral part of the overall school curriculum. Sound planning and curriculum development strategies should, we believe, allow the inclusion of such activities in the curriculum of the primary school.     

中小学教师新课程改革倦怠心理透视

由于对新课程的批判存在偏颇,新课程改革对教师专业发展提出了更高的要求,改革与教师所处的现实存在着种种矛盾,改革的效益短时期内不能出现,改革存在瑕疵等原因,中小学教师新课程改革倦怠心理较为严重。这种现象将严重影响到新课程改革的深入,必须从建立社会支持系统、改进学校管理、提高教师自身素质等方面来加以预防和化解。     

Putting teacher experience back into curriculum theory: case studies from Japan 1

Teachers have been understood in their functional role and collective agency in sociology. In this article, the author rethinks the structure and agency dimension of teaching in the context of Japanese school education in transition. The new curriculum in Japan puts emphasis on children’s subjective experience of learning. This article explores the mirroring process of teaching in this curriculum transition from role‐oriented to subject‐focused. The author introduces two experiences as teacher reform movements: a teachers’ association and blogs which write about classroom teaching experiences. The findings suggest that there is a cultural transformation occurring within teachers as a group. For analysis, the author draws on the sociological idea of generations. The transformation in teachers’ self‐consciousness is significant because it creates a gap between self and representation not only externally (how educational reform describes teachers) but internally. The author concludes that this internal experience is ignored in the map of curriculum as structure and teaching as agency.     

The impact of internal migration on educational outcomes: Evidence from Turkey

Similar to the relation between the inflows of immigrants and educational outcomes that are found in immigration studies, the spatial distribution of internal migrants within a given country also may influence educational outcomes, at least in the short run. This could be particularly true in Turkey, where inter-provincial mobility is high and where striking differences in educational resources and therefore educational success across regions persist. Using the 1990 and 2000 Turkish Censuses, this study exploits variations over time in the inflow of internal migrants across provinces to identify the causal effect of internal migration on natives’ educational outcomes. The evidence suggests that the inflow of migrants lowers natives’ completion rates for middle school and high school. Evidence also indicates that while the negative effects appear to be greater among native children from low-SES households, native high-SES households are able to mitigate these adverse effects for their children. Furthermore, the estimated effects exhibit some differences by children's gender and migrant status.     

生成课程与预设课程之比较及其反思

和预设课程相比较．生成课程由教师根据儿童的兴趣和需要而设计，目标在活动中形成．课程内容也更富有弹性．课程评价也更趋向于多元化。生成课程需要教师适时的对孩子进行引导，提升孩子的思维．促进孩子的个性发展。在目前中国的教育实践中．对教师来说，该做的是如何处理好预设和生成的关系。     

A writing curriculum for preschoolers

Conclusion There is no doubt that composing can add much to children's potential for learning at the preschool level. It is critical, however, that the writing should always be for meaningful communication. A play environment is rich with opportunities for meaningful labeling, drawing, and sending of messages. Preschool teachers do not have to succumb to a ditto and workbook approach to writing filtered down from the elementary school curriculum. Older children may not have trouble understanding the purposes for isolate drills, tracing, and copying from the board, but younger children become bewildered by such an abstract instruction. Their writing needs to emerge from drawing and dictating and from first-hand experiences. Their audiences must be immediate.When preschool teachers are sensitized to the values of writing for children and provide a stimulating environment in their classrooms, children will learn to write (and read) easily and naturally and will come to their elementary school experiences with a much more solid foundation for the basic skills.Linda Leonard Lamme is Associate Professor and Chair of the Early Childhood Program and Patricia Denny is a doctoral candidate in early childhood education at the University of Florida in Gainesville.     

Identifying obstacles and opportunities for inclusion in the school curriculum for children adopted from overseas: developmental and social constructionist perspectives

In Australia, teachers are expected to teach a diverse range of students, including children adopted from overseas who have experienced attachment disruption and complex trauma early in life. International research identifies the potential vulnerability of this minority group at school. However, teachers’ backgrounds, knowledge and experience, as well as curriculum policies and school practices, may influence how teachers respond to the diverse needs of these children. Drawing on examples from a qualitative study which used focus group interviews and a multi-case study of 10 adoptive families, this article applies developmental and social constructionist perspectives to analyse the potential impact some common curriculum units may have on these children’s experiences of school. This paper reports on the way in which various units in the Australian Curriculum may provide obstacles and opportunities for inclusion, with particular examples provided from the English and History Curriculum. Findings show there is a need for greater awareness, understanding and sensitivity in teaching approach, as well as flexibility in teachers’ professional agency and discretion in the selection of resources when responding to the educational needs of intercountry adoptees.     

广西中小学教师实施新课程的心理适应性调查及调适研究

由于新课程的实施与原有的教育环境、教育观念、评价标准、教育自身的条件都可能存在矛盾与冲突，因而，在推进基础教育课程改革的进程中，教师对新课程的心理适应性的问题显得尤为突出。运用团体测量法和个人访谈法对1679名中小学教师实施新课程的心理适应性进行了研究。结果表明，广西中小学教师实施新课程的心理适应性整体上呈良性发展态势，表现在大多数教师对新课程普遍持认同态度并积极接受，且有良好的自身发展规划、合作意识和学生观。但不可否认的是，新课程的实施同样也给教师带来了一定的心理压力。     

农村中小学校本课程开发的支持系统——以山西省为个案

农村中小学校本课程开发需要课程政策、学校教育哲学与办学理念、教师专业发展、课程资源、行政支持、家长与社区参与六大方面的条件。从山西省农村中小学校本课程开发的支持系统的情况看,现在的农村中小学学校教育哲学与办学理念不符合校本课程开发的要求;师资水平堪忧,没有开发校本课程的能力;农村地区潜在的课程资源丰富但开发能力欠缺;校本课程开发缺乏行政支持;家长与社区不支持校本课程。因此,农村中小学要开发有效的校本课程,需要改变学校的办学理念,加强师资培训,加大行政支持力度,促进家长与社区的参与。     

Primary schools and the delivery of relationships and sexuality education: the experience of Queensland teachers

Primary school provides an appropriate opportunity for children to commence comprehensive relationships and sexuality education (RSE), yet many primary school teachers avoid teaching this subject area. In the absence of teacher confidence and competence, schools have often relied on health promotion professionals, external agencies and/or one-off issue-related presentations rather than cohesive, systematic and meaningful health education. This study examines the implementation of a 10-lesson pilot RSE unit of work and an accompanying assessment task in two primary schools in South-East Queensland, Australia. Drawing predominantly from qualitative data, the research explores the experiences of primary school teachers as they engage with RSE curriculum resources and content delivery. The results show the provision of a high-quality RSE curriculum resource grounded in contemporary educational principles and practices enables teachers to feel more confident to deliver RSE and minimises potential barriers such as parental objections and fear of mishandling sensitive content.