Learning to read is the critical task of early schooling and the foundational skill for all curricular learning. Teaching children to read has long been the subject of a “great debate” (Chall, 1967) centered on the relative efficacy of a code-based versus a whole language approach. The code-based, or phonics approach views ‘cracking the code’ of the alphabetic system as the essential task of early literacy learning, and calls for explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, decoding, and word recognition (Adams & Bruck, 1995; Moats, 1998). By contrast, the whole language approach views reading as a developmental, meaning-making activity, and focuses on constructive interaction with varied reading materials, including literature-based texts (Goodman, 1965; Weaver, 1998).

The Development of Thought: Equilibration of Cognitive Structures

Early literacy instruction

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether preschool children (aged 4.5–6 years) can construct the concept of mechanical stability through structured hands-on activities involving the building of a tower on an inclined plane and through the use of cans of various sizes and weights. The data derived mainly from direct observation and the visual component of video tape recordings of thirty-seven children. These children formed three treatment groups which participated in structured-guided, structured-unguided and unstructured-unguided activities respectively. There is strong evidence that appropriately structured activities involving children's action on objects and the objects immediate reaction, as well as children's opportunity to vary this action, complemented with a scaffolding strategy can help children construct the concept of mechanical stability and apply it in other similar contexts. The paper also presents a theoretical framework for the teaching and learning of physics in the early years.

result

A Study of the Development of the Concept of Mechanical Stability in Preschool Children

A number of elementary school student career development investigations have been conducted over the years. Perhaps the most thoroughly studied issues are those of children's occupational preferences (Gottfredson, 1981, 1996; Mac Kay & Miller, 1982; Siegel, 1973; Stockard & McGee, 1990), occupational aspirations and expectations (Hageman & Gladding, 1983; Looft, 1971; McNulty & Borgen, 1988), sex-role stereotyping (Archer, 1984; Hageman & Gladding, 1983; Stockard & McGee, 1990), and parental influence on children's career choice (Lavine, 1982; Morrow, 1995; Santrock, 1993; Trice, Hughes, Odom, Woods & McClellan, 1995). These and other issues such as career self-efficacy (Betz, 1992; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994; 1996; Niles & Sowa, 1992) have also been studied with high school students and adults. Several theories have attempted to explain career development and include the developmental approach of Super (1957; 1980) and the needs-based explanation of Roe (1956). More recently, a broader attempt to explain career development was presented by Vondracek and Schulenberg (1986) who argued for the multicausality of influences. Farmer's model (1985; 1987) is multidimensional and includes background, personal, and environmental influences to explain career behavior and achievement motivation. In her theory of circumscription and compromise, Gottfredson (1981; 1996) presents a stage development approach beginning with children as young as 3 years. In this process, children in Stage 1, ages 3-5, orient to issues of size and power presumably because they have

background

Occupational Aspirations of a Longitudinal Sample from Second to Sixth Grade

This article describes the findings of a qualitative study to examine preservice teacher education students' experiences and reasons for creating digital teaching portfolios. Also, it examines the advantages and challenges of creating digital teaching portfolios. Findings indicate that the process of creating digital teaching portfolios was a constructivist one that fostered self-confidence in students' professional and technical skills. Also, students enrolled in the course to enhance their technology skills, for guidance in the process of developing a digital teaching portfolio, and to create a portfolio that would make them more marketable. ********** The use of teaching portfolios in evaluating teacher performance is expanding, having been given particular attention by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which requires teachers seeking national certification to submit portfolios to assessors for examination. (Cooper, 1997) Many teacher educators in schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDE's) have been expanding their views about how they might measure teacher competence and knowledge. Traditionally in the United States, measures only involved the use of standardized approaches such as the Praxis Series, Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers (see http://www.ets.org/praxis), which have been typically administered to teacher candidates prior to entering a teacher education program and for earning licensure. However, today, more and more SCDE's are also using authentic measures such as teaching portfolios (Wray, 2001) to provide more information about a teacher's ability to teach. McKinney (1998) contends that "[teacher] educators have found that well-constructed portfolios may help to capture the complexities of learning, teaching, and learning to teach when used as authentic assessment tools within courses and programs in Colleges of Education" (p. 85). A teaching portfolio, according to Shulman (1998), is the "structured documentary history of a set of coached or mentored acts of teaching, substantiated by samples of student portfolios, and fully realized only through reflective writing, deliberation, and conversation" (p. 37). Thus, teaching portfolios can serve to document teacher candidates' competence and growth during the course of their entire teacher education program, and beyond. Teacher educators have also been exploring the creation of digital teaching portfolios by teacher candidates. Digital teaching portfolios, sometimes referred to as multimedia portfolios, electronic portfolios, e-folios, webfolios, and electronically-augmented portfolios, are similar to traditional teaching portfolios in content but present professional materials in digital format. Professional materials included in digital teaching portfolios are presented using a combination of digital or electronic media such as audio recordings, hypermedia programs, database, spreadsheet, video, and word processing software. This article describes a qualitative study of preservice teacher education students who participated in a one-credit course at a public school of education in the mid-Atlantic states. The purpose of the study was to learn the participants' purpose(s) in creating digital teaching portfolios and to investigate the process they employed to create them. The following questions were the basis of the study: 1. Why did preservice teacher education students take the course in the first place? 2. How did preservice teacher education students organize and create their digital teaching portfolios? 3. What did preservice teacher education students learn as a result of creating their digital teaching portfolios? 4. What are the advantages/challenges of using the World Wide Web (WWW or Web) for preservice teacher education students to publish their digital teaching portfolios? BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Portfolios Although portfolios have been used widely in many disciplines such as architecture and the arts, and in all levels of education, from elementary to post-secondary education, (Mokhtari, Yellin, Bull, & Montgomery, 1996), many definitions exist in the literature regarding portfolios and the types of portfolios that exist. …

methods

Web-Based Digital Teaching Portfolios: Fostering Reflection and Technolog Teacher Education Students

(1986). An evaluation of Knowles’ theory of adult learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 113-122.

The Development of Thought: Equilibration of Cognitive Structures

Citations

Early literacy instruction

A Study of the Development of the Concept of Mechanical Stability in Preschool Children

Occupational Aspirations of a Longitudinal Sample from Second to Sixth Grade

Web-Based Digital Teaching Portfolios: Fostering Reflection and Technolog Teacher Education Students

An evaluation of Knowles’ theory of adult learning

Related Papers (5)

Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes

Thought and language

Mind in society

The Origins of Intelligence in Children

Experience and Education