Showing papers on "Primary education published in 2014"

Seven Trends: The Transformation of the Teaching Force

Abstract: Has the elementary and secondary teaching force changed in recent years? And, if so, how? Have the types and kinds of individuals going into teaching changed? Have the demographic characteristics of those working in classrooms altered? To answer these questions we embarked on an exploratory research project to try to discover what trends and changes have, or have not, occurred in the teaching force over the past few decades. We were surprised by what we found. We discovered that the teaching force has been, and is, greatly changing; yet, even the most dramatic trends appear to have been little noticed by researchers, policy makers, and the public. Disciplines Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Elementary Education and Teaching | Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching | Secondary Education and Teaching Comments View on the CPRE website. This report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_researchreports/79 CONSORTIUM FOR POLICY RESEARCH IN EDUCATION Seven Trends: The Transformation of the Teaching Force Updated April 2014 Richard Ingersoll Lisa Merrill Daniel Stuckey CPRE REPORT

Computational Thinking in Elementary and Secondary Teacher Education

Abstract: Computational thinking (CT) is broadly defined as the mental activity for abstracting problems and formulating solutions that can be automated. In an increasingly information-based society, CT is becoming an essential skill for everyone. To ensure that students develop this ability at the K-12 level, it is important to provide teachers with an adequate knowledge about CT and how to incorporate it into their teaching. This article describes a study on designing and introducing computational thinking modules and assessing their impact on preservice teachers’ understanding of CT concepts, as well as their attitude towards computing. Results demonstrate that introducing computational thinking into education courses can effectively influence preservice teachers’ understanding of CT concepts.

Closing the achievement gap through modification of neurocognitive and neuroendocrine function: results from a cluster randomized controlled trial of an innovative approach to the education of children in kindergarten.

Abstract: Effective early education is essential for academic achievement and positive life outcomes, particularly for children in poverty. Advances in neuroscience suggest that a focus on self-regulation in education can enhance children’s engagement in learning and establish beneficial academic trajectories in the early elementary grades. Here, we experimentally evaluate an innovative approach to the education of children in kindergarten that embeds support for self-regulation, particularly executive functions, into literacy, mathematics, and science learning activities. Results from a cluster randomized controlled trial involving 29 schools, 79 classrooms, and 759 children indicated positive effects on executive functions, reasoning ability, the control of attention, and levels of salivary cortisol and alpha amylase. Results also demonstrated improvements in reading, vocabulary, and mathematics at the end of kindergarten that increased into the first grade. A number of effects were specific to high-poverty schools, suggesting that a focus on executive functions and associated aspects of self-regulation in early elementary education holds promise for closing the achievement gap.

Science Teachers' Beliefs and Practices: Issues, Implications and Research Agenda

Abstract: This project analyses the prevalence and social construction of science in the everyday activities of multicultural, multilingual children in one urban community. Using cross-setting ethnographic fieldwork (i.e. home, museum, school, community), we developed an ecologically grounded interview protocol and analytical scheme for gauging students' understandings of and identification with science. Focal participants in an ethnographic study rated the frequency of the activities in which they participated, and then they reflected on how these activities connected to scientific knowledge, practices, and tools through an interview task protocol called the Science Activity Task (SAT). The SAT analysis found that children participated in scientific practices and saw science in their home, media, and community activities as well as in school activities. Children participated in scientific practices in their everyday school activities, such as measuring, building and designing, experimenting, and observing. The ana...

The Effects of Teaching Programming via Scratch on Problem Solving Skills: A Discussion from Learners' Perspective.

Abstract: Computer programming is perceived as an important competence for the development of problem solving skills in addition to logical reasoning. Hence, its integration throughout all educational levels, as well as the early ages, is considered valuable and research studies are carried out to explore the phenomenon in more detail. In light of these facts, this study is an exploratory effort to investigate the effect of Scratch programming on 5th grade primary school students' prob� lem solving skills. Moreover, the researchers wondered what 5th grade primary school students think about programming. This study was carried out in an explanatory sequential mixed methods design with the participation of 49 primary school students. According to the quantitative results, programming in Scratch platform did not cause any significant differences in the problem solving skills of the primary school students. There is only a non-significant increase in the mean of the fac � tor of "self- confidence in their problem solving ability". When the thoughts of the primary students were considered, it can be clearly stated that all the students liked programming and wanted to improve their programming. Finally, most of the students found the Scratch platform easy to use.

Storytelling by a kindergarten social assistive robot: A tool for constructive learning in preschool education

Abstract: Kindergarten Social Assistive Robotics (KindSAR) is a novel technology that offers kindergarten staff an innovative tool for achieving educational aims through social interaction. Children in a preschool setting have previously been shown to benefit from playing educational games with the KindSAR robot. The experiment presented here was designed to examine how KindSAR can be used to engage preschool children in constructive learning. The basic principle of constructivist education is that learning occurs when the learner is actively involved in a process of knowledge construction. In this study, storytelling was used as a paradigm of a constructive educational activity. An interactive robot served as a teacher assistant by telling prerecorded stories to small groups of children while incorporating song and motor activities in the process. Our results show that the children enjoyed interacting with the robot and accepted its authority. This study demonstrates the feasibility and expected benefits of incorporating KindSAR in preschool education. Kindergarten Social Assistive Robotics (KindSAR) is an innovative educational technology.Preschool children play educational games with a socially interactive KAR robot.The robot then "tells" two prerecorded stories to small groups of children.Storytelling aided by a KindSAR robot exemplifies a constructivist educational activity.The results suggests that this activity improves the children's cognitive/motor performance.

What Democracy Does (and Doesn’t Do) for Basic Services: School Fees, School Inputs, and African Elections

Abstract: Does democracy affect the provision of basic services? We advance on existing empirical work on this subject by exploring the potential mechanisms through which a democratic transition may prompt a government to alter provision of basic services to its citizens. In an environment of weak state capacity, in which it is difficult for voters to attribute outcomes to executive actions, we suggest that electoral competition is most likely to lead to changes in policies where executive action is verifiable. Considering the context of African primary education as an example, we suggest that electoral competition will therefore give governments an incentive to abolish school fees, but it will have less effect on the provision of school inputs, precisely because executive actions on these issues are more difficult to monitor. We evaluate this claim by approaching it in three different ways, using cross-national as well as individual-level data, including an original data set on primary school fee abolitions. First...

Great teachers : how to raise student learning in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract: While the importance of good teaching may be intuitively obvious, only over the past decade has education research begun to quantify the high economic stakes around teacher quality In a world where the goals of national education systems are being transformed, from a focus on the transmission of facts and memorization to a focus on student competencies—for critical thinking, problem solving and lifelong learning—the demands on teachers are more complex than ever Governments across the world have put teacher quality and teacher performance under increasing scrutiny The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region is no exception to these trends; indeed, in some key areas of teacher policy, the region is at the vanguard of global reform experience The study aims to benchmark the current performance of LAC’s teachers and identify key issues It shares emerging evidence on important reforms of teacher policy being implemented in Lac countries The study also analyzes the political room for maneuver for further reform in Lac They focus on teachers in basic education (preschools, primary and secondary education) because the quantitative and qualitative challenges of producing effective teachers at these levels differ in key ways from university-level education, which has been addressed in other recent World Bank publications

Home and School Correlates of Early Interest in Literature

Abstract: A composite measure was developed to identify kindergarten children from 21 classrooms who had a high or low interest in literature. Parent questionnaires, teacher evaluations, and tests provided information concern- ing children’s free-time home activities, parents’ characteristics and activities, school achievement, and the quality of the in-classroom literary environment. Significant differences were found between the high- and low-interest groups in most areas. High-interest children were read to more often than low-interest children, watched less television, and had more children’s books placed in many rooms at home. Parents and teachers of the high-interest children provided supportive literary environments at home and in school, whereas those in the low-interest group did not. The results are compared to investigations of early readers and older voluntary readers.

The mathematics skills of school children: how does England compare to the high-performing East Asian jurisdictions?

Abstract: The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in Mathematics and Science Study are two highly respected studies of school pupils’ academic achievement English policy-makers have been disappointed with school children’s performance on these tests, particularly in comparison to the strong results of young people from East Asia In this paper, we provide new insight into the England–East Asia gap in school children’s mathematics skills We do so by considering how cross-national differences in math test scores change between ages 10 and 16 Our results suggest that, although average math test scores are higher in East Asian countries, this achievement gap does not increase between ages 10 and 16 We thus conclude that reforming the secondary school system may not be the most effective way for England to ‘catch up’ with the East Asian nations in the PISA math rankings Rather, earlier intervention, during pre-school and primary school, may be needed instead

Does Foreign Aid In Education Promote Economic Growth? Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract: This paper examines whether foreign aid in education has a significant effect on growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our analysis covers 38 countries over the period 1990-2004 and we control for initial per capita income, inflation, investment, government consumption, openness to trade and institutional quality. We find that (i) aid in primary education has a positive and significant effect on growth; (ii) aid in post-primary education has an adverse effect or at best no significant impact on growth; and (iii) growth increases as aid in primary education as a share of total education aid rises. Keys-words: Africa, Education, Foreign Aid, Growth

Improving Teacher Feedback During Active Learning Effects of a Professional Development Program

Abstract: This study focuses on improving teacher feedback during active learning Changing teachers’ behavior sustainably, however, is very difficult Several conditions should be taken into account, and programs should build on teachers’ cognitions and practices Effects of a specifically designed professional development program on 16 elementary schoolteachers’ knowledge, beliefs, perceived problems, and classroom behavior were examined via observations, a beliefs instrument, and a questionnaire prior to and twice after the program was implemented Results show that several aspects of feedback during active learning were improved, both in the short and in the long term It is concluded that the professional development of teachers can be effective and sustainable, if certain conditions are met

Level up Learning: A National Survey on Teaching with Digital Games.

Abstract: Digital games have the potential to transform K-12 education as we know it. But what has been the real experience among teachers who use games in the classroom? In 2013, the Games and Learning Publishing Council conducted a national survey among nearly 700 K-8 teachers. The report reveals key findings from the survey, and looks at how often and why teachers use games in the classroom, as well as issues they encounter in their efforts to implement digital games into their practice.

Higher Education Opportunity Act

Abstract: Higher Education Opportunity Act Changes Affecting All TRIO Programs Moves prior experience from being regulatory (i.e., defined by by ED) to legislation (i.e., defined by Congress). Extends all grant terms to five years. Increases minimum program grant to $200,000. Defines as the primary purpose of any TRIO evaluation “the identification of particular practices that further the achievement of the outcome criteria” included in the bill. Removes the “in exceptional circumstances” limitation on grant applications from secondary schools. Instructs ED to consider the “number, percentages, and needs of eligible participants in the area, institutions of higher education, or secondary school to be served” in granting applications. Creates an appeals process for TRIO applicants involving a re-reading by a second peer review panel. Instructs the Secretary to “rigorously evaluate the effectiveness” of TRIO programs (including Upward Bound), but mandates that in doing so the Secretary shall not (A) require programs to recruit more students than normal or (B) deny services to eligible students. Additionally, in designing an evaluation, the Secretary must consider (A) the burden placed on program participants and institutions and (B) whether the evaluation meets the standards of institutional review boards.

Institutionalised ICT use in primary education: A multilevel analysis

Abstract: This study uses a multilayered framework of different independent school and teacher variables to study which factors are related to the use of ICT for teaching and learning in Flemish (Belgium) primary schools. Special attention is paid to widely accepted technology uses by teachers, which is labelled as 'Institutionalised ICT use'. A questionnaire has been administered to a representative teacher sample (N = 433) in 53 Flemish primary schools. Factor analyses and multilevel hierarchical regression analyses have been conducted. The results of the multilevel analysis show that 'Institutionalised ICT use' should not only be considered as a teacher phenomenon but also as a school phenomenon. The null model shows that about 14% of the variance in ICT use of teachers is due to between-school differences. In a final model, the variables 'ICT professional development', 'ICT competences', 'developmental educational beliefs', and 'schools' ICT vision and policy' showed a positive association with 'Institutionalised ICT use'.

Punish Them or Engage Them? Teachers' Views of Unproductive Student Behaviours in the Classroom.

Abstract: This paper reports on a study that investigated the extent to which student behaviour is a concern for school teachers. A questionnaire was used to investigate teachers' views about student behaviour in their classes. The results suggest that low-level disruptive and disengaged student behaviours occur frequently and teachers find them difficult to manage. Aggressive and anti-social behaviours occur infrequently. Teachers employ strategies to manage unproductive behaviours that locate the problem with the student. This paper argues that teachers could benefit from understanding how the classroom ecology influences engagement and therefore student behaviour, rather than focusing on 'fixing' unproductive behaviour.

Graduate School of Education

Abstract: The Fordham University Graduate School of Education has programs in Teacher Education, Educational Leadership, Interdisciplinary Research, Counseling Psychology, and School Psychology.

Pre-service primary teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education

Abstract: Research has demonstrated that an important factor in the success of inclusive education is dependent upon teachers’ attitudes. Based on this evidence, the present study investigated the impact of a range of teacher variables in association with training on primary pre-service teachers’ attitudes by examining total inclusion scores, positive affect, training and perceived competence, and negative affect. Three-hundred and forty-two participants from a metropolitan Australian University studying primary school education completed the Teacher Attitudes to Inclusion Scale (adapted). Comparisons were made between participants who had received training on special education, compared with those who had not. The analyses revealed that overall, studying an elective unit on inclusive education had a positive influence over pre-service teachers’ attitudes. It was found that teaching experience had a significantly negative impact on pre-service teachers’ attitudes. The present study demonstrates the vital role that ...

Does Disciplinary Literacy Have a Place in Elementary School

Abstract: This commentary discusses what disciplinary literacy is and why it is important. It then discusses the ways in which elementary school teachers can infuse aspects of disciplinary literacy into elementary instruction. It argues that the Common Core Standards, even those at the K-6 level, are providing avenues for preparation for disciplinary literacy.

Examining Elementary Social Studies Marginalization: A Multilevel Model

Abstract: Utilizing data from the National Center for Education Statistics Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), a multilevel model (Hierarchical Linear Model) was developed to examine the association of teacher/classroom and state level indicators on reported elementary social studies instructional time. Findings indicated that state testing policy was a significant predictor of elementary teachers’ reported time spent on social studies instruction. Teachers’ perceptions of workplace autonomy and grade level were also associated with increased time on social studies. Conversely, teacher credentials, classroom socioeconomic contexts, and test design were not substantially associated with social studies instructional time. This study suggests that state policy mandates, grade-specific curricular organization, and teacher disposition have a substantial impact on the prioritization of social studies in US elementary schools.

Building Character through Literacy with Children's Literature.

Abstract: Character education is described as curriculum specifically developed to teach children about the quality and traits of good character. One means in which children can learn about good character is through the pages of high quality children’s literature. In this study, the author defines the characteristics of an effective character development program for grades K-6 built around children’s literature. Discussion focuses on how literature can be brought into the curriculum in helping to develop character traits in a meaningful, substantial manner.

Key themes and future directions in teaching English to young learners: introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract: Despite being something of a ‘Cinderella’ area of study, research into and informed discussion of teaching young learners is on the increase, perhaps mirroring the increasing numbers of children learning English globally in primary schools. This introductory article reviews key themes and issues in the teaching of English to young learners, and explains how the articles in this Special Issue connect to and develop them. It also points forward to some of the areas we expect to be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the years to come.

Preparing teacher candidates for family–school partnerships

Abstract: Previous research indicates that, while parent involvement promotes student achievement, how teacher candidates are prepared to establish family–school partnerships (FSP) is not well documented and the roles of teacher educators are often neglected. Explorative studies including curriculum analysis and focus groups of primary and secondary teacher candidates and teacher educators were conducted in three universities, one each in the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Data collection was designed to identify opinions towards FSP and perceived preparation for FSP. The programmes showed limited attention to aspects other than communication and FSP was not assessed. The findings indicate training is largely dependent upon the proclivities of individual teacher educators. Although all respondents acknowledged the importance of FSP, respondents of primary education held a more positive attitude towards parents than others. Hardly any differences were found between the views of candidates and educators, regardless of the programme they followed or taught.

Culturally Responsive Instruction for English Language Learners With Learning Disabilities

Abstract: This case study describes the culturally responsive instruction of one special education teacher with Latino English language learners (ELLs) with learning disabilities in an urban elementary school setting. This study was situated in a social constructivist research based framework. In investigating this instruction with ELLs, this study focused on how one teacher's knowledge of culturally responsive pedagogy affected her special education instruction. Findings resulted in three major themes that were aligned with the current literature in this area: Cultural Aspects of Teaching Reading, Culturally Relevant Skills-Based Instruction, and Collaborative Agency Time. The results indicated that the success of special education with ELLs at the elementary education level might be dependent on how well the special education teacher integrates culturally responsive instruction with ELLs' cultural and linguistic needs.

Educational Assessment in Norway.

Abstract: Norway has seen major changes in the field of educational assessment over the past decade, following the 2001 ‘PISA shock’ that stimulated reform of the entire primary and secondary education systems: new outcome-based curricula with cross-disciplinary basic skills were accompanied by major revision of assessment regulations, comprehensive government projects promoting formative assessment, national tests as a main component in a new national quality assessment system and new regulations for examinations and teacher reporting of overall achievement marks. The paper provides a historical context to the country’s prohibition of formal marking in primary education and the recent tensions determining how assessment criteria should be stated and used for formative and summative purposes. It is argued that Norwegian primary and secondary education is riddled with unresolved tensions as to the role of assessment criteria and national tests, sparked by incremental implementation of assessment policies and princip...