ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Building a Common Core for Learning to Teach: And Connecting Professional Learning to Practice
Author: Ball, Deborah Loewenberg
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Education,Faculty Development,Teaching Methods,Teacher Effectiveness,Theory Practice Relationship,Instructional Improvement,Systems Approach,State Standards

Focusing directly on the development of instructional practice and its effects is not easy. One major shortcoming in the educational infrastructure has been the lack of a common curriculum. A second has been an impoverished approach to supporting teaching practice. These two are related, for any effort to develop and improve teaching is weakened when there is no agreement about what to teach. Taken together--no agreed-upon curriculum and no system for developing skilled teaching practice--hope for instructional improvement is slim. In this article, the authors propose a departure from inherited ideas about instruction and its improvement. Their proposal shifts away from individual &quot;style&quot; and open-ended &quot;learning from experience&quot; as the building blocks of practice, and emphasizes instead the importance of common professional standards. Given the strong individualistic culture that permeates teaching and learning to teach in the United States, why might a shift to shared specific standards for professional practice be possible? The Common Core State Standards, which specify a set of learning goals in mathematics and English language arts, represent a watershed for this country. They offer the possibility of a common foundation on which a stronger educational infrastructure could be built. And more Americans now understand that skillful teaching is crucial for students' success. Skillful teaching can make the difference between students being at the top of the class or the bottom, completing high school or dropping out. (Contains 14 endnotes.)
Ask the Cognitive Scientist: Can Teachers Increase Students' Self-Control?
Author: Willingham, Daniel T.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Control,Student Behavior,Classroom Environment,Teacher Role,Parent Child Relationship,Influences

Self-regulation refers to the ability to inhibit the automatic response and to do something else; more generally, it refers to the ability to control one's emotions, to control attention and other cognitive processes, and to plan and control behavior. This capacity turns out to have enormous consequences for academic and social success. And, as teachers observe daily, children differ widely in how much of this capacity they seem to have. Recent research indicates that teachers can help students--especially students having the most trouble--by providing an organized classroom environment, and by removing elements in the environment that can trigger impulsive behavior. Helping students better self-regulate is a daunting task because it seems such a personal, permanent quality of an individual. But researchers have shown that it is open to change, and they also have shown that good self-regulation is associated with a broad spectrum of positive academic and social outcomes, and that poor self-regulation is associated with greater risk for correspondingly bad outcomes. These facts highlight the urgency for teachers to do all they can to help students grow in this area. (Contains 49 endnotes.)
"Paul Revere's Ride": Awakening Abolitionists
Author: Lepore, Jill
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Poetry,Poets,United States History,Slavery,War

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used to be both the best-known poet in the English-speaking world and the most beloved, adored by the learned and the lowly alike, read by everyone from Nathaniel Hawthorne and Abraham Lincoln to John Ruskin and Queen Victoria--and, just as avidly, by the queen's servants. "Paul Revere's Ride" is Longfellow's best-known poem. It was published in the "Atlantic Monthly" in January 1861. The issue appeared on newsstands in Boston on December 20, the day South Carolina seceded from the Union. The poem was read at the time as a call to arms, rousing northerners to action, against what Charles Sumner called the "Slaveocracy"--"a warning voice" waking those who would concede to barbarism from what George Sumner (Charles's brother) called "their precious Sunday slumbers." (Contains 2 resources.)
Why I Force My Students to Memorize Poetry: Despite the Fact that It Won't Be on the Standardized Test
Author: Waddell, Andy
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Failure,Standardized Tests,English Teachers,Fear,Poetry,Memorization

So often teachers see education as a series of units leading to an examination, which will in turn prepare students for the SATs or APs they need to pass to enter university where, if they pass other examinations, they will graduate and earn large incomes. Teachers hold those future earnings before their students like a carrot while beating them with a fear of failure. No wonder then so many dig in their heels at the sight of anything as impractical as poetry. How can one expect anything else when this attitude is validated from the very educators, school boards, and state superintendents most responsible for deciding what students should know? The author believes that English teachers have a unique opportunity and responsibility to put words into their students' heads--crisp, delicious words, "words opalescent, cool, and pearly," words to entertain and sustain them. Words they may never forget.
The Professional Educator: Lessons from Finland
Author: Sahlberg, Pasi
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Leadership Training,Foreign Countries,Leadership,Academic Achievement,High Achievement,Teacher Education,Professional Autonomy,Curriculum Design,Teacher Qualifications

Since Finland emerged in 2000 as the top-scoring Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nation on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), researchers have been pouring into the country to study the so-called &quot;Finnish miracle.&quot; How did a country with an undistinguished education system in the 1980s surge to the head of the global class in just a couple of decades? Research and experience suggest that one element of the Finnish system trumps all others: excellent teachers and leaders. This article looks at how Finland develops such excellence in its teacher workforce. (This discussion is also relevant to excellence among leaders; in Finland, those who aspire to leadership positions must be effective teachers before they can begin leadership training.) (Contains 16 endnotes.)
Professional Development Needs of Directors Leading in a Mixed Service Delivery Preschool System
Author: Ryan, Sharon
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Federal Programs,Preschool Children,Disadvantaged Youth,Low Income,Expertise,Delivery Systems,Administrators,Administrator Qualifications,Professional Development,School Districts,Educational Opportunities,Management Development

This paper reports on an interview study with directors of Head Start and child care programs who are collaborating with local education authorities to provide publicly funded preschool in New Jersey, USA. A standardized interview protocol was utilized with 98 directors chosen to represent a range of center types from across the three main regions of the state. Interviews were conducted over the phone. The study examined the kinds of preparation that these directors received for their work as program leaders, the areas that these directors identified as strengths and weaknesses, and the kinds of professional development that they perceived as necessary to perform their jobs well. Results indicate that given the wide range of qualifications and work experiences among directors in this mixed service delivery system, targeted professional development focusing on both administration and early childhood content is needed. These findings suggest that policy makers and administrators of preschool programs should conduct needs assessments of their preschool directors and school leaders to ensure that professional development opportunities address different levels of experience and expertise appropriate for leaders working in these systems. Because of the complexity of leading programs with mixed sources of funding and policy mandates, it is also suggested that competencies be articulated for preschool leaders and that institutions of higher education develop early childhood leadership preparation programs. (Contains 6 tables and 2 notes.)
Assessment for Preschool Science Learning and Learning Environments
Author: Brenneman, Kimberly
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Readiness,Program Evaluation,Scientific Literacy,Individualized Instruction,Science Education,Science Achievement,Preschool Education,Preschool Children,Preschool Curriculum,Instructional Effectiveness,Performance Based Assessment,Curriculum Evaluation,Educational Environment

Although interest in preschool science is not new in the United States, this area of learning is enjoying renewed attention among those concerned with prekindergarten education and with improving scientific literacy and achievement among the nation's citizens. Despite the increased interest and funding investment in early science education and the expectation that high-quality educational supports will result in improved school readiness and achievement in science and related domains, research and program evaluation efforts are limited by a lack of appropriate assessments for learning and classroom instructional quality in science. This article reports on a number of promising tools and approaches for evaluating children's learning progress in science and the quality of instructional supports for this learning. The article discusses learning and knowledge assessments, which include supporting and assessing science learning during everyday interactions; performance-based assessments for individualized instruction, progress monitoring, and curricular evaluation; direct assessments of science learning; and assessments of science-relevant skills and dispositions. The article also discusses classroom quality measures related to science learning.
Introducing the Project Approach and Use of Visual Representation to Early Childhood Education in Bhutan
Author: Brooks, Margaret
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Research Projects,Action Research,Teaching Methods,Elementary School Teachers,Elementary School Students,Visual Stimuli,Teacher Education Programs,Faculty Development,Workshops,Photography,Foreign Countries,Freehand Drawing,Art Activities

This article describes a collaborative action research project that followed two teachers and their students in a primary school in the Paro valley of Bhutan as they began to implement the Project Approach and promote children's use of visual representation. The article begins with a description of the primary education system and teacher preparation in Bhutan and goes on to discuss a professional development workshop that led to the action research project. The article then describes two projects undertaken by classes of 6- to 7-year-olds at Taju Primary School, including photographic documentation. The article concludes with a discussion of the benefits of project work for all involved. (Contains 109 figures.)
The Lights Pre-Project: Implementation of the Project Approach with Children under 3 Years of Age
Author: Grzegorzewska, Katarzyna
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preschool Education,Foreign Countries,Social Experience,Teaching Methods,Young Children,Toddlers,Parents,Light,Social Development,Parent Participation,Family Programs,Lighting,Concept Formation

A group of children 18 months to 3 years old and their parents studied lights in a preschool program at the Astrid Lindgren Institute for Early Childhood Development in Poland. The goal of the preschool program is to help children gain positive social experience through safe and interesting contact with a new group of children and adults in the supportive presence of their parents. The article describes the three phases of the Lights Pre-project and discusses the benefits to the children, parents, and teachers who participated. (Contains 48 figures.)
Children's Friendship Development: A Comparative Study
Author: Yu, SeonYeong
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Play,Mothers,Disabilities,Young Children,Friendship,Parents,Comparative Analysis,Surveys,Peer Relationship,Child Development,Social Development

Establishing friendships is an important developmental goal of early childhood, but little research has addressed ways in which parents support the friendship development of their young children with disabilities. The purpose of this survey study was to explore the support strategies that parents use to facilitate their children's friendships. Forty mothers of preschool-age children completed surveys. Both groups of mothers (parents of children with and without disabilities) reported using similar strategies to support their children's friendship development. However, mothers of children with disabilities engaged directly in the children's play far more frequently than did mothers of typically developing children. (Contains 5 tables.)
Relationship Building: Infants, Toddlers, and 2-Year-Olds
Author: McGaha, Cindy G.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Toddlers,Interpersonal Relationship,Child Development,Child Behavior,Young Children,Age Differences,Friendship,Interaction,Play,Caregiver Role

The relationships that children experience with each other during infancy are often a neglected area of study. Most attention has been paid to infants' relationships with adults. However, children are increasingly spending greater amounts of time in group care and with peers at even the early stages of infancy. In these settings, adults are often fearful of the interactions between children of this age because toddlers do not yet understand how they might harm others. This study explored what happens when infants are given the opportunity to interact with older children, such as toddlers and 2-year-olds. Teachers and administrators in an infant room and toddler/2-year-old classroom carefully examined the relationships between children over the course of a year and began over time to cultivate these relationships, focusing on building relationships between the infants and the toddlers/2-year-olds. Findings support the idea that these children, with support, can be quite capable in interacting with each other. (Contains 26 figures.)
&quot;You Be the Bad Guy&quot;: A New Role for Teachers in Supporting Children's Dramatic Play
Author: Logue, Mary Ellin
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Play,Dramatic Play,Teaching Methods,Teacher Role,Aggression,Preschool Children,Inquiry,Preschool Education,Role Playing

This article describes teachers' collaborative inquiry into the pretend &quot;bad guy&quot; play of 12 children in a university laboratory preschool classroom in the northeastern United States. The article describes the inquiry process and includes details and documentation of children's decisions, actions, and interactions related to the bad guy play as well as the teachers' reflections taken from field notes, meeting notes, and journals. Among the conclusions drawn by the teachers are that (1) children's pretend play can become complex when teachers support but do not direct it, (2) teachers' discomfort with certain play themes might inhibit play that could be valuable to children, (3) children's pretending to act aggressively is not the same as acting aggressively, and (4) play has a rhythm and structure that can be better understood through documentation and reflection. (Contains 8 figures.)
Implementing a New Social-Emotional Philosophy: The Struggle in One Head Start Classroom
Author: Thomas, Dawn V.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Early Childhood Education,Educational Philosophy,Social Development,Emotional Development,Program Implementation,Federal Programs,Preschool Children,Disadvantaged Youth,Low Income,Classroom Observation Techniques,Discipline,Educational Environment,Administrator Attitudes,Teacher Administrator Relationship,Parent School Relationship

The implementation of a social-emotional philosophy in any early childhood program plays out differently in every classroom. This study focused on the teaching team and children in a single Head Start classroom as they interacted with each other, with families, and with administrators, particularly in relation to the use of Conscious Discipline[R], a newly adopted program-wide &quot;social-emotional philosophy.&quot; Data sources for the study were classroom observation, informal conversations, interviews, and document analysis. This particular teaching team struggled with several factors--the demands of fitting Conscious Discipline to every child and to various classroom situations, questions or doubts from some parents, the apparent lack of response and incomplete communication from program administrators, discrepancies between the administrators' and teachers' views of the implementation and efficacy of Conscious Discipline, and the conflicting demands of addressing both academic and social-emotional outcomes. [&quot;Implementing a New Social-Emotional Philosophy: The Struggle in One Head Start Classroom&quot; was written with Michaelene M. Ostrosky.]
Effects of 8-Week Training on Aerobic Capacity and Swimming Performance of Boys Aged 12 Years
Author: Zarzeczny, Ryszard
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Metabolism,Older Adults,Aquatic Sports,Males,Training,Children,Motion,Exercise

Study aim: To assess the effects of 8-week endurance training in swimming on work capacity of boys aged 12 years. Material and methods: The following groups of schoolboys aged 12 years were studied: untrained control (UC; n = 14) and those training swimming for two years. The latter ones were subjected to 8-week training in classical style (CS; n = 10) or free style (FS; n = 13). In all boys maximal oxygen uptake (VO[subscript 2]max) was determined, and the CS and FS groups were subjected to 6 tests: swimming at 50 and 400 m distances (time recorded) and to 12-min swimming (distance recorded), all by free and classical styles pre- and post-training. From swimming times at 50 and 400 m distances the so-called critical swimming speed (CSS) was computed: CSS = (400 - 50) / (t[subscript 400] - t[subscript 50]). Results: No training-induced improvement in VO[subscript 2]max was noted in any group. Yet, boys subjected to classical style training significantly (p less than 0.05) improved their free-style swimming velocity at CSS and at the 400-m distance by about 6%, and their heart rate following the 12-min test in classical style decreased by nearly 16% (p less than 0.001) compared with the pre-training values. Conclusions: The 8-week training in given swimming style does not negatively affect the performance in other style than the trained one. This may be of importance in competitive training. (Contains 4 tables.)
Overcoming Psychosocial Barriers to Maternal Exercise: Intervention Strategies to Improve Participation and Adherence
Author: Schoenfeld, Brad
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intervention,Physical Activities,Females,Physical Health,Pregnancy,Barriers,Leisure Time,Ethnicity,Beliefs,Correlation,Social Influences,Body Weight,Participation

Poor adherence to physical activity programmes during pregnancy is a serious national issue, one that has detrimental effects on a large percentage of the population. Not only does a lack of activity result in a decrease in quality of life for women during term, but the effects can carry over well after pregnancy, potentially leading to increased morbidity and mortality. What's more, reduced prenatal activity can cause adverse effects on the foetus, with impairments seen in physical health as well as cognition. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the socio-demographic data and psychosocial influences that modify exercise behaviours in pregnant women and, second, to make recommendations as to effective intervention strategies that can be adopted by health and fitness professionals to help improve maternal exercise participation and adherence.
Effects of a Regular Motor Activity on Somatic and Fitness Variables in Boys Aged 17-18 Years
Author: Piotrowska, Joanna
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Physical Education,Body Composition,Physical Activities,Health Conditions,Motion,Males,Physical Activity Level,Late Adolescents,Pretests Posttests

Study aim: To assess the somatic and fitness changes in semisedentary boys persuaded to undertake Nordic Walking activities throughout a school year. Material and methods: Two groups of schoolboys aged 17-18 years were studied: regularly attending physical education (PE) classes (Group A; n = 46) and those who avoided PE classes by submitting sick note ors excuses signed by parents (Group N; n = 29). The latter ones undertook Nordic Walking training (3 sessions a week throughout the school year). Group A undertook no motor activities except regular PE classes. At the beginning (Pre) and at the end of the study (Post) all boys were subjected to 7 fitness tests: 50-m run (50 m), shuttle run 4x10 m (SR4), 1000-m run (LDR), sit-ups (SUP), standing broad jump (SBJ), pull-ups (PUP) and stand-and-reach (STR). Results: Mean Post-Pre changes in Group N evidenced significant improvements, compared with Group A, in most studied variables--body mass, body fat content, 50-m dash velocity, PUP, SUP, STR, SR4 velocity, no significant, unfavourable changes being noted. Conclusions: Nordic Walking, being an attractive form of activity, may be an easy way to encourage people to undertake motor activities thus improving the health status. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)
P-20 Education Policy: School to College Transition Policy in Washington State
Author: Pitre, Paul E.
Date: 2011-02-20
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Position Papers,Legislators,Transitional Programs,Articulation (Education),Educational Policy,Access to Education,Case Studies,Interviews,Content Analysis,Transcripts (Written Records),State Officials,Secondary Education,Postsecondary Education,Politics of Education,Program Implementation,Program Effectiveness

This study examines Washington State's attempt to move toward an integrated, P-20 system of education that enhances student transitions from high school to college. In analyzing Washington as a single case study, a profile of the state is developed on key access related characteristics. Data for this study were gathered utilizing fundamental case study methods. In depth qualitative interviews were conducted with Washington State Legislators, legislative staff, key state education agency officials, and college and university representatives. Document analyses of agency records, public hearings, testimonies, position papers, reports, and public meeting records were also conducted. This study found that Washington has many key programs in place to enhance student transitions between the K-12 system and the higher education, but the state's current approach lacks coherence and cohesion. This study also found that the state has developed a new and innovative model with the potential to solve many transition related issues, but it will require assessment to determine its actual effectiveness. (Contains 2 footnotes.)