An Inquiry-Based Approach to Critical Literacy: Pedagogical Nuances of a Second Grade Classroom

This case study explores the pedagogy and practices of an elementary school teacher who combines inquiry pedagogy and critical literacy. The authors gathered data for this analysis by conducting two interviews with a classroom teacher and observing classroom practices 12 times over a 6 month period. Through a general inductive approach to analysis, trends emerged that showed the classroom teacher used practices that combined traditional inquiry pedagogy for critical literacy development. This research provides insight into how this elementary teacher negotiated and connected inquiry to critical literacy. Furthermore, the findings can inform scholars and teacher educators of successful teaching strategies as they prepare future generations of elementary teachers. Cette étude de cas explore la pédagogie et les pratiques d’une enseignante à l’élémentaire qui allie pédagogie d’enquête et littératie critique. La cueillette de données s’est faite par deux entrevues auprès d’une enseignante titulaire et douze observations en salle au cours de six mois. Une approche inductive à l’analyse a révélé des tendances indiquant que l’enseignante employait des pratiques qui intègrent une pédagogie d’enquête traditionnelle au développement de compétences essentielles à la littératie. Cette recherche donne un aperçu des démarches de l’enseignante pour négocier et lier enquête et littératie. De plus, les résultats présentent aux chercheurs et aux formateurs d’enseignants des stratégies pédagogiques efficaces et fructueuses dont peuvent profiter les générations futures d’enseignants à l’élémentaire.

How Do Elementary Teachers Study and Learn from a Multimedia Model of Reading Development? An Exploratory Eye-Tracking Study

This exploratory study used eye-tracking methodology to examine how elementary teachers study a multimedia model of reading development. Seven experienced teachers and 11 pre-service teachers participated. Visual attention, prior knowledge, and post-task scores were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Significant differences between the two groups were found with respect to fixations, scan paths, and pre- and post-task scores. Where experienced teachers focus their attention and the paths of their visual behaviour can inform the design of material that supports novice teachers’ understanding of how children learn to read. Keywords: teacher learning, multimedia learning, eye-tracking methodology, reading development, reading instructionCette étude exploratoire a utilisé une méthodologie de suivi du regard pour examiner comment les enseignants du primaire étudient un modèle multimédia de développement de la lecture. Sept enseignants expérimentés et 11 enseignants débutants ont participé. L’attention visuelle, les connaissances préalables et les résultats postérieurs à la tâche ont été analysés à l’aide de méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives. Des différences significatives entre les deux groupes ont été constatées en ce qui concerne les fixations, les chemins d’analyse et les résultats avant et après la tâche. Là où des enseignants expérimentés concentrent leur attention ou leur regarde peuvent influencer le développement des matériaux pour aider les enseignants débutants à mieux comprendre comment les enfants apprennent à lire. Mots-clés : apprentissage de l’enseignant, modèle multimedia, attention visuelle, développement de la lecture, instruction de la lectur

Unpacking the Code: Exploring Teachers’ Professional Development in Reading

Teaching reading requires considerable knowledge and skill acquired over several years, and while communities and families contribute to students’ reading success, teachers are the most influential forces for delivering high-quality reading programs. Professional development opportunities in reading enable teachers to augment their current curriculum content and pedagogical knowledge and can have a powerful effect on their practice and, ultimately, on student learning. We conducted a qualitative study exploring teachers’ perceptions of reading development and instruction with nine elementary educators enrolled in a targeted professional development course. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted: once prior to the start of the professional development course and once following the professional development course. An inductive approach to analysis resulted in four main themes: seeking out new knowledge, evolving definitions of reading, transformative learning moments, and increases in self-efficacy for teaching reading. This study illustrates the transformative power a targeted professional development course can have on teachers’ perceptions of reading. Professional development in reading that is relevant and properly resourced can significantly impact teachers’ perceptions of their practice, their self-efficacy for teaching reading and, ultimately, have a positive effect on their students’ growth in reading development. Additionally, understanding teachers’ perceptions of their professional development in reading can contribute to the development and refinement of professional learning experiences

Financial Literacy Education in Ontario: An Exploratory Study of Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Practices

Politicians are pushing school boards to do more to ensure students leave school with the financial literacy skills they will need to navigate an increasingly complex financial marketplace. Financial literacy education must start early to achieve this goal, yet there has been very little Canadian research on financial literacy education at the elementary level. This exploratory study used an anonymous, online survey to gain a preliminary understanding of full-time Ontario elementary teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and practices with respect to financial literacy education. Respondents overwhelmingly favour teaching financial literacy in elementary school. Almost half of respondents currently incorporate financial literacy into their classroom practice. These teachers rely primarily on free, online resources. With respect to barriers to teaching financial literacy, respondents cited the lack of an appropriate curriculum and lack of support from schools and school boards. Respondents identified professional development as the main type of support they would like to see schools and school boards provide to support them in teaching financial literacy going forward.   Keywords: financial literacy, financial education, elementary teachersLes politiciens poussent les conseils scolaires à en faire davantage pour s’assurer que les étudiants finissent leurs études avec les compétences financières dont ils auront besoin pour naviguer sur un marché financier de plus en plus complexe. Bien qu’il faille commencer tôt pour atteindre cet objectif, il existe très peu de recherches canadiennes sur l’éducation financière au primaire. Cette étude exploratoire a utilisé un sondage anonyme en ligne pour obtenir une compréhension préliminaire des perceptions, attitudes et pratiques des enseignants à temps plein du primaire en Ontario quant à l’éducation financière. Les répondants sont très majoritairement favorables à l’enseignement de la littératie financière au primaire, et près de la moitié d’entre eux l’intègrent déjà dans leur pratique en classe. Ces enseignants ont principalement recours à des ressources en ligne gratuites. Les répondants mentionnent l’absence d’un programme d’études approprié et le manque de soutien de la part des écoles et des conseils scolaires comme des obstacles à l’enseignement de la littératie financière. Les répondants ont identifié le développement professionnel comme principal type de soutien qu’ils souhaiteraient voir les écoles et les conseils scolaires leur apporter afin de les aider à enseigner la littératie financière dans l’avenir.   Mots-clés : littératie financière, éducation financière, enseignants du primair

Understanding Teachers’ Cognitive Processes during Online Professional Learning: A Methodological Comparison

This study examined the effectiveness of three types of think aloud methods for understanding elementary teachers’ cognitive processes as they used a professional development website. A methodology combining a retrospective think aloud procedure with screen capture technology (referred to as the virtual revisit) was compared with concurrent and retrospective think aloud procedures. Elementary teachers from a large metropolitan area were assigned to one of the three think aloud conditions (N = 45). Participants in the concurrent condition verbalized their thoughts while simultaneously navigating a professional development website for 20 minutes. Participants in the retrospective condition verbalized their thoughts following their 20-minute website navigation without any aids. Finally, participants in the virtual revisit condition verbalized their thoughts while viewing a screen recording of their website navigation. Think aloud protocols were analyzed to determine the frequency of cognitive processes verbalized by participants in each condition. The findings of this study indicated significant differences in the types of verbalizations produced by participants across the three think aloud conditions. In addition, findings reveal benefits and limitations of employing each type of think aloud method in the context of a professional development website

A Qualitative Inquiry of a Three-Month Virtual Practicum Program on Youth with Visual Impairments and Their Coaches

Research has shown that the practicum experience for professional preparation students in physical education teacher education programs related to teaching youth with disabilities can improve self-efficacy. It is not currently known if a virtual program can be effective for the professional preparation students or the participants. The objective of this study was to determine the experiences of the participants of a three-month virtual practicum program. In this phenomenological study, thirty youth with visual impairments and 1:1 professional preparation students (coaches) took part in a three-month virtual physical activity program. A total of 11 coaches took part in 2 focus groups, and 10 of the participants were interviewed about their experiences in this unique practicum. Findings in this three-month program revealed four themes: (1) friendship, (2) self-determination, (3) goal setting, and (4) barriers. The results of the qualitative inquiry indicate that a virtual practicum program can have a positive effect on both the participants and the professional preparation students. Virtual programs should also be aware of barriers to implementing an effective program to benefit all parties

Exploring the Experiences of Runners with Visual Impairments and Sighted Guides

: Running is a popular sport, and, with simple modifications, it can be accessible for individuals with visual impairments, particularly with a sighted running guide. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of runners with visual impairments and sighted running guides. Adopting a descriptive qualitative approach to guide data collection analysis and interpretation, seven runners with visual impairments and four sighted running guides were recruited and interviewed. The analysis identified four major themes: (1) benefits, (2) barriers, (3) advocacy, and (4) communication. The identified themes illustrate the influence of participation in running on the health and relationships of the runners with visual impairments, the barriers that exist to participation, and the advocacy and communication needed to overcome those barriers

Identification of transcripts with enriched expression in the developing and adult pancreas

The expression profile of different developmental stages of the murine pancreas and predictions of transcription factor interactions, provides a framework for pancreas regulatory networks and development

The effectiveness of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) on intercultural competence development in higher education

In this study we measured the effect of COIL on intercultural competence development using a quasi-experimental design. Our sample consisted of 108 undergraduate students from two universities, one located in the Netherlands (NL) and one in the United States (US). Students’ self-reported intercultural competence was measured using a pre-post survey which included the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) and Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). Qualitative data were collected to complement our quantitative findings and to give a deeper insight into the student experience. The data showed a significantly bigger increase in intercultural competence for the US experimental group compared to the US control group, supporting our hypothesis that COIL develops intercultural competence. This difference was not observed for the NL students, possibly due to the NL control group being exposed to other international input during the course

The Bridgwater Infant Welfare Centre, 1922-1939: from an authoritarian concern with 'welfare mothers' to a more inclusive community health project?

The infant welfare movement in Britain has received considerable scholarly attention but continues to generate controversy and debate. Many of the services began with nineteenth-century voluntary initiative but were later developed by local authorities. Critics have drawn attention to the limitations of such provision; arguing that it was predicated on unattractive assumptions about class and gender roles. Under this interpretation working-class mothers were viewed with suspicion and targeted for advice aimed at inculcating middle-class standards of childcare and housekeeping. This paper accepts that there was an authoritarian character to much of the early welfare work but suggests that over time this gave way to more inclusive approaches that sought to provide clients with the services that met their real rather than assumed needs. This paper reviews the recent historiography, develops an overview of national trends, and then takes a detailed look at the Bridgwater Infant Welfare Centre. The case study benefi ts from unusually comprehensive records and, by drawing on evidence from a small Somerset town, adds to our understanding of infant welfare work that has previously been developed from research on major urban centres.Wellcome Trust Fellowshi