Enhancing preschoolers reasoning skills : an intervention to optimise the use of justificatory speech acts during peer interaction

It has long been acknowledged that justificatory speech is linked with both social and cognitive development. Yet many studies suggest that pre-school children might lack the ability or experience to produce such discourse in routine interaction. In contrast, researchers such as Eisenberg and Garvey (1981) have found evidence of pre-schoolers' justifications in conflictual play contexts. Although this has positive implications for child development, the conflictual context may sit uneasily with parents' and teachers' expectations. It is encouraging therefore that McWilliam (1999) has demonstrated that pre-schoolers can produce justificatory dialogue in both conflictual and nonconflictual situations, even if occurrence in the latter context is less frequent. Based on this, the aim of the present study was to encourage pre-schoolers' production of justificatory discourse during peer exchanges in a non-conflictual context. Twenty-two dyads from a state-run nursery were subject to verbal modelling of either justificatory speech (experimental condition) or a more commonly used alternative (control condition) in daily ten-minute sessions over five consecutive days. All interactions were videorecorded for subsequent coding and analysis. Results showed that both 'why' questions and 'justifications' were significantly higher in the experimental condition, indicating that pre-schoolers' explanatory speech can be effectively enhanced by a cooperative intervention programme

Discourse topic management and discussion skills in middle childhood: the effects of age and task

Discourse topic management and discussion skills are central for intersubjectivity, learning and education, yet there is little understanding of how such skills develop.The reported research comprises two studies, which examined the skills of discourse topic maintenance, shading and hierarchicalization during middle childhood. Each study compared the performances of same-age and same-sex dyads of 4, 6 and 9 years of age (Study 1: 28 dyads; Study 2: 43 dyads) across two tasks. Overall, topic maintenance varied according to age and task. Study 1 found that task structure constrained the interactions of older children while supporting those of younger children. Older children, but not 4-year-olds maintained topics through collaborative discussion. Study 2 examined these differences further by comparing performance on similar tasks but where one required collaborative discussion for successful completion. Results showed that young children use justifications but not counter-arguments and suggestions, and do not collaborate in discussion. Development in discourse topic management and collaborative discussion skills is linked to an increasing ability to engage in mutually active dialogue, and to adapt to, connect with and comment on alternative perspectives, as well as to functional changes in the use of justifications during dialogue. </jats:p

Classroom interaction and student learning: Reasoned dialogue versus reasoned opposition

Analyses of classroom interaction have frequently spotlighted reasoned dialogue as beneficial for student learning, and research into small-group activity amongst students offers empirical support. However, the evidence relating to teacher-student interaction has never been compelling, and one of the few studies to investigate the issue directly detected no relation whatsoever between reasoned dialogue and learning outcomes. The present paper outlines additional data from that study, together with evidence from elsewhere, with a view to interpreting the results relating to reasoned dialogue. Account is taken of the generally positive evidence obtained from studies of group work amongst students. The key proposal is that it may be reasoned opposition that promotes learning rather than reasoned dialogue in general, and reasoned opposition is probably rare when teachers are involved. The proposal has implications for both the dialogic and the argumentation perspective upon classroom interaction, and these are discussed

The Synergists: An Exploration of Choreography, Media, and Science

Christine Howe Major: BFA in Dance Project Sponsor: Cydney Spohn Number of credits: 2 The Synergists: An Exploration of Choreography, Media, and Science Abstract This research project combined choreography, media, and science as a means to explore creative process. For this project, I created my own interpretation of mixing dance and multimedia elements through the use of video projection. I questioned how the use of video projection would affect my choreographic process and how the video and live performance would support each other to portray a cohesive idea. The scientific source of inspiration included neuron structure and synaptic function. Through my research, I discovered the work of The Blue Brain Project which allowed me to see the creativity and artistry present in scientific fields. The Synergists, a ten minute multimedia work, premiered on April 7, 2016 at Daum Theatre, Kolbe Hall on The University of Akron campus. The video of the work can be accessed on YouTube using this link: https://youtu.be/Z0gc3ZKXKeY. The results of this process allowed me to experience many different avenues of choreography. I developed a new choreographic process by using research as a basis for translating scientific ideas into a creative interpretation. The collaborative use of choreography created a strong dance work that was visually exciting and had a clear interpretation of the ideas I had researched

Song in the Dark

Where do you end up when you have nowhere to go, and no one to turn to? Paul isn\u27t thinking clearly. After destroying a series of relationships - with his friends, his flatmates, his mum - he finally hurts the one person he cares about most of all. And then he runs away. An extraordinary and heartrending story of love, betrayal, addiction and hope

An Overview of the Leisure Experience as Product

As a product, according to some definitions, the leisure experience is intangible. However, there are systematic steps which can be followed to develop this intangible element as a non-abstract product to be purchased and used by consumers. The following article provides an overview of this process

Children’s predictions and recognition of fall: The role of object mass

A small but growing body of evidence suggests that alongside misconceptions in predictions about object motion, adults and children hold relevant underlying conceptions, reflected in recognition, which provide greater understanding of such events. However, the relationship between knowledge retrieved in predictions and in recognition is unclear. One significant element contributing to misconceptions about motion is object mass. This aspect was used to provide further insight into the knowledge relationship. Predictions and recognition of fall in 5–11-year-old children (N = 121) were addressed in the present study. The results suggest that children’s recognition of object motion is far better than their expressed anticipation of such events, as they normally recognised correct events as correct and rejected incorrect ones yet predictions were typically in error. Response time data provide additional insight. The findings are discussed in relation to different models of knowledge representations, favouring a hybrid model

Understanding the beliefs informing children’s commonsense theories of motion: The role of everyday object variables in dynamic event predictions.

**Background** Children are not blank slates when they begin school; they bring prior conceptions about the everyday world with them. These conceptions usually do not comply with accepted scientific views and have to be changed within the process of education. However, to do this effectively more needs to be known about the relationship between the everyday world and children’s knowledge of scientific principles. **Purpose** This study sought answers to the question of which object variables children use when reasoning, and how these variables are associated with outcomes. The reported study addresses these issues in relation to object motion. **Sample, design and methods** UK primary school children (n = 144) aged 5–11 years were assessed on their predictions of motion along a horizontal, in fall and down an incline using a range of everyday objects by responding to questions where they needed to compare potential motion patterns of the objects. **Results** Round shape and smooth texture of objects were consistently associated with faster motion across age groups as well as across motion dimensions. However, faster horizontal motion was associated with lighter and smaller objects across all ages, whereas faster fall was associated with heavier objects. While younger children predicted faster incline motion for lighter and smaller objects, there was a shift in conceptions with age, with older children predicting faster motion for heavier and bigger objects. **Conclusions** The overall findings are used to support the development of commonsense theories of motion previously identified, and suggestions for educational practice are made. Specifically, it is suggested that these findings may need to be taken into consideration in the development of teacher training programmes