Two Beginning Kindergarten Teachers Planning for Integrated Literacy Instruction

This study reports the characteristics and strategies of 2 beginning kindergarten teachers\u27 planning for an integrated approach to literacy instruction. Using ethnographic observational and analytic techniques, we describe features and structures of integrated instruction as a planning \u27\u27problem.\u27\u27 The teachers\u27 problem-solving strategies under the conditions of this task are also examined. Results revealed the multiple and complex nature of integrated instruction as a planning problem. Based on domain and componential analyses, the task appeared to include at least 6 kinds of planning activity and to make multiple demands on the planners\u27 time, specificity of planning, level of pedagogical knowledge, and degree of work. Further analysis indicated a recurring pattern in the teachers\u27 organization of their activities, suggesting a 4-phase planning model. An examination of the teachers\u27 verbal accounts for indicators of mental processes used in their problem solving indicated strategies of the forward-search and problem-reduction type, with the former predominating. Features and structures of integrated instructional planning as a problem type are summarized from the teachers\u27 perspective as novices. We also discuss possible implications for teacher preparation and development and areas for further research

Screens, apps, and digital books for Young children: the promise of multimedia

Just beginning to understand the potentials new technologies might bring to the learning environments of young children, we invited authors to submit articles that investigate multimedia sources and their effect on learning settings. Two main themes emerged—how digitization changes the learning environment and adult-child interaction in particular and which digital affordances enrich digital materials and how these changes affect learning. We finish with “alerts” to further explore more the hidden potentials of new technologies and how routines such as book reading might change and become more effective in some respects.publishedVersio

Learning the Art of Instructional Conversation: The Influence of Self-Assessment on Teachers\u27 Instructional Discourse in a Reading Clinic

Over 2 decades of sociolinguistic research describe the teacher\u27s powerful role in creating the communication system that supports students\u27 learning. Yet research evidence about how to prepare and develop professionals for this role beyond their natural discourse tendencies and style remains sparse. This study examined self-assessment as a means of teacher learning that develops teachers\u27 understanding and use of discourse strategies that support instructional conversation. Using a discourse analysis tool and related procedures (transcription, analysis, and interpretation), 9 teachers examined the conceptual and social functions of their talk from videotaped excerpts of tutorial instruction over 5 weeks. Although the teachers\u27 analyses did not grow more precise, their interpretations of their talk revealed a growing ability to treat their discourse as an object of knowledge. Repeated engagement in the 3-phase self-assessment activity may have provided a form of self-assistance that promoted conceptual understanding. Design features of the self-assessment activity as a learning structure are also discussed

Young Children’s Engagement With E-Books at School

Differences between digital devices on children’s engagement with e-books are examined. The sample included 24 typical 4-year olds enrolled in Head Start. Over a 1-month period, video captures of children’s multi-sensory behaviors during shared reading at a tabletop touchscreen computer and teacher-facilitated book browsing with iPads and iPods were obtained. Data were coded on each child at 1-min intervals, examining the simultaneity of behaviors present, then aggregated to determine frequencies of each behavior by device and format. Differences between media devices on median percent of observation time were evaluated. Looking, touching, moving, and gesturing behaviors were significantly different among different devices. Large effect sizes indicated considerable variability attributable to the device. Mobiles support more looking and touching but less moving and gesturing than the tabletop touchscreen; none of the devices favored listening over another. Given the role of haptic perception in digital reading experience, access to mobiles may favor behaviors that support literacy motivation, sense of control, and interaction

Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy : Birth through Kindergarten

Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy takes a reader-friendly, child-focused approach to teaching the language arts. It provides pre- and in-service teachers with sound instructional strategies to facilitate children’s reading, writing, speaking, and listening development from birth through kindergarten. Recognizing that children are at the heart of good language and literacy teaching, the book focuses on four central themes: a perspective on teaching and learning that blends constructivism and science-based instruction, respect for diversity, instruction-based assessment, and family involvement in literacy learning. Each chapter identifies clear learning goals and offers opportunities for readers to check their knowledge and apply what they have learned. Real-world classroom examples and case studies bring concepts to life, helping prospective teachers connect theories to strategies they can use in their own classrooms