Eating Baby Food or Eating Meat? Student Voices on the “Everyday” Use of PowerPoint in University Teaching

This research study centers on the use of PowerPoint in university classes. It poses the question: How do students perceive PowerPoint specifically and technology overall impacting their university experiences as a process for learning, as an element of social community building and as a worldview lens for examining and critiquing their world? In a qualitative ethnographic narrative, based on the work of Dorothy Smith, student voices in the everyday are heard in order to provide insider perceptions on the key question. Twenty-four volunteer participants signed consent to engage in focus groups flowing from 3, twenty-one hour face-to-face courses. These courses were comprised of 13 sessions of two 75 minute classes weekly taught by one professor. Following the first introductory class session, remaining classes were divided into two halves. The first half (6 classes) of each course was instructed using PowerPoint and the second half (6 classes) was not. Students were asked to reflect on the impact and benefits of each half section of the course delivery. Additionally, they were asked to comment on how each half of the course affected their meaning making, memory retention of data, process for learning, engagement for community making and worldview lens regarding the use of PowerPoint in university. Findings revealed three themes to consider in the professorial use of PowerPoint as a teaching tool in university, and also raised reflective scrutiny by the learners involved in the benefits and shortcomings of PowerPoint use

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Popular Media: Storied Reflections of Societal Views

This article explores how storied representations of characters with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are typified in a world that is increasingly influenced by popular media. Twenty commercially published children’s picture books, popular novels, mainstream television programs, and popular movies from 2006-2012 were selected using purposive, maximum variation sampling and analyzed through Krippendorff’s six-step approach to social content analysis. From this 20-unit sample, results show that television characters with ASD tend to be portrayed as intellectually stimulating geniuses who make us aspire to be like them; movies tend to show those with ASD as heroes, conquering seemingly impossible odds; novels tend to present ASD in a complex, authentic context of family and community, rife with everyday problems; picture books appear to be moving towards a clinical presentation of ASD. Common cross-categorical themes portray scientific, clinical, and/or savant-like traits that tend to glamourize challenges inherent to ASD

Social Skills Development in Bilingual Preschoolers : A Case Study

This study presents a case study of bilingual preschoolers' social skills development in dimensions of communication, cooperation, emotional management, and problematic behaviours. This study utilized non-participation observation and semi-structured interviews for collecting data. Five bilingual preschoolers and two early childhood educators participated in this study. The results indicate that the main reason for bilingual children's exclusion is their language limitations rather than their appearance or other factors that would contribute to them being considered an outsider. The main barrier in the social skills development of bilingual children seems to be negative feelings such as frustration and hesitation that this group of children experience in relationships with others and inhibit them from interacting with others. The role of early childhood educators, peers, and parents in this group of children's social skills development is important

Out in the Field: Experiencing a Research Learning Journey through a Community-Based Pilot Project

Applied undergraduate degrees have become regular offerings at community colleges across Ontario, including the Bachelor of Applied Arts in Early Childhood Leadership and the Autism and Behavioural Science Graduate Certificate at Fanshawe College, both of which include coursework related to applied research. In collaboration with community agencies, this research project provided college students with practical experience in various components of research methodology, and explored their experiences in conducting research through the implementation of a peer-mediated social skills program with preschool-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

When “pathways” cross

The mainstreaming of students with special needs in the regular classroom became a focus of debate in the Canadian school system during the 1980s, when the Regular Education Initiative was implemented (Winzer, 1999). This initiative focused on combining general and special education to provide a diverse education system for all learners. Special education teachers were expected to adopt a consulting role, and classroom teachers were expected take a greater responsibility for the teaching of all students, including those with special needs (Hallahan & Kauffman, 1991; Winzer, 1999). As a result, the proportion of students remaining in segregated educational environments was at its lowest by 1991 (Winzer, 1999)

Review: Burns, Edward (2004). The Special Education Consultant Teacher: Enabling Children with Disabilities to be Educated with Nondisabled Children to the Maximum Extent Possible. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

The Special Education Consultant Teacher provides a practical overview of the special education consultant teacher’s multifaceted role. Information is presented in seven major units, ranging from topics such as planning to direct services, enhanced by a chapter focusing on essential skills for consultant teachers

Everyday mobile/assistive technology supporting adults with intellectual &/or developmental disabilities in the community setting

Twelve pilot project participants with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities used mobile devices (smartwatch and smartphone technology) and individualized apps focused on time management, coping, budgeting, exercise, and safety, to support independence and community engagement. Ten participants with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and five front-line Coordinators participated in post-project focus groups in which common patterns of responses and salient findings were noted, including the emergence of a peer technology expert. Five themes emerged from focus group data, which were then developed into five broad technological, clinical, and methodological recommendations for phase two, that will follow this pilot project. Duration data showed variable change in pre-post duration of supports; related changes were part of these recommendations. The small sample size and current pilot study status suggests cautious interpretation and application of results beyond the immediate context of this project; however, this pilot project has developed a foundation for a more comprehensive intervention

Opening a can of worms : perceptions and practices of teachers in Newfoundland and Labrador incorporating the role of a therapist

Educational trends of inclusion and collaboration have led to changing roles of teachers, including an emphasis on personal support. To provide for social, emotional, and behavioural needs, teachers may adopt a therapeutic role. Many models for such support are proposed, with most models including the importance of student-teacher relationships, a focus on social, emotional, and behavioural development, and direct instruction of related skills. This study includes 20 interview participants. In addition, 4 of the 20 interview participants also took part in a case study. It examines whether participants adopt a therapeutic role, their beliefs about student-teacher relationships, whether they provide interventions in personal issues, and instructed social, emotional, and behaviour skills. Findings show that teachers adopt an academic role as well as a therapeutic role, believe student-teacher relationships are important, are approached about personal issues, and instruct social, emotional, and behavioural skills. Talking and listening are commonly used to provide support, typically exclusive of formal curricular goals. The challenges in providing front-line support issues that may be shared within an established student-teacher relationship are considered. Support in turn for teachers who choose to provide support for personal issues in the classroom within a therapeutic role are suggested, including recommendations for support and referral related to specific social, emotional, or behavioural scenarios that may arise in the school community

Teachers as Zookeepers? How Picture Books Describe Classroom Management

Engaging the lens of classroom management, this research explores how teachers have been represented in children’s picture books as classroom managers. Picture books from the A-Zoo 7thEdition (2005) serve as a foundational data set to explore how the personification of teachers and the reality of the teaching experience are mirrored over time. Charteris’s heuristic of epistemological shudders(2014) —identifying a paradox which opens up possibilities for meaning making—was utilized alongside Krippendorff’s (1989) content analysis framework. Findings inform how the representation of teachers has portrayed a postmodern, deconstructive worldview regarding classroom management and professional representation, inviting further study into society’s ongoing perceptions of the teacher

School Principals and Students with Special Education Needs: Leading Inclusive Schools

Over the past 30 years, school boards, faculties of education, and teaching organizations have helped teachers develop skills to support students with special education needs in their classrooms. However, less attention has been given to school principals in building their leadership skills to support inclusive schools. The purpose of this study is to identify the types of special education training that school principals engage in, as well as to explore the day-to-day issues and critical incidents that principals might experience when supporting students with special education needs. An exploratory study involving interviews with 15 principals and five other educational stakeholders in four school boards was employed to examine the related research questions. Five key themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews, including personal values in shaping inclusive school culture; variety in professional learning experiences; similarities in day-to-day experiences and the importance of being accessible for students and staff; the importance of leadership in fostering inclusive school culture; and the effect of critical incidents in shaping principals’ leadership roles. These themes are examined in light of the literature contending that school leaders are central to the shaping of inclusive school cultures