Technology and At-Risk Young Readers and their Classrooms

This study examined the ways in which 18 first-grade teachers and their students in 11 high-risk urban schools began to use literacy-focused technology. The goal of the study was to observe the technology in use by the students, to observe the classroom dynamics and teachers’ instructional choices centered around technology use, to look at student learning, and to investigate student and teacher perceptions and beliefs as they began to use technology for literacy. Analyses of classroom and pupil observational data and of student performance data indicated positive effects of the literacy technology on classroom instruction and student literacy achievement. Further, interviews of students and teachers confirmed that the literacy technology was perceived as engaging and effective by both groups of stakeholders. The study also generated implications for further research and practice in schools struggling to make change.     

Effects of a Teacher Professional Development Intervention on Peer Relationships in Secondary Classrooms

We investigated the effects of My Teaching Partner-Secondary (MTP-S), a teacher professional development intervention, on students' peer relationships in middle and high school classrooms. MTP-S targets increasing teachers' positive interactions with students and sensitive instructional practices and has demonstrated improvements in students' academic achievement and motivation. The current study tested the prediction from systems theory that effects of MTP-S on students would extend beyond the academic domain-that is, the ecology of teachers' behaviors towards students should also influence the ecology of students' behaviors towards one another. Participants were 88 teachers (43 randomly assigned to MTP-S and 45 assigned to a control group that received the regular professional development offerings in their school) and 1423 students in their classrooms. Observations and student self-report of classroom peer interactions were collected at the start and at the end of the course. Results indicated that in MTP-S classrooms, students were observed to show improvement in positive peer interactions, although this pattern was not found in self-report data. However, moderation analyses suggested that for students with high disruptive behavior at the start of the course, teacher participation in MTP-S mitigated a typical decline towards poorer self-reported peer relationships. The relevance of findings for the social ecology of classrooms is discussed.     

Grouping of Pupils in Secondary School Classrooms: Possible Links between Pedagogy and Learning

Pupil groupings within classrooms are a constant social pedagogic factor which effect participation and learning. The grouping of pupils provides a dynamic relationship between learning tasks and the classroom context within which learning takes place. This paper explores types of pupil groupings found in secondary school classrooms related to themes of group size and composition, learning task, group interaction and teacher presence. The paper questions how classroom groupings may be related to the circumstances that promote or inhibit school learning. Previous studies concerning classroom grouping in secondary schools have been dominated by ability or attainment level of the child. The approach and review presented in this study advances a new and more extensive understanding of social pedagogic activity within classrooms. Empirically, a novel classroom “mapping” method with follow-up questions for teachers was used to identify within-class grouping characteristics of children aged 12 and 15 years (in school Years 7 and 10), across curriculum subjects (English, mathematics, science and humanities) in secondary schools. Maps were drawn for 250 classrooms and explained by teachers from 47 schools in England. Results identified that a variety of groupings were found in most classes. Use of particular groupings related to phase of lesson and, to some extent, curriculum. The results showed: little pedagogic association with learning task or interaction; teacher presence associated with control of knowledge; and group composition dominated by stereotypical adolescent friendships. Discussion considers the social pedagogic potential of grouping (with regard to relational capital), control of knowledge and social structure of the classroom attributed to the teacher, and patterns of grouping that may be associated with polarisation in the classroom. *Research reported was part of the GRIS (The Nature and Use of Within Class Groupings in Secondary Schools) project funded by the ESRC, grant number R000238172.     

Theater and Psychological Development: Assessing Socio-Cognitive Complexity in the Domain of Theater

Theater is a millenary art form that has stably maintained its minimum indispensable elements over the years. Yet, not much is known about the psychological impact of this performing art. A literature review shows a broad and sometimes contradictory spectrum of theoretical and empirical evidence. In the last few decades, however, interdisciplinary studies, namely in the emerging field of neuroaesthetics, has allowed the emergence of new perspectives on the study of the arts. Drawing from these findings, and to better understand the impact of theater in the socio-cognitive development of actors, directors, and other practitioners, this study tested the construction of an instrument exploring complexity of thought in relation to theater. A preliminary study for the Scale of Socio-cognitive Complexity in the Domain of Theatre (SSCDT) showed that, among a sample of 222, individuals with higher levels of experience in acting and directing seem to demonstrate higher levels of cognitive complexity. To our knowledge, this was the first study aiming to develop a simple paper-and-pencil instrument capable of providing data about the psychological impact of theater in terms of socio-cognitive complexity.     

Therapie und Theater

Theatre experience serve in drama therapies only as a background for a better understanding of the patients problems, whereas the dialogue between therapy and theatre contributes to the understanding of the process of therapy itself and the secrets of it’s effect. As the actor creates an “empty space” to express himself, so tries a therapist to eliminate all obstructions of understanding. Both dedicate their whole personality to the author respectively to the patient, which requires an enormous amount of humility and responsibility and can be achieved only by a continuous argument with himself. The closeness of profession and personal life is therefore unavoidable, which means various possibilities and impulses but great dangers as well. Therapy and theatre are not to compare with any other interpersonal relationship, for they are trying to achieve changes in the way of feeling, thinking and acting. Whether, on this way, the therapist’s and actor’s real emotional expression is more important than the rational analysis of all emotions or not, is a question often discussed controversially. Just like in a child’s play, it is always about the argument between fantasy and reality and, therefore, about the stimulation and development of the audience’s and the patient’s creativity. Therefore it is of greatest importance for the therapy as for the theatre that the process is immediate, vivid and unforeseen. They are paths towards life, experiencing their purpose and limits through this task.     

The Theater of Terror

Summary

Modern terrorists became aware of the new opportunities for exerting mass psychological impact using the latest means of mass communications. Academic observers remarked increasingly on the theater-like nature of terrorist operations. According to this notion, modern terrorism can be understood in terms of the production requirements of theatrical engagements. Several terrorist organizations realized the potentials of media-oriented terror, in terms of effectively reaching huge audiences. This article examines the strategies and tactics of this new pattern of media-oriented terrorism and their impact on the audiences who, through the media's mediation, join the widening circles of victims of terrorism.     

Analogy Use in Eighth-Grade Mathematics Classrooms

Analogical reasoning has long been believed to play a central role in mathematics learning and problem solving (see Genter, Holyoak, & Kokinov, 2001); however, little is known about how analogy is used in everyday instructional contexts. This article examines analogies produced in naturally occurring U.S. mathematics lessons to explore patterns between analogy generation and instructional context. One hundred and three analogies were identified in a random sample of 25 eighth-grade mathematics classrooms videotaped as part of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (see Stigler et al., 1999). Qualitative codes were used to gather quantitative data about the set of analogies, and emergent patterns considered. Specifically, the study examines patterns of teacher-student participation, analogy source and target construction, and contexts for analogy production. These data suggest that teachers regularly use analogy as instructional mechanisms to teach concepts and procedures, differentially generating sources to match the content goal of the analogy. The source and target construction is also related to whether the analogy is in response to students' needs for help. Teachers typically maintain control of each analogy by producing the majority of the comparison, though students are regularly involved in the components of the analogy that require minimal analogical thinking.     

Reviews: Books and Theater

HEINZ KOHUT: THE MAKING OF A PSYCHOANALYST. By Charles B. Strozier. 475 pp. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2001. $35.00. Theater: The Amen Cornerby James Baldwin     

Theater as a guidance technique

Guidance counselors and drama specialists work side by side in many school settings but rarely harness their singular skills in joint efforts toward a mutually compatible educational goal—the elucidation of human interaction. Guidance-drama activity provides (a) crisp definitions of selected issues; (b) potent modeling from the characters in the play, the students actively engaged in the play, and the students involved in the discussions that follow the play; and (c) a technique for peer-led discussions on sensitive issues. Here the author gives more precise definition to the technique of guidance-theater.     

Shared-Reading Volume in Early Childhood Special Education Classrooms

This study describes book reading practices occurring in early childhood special education (ECSE) classrooms in comparison to early childhood education (ECE) classrooms. Reading logs submitted by 19 ECSE teachers and 13 ECE teachers over one academic year included all books read in whole class settings; these logs were analyzed to assess the volume of book reading taking place and the types of books read. On average, ECSE teachers report reading less than one book per day and for less than seven minutes per day and ECSE teachers utilize far more narrative books than any other genre. Implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Teaching Effectively in Racially and Culturally Diverse Classrooms

Abstract. Issues of racial and cultural diversity and racism pose particular challenges for effective teaching and learning in diverse theological classrooms. In this essay the author outlines specific strategies to confront racism and engage racially and culturally diverse students. Through the use of a model for understanding multicultural dynamics of teaching and learning, the author helps readers consider four epistemological categories: knowing our students, knowing ourselves as instructors, knowing how we teach, and knowing what we teach.