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Primary School (primary + school)
Terms modified by Primary School Selected AbstractsAttitudes to Making Art in the Primary SchoolINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 3 2005Robert Watts Recent research suggests that the majority of primary school teachers in the UK believe that the purpose of teaching art and design is to develop skills associated with creativity, communication and expression. This article is based on research into the attitudes held by primary school pupils towards making art. The reflective nature of many of the responses to the survey provides persuasive evidence of young children's capacity for absorbing relatively complex ideas, which in turn has implications for teacher expectations of pupil learning in art and design. [source] ,Download': ,Postcards Home' Contemporary Art and New Technology in the Primary SchoolINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 1 2005Steve Herne ,Postcards Home' using photography, scanning, digital image manipulation, text and colour printing was the third ,Download' project devised by the education department of the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, England. It was led by artist Laurie Long with teachers and pupils from Pooles Park primary school in Islington, an inner city borough in North London. Based on the production of a postcard featuring an image of personal significance, the children were involved in exploring and constructing their own and others' identities whilst developing their technology skills in creative ways. The project raises interesting questions about the applicability of contemporary art practices to the primary classroom. The research is based on participant observation and includes the voices of the artist and teachers involved. [source] Motivation and Meaning in Contemporary Art: From Tate Modern to the Primary School ClassroomINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 3 2001Jacqueline Dear ,Art Now in the Classroom', was a joint venture between Goldsmiths College Education Department, Tate Modern and six Primary Schools in and around the London area (Sandhurst, Pilgrim's Way, Hawesdown, Hawkesmoore, Lauriston and Myatt Garden.) It ran from September to November 2000, beginning initially with the placement of two Goldsmiths students at each school then continuing with school visits to Tate Modern, and four Fridays spent working in the classroom, culminating in an exhibition at Tate Modern where the children from all six primary schools got to see their own work publicly displayed. This paper is an account of the work produced by the children from Sandhurst Primary School and an assessment of both the educational opportunities it provided for the primary classes involved and for the Goldsmiths students involved. The aims of the project were to demonstrate effective ways to work collaboratively with contemporary art, to support the development of teaching strategies at KS2 and KS3 and to offer possible approaches for working with contemporary material in the classroom. [source] Play Frames and Social Identities: Contact Encounters in a Greek Primary School (Pragmatics & Beyond New Series) by Vally LytraJOURNAL OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS, Issue 2 2009Eleni Petraki [source] Linguistics in a Primary SchoolLINGUISTICS & LANGUAGE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2007Kristin Denham In this article, I discuss a linguistics course that I have been teaching for the past 3 years in a multiage primary school classroom. This experience has led to work in other schools, has changed the way I teach introductory linguistics courses for teachers, and has led to the development of materials and curricula for use in K-12 classrooms. I hope the sharing of these experiences will help to effect real change in the way in which knowledge about language is taught in K-12 classrooms in the USA. [source] Understanding nurturing practices , a comparison of the use of strategies likely to enhance self-esteem in nurture groups and normal classroomsBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2003John Colwell Nurture groups are now being established in many parts of the UK, as research evidence continues to confirm both their effectiveness and cost-efficiency in helping children with emotional and behavioural difficulties to remain within mainstream schools. Their conceptual framework is based on Bowlby's attachment theory, in which impaired early care is seen to have led to low self-esteem, mistrust of others and behaviour that impedes success in school. The nurture group provides the opportunity to re-experience early nurturing in a warm and accepting environment, which fosters positive self-regard and the development of secure relationships with the nurture group staff. The study reported in this article sought to determine a reason for the effectiveness of this early intervention by focusing on the enhancement of self-esteem. John Colwell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at De Montfort University, and Tina O'Connor, a teacher at Oakthorpe Primary School in the London Borough of Enfield, conducted an observational study of nurture groups and normal classrooms in order to compare climates in terms of self-esteem enhancement strategies. Results confirmed that teachers' verbal and non-verbal communications in the nurture group were much more positive and more likely to enhance the self-esteem of pupils. In contrast, the communications of normal classroom teachers were found to be less likely to create an environment conducive to fostering positive self-esteem. The authors conclude that their evidence supports conceptual explanations of the effectiveness of nurture groups and propose that mainstream schools could become more inclusive if whole-school nurturing approaches were adopted. [source] Motivation and Meaning in Contemporary Art: From Tate Modern to the Primary School ClassroomINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 3 2001Jacqueline Dear ,Art Now in the Classroom', was a joint venture between Goldsmiths College Education Department, Tate Modern and six Primary Schools in and around the London area (Sandhurst, Pilgrim's Way, Hawesdown, Hawkesmoore, Lauriston and Myatt Garden.) It ran from September to November 2000, beginning initially with the placement of two Goldsmiths students at each school then continuing with school visits to Tate Modern, and four Fridays spent working in the classroom, culminating in an exhibition at Tate Modern where the children from all six primary schools got to see their own work publicly displayed. This paper is an account of the work produced by the children from Sandhurst Primary School and an assessment of both the educational opportunities it provided for the primary classes involved and for the Goldsmiths students involved. The aims of the project were to demonstrate effective ways to work collaboratively with contemporary art, to support the development of teaching strategies at KS2 and KS3 and to offer possible approaches for working with contemporary material in the classroom. [source] Soft Methods in Primary Schools: Focusing on IT StrategiesINTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2002Lene Sørensen New legislation has been imposed on Danish primary schools to increase the use of information technology (IT), without giving guidelines on practical implementation. Many schools are, therefore, left in despair. We suggest that IT strategy development can be supported by soft OR methods. We present three case studies that illustrate different application perspectives of methods. [source] A direct circuit experiment system in non-immersive virtual environments for education and entertainmentCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 2 2005Quang-Cherng Hsu Abstract This article proposes to contribute to the goal of "The Popular Science Teaching Research Project" as well as to enhance the programming abilities of mechanical engineering students. Topics being included as example are in physical science, which include battery, lamp, and electric circuit. These materials are designed, based on virtual-reality technology that is suitable for students as early as fourth-grade students of primary school. It will help the students become familiar with new computer technology and provide an opportunity to study while playing virtual reality computer games. The benefits of the developed application software system of virtual reality are virtualization of teaching equipment, cost reduction of teaching materials, unlimited teaching style, and optimization of learning procedures. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 13: 146,152, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20044 [source] Examination stress in Singapore primary schoolchildren: how compliance by subjects can impact on study resultsACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2003G. Parker Objective: Examinations are anecdotally viewed as extremely stressful to Singapore schoolchildren. We test this postulate by obtaining parental ratings of children's emotional stress levels longitudinally in a large representative sample of sixth (P6) and fifth (P5) class primary schoolchildren, respectively, exposed and unexposed to a streaming examination. Method: Children's stress levels were rated monthly by a parent for 10 months. Results: Analyses failed to find evidence of any differential stress impact across P6 and P5 comparison groups, apart from a subset of P6 children whose parents complied with every monthly survey. Conclusion: The streaming examination in the final year of primary school did not emerge as a general stressor to children, but achieved salience within a defined subset of children whose parents were highly study compliant. Study compliance may be a proxy variable of some import, and have wider relevance to other cohort studies and to intervention trials. [source] Diversions and diversity: Does the personalisation agenda offer real opportunities for taking children's home literacies seriously?ENGLISH IN EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009Marilyn Mottram Abstract This paper argues that the current commitment to personalised learning opens up real opportunities for changing the language and practice of literacy teaching as it currently operates in England. We argue that there is a need to seize the opportunities currently on offer, to educate teachers differently and to develop classroom practice and pedagogies that acknowledge the complexities of children's lives and literacies. We draw on evidence from a year-long ethnographic research study, conducted between 2006,2007, of fourteen children and their families. The children attended the same inner city primary school in an area of urban regeneration characterised by high levels of economic deprivation, high crime and many social problems. The resulting evidence suggests that personalising learning becomes a reality when teachers are given space and time to develop their understanding of the uses and meaning of literacy in the communities they serve. [source] Beyond the Literal: Deferential or Inferential Reading?ENGLISH IN EDUCATION, Issue 2 2002Isobel Urquhart Abstract This article examines the current dilemmas around children's comprehension of written texts in the primary school. National Curriculum tests have shown that questions requiring powers of inference are by far the most difficult for children to answer. Alongside this, recent research has shown that teachers' questioning rarely engages children in inferential thinking. The article argues that, in order to develop ,higher-order' reading skills in the classroom, teachers need to go beyond a deferential approach to both texts and the discourse of the National Literacy Framework in order to promote more creative and imaginative approaches to the comprehension of texts. [source] Are cognitive differences between immigrant and majority groups diminishing?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2004Jan te Nijenhuis A review is given of scores on various cognitive measures, comparing groups of ethnic Dutch and non-Western immigrants using a large number of datasets. The research shows that there are large group differences in school results, work proficiency, and g for Turks, Moroccans, Surinamese, Netherlands Antilleans, and Indonesians from the Moluccans compared with ethnic Dutch. However, South-East Asians score higher, and persons with one immigrant and one ethnic Dutch parent score only slightly below the mean of the Dutch. When comparing first-generation disadvantaged immigrant groups with later generations the data show substantial improvements for g, a remarkable stability of educational differences for younger children, and a clear improvement in educational achievement at the end of primary school. Indirect data on intergenerational improvements in work proficiency appear suggestive of a trend of closing gaps. Some of the data reflect higher cognitive capacities over time, and this enhances integration of immigrants into Dutch society. Causes of group differences and improvements in mean level of g are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Seeing History: Malaika Favorite's Furious Flower Poetry Quilt Painting and Pan-African MemoryINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 2 2010Maureen G. Shanahan Malaika Favorite's Furious Flower Poetry Quilt (2004) is an acrylic painting that depicts 24 portraits of leading poets of the African Diaspora. Commissioned by Dr Joanne Gabbin, English professor and director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center at James Madison University, the painting is part of a larger programme of poetry education. The painting's interweaving of the portraits with fragments from the poets' writing functions to create an interactive visual-textual body of poets and poetry, a collection which has been taught at all levels of education from primary school to university. Its quilt structure pays homage to the historic role of women in preserving history and memory. The painting also serves to construct a pan-African identity and collective memory about slavery, African American history and empowerment. [source] ,Download': ,Postcards Home' Contemporary Art and New Technology in the Primary SchoolINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 1 2005Steve Herne ,Postcards Home' using photography, scanning, digital image manipulation, text and colour printing was the third ,Download' project devised by the education department of the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, England. It was led by artist Laurie Long with teachers and pupils from Pooles Park primary school in Islington, an inner city borough in North London. Based on the production of a postcard featuring an image of personal significance, the children were involved in exploring and constructing their own and others' identities whilst developing their technology skills in creative ways. The project raises interesting questions about the applicability of contemporary art practices to the primary classroom. The research is based on participant observation and includes the voices of the artist and teachers involved. [source] A vicious cycle in the oral health status of schoolchildren in a primary school in rural CambodiaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DENTAL HYGIENE, Issue 3 2007Emiko Koito Shidara Abstract, Objective:, To investigate the oral health status and the risk factors contributing to dental caries and gum disease of schoolchildren in Cambodia. Methods:, A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a primary school in the Puok District, Siem Reap Province of Cambodia. An oral examination and self-reported questionnaire were used to evaluate oral health status of schoolchildren, ranging in age from 6,16. Of the 512 children that were enrolled in first through sixth grade at the primary school, 332 children (62.8%) participated. Results:, Of the schoolchildren that were involved in this study, the prevalence of dental caries in permanent dentition was 53.5% and gum disease was present in 46.2%. Among the participants 80% had plaque, 68.6% suffered from tooth pain and only 44.2% of the schoolchildren owned their own toothbrush. There was an association between the schoolchildren that suffered from tooth pain and those that had dental caries (P < 0.03). Plaque was related to dental caries in permanent dentition (P < 0.003), calculus (P < 0.0001) and gum disease (P < 0.0001) and was linked to the schoolchildren who did not own a toothbrush (P < 0.03) and who suffered from tooth pain (P < 0.03). Conclusion:, The following sequence of events may result in a vicious cycle in the oral healthcare of schoolchildren in rural Cambodia: the lack of a personal toothbrush leads to plaque buildup, which may increase the incidence of dental caries, which has been linked to tooth pain and gum disease. Ultimately, this poor oral healthcare impacts an individual's quality of life and can lead to more serious health issues later in life. [source] Blood pressure, height, weight and body mass index of primary school students in a low socio-economic district in TurkeyINTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 3 2009M. Bayat phd Aim:, This study was conducted to evaluate the growth and blood pressure measurements of the students. Background:, School health services are important to evaluate, protect and to improve the health status of the students. This study was conducted to evaluate the growth and blood pressure measurements of the students who were registered in a primary school with low socio-economic level in Kayseri Province in Türkiye between 1 April 2004 and 30 May 2004. The data were collected using questionnaire and health-screening forms. Findings:, It was determined that the average age was 9.77 ± 2.41 in girls and 10.16 ± 14.70 in boys. It was observed that the average height was 137.95 ± 14.70 cm, and the average weight was 33.07 ± 10.08 kg for all students. The girls between 10 years and 12 years old had a better average body mass index (kg/m2) (BMI) compared with boys. Boys between 6 years and 9 years old had a better BMI than the girls. The difference between the groups was considered statistically important (P = 0.006 and P = 0.002, respectively). Furthermore, 4.9% of the students were underweight and 2.2% of the students were obese. It was thought that there was a positive correlation among height, weight, BMI, age and the blood pressure values; and as BMI and age increased, so did the blood pressure value. Conclusion:, Cooperation and dialogue need to be established among the school directorate, the families and the students to promote and encourage proper growth development and nutrition of the students within the school health services. [source] Thrust geometries in unconsolidated Quaternary sediments and evolution of the Eupchon Fault, southeast KoreaISLAND ARC, Issue 3 2004Young-Seog Kim Abstract The Korean peninsula is widely regarded as being located at the relatively stable eastern margin of the Asian continent. However, more than 10 Quaternary faults have recently been discovered in and reported from the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula. One of these, the Eupchon Fault, was discovered during the construction of a primary school, and it is located close to a nuclear power plant. To understand the nature and characteristics of the Quaternary Eupchon Fault, we carried out two trench surveys near the discovery site. The fault system includes one main reverse fault (N20°E/40°SE) with approximately 4 m displacement, and a series of branch faults, cutting unconsolidated Quaternary sediments. Structures in the fault system include synthetic and antithetic faults, hanging-wall anticlines, drag folds, back thrusts, pop-up structures, flat-ramp geometries and duplexes, which are very similar to those seen in thrust systems in consolidated rocks. In the upper part of the fault system, several tip damage zones are observed, indicating that the fault system propagates upward and terminates in the upper part of the section. Pebbles along the main fault plane show a preferred orientation of long axes, indicating the fault trace. The unconformity surface between the Quaternary deposits and the underlying Tertiary andesites or Cretaceous sedimentary rocks is displaced by this fault with a reverse movement sense. The stratigraphic relationship shows normal slip sense at the lower part of the section, indicating that the fault had a normal slip movement and was reversely reactivated during the Quaternary. The inferred length of the Quaternary thrust fault, based on the relationship between fault length and displacement, is 200,2000 m. The current maximum horizontal compressive stress direction in this area is generally east-northeast,west-southwest, which would be expected to produce oblique slip on the Eupchon Fault, with reverse and right-lateral strike-slip components. [source] Using discourse analysis and psychological sense of community to understand school transitionsJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2008Stephen J. Fyson The research involved examining the nature of the transition that students experienced in progressing to junior high school from primary school. Students' experiences were chosen as the focus of the research because the issue of substance being investigated was that of alienation. The main methodology that was used was the qualitative procedure of discourse analysis, implemented over a 3-year period. This report describes the findings from the first year of the study. The key findings of the research include the establishment of critical concerns of students. These critical concerns were articulated as psychological sense of community categories of interest, with positive and negative discourse descriptors being developed according to an analysis of students' descriptions of social regularities. The categories of interest were arranged into a sequential pattern that described pathways to increasing commitment or alienation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Promoting creative thinking through the use of ICTJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 3 2002S. Wheeler Abstract A great deal has been written about the use of web-based technologies such as the Internet in promoting learning in education. In schools, research has focused primarily on social interaction and group work, student achievement levels and curriculum development. Very little study seems to have been brought to bear upon the promotion of creative thinking by the use of online technologies, and this paper attempts to contribute to this field of study. This paper reports on a pilot study which has investigated the creative impact of information and communication technology (ICT) in a rural primary school in South-west England. The school is unique because it provides a personal networked computer for each of its 41 Year 6 students (aged 10,11 years). A small group of students were interviewed about the learning activities they engaged in over the year, and this paper reports on initial findings with a special emphasis on creative working and thinking (n = 6). A model of creativity is presented with three discrete but related modes of activity , problem solving, creative cognition, and social interaction. The paper provides new findings about the nature of creativity in the context of computer based learning environments. [source] A15. Public attitudes towards the healthiness of fruit juicesJOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 5 2000K. I. France Background Fruit juice is a major part of children's diets and accounts for a large proportion of their fruit and vegetable servings. People may confuse fruit juice with fruit drinks. This can cause problems as people could possibly substituting a portion of fruit for a drink, which contains little or no fruit. Studies have shown that excessive consumption of fruit juice can lead to health problems in children, including short stature, obesity, nonorganic failure to thrive and carbohydrate malabsorption. An increase in dental erosion has also been noted which appears to correlate with an increase in fruit juice and carbonated beverage consumption. Aims The aim of this study was to find out what the general public's attitudes are towards the healthiness of fruit juice. Methods A mini focus group and a questionnaire were the methods used for data collection. The subjects were parents of children aged 12 or under in a local primary school. Results Overall, the study group had a poor knowledge of the difference between fruit juice and drinks, and knowledge of sugar content was poor. The group had a good knowledge of fruit content. Fruit juice was regarded as being a health drink. They were unsure if excessive consumption could damage children's health or not. Their main concern was regarding their children's teeth. The factor identified as being most influential when choosing a drink was flavour, followed closely by healthiness. Nutritional knowledge was generally poor. The average daily intake of juice was 650 mL (22.8 floz), considerably more than the value recommended by several experts. Conclusion There is a need for nutritional education regarding the consumption of fruit juice. The public should be made more aware of the potential problems associated with excessive fruit juice consumption without discouraging fruit juice intake altogether, as it is an important source of fruit in the diets of young children. [source] Self-assessment of relationships with peers in children with intellectual disabilityJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001A. Zic Abstract Interaction with peers is important for the development of children, but children with special needs may feel rejected by their peers. The present study examines self-assessment of relationships with peers by children with intellectual disability (ID; n = 20) and children from the general population (n = 20). All participants attended a regular primary school and were aged between 7 and 10.5 years; both sexes were represented in the samples. The Behavior Rating Profile was applied. The results of the children with ID on the ,Student Rating Scale: Peers' did not show statistically significant differences from the results of children from general population, with both groups responding similarly to the self-perception scale. However, the sociometric results obtained from their peers clearly show that children with ID are not accepted by their classmates. Peers frequently and more often refuse to study, sit together in class or socialize after classes with children with ID than is the case for children without ID. Despite the high frequency of rejection, it is concluded that children with ID of younger primary school age have average confidence in their own abilities and in the success of their relationships with their peers. Further education among the children who reject them could have a negative impact on their self-esteem. [source] Alcohol-Related Disorders in Beijing, China: Prevalence, Socio-Demographic Correlates, and Unmet Need for TreatmentALCOHOLISM, Issue 6 2009Yu-Tao Xiang Background:, The study aimed to determine the prevalence of alcohol use, episodic heavy drinking, and alcohol dependence and their socio-demographic correlates in Beijing, China. Methods:, A total of 5,926 subjects were randomly selected in Beijing and interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 1.0). Data on basic socio-demographic and current major medical conditions were also collected. Results:, The 12-month prevalence of alcohol use and episodic heavy drinking were 32.5 and 13.8%, respectively. The 12-month and lifetime prevalence of alcohol dependence were 1.7 and 4.3%, respectively. Age above 24 years, male sex, being married and employed, low education level (junior high school, primary school or illiterate), rural residence, and having comorbid psychiatric disorders were all significantly associated with a higher likelihood of alcohol-related disorders. Only 2.4% of the subjects with alcohol dependence were receiving treatment, and a mere 1.4% had sought treatment from mental health professionals. Conclusions:, Nationwide surveys are urgently needed to further explore the prevalence of alcohol-related disorders in China. [source] Book Review: Teaching literacy effectively in the primary schoolJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, Issue 2 2004Greg Brooks No abstract is available for this article. [source] When Predictions Fail: The Case of Unexpected Pathways Toward High School DropoutJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 1 2008Linda S. Pagani This study examines childhood variables that tend to deflect life-course trajectories away from finishing high school. We examined unexpectedly graduating in the presence of three empirical risk factors (having a mother that did not finish high school, being from a single-parent family in early childhood, and having repeated a grade in primary school) and unexpectedly not graduating in the absence these same factors (low risk). The comparison groups comprised individuals who expectedly did not graduate (first case) and expectedly graduated (second case). We found that having experienced all three factors practically guaranteed not finishing high school, thus defining a crystal clear target group for policy. Without screening, intervention, and follow-up, individuals facing such cumulative risk are most unlikely to graduate. We also found a group of males and females that did not finish high school despite not having these three risk factors. These missed estimates become nontrivial once they are translated into a population-level statistic of lost human capital investments. Specific family and individual factors helped explain the unexpected life course toward not finishing high school, especially for low-risk males and females. Our results suggest policies that support childhood screening for attention-related difficulties and helping parents better understand supervision during adolescence. [source] The complexity of school and neighbourhood effects and movements of pupils on school differences in models of educational achievementJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES A (STATISTICS IN SOCIETY), Issue 3 2009George Leckie Summary., Traditional studies of school differences in educational achievement use multilevel modelling techniques to take into account the nesting of pupils within schools. However, educational data are known to have more complex non-hierarchical structures. The potential importance of such structures is apparent when considering the effect of pupil mobility during secondary schooling on educational achievement. Movements of pupils between schools suggest that we should model pupils as belonging to the series of schools that are attended and not just their final school. Since these school moves are strongly linked to residential moves, it is important to explore additionally whether achievement is also affected by the history of neighbourhoods that are lived in. Using the national pupil database, this paper combines multiple membership and cross-classified multilevel models to explore simultaneously the relationships between secondary school, primary school, neighbourhood and educational achievement. The results show a negative relationship between pupil mobility and achievement, the strength of which depends greatly on the nature and timing of these moves. Accounting for pupil mobility also reveals that schools and neighbourhoods are more important than shown by previous analysis. A strong primary school effect appears to last long after a child has left that phase of schooling. The additional effect of neighbourhoods, in contrast, is small. Crucially, the rank order of school effects across all types of pupil is sensitive to whether we account for the complexity of the multilevel data structure. [source] Putting literature at the heart of the literacy curriculumLITERACY, Issue 1 2006Deborah Nicholson Abstract This paper documents an initiative in Continuing Professional Development, conceived and carried out by London's Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE). The intention was to improve the teaching and learning of writing in Years 5 and 6 of the primary school (9,11-year-olds), through working with challenging literature. This teacher education project drew on CLPE's earlier research project, published as The Reader in the Writer (Barrs and Cork, 2001). Classroom approaches developed through the initiative are described, and qualitative and quantitative changes in children's writing are discussed. Patterns of teaching in the classrooms that appear to have made a particular difference to the children's achievement are explored. [source] Cultural Constructions of Childhood and Early LiteracyLITERACY, Issue 2 2001Tricia David This paper is based on the findings of two research teams, working collaboratively, between 1998 and 2000 in four countries: Australia, Singapore, France and England (see David et al 2000). Taking an ecological stance (Bronfenbrenner 1979), both teams adopted a cross-cultural approach in order to gain a better understanding of the contexts in which young children become familiar with literacy. The team led by Bridie Raban worked in Singapore and Australia, that led by Tricia David in France and England. Early years practitioners in all four countries responded to questionnaires, were observed in action and interviewed. (Information about their training and about entry to primary school in each of the countries is given in the endnote.) In addition, the research teams carried out document analyses on Governmental, research and training literature and teachers' plans, and discussed their findings with others in positions to be able to ,authenticate', or refute , findings. Further data were obtained through group interviews with parents of children attending selected settings involved in the research. Here we provide some of the evidence about the different views expressed by practitioners, our observational findings and analysis of the different pressures relating to literacy experienced in early childhood education and care settings. In each case the learning experiences practitioners provided for children were influenced by a range of factors, such as the contested role of preschools as preparation for schooling. In some settings this preparation was not explicit and practitioners often emphasised the importance of the ,here and now' nature of young children's experiences. Rosenthal's (2000) framework for exploring ,collectivist' and ,individualist' cultures in relation to their valued educational practices was applied to our findings, in order to identify how the cultural assumptions about literacy, learning and young children influenced the teaching approaches selected. [source] Using food experience, multimedia and role models for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption in Bangkok kindergarten childrenNUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 2 2010Chutima SIRIKULCHAYANONTA Abstract Aim:, To evaluate the use of food experience, multimedia and role models for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption in kindergarten children. Methods:, A quasi-experimental study was conducted. A Bangkok public primary school was randomly selected and one of the kindergarten levels was purposively chosen. Program implementation consisted of 11 activities over an eight-week period from July to September, 2003. Data on demographic variables, and types and amounts of fruit and vegetables consumed and frequency of fruit and vegetables served were collected before and after the intervention. Program evaluation consisted of an analysis of the pre- and post-test data. Results:, After the intervention, fruit and vegetable eating behaviour scores (median ± interquartile range) revealed significant changes from 3 ± 8 to 7 ± 8 for vegetables and 6 ± 8 to 9 ± 8 for fruit (P -value < 0.001); the different types of consumed vegetables were increased from two to four (P -value , 0.001); and the fruit and vegetable intake was significantly increased from 53 g to 77 g and from 11 g to 23 g respectively (P -value < 0.005). Conclusions:, Results of this pilot study were effective in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in the kindergarten, however, longer-term evaluation and assessment of the impact on the home environment are required. The inclusion of nutrition education and instruction on healthy eating habits in the course curriculum combined with social support from teachers and families may improve and sustain fruit and vegetable eating behaviours. [source] Exploring parents' perceptions of television food advertising directed at children: A South Australian studyNUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 1 2007Joyce IP Abstract Objective:, To increase our understanding of parents' perceptions of the influence of television food advertising on children's food choices. Design:, Five focus group discussions. Subjects:, Thirty-two parents (24 women and eight men) of children attending primary school. Setting: Adelaide, South Australia. Data analyses:, The focus group discussions were taped and transcribed and coded as themes. Transcripts were verified and coding was audited. All researchers met regularly to analyse data and reach consensus on emergent themes (researcher triangulation). Results:, Parents who participated in the study indicated that television is a powerful source of information for children's food choices. Parents expressed concern about the negative influence of television food advertising on children's food preferences. They suggested that the current regulations governing television food advertising were not adequately enforced. Parents wanted to see an overall reduction in the volume of food advertisements directed at children, and an increase in advertisements promoting healthy foods. Parents expressed mixed views about banning food advertisements directed at children. Conclusion:, In order for television food advertising to be health-enhancing for children, parents in the study suggested the need for restrictions on advertising practices, tighter enforcement of existing regulations and an increase in healthy food advertisements. The present research shows that parents want to see changes in the current arrangements governing television food advertising to children. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||