Fred Rogers Center

The EventScope program develops publicly accessible "reality browsers" that display both archived and updating representations of remote environments derived from on-site robotic sensors. The interface encourages collaborative work within a community of users. Public exploration of real remote sites presents a variety of interface issues addressed by EventScope, including time delay, public exploration via a single robot and communication between geographically separate users from diverse backgrounds. Merging public interface with educational and contextual information extends the notion of "interface" to "remote reality library." EventScope is a NASA and private foundationfunded project based at Carnegie Mellon University.

How can the cognitive science community take what they have learned from decades of laboratory research and make it useful to shaping instruction as it occurs in school? This question has been of interest over the past thirty years (eg, Carver & Klahr, 2001), but much of what has been learned by cognitive scientists continues to remain within the cognition community and is not widely applied to student learning in the classroom. The papers presented in this symposium provide cutting-edge examples of research that build on ...

What does it mean for teachers to do research? Is forming a fleeting question in the midst of teaching an act of research? Making copies of student work and discussing these with colleagues? Videotaping small group activities and writing about what students said and ...

We created a hypothetically "optimal" instructional scenario in which a knowledgeable researcher, under the guidance of an experienced classroom teacher, carried out a set of researchbased science instruction in a low-SES urban school. The training group's performance was assessed by standardized test items and compared with that of a high-SES no training comparison group. The results demonstrate that instructional methods based on experimental psychological research have great potential for addressing the achievement gap problem. However, the analyses also reveal a significant discrepancy between low-SES students' performance on standardized test items and on alternative assessments with lower reading and writing demands. We discuss our methodological choices in making basic research more relevant to real world issues. We highlight the critical challenges of test validity, research relevancy, and reform feasibility for researchers and policymakers.

Can cognitive research generate usable knowledge for elementary science instruction? Can issues raised by classroom practice drive the agenda of laboratory cognitive research? Answering yes to both questions, we advocate building a reciprocal interface between basic and applied research. We discuss five studies of the teaching, learning, and transfer of the "Control of Variables Strategy" in elementary school science. Beginning with investigations motivated by basic theoretical questions, we situate subsequent inquiries within authentic educational debates-contrasting hands-on manipulation of physical and virtual materials, evaluating direct instruction and discovery learning, replicating training methods in classroom, and narrowing science achievement gaps. We urge research programs to integrate basic research in "pure" laboratories with field work in "messy" classrooms. Finally, we suggest that those engaged in discussions about implications and applications of educational research focus on clearly defined instructional methods and procedures, rather than vague labels and outmoded "-isms."

Download hundreds of free books in PDF • Read thousands of books online for free • Explore our innovative research tools -try the "Research Dashboard" now! • Sign up to be notified when new books are published • Purchase printed books and selected PDF files Thank you for downloading this PDF. If you have comments, questions or just want more information about the books published by the National Academies Press, you may contact our customer service department tollfree at 888-624-8373, visit us online, or send an email to [email protected].

Uncorrected Proof of
Paciga, K.A. (2014, published online first October 19). Their teacher cannot be an app: Preschoolers’ listening comprehension of digital storybooks. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, DOI: 10.1177/1468798414552510.

This study sought to determine the relationship among student- and task-level vari- ables at play in the digital storybook listening experiences of 130 English-speaking preschoolers at risk of reading failure. Specifically, this study investigated the rela- tionship among the (1) features of computer-based electronic storybooks, (2) pre- schoolers’ competency in the task environment, and (3) preschoolers’ background knowledge with respect to listening comprehension outcomes following a single digital storybook listening experience. The results indicate significant and strong relationships among the three variables under investigation and their consequent understanding of the digital storybook (i.e. explicit and implicit/inferential content related to the plot). The preschoolers’ topic knowledge was the best predictor of comprehension. In addition, the interaction between the features of the e-book and the preschoolers’ competency in the task environment also significantly predicted the outcome.

With adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) virtually the whole of the United States is involved in aligning curricula, lesson planning, implementing, and professional development. However, only a small fraction of CCSS activity or commentary focuses on early childhood education at the preschool and kindergarten levels. Thus, it is crucial to examine closely the links between the standards themselves and applications in practice so that teachers and administrative personnel have a clear understanding of both what the standards imply and do not imply for aligning classroom practices to accomplish the CCSS in early childhood. This article focuses on clarifying issues that have been especially subject to confusion or misinterpretation with respect to curricular and instructional practices in preschool and kindergarten. It begins with a brief account of alignments between the CCSS and developmentally appropriate practices currently common in early language and literacy instruction and supported by research, followed by in-depth analyses of four issues that have generated some or considerable confusion for early childhood educators: pedagogical approach, text choices, understanding developmental progressions, and performance assessment.