Brief Research Report: Agreement Between Teacher and Student Reports on Students’ Acceptance and Rejection

Student-reported peer nominations are typically used to obtain information on the social status (i.e., acceptance and rejection) of students in their classrooms. However, under certain circumstances this assessment method cannot be used, for example for logistical reasons or with students with intellectual disabilities (ID) who are not always able to fill out peer nominations. In such instances, teacher reports on students’ expected nominations may serve as a proxy. As part of a larger study on students with ID, we evaluated the agreement between teachers’ and students’ peer reports regarding individual students’ acceptance and rejection using unlimited nomination procedures in Grades 4–6 mainstream classrooms. As many students with ID cannot fill out peer nominations, this evaluation study used a sample of typically developing students without ID. Teachers (n = 27, Mage = 34.24 years, SD = 10.85; 85.2% female) nominated all peers from the classroom who they believed individual students would report as “liked” and “not liked”. For direct comparison, students (n = 441, Mage = 11.36 years, SD = 0.89; 46.8% female) themselves were also asked to report their “liked” and “not liked” nominations. Students received both more “liked” and more “not liked” nominations from their peers than from their teachers. Students’ social status as calculated from teacher reports showed only partial agreement with social status as calculated from student reports, suggesting that in mainstream classrooms student reports cannot be easily replaced by teacher reports. Perspectives on the application of teacher-reported peer nominations in special needs settings are discussed.

The Nature of Adjustments and Monitoring for Students With Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools

The current study was conducted to examine the types of adjustments used to support students with special educational needs in mainstream classrooms and how schools monitored the effectiveness of the adjustments they use. A range of stakeholders were interviewed in 22 mainstream schools across New South Wales, Australia, and the interviews were analysed for key themes. Some schools had a narrow focus on a few key areas, with teaching assistants being the most commonly reported adjustment. Few schools used formal formative monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of adjustments. Options for improvement schools could consider include examining the breadth of adjustments, establishing clear measurable goals, considering alternative strategies for use of teaching assistants, and ensuring adjustments are monitored.

TEACH LIKE SOCRATES: GUIDING SOCRATIC DIALOGUES AND DISCUSSIONS IN THE CLASSROOM - BOOK REVIEW

<p>16 centuries ago, Socrates implemented a pedagogy of critical thinking where he helped others move from premise to premise to a discovery. In the current context, the 21st century’s stakeholders are bombarded with a great amount of information and should still engage in critical thinking to discern what is important, reliable, and valid or not, to apply, analyze, and evaluate information, as well as to create and collaborate for new knowledge. In this sense, Socratic pedagogy can be an effective tool for such competencies and thereby, it is important for teachers to develop knowledge and skills to practice Socratic methodologies in mainstream classrooms. As published materials may offer teachers support with their professionalism, Teach Like Socrates: Guiding Socratic Dialogues and Discussions in the Classroom was reviewed for its efficiency and practicality for classroom instruction. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0897/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Exploring Secondary Teachers’ Willingness to Differentiate Instruction for ELLs

The growing English language learner (ELL) population is expanding in the United States from concentrated, urban areas to smaller, rural school districts in which mainstream content teachers provide most instruction for these students (DelliCarpini & Alonso, 2014). Most mainstream content teachers at the secondary level, however, have had little or no training in teaching ELLs and do not currently provide the differentiated instruction necessary for ELLs to be successful (Musanti & Pence, 2010; Rubinstein-Avila & Lee, 2014). Previous research has explored teacher attitudes toward ELLs in mainstream classes and the teacher beliefs related to teacher identity, teacher responsibility, and self-efficacy which all emerge as relevant to teaching ELLs. However, there is no prior research on the association these three factors potentially have with teachers’ willingness to differentiate their instruction for ELLs in mainstream classrooms. This study explored these three factors of identity, responsibility, and self-efficacy as well as EL training, their relationship to each other, and their potential correlation with a teacher’s willingness to differentiate (WTD) instruction for ELLs in a mainstream classroom. Results indicate that identity and responsibility correlate most with a willingness to differentiate, but self-efficacy, along with several other emergent factors, are also relevant.

The participation role of the researcher as a co-operative achievement

In this paper, I examine my role as a researcher doing video-based fieldwork in mainstream classrooms with deaf youths in Iquitos, Peru through the lens of participation frameworks that emerged within moments of situated interaction. While conducting video-based fieldwork, I attempted to primarily occupy the role of a passive participant-observer in order to capture the deaf students’ everyday interactions with minimal interference from the researcher. As I will develop in the paper, it is evident that my status within the classroom participation frameworks was dynamic. While I often was not attended to in the participation framework and positioned as a ratified overhearer of the unfolding interaction, my status could quickly shift as the students and teacher responded to my presence. Moments when my status in the participation framework changed make visible the various roles that I occupied in the classroom, from an observer, to a confidant, to an authority figure. Through interactional extracts, I illustrate how the roles that I occupy in the classroom social ecology are a moment-by-moment co-operative achievement between members of the class and myself.

“Camouflaging” by adolescent autistic girls who attend both mainstream and specialist resource classes: Perspectives of girls, their mothers and their educators

Autistic girls’ heightened social motivation and associated social coping strategies, such as camouflaging, mean they may be less likely to receive appropriate support in mainstream schools. In this research, a multi-informant approach was used to examine the camouflaging strategies used by autistic girls within specialist resource classes attached to mainstream schools (whereby girls transition between resource classes and mainstream classes). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight adolescent girls, their parents (eight mothers) and their educators (six teaching assistants/aides and one senior staff member) about the girls’ camouflaging experiences. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four themes were identified: (1) inconsistencies and contradictions in camouflaging, (2) challenges of relationships and ‘finding a tribe’, (3) learning, inclusion and awareness and (4) consequences of camouflaging. These results highlight the challenges that the girls experienced when attempting to hide their autism and fit within both mainstream classes and specialist resource classes. These challenges had significant impacts on the girls’ relationships and learning, as well as consequences for their mental health. The findings highlight the need for increased awareness of how camouflaging presents across the autism spectrum and suggests that individualised, evidence-based support will be essential for enabling autistic girls to flourish in school. Lay abstract There are a range of different types of schools that support children diagnosed with autism, including mainstream schools (where pupils are taught in general classrooms) and specialist schools (where pupils are exclusively taught alongside other children with special educational needs). An intermediary option involves resource bases attached to mainstream schools, which enable children to transition between mainstream and specialist educational settings. Autistic girls use a variety of strategies to negotiate the expectations and demands of school life. One of these strategies is known as camouflaging. This involves ‘hiding’ autism-based behaviours and developing ways to manage social situations, with the aim of fitting in with others. Research has shown that camouflaging can help to meet social expectations and friendships, but it can also result in challenges, including exhaustion and anxiety. In this study, we conducted detailed interviews with eight autistic girls, their parents and their school staff. The results showed that the girls tried to use camouflaging strategies to hide their autism and learning needs, especially within mainstream classrooms. Their camouflaging was often unsuccessful, which affected their relationships and sense of belonging. They also found camouflaging exhausting and distressing, which may (when combined with the demands of the classroom) affect their relationships, learning and mental health. This research provides important implications for supporting autistic girls who attend resource bases. These focus around increasing awareness of camouflaging and ways to support autistic girls, so they are included and able to fully participate and learn within school.