Room Teachers Research Articles

Inclusion of a deafblind student in a public school in Macapá, Amapá State

The aim of this paper is to socialize the schooling of a deafblind student in a school in Macapá, Amapá. We will present aspects of the teaching learning process, didactic resources, methodology, advances and difficulties. The student is a 10 years-old female, reported with deep deafness and blindness. She is studying at the 3rd year of Elementary I for the second time. The regular classroom teacher has a higher education level and has already been mentored by the Multifunctional Resource Room (MRR) teacher. However, this teacher says she has no other professionals to accompany students with difficulties, so the student does not attended classes. At MRR, the student was assiduous and communicated with the teacher through reference objects and tactile pounds. She played games and activities using tact and overlapping hands, and recognized the surroundings when conducted freely by the teacher. This teacher has college and postgraduate degrees and is pursuing a master's degree. We emphasize the importance of trained professionals to the deafblind person from an early age to higher education, because it is necessary to meet their needs, respecting and valuing their time and knowledge. However, there are still noticeable gaps in school to become inclusive, regarding the ability of providing access, permanence and completion of studies.

Curriculum in early childhood education: re-examined, rediscovered, renewed

Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: Re-examined, Rediscovered, Renewed Nancy File, Jennifer J. Mueller, and Debora Basler Wisneski, eds. New York: Routledge, 2011. Contents, references, index. 232 pp. $39.95 paper. ISBN: 9780415881111In their book, Curriculum in Early Child- hood Education: Re-examined, Rediscov- ered, Renewed, coeditors Nancy File, Jennifer Mueller, and Debora Wisneski offer an engaging array of essays that examine philosophical, historical, cul- tural, and political influences on early- childhood curriculum. Their volume invites readers to consider alternate views of early-childhood curriculum and to reflect more deeply on some of the major issues in the field. This book will appeal to educators, graduate students, class- room teachers, researchers, and school leaders who wish to pursue an inclusive process of curriculum development and retain a responsive, child-centered focus in their work.The editors open the book with two essays-one focusing on the under- appreciated role of teachers in curricu- lum development and the other on the role of research in informing curriculum practices. Debora Wisneski draws atten- tion to the missing voices of teachers in the literature on curriculum development and innovation. Nancy File, in turn, ques- tions how curriculum research can most effectively inform classroom practice. She argues that more attention needs to be paid to qualitative curriculum research because it can be more inclusive of chil- dren from diverse cultural backgrounds and low-income families.Part 2 examines some of the major theoretical influences on the development of early childhood curriculum and offers examples of how various theories have been applied. In chapters 3 and 4, Nancy File and J. Amos Hatch discuss develop- mental theory and why its applications in ECE curriculum have been problematic. File concludes that we need to acknowl- edge the limits of our knowledge about child development, to engage in dialogue about how child-development knowl- edge translates to practice, and to involve families and communities in questions of what should be included in the curricu- lum. Hatch argues that child-development theory has more to say about instruction than about curriculum, that is, more about how to teach than about what to teach. Although both of these curriculum perspectives expand our thinking, read- ers might wonder if or how the authors think that knowledge of child develop- ment-particularly sociocultural per- spectives-can be applied to curriculum development.In chapters 5 and 6, Jennifer Mueller examines how the broader field of curric- ulum studies can inform early-childhood curriculum development, and Judy Helm reviews the application of curriculum theory to the project approach. Both authors deepen our understanding of how theory clarifies curriculum practices. Mueller reviews how early developmen- talist perspectives led to a product view of curriculum and then how the recon- ceptualists changed the focus to curricu- lum as a sociological process involving issues of power and interpretation. She contends that curriculum theory helps us maintain a questioning and reflective stance toward practice, children's needs, and the context of teaching and learning. As examples of this, she points to discus- sions of theory and practice at Dewey's Laboratory School and the professional development work of pedagogistas and preschool teachers in Reggio Emilia. In chapter 6, Helm connects the Project Approach to Dewey's theories of educa- tion-discussing educational aims, the nature of the young learner, the role of the teacher, topic selection, visits to field sites and with experts, and use of authen- tic artifacts.Chapters 7 and 8 address the recent role of critical theory in questioning assumptions about curriculum, children's meaning making, what counts as impor- tant knowledge, and power relations in the classroom and community. …

Defining versus describing the nature of science: A pragmatic analysis for classroom teachers and science educators

There appears to be an almost universal commitment among science edu- cators to promote the goal of student understanding of the nature of science. Recent dis- agreements among philosophers of science and between philosophers and other groups such as scientists and science educators about the nature of science, however, leave class- room teachers in a quandry: If experts disagree about the nature of science, how should we decide what to teach students? In this article, the authors first reconsider what level of understanding of the nature of science students should experience so that they can become both intelligent consumers of scientific information and effective local and global citizens. Second, based on an analysis of the literature, it appears that there is a general agreement among science education stakeholders regarding a set of descriptors that can be used to judge which questions or fields of study are more scientific or less scientific than others. Therefore, we propose that most precollege teachers should attempt to teach students how to use these descriptors to judge the relative merits of knowledge claims instead of teaching a set of rules that attempt to demarcate science completely from nonscience. Finally, we suggest two classroom activities based on this proposal and draw some implications for teacher preparation and future research. q 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 83:493- 509, 1999.

Computers in the child's home: Introducing tomorrow's crisis of elementary education?

Part one outlines the prerequisites to be considered for educational decision-making regarding the use of new information and communication technologies (NIT) in elementary education. It states briefly what may be called an overt challenge to education due to forceful economical and political demands for using computers in schools and then concentrates on changes to be expected in the future generations of children due to NIT environments. Part two proposes an indigenous approach of exploring new information and communication technologies for education founded on the developmental view of educational anthropology. I outlines on empirical and theoretical grounds strategic considerations related to class room interaction and teacher qualification.

Musical enrichment for the gifted or musically talented student

This article suggests ways for classroom, resource room, or music teachers to deal with the musical needs of gifted or musically talented students. A six‐step planning model for teaching strategies is examined. Project descriptions are also included along with an extensive reference list of resource materials.