Browsing is the most common way of choosing what book to read. Coming closely behind is selecting an author, and selecting a subject. However, men put choosing the subject first, and browsing wins only by averages. Those who read a lot mentioned more ways of choosing what to read than those who read less. Young adults have a wider range of ways of choosing than older people. Selecting a book because its author is known is most common amongst the over-sixties. The youngest age group is least likely to choose a book because of the subject only, most likely to select a book because they have heard about it already.
set 1982 : no. 2
publisher:
NZCER Press
Contents
2
Literacy
3
Learning, Māori and education
On June 12, 1982, a little book with a long title, Ko Ngā Kupu Pū Noa o te Reo Māori: The First Basic Māori Word List, was launched by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. The 'basic-ness' of the words included in the book (there are about 800 of them) was determined by a combination of how often they occurred and how well they were distributed in the sources from which they were gathered. This article outlines the way in which the Basic Word List was developed and organized. A number of general issues relating to words and word lists are discussed, as are some similarities and differences between the content and construction of the Māori list and other word lists in common use. It also explains how the Basic Māori Word List can be used by teachers and learners of Māori.
4
School governance and management, Student well-being
It describes different types of solvent abuse, lists some of the signs and symptoms of sniffing, and makes some practical suggestions about ways of dealing with sniffing 'epidemics'. It is intended primarily for teachers and principals, but other professionals, including those in health areas, may find it useful as background, especially in advising and counselling worried parents.
5
Families and communities
Of course fathers are important - aren't they? Fathers have always been important. Fathers provide for their families. Fathers supervise, discipline and train. Fathers teach children skills and how to survive in a harsh external world. Fathers, as Talcott Parsons said, play the instrumental role in a family leaving mothers the luxury of expressiveness.
6
Early childhood, Families and communities
Young children often play fantasy or pretend games. It's especially common between about 2 and 7 years or age. It starts in simple ways. The Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget described how as early as 15 months his daughter Jacqueline lay down on a cloth, sucked her thumb and blinked her eyes. Piaget thought she was pretending to go to sleep, and indeed Jacqueline laughed at the same time indicating that she was not being serious. The next day her mother's coat collar became the 'pillow', and two weeks later the tail of her rubber donkey! When a bit older, a child might put a doll or teddy to 'sleep' in a similar way. By 3 or 4 years, quite complicated socio-dramatic play sequences can take place, in which several children act out complementary roles such as mother, father and baby; monsters and Dr. Who; doctors, nurses and patients; or activities such as shopping, or putting out a fire. Some children have imaginary companions with whom they talk and carryon activities. In all these examples, the actions of the child have some pretend or fantasy component; and indeed the children are generally quite aware of this distinction between fantasy and reality.
7
Assessment
The term 'non-verbal test' is used to describe a range of paper-and-pencil tests designed to tap a selection of cognitive processes that are unlikely to involve verbal language. This does not mean that verbal instructions and verbal strategies have been entirely eliminated for all those who take these tests; it simply means that no words are included in the tests, the test content is of a non-verbal nature, and the responses to this content are unlikely to involve language.
8
The most gratifying academic research is that which helps to confirm something we already suspected to be true. That is why Dr Scott Armstrong, Associate Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has enjoyed so pleasing a response to his latest paper, at least from laymen.
9
Student engagement
In order to convey information and notions about time adults use a complex set of conventions. Of interest is children's ability to grasp and use these conventions.
10
Special education, Student engagement
Pupils with IQs in the range 70- 90 are usually in regular secondary school classes. They make up some 5% to 10% of the average first year high school intake. Such pupils are frequently reported to have difficulty with the traditional secondary school curricula, but their teachers seldom have any special training in the teaching of low ability pupils.
11
Assessment
These scales are designed to obtain teacher estimates of a student's characteristics in the areas of learning, motivation, creativity, and leadership. The items are derived from the research literature dealing with characteristics of gifted and creative persons. It should be pOinted out that a considerable amount of individual differences can be found within this population; and therefore, the profiles are likely to vary a great deal. Each item in the scales should be considered separately and should reflect the degree to which you have observed the presence or absence of each characteristic. Since the four dimensions of the instrument represent relatively different sets of behaviours, the scores obtained from the separate scales should not be summed to yield a total score. Please read the statements carefully and place an X in the appropriate place according to the following scale of values.
12
Assessment
We have all had the experience at some time of being given a good test which has been ruined or just made less 'do-able' by clumsy layout and unsatisfactory reproduction. Poor layout and defective reproduction do not help motivation, and in the worst cases make it difficult for those sitting the test to achieve as well as they might otherwise have. It is hoped that the suggested 'do's' and 'don'ts' here will prove helpful in producing attractive and readable tests for your students.
13
Assessment, Speech language
There are pitfalls when immigrant and minority language students are given psychological tests. Educators in many countries are becoming aware of them. In Canada, for example, most of the school boards in Metropolitan Toronto delay the administration of formal diagnostic tests and group tests of ability and achievement until students have been in Canada for at least two years. The reasons are given in this report.
14
Information and communication technologies
This item contains a short list of words about computers in education, then a computerese glossary light-heartedly compiled by Jef Raskin and first published in Apple, Vol.1, No.1, reprinted by permission.