Teachers - qualified or not?
It was interesting listening to the debate on the TV news programmes yesterday about whether teachers even need to be qualified, particularly on Question Time. Actually it would be more exact to say it was depressing! Of course there are some people who are more natural teachers than others and of course there is always a place for the expert to enhance teaching and learning, particularly in certain areas such as music - sometimes an expert is also a natural teacher and can impart their specific skills and knowledge very well. However, this argument in favour of unqualified teachers appears to be based on a few random successes in the 174 Free Schools (that model adopted from Sweden just at the point the Swedes had decided it really wasn't working), not on the outcomes in 21,000 other state schools. In the debate on Question Time it became clear that, as usual all the panellists were basing their arguments around their own experience and the focus was almost entirely on Secondary education and the 'end game' of passing exams and getting to University. I was reminded of Sir Ken Robinson's first talk on TED when he says how everyone feels they know all about education because, after all, they have been to school themselves! Only Owen Jones mentioned at one point '5 year olds' when he rightly argued that success or failure in school (certainly on the terms being discussed)was more about starting points and socio-economic factors ... nobody else, notably not Liz Truss, Minister for Children, picked up on his points. It would be so refreshing and exciting to hear some politicians and journalists talking intelligently about the vital early years and about the highly qualified and specifically qualified teachers young children, particularly those growing up in socially deprived environments really need. I would refer anyone not convinced to the HighScope research, the findings of James Heckman (economist) and a number of recent reports across countries. Reports from OECD show that those countries most successful in terms of education and children's wellbeing emphasise the early years and the qualifications of those charged with the education and care of the very young.
Cheap Cell Phones
Cheap cell phones have hit the market at a time when the buying power
of the people has been limited due to the effects of recession. This
has led to more and more people buying these low priced cell phones as
affording cell phones from manufacturers such as Nokia, Samsung is not
possible. This has led to widespread demand in the market for these cheap cell phones.
The demand is so much that the current dealers are not able to meet the
demand. However, there is another reason for the rise in demand for
these types of cell phones. The reason is that these cell phones offer
much more features than those offered by phones manufactured by
multinationals. This means that for the same amount of money you could
get a phone that has more features and is more stylish than other
phones. This can be illustrated by the fact that for a hundred dollars
you could get a Chinese wholesale cell phones having a built in camera, a
flash, a music player, a touch screen, WiFi support, GPS whereas for
the same amount of money you only get a base level model from Nokia.
This has led to an enormous jump in the demand for cheap cell phones.
This is where one should think of starting a Chinese phone wholesale business and making a large profit from this enormously large industry. The idea of becoming a wholesaler of China cell phones is profitable because the demand for these phones is on the rise. Also on large consignments and big orders the manufacturers of these phones provide incentives to the dealers in the form of discounts which can further lead to increase in profit. Another reason that is favourable for wholesalers of these phones is that the companies manufacturing these phones favour youngsters and quickly adapt and redesign their products to their needs and since youngsters make a large percentage of cell phone buyers in the world the demand for these kinds of cell phones is not going to die in the future.
This is where one should think of starting a Chinese phone wholesale business and making a large profit from this enormously large industry. The idea of becoming a wholesaler of China cell phones is profitable because the demand for these phones is on the rise. Also on large consignments and big orders the manufacturers of these phones provide incentives to the dealers in the form of discounts which can further lead to increase in profit. Another reason that is favourable for wholesalers of these phones is that the companies manufacturing these phones favour youngsters and quickly adapt and redesign their products to their needs and since youngsters make a large percentage of cell phone buyers in the world the demand for these kinds of cell phones is not going to die in the future.
Petition to UN
Today Tessa Jowell and Ivan Lewis launched a petition which aims to take to the campaign to support the youngest children to the next level. With your support they hope that the UN will ensure a commitment to early childhood development is at the heart of the new post-2015 development framework. I hope that you will be able to sign the petition and share with your friends and networks. Only with broad support will we be able to ensure that every child, no matter where they live in the world, will have the best start in life. Go to http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/un-secretary-general-ban-ki-moon-and-un-member-states-put-early-childhood-development-at-the-heart-of-the-new-post-2015-development-framework-with-targets-that-promise-all-children-care-support-and-services-which-work-together-for-the-best-start-in-l
Project Wild Thing
It’s a disheartening statistic, but one that has inspired award-winning filmmaker David Bond, who, keen for future generations not to miss out on the magic of the great outdoors, dreamed up PROJECT WILD THING.
The film itself is only one part of Bond’s campaign, which enlists a number of scientists, nature experts, sociologists, as well as the National Trust, to set about selling nature to kids.
Conscious that it will take more than eulogising to prise them away from their TVs and games consoles, Bond also recruits a marketing team to lend their branding savvy and repackage the countryside.
A charming exercise in creative, socially-minded activism, PROJECT WILD THING is a grass-roots triumph.
Relates to chapter 3 and the issue of play and risk taking in children's development and learning.
Children and Young People's Bill
“One of the most reported elements of the forthcoming Children and Young People Bill is the promise of 600 hours of state funded early learning and childcare for every three and four- year- old, and for looked after 2 year olds – an increase from the 475 hour legal minimum currently provided to every three and four year old. While this is an important step on the road to Scotland having world-class early education and care, the Bill makes no mention of out of school care, which is currently a non-statutory service. Out of school care for young children can be a costly headache for parents, particularly at this time of year.” Jackie Brock, Chief Executive, Children in Scotland I agree that out of school care is an issue and a problem for many parents but I am not sure it comes under the 'umbrella' of this Bill or needs to be made a statutory service. There is a danger that the state is seen as bearing the major responsibility for care as well as the education of children when really the responsibility for both should remain firmly with parents who will always have the most influence. It is an ongoing conundrum - how to provide for equal opportunities aznd particularly the most vulnerable withoout destroying the most important structures in our society.
Get Qualified holidays
Anytime today and there are many new ways to vacation at a lower price without any obligation, contractual restrictions and require traditional timeshares. We teach owners how to get the freedom to travel where they want, when they want it and at a lower cost compared with their timeshare. The purpose Resort Management Association is to educate the owner on various alternatives without sacrificing the experience.
Resort Management Association provides information and resources you need and also all include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve consumer complaints. and also helps you to get a comfortable vacation and also high quality. so you can also click here to get more reliable information for your holiday.
Brain development and teaching and learning
There is increased understanding from research into how the brain develops and mention of this is included in chapter one and other points throughout the book but there is a debate still about how exactly this impacts on teaching and learning. This is perhaps again even more pertinent to early childhood education and care as this is clearly one, if not the, most critical periods. The Teaching and Learning Research Programme publication accessed at http://www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/Neuroscience%20Commentary%20FINAL.pdf provides the perfect introduction to this debate and a guide to further reading.
New talk from Sir Ken Robinson on TED.com
Another amusing but really pertinent talk from Ken Robinson on TED titled 'How to Escape Education's Death Valley can be listened to at http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley.html
This relates to chapters in the book in section one on creative approaches where we have referenced to Robinson's books and previous talks and also the 'The Place of the School in the 21st Century'
This relates to chapters in the book in section one on creative approaches where we have referenced to Robinson's books and previous talks and also the 'The Place of the School in the 21st Century'
Learning to Love Risk
The talk referred to on page 48 in chapter three by the award winning writer and journalist Nick Thorpe is now available on TED.com at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QBLk0abjtM
Research on exposure to Sesame Street
Email sent to Mary Stephen co-author of Early Childhood Education and Care -
A Meta-analysis of Improvements in Children's Learning in 15 Countries - Effects of Sesame Street - http://www.comminit.com/early-child/content/effect-sesame-street-around-world-meta-analysis-15-countries
Greetings Mary
Many best wishes. As people and agencies involved in communication and media for development and social and behavioural change, we are continually asked: "Where is the impact?" By which the people asking the question mean high-quality methodology, high-credibility, independent research papers published in peer-reviewed journals that draw a direct link and relationship between a communication and media for development, social and behavioural change initiative or trend, and a measurable, wide-scale improvement in the status of a development issue.
Early child education is just such an issue - as a priority development issue in and of itself and as the foundation stone for progress on so many other development issues.
Writing in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, authors Marie-Louise Mares and Zhongdang Pan provide a systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of the local co-productions of Sesame Street. The series currently airs in over 150 countries and is reaching at least 156 million children in the 0-7 age range.
The article is based on summative and other studies of the programme's educational effects, synthesising the results of 24 studies conducted with over 10,000 children in 15 countries. It examines the extent to which children outside the United States (US) may learn from viewing local Sesame Street productions on TV in diverse social, political, and economic circumstances - including in some of the world's economically poorest regions. This is impact data on which we can all draw to highlight the impact of our field of work.
A summary of the article is available in the Early Childhood Development section of our website at this URL: http://www.comminit.com/early-child/content/effect-sesame-street-around-world-meta-analysis-15-countries
In brief: The results indicated significant positive effects of exposure to the programme, aggregated across learning outcomes, and within each of the 3 outcome categories: cognitive outcomes, including literacy and numeracy; learning about the world, including health and safety knowledge; and social reasoning and attitudes toward out-groups [groups that a person does not psychologically identify as being a member]. The effects were significant across different methods, and they were observed both in high-income and low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries.
Specific selected findings:
* Researchers found an overall effect size of 0.29. This translates into an 11.6 percentile gain (in terms of education). That is, an average child who does not watch Sesame Street is at the 50th percentile, whereas a child who watches is at the 62nd percentile.
* Moderation by methodological features:
~ Effects by outcome category: There were significant positive effects for each of the 3 outcome categories: d [unbiased estimate of the average effect size] = .189 for social attitudes, d= .284 for cognitive outcomes, and d = .339 for learning about the world.
~ Effects by country income: 82% of whole-sample effect size estimates came from studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries. The average effect size from these countries was significant and positive (d = .293). Most effect size estimates from low- and middle-income countries came from experimental or quasi-experimental studies (74%).
~ Effects by sample SES (socio-economic status): There were 9 studies in which researchers explicitly reported sampling children exclusively from low-SES populations. Overall, the effect of exposure to Sesame Street in low-SES samples was positive and significant (d = .413).
It is necessary for the media and communication for development, social and behavioural communication change community to build a body of independent, peer-reviewed, reputable journal-based impact data. That is highly desired and very valuable. But there is a downside. Peer-reviewed journals charge for access. That is the price we pay for having high-quality research that has high credibility. If you are interested in purchasing the full article (for $US35.95), please see:
http://www.comminit.com/clickthru/9842cae7ddc6f20e49a90a421b4591c7?node=
Article citation: Mares, M.-L., & Pan, Z., Effects of Sesame Street: A Meta-Analysis of Children's Learning in 15 Countries, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology (2013) May/June issue, Volume 34, Issue 3.
Mary - This is impact results data upon which, in my opinion, we can all draw and quote to support the impact of all of our work. Not everyone has the capacity to undertake such extensive and authoritative research.
Please note that we will be prompting and facilitating a dialogue on this research in The Communication Initiative's Early Child Development community of practice. We are very interested in your critique of this data and the methodology.
If you are not already a member, please do join the dialogue by accessing this link http://networks.comminit.com/user/register and choosing the "Early Child Development" network when you register (and other groups if they are of interest). If you are already a member and have forgotten your password, there is a password recovery system.
With many thanks and best wishes - Warren
Warren Feek
Executive Director
The Communication Initiative
http://www.comminit.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/warrencomminit
Facebook: The Communication Initiative Network
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Communication-Initiative-Network/344005148956579
A Meta-analysis of Improvements in Children's Learning in 15 Countries - Effects of Sesame Street - http://www.comminit.com/early-child/content/effect-sesame-street-around-world-meta-analysis-15-countries
Greetings Mary
Many best wishes. As people and agencies involved in communication and media for development and social and behavioural change, we are continually asked: "Where is the impact?" By which the people asking the question mean high-quality methodology, high-credibility, independent research papers published in peer-reviewed journals that draw a direct link and relationship between a communication and media for development, social and behavioural change initiative or trend, and a measurable, wide-scale improvement in the status of a development issue.
Early child education is just such an issue - as a priority development issue in and of itself and as the foundation stone for progress on so many other development issues.
Writing in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, authors Marie-Louise Mares and Zhongdang Pan provide a systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of the local co-productions of Sesame Street. The series currently airs in over 150 countries and is reaching at least 156 million children in the 0-7 age range.
The article is based on summative and other studies of the programme's educational effects, synthesising the results of 24 studies conducted with over 10,000 children in 15 countries. It examines the extent to which children outside the United States (US) may learn from viewing local Sesame Street productions on TV in diverse social, political, and economic circumstances - including in some of the world's economically poorest regions. This is impact data on which we can all draw to highlight the impact of our field of work.
A summary of the article is available in the Early Childhood Development section of our website at this URL: http://www.comminit.com/early-child/content/effect-sesame-street-around-world-meta-analysis-15-countries
In brief: The results indicated significant positive effects of exposure to the programme, aggregated across learning outcomes, and within each of the 3 outcome categories: cognitive outcomes, including literacy and numeracy; learning about the world, including health and safety knowledge; and social reasoning and attitudes toward out-groups [groups that a person does not psychologically identify as being a member]. The effects were significant across different methods, and they were observed both in high-income and low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries.
Specific selected findings:
* Researchers found an overall effect size of 0.29. This translates into an 11.6 percentile gain (in terms of education). That is, an average child who does not watch Sesame Street is at the 50th percentile, whereas a child who watches is at the 62nd percentile.
* Moderation by methodological features:
~ Effects by outcome category: There were significant positive effects for each of the 3 outcome categories: d [unbiased estimate of the average effect size] = .189 for social attitudes, d= .284 for cognitive outcomes, and d = .339 for learning about the world.
~ Effects by country income: 82% of whole-sample effect size estimates came from studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries. The average effect size from these countries was significant and positive (d = .293). Most effect size estimates from low- and middle-income countries came from experimental or quasi-experimental studies (74%).
~ Effects by sample SES (socio-economic status): There were 9 studies in which researchers explicitly reported sampling children exclusively from low-SES populations. Overall, the effect of exposure to Sesame Street in low-SES samples was positive and significant (d = .413).
It is necessary for the media and communication for development, social and behavioural communication change community to build a body of independent, peer-reviewed, reputable journal-based impact data. That is highly desired and very valuable. But there is a downside. Peer-reviewed journals charge for access. That is the price we pay for having high-quality research that has high credibility. If you are interested in purchasing the full article (for $US35.95), please see:
http://www.comminit.com/clickthru/9842cae7ddc6f20e49a90a421b4591c7?node=
Article citation: Mares, M.-L., & Pan, Z., Effects of Sesame Street: A Meta-Analysis of Children's Learning in 15 Countries, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology (2013) May/June issue, Volume 34, Issue 3.
Mary - This is impact results data upon which, in my opinion, we can all draw and quote to support the impact of all of our work. Not everyone has the capacity to undertake such extensive and authoritative research.
Please note that we will be prompting and facilitating a dialogue on this research in The Communication Initiative's Early Child Development community of practice. We are very interested in your critique of this data and the methodology.
If you are not already a member, please do join the dialogue by accessing this link http://networks.comminit.com/user/register and choosing the "Early Child Development" network when you register (and other groups if they are of interest). If you are already a member and have forgotten your password, there is a password recovery system.
With many thanks and best wishes - Warren
Warren Feek
Executive Director
The Communication Initiative
http://www.comminit.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/warrencomminit
Facebook: The Communication Initiative Network
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Communication-Initiative-Network/344005148956579
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