How portuguese and american teachers plan for literacy instruction

This study explored American and Portuguese elementary teachers' preferences in planning for literacy instruction using the Language Arts Activity Grid (LAAG; Cunningham, Zibulsky, Stanovich, & Stanovich, 2009), on which teachers described their preferred instructional activities for a hypothetical 2-h language arts block. Portuguese teachers (N = 186) completed Portuguese versions of a background questionnaire and LAAG electronically, in Survey Monkey; American teachers (N = 102) completed identical English measures using paper and pencil. Results showed that teachers in both groups usually addressed comprehension and reading fluency on their LAAGs and that they also allocated the most time to these two areas. However, American teachers were more likely to include teacher-directed fluency activities, whereas Portuguese teachers were more likely to include fluency activities that were not teacher directed. Significantly more American than Portuguese teachers addressed phonics in their planning, whereas significantly more Portuguese than American teachers addressed writing processes such as revision. Both groups of educators demonstrated large variability in planning, with many teachers omitting important components of literacy identified by researchers, for writing as well as reading. The study highlights the importance of providing teachers with comprehensive, research-based core literacy curricula as well as professional development on key components of literacy. Study findings also suggest significant relationships between orthographic transparency and teachers' instructional planning.This research was supported by a 2-year grant from the Foundation Francisco Manuel dos Santos in Portugal as well as by a Connecticut State University research grant in the U.S.A. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to these funding agencies as well as to the teachers and school districts who participated in the study and sent messages of interest about our research. In addition, warm thanks to our research assistants for their help with data collection, coding, and analysis, and to Anne Cunningham for providing us with inspiration as well as guidance in this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mesoporous carbon-containing voltammetric biosensor for determination of tyramine in food products

A voltammetric biosensor based on tyrosinase (TYR) was developed for determination of tyramine. Carbon material (multi-walled carbon nanotubes or mesoporous carbon CMK-3-type), polycationic polymer—i.e., poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA), and Nafion were incorporated into titania dioxide sol (TiO(2)) to create an immobilization matrix. The features of the formed matrix were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The analytical performance of the developed biosensor was evaluated with respect to linear range, sensitivity, limit of detection, long-term stability, repeatability, and reproducibility. The biosensor exhibited electrocatalytic activity toward tyramine oxidation within a linear range from 6 to 130 μM, high sensitivity of 486 μA mM(−1) cm(−2), and limit of detection of 1.5 μM. The apparent Michaelis–Menten constant was calculated to be 66.0 μM indicating a high biological affinity of the developed biosensor for tyramine. Furthermore, its usefulness in determination of tyramine in food product samples was also verified. [Figure: see text] ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00216-016-9612-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

The Effectiveness of a Large-Scale Language and Preliteracy Intervention:The SPELL Randomized Controlled Trial in Denmark

The present article reports results of a real‐world effectiveness trial conducted in Denmark with six thousand four hundred eighty‐three 3‐ to 6‐year‐olds designed to improve children's language and preliteracy skills. Children in 144 child cares were assigned to a control condition or one of three planned variations of a 20‐week storybook‐based intervention: a base intervention and two enhanced versions featuring extended professional development for educators or a home‐based program for parents. Pre‐ to posttest comparisons revealed a significant impact of all three interventions for preliteracy skills (= .21–.27) but not language skills (d = .04–.16), with little differentiation among the three variations. Fidelity, indexed by number of lessons delivered, was a significant predictor of most outcomes. Implications for real‐world research and practice are considered

Assessing Preschool Professionals’ Learning Experiences in Ohio: What Have We Learned?

In the Assessing Preschool Professionals’ Learning Experiences (APPLE) project, we partnered with ecQ-net and the Ohio Department of Education to conduct an independent evaluation of Ohio’s statesponsored language and literacy professional development for early childhood educators. Participating educators were randomly assigned to experience the state’s 30-hour language and literacy professional development course, the course plus ongoing in-class coaching, or professional development on an alternative topic. Largely, the language and literacy professional development did not improve educators’ knowledge, dispositions, or classroom practices, nor did it improve children’s language and literacy outcomes. This may have been due to variability in implementation. Although the professional development was rated favorably, course sessions varied in the extent to which key components were implemented and educators received widely differing amounts of coaching. Overall, results caution against investing in large-scale professional development without evidence that such efforts yield intended benefits for educators and children

Effectiveness of Large-Scale, State-Sponsored Language and Literacy Professional Development on Early Childhood Educator Outcomes

The current study investigated the effectiveness of large-scale, state-sponsored language and literacy professional development (PD) intended to improve early childhood educators’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices. PD was offered in a real-world context and delivered at scale across the state, implemented by an independent contractor. Educators (n = 535) were randomly assigned to participate in one of three types of PD: 30 hrs of language and literacy PD presented in a workshop format, 30 hrs of language and literacy PD plus monthly coaching, or PD on alternative topics (comparison). Baseline and outcome measures were collected by an independent research team to determine PD effectiveness. Growth curve analyses showed little change in educator outcomes over an 18-month period, with no differences among conditions or evidence of moderation by educator or classroom characteristics. Explanations for lack of PD impacts and the importance of evaluating educational investments are discussed. Includes supplementary materials