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In the current study, we focus on teacher-student discourse in Pre-K science activities, with particular attention to teacher questioning. Videotaped classroom observations and teacher interviews served as the corpus of data. Overall, teachers asked mostly closed-ended questions, but used more open-ended questions when experiments were being conducted. During experiments, teachers' questions were aimed at prediction and reasoning. In contrast, teachers used primarily closed-ended questions when science skills were being practiced and during science book readings, when their questions were oriented toward recognition and recall of factual information. The effects of the teachers' questions can be seen in the students' responses. When questions were open-ended, students employed a more varied vocabulary and more complex sentence structures. When teachers' questions were oriented toward prediction and reasoning, students practiced these higher level cognitive skills in responding. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations for teaching practice in early childhood science education.

Given the wide reach and extensive capabilities of the Internet, it is increasingly being used to deliver comprehensive behavioral and mental health intervention and prevention programs. Their goals are to change user behavior, reduce unwanted complications or symptoms, and improve health status and health-related quality of life. Internet interventions have been found efficacious in addressing a wide range of behavioral and mental health problems, including insomnia, nicotine dependence, obesity, diabetes, depression, and anxiety. Despite the existence of many Internet-based interventions, there is little research to inform their design and development. A model for behavior change in Internet interventions has been published to help guide future Internet intervention development and to help predict and explain behavior changes and symptom improvement outcomes through the use of Internet interventions. An argument is made for grounding the development of Internet interventions within a scientific framework. To that end, the model highlights a multitude of design-related components, areas, and elements, including user characteristics, environment, intervention content, level of intervention support, and targeted outcomes. However, more discussion is needed regarding how the design of the program should be developed to address these issues. While there is little research on the design and development of Internet interventions, there is a rich, related literature in the field of instructional design (ID) that can be used to inform Internet intervention development. ID models are prescriptive models that describe a set of activities involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of instructional programs. Using ID process models has been shown to increase the effectiveness of learning programs in a broad range of contexts. ID models specify a systematic method for assessing the needs of learners (intervention users) to determine the gaps between current knowledge and behaviors, and desired outcomes. Through the ID process, designers focus on the needs of learners, taking into account their prior knowledge; set measurable learning objectives or performance requirements; assess learners' achievement of the targeted outcomes; and employ cycles of continuous formative evaluation to ensure that the intervention meets the needs of all stakeholders. The ID process offers a proven methodology for the design of instructional programs and should be considered an integral part of the creation of Internet interventions. By providing a framework for the design and development of Internet interventions and by purposefully focusing on these aspects, as well as the underlying theories supporting these practices, both the theories and the interventions themselves can continue to be refined and improved. By using the behavior change model for Internet interventions along with the best research available to guide design practice and inform development, developers of Internet interventions will increase their ability to achieve desired outcomes.

Educators and learning theorists suggest that play is one of the most important venues for learning, and games a useful educational tool. This study considers game activity preferences of middle school-aged children, so that educational games might be made more appealing to them. Based on children's activity modes identified in our prior research, we developed the Educational Game Preferences Survey, which collects information on children's preferences for play activity modes, their attitudes about each activity mode, and their preferences for game characters, settings, and forms of help. Survey results suggest the appeal of the Explorative mode of play for all children, especially girls. Gender differences in children's preferences and attitudes for Active, Strategic, and Creative play modes were also found. We close with recommendations for game design to appeal to both boys and girls, as well as for boys and girls individually, to build engagement and hopefully lead to learning.

Children naturally explore and learn about their environments through inquiry, and computer technologies offer an accessible vehicle for extending the domain and range of this inquiry. Over the past decade, a growing number of interactive games and educational software packages have been implemented in early childhood education and addressed a variety of subjects, including mathematics, science, reading, language, and social studies. However, most software packages have yet to integrate technology into inquiry-based learning for early childhood contexts. Based on existing theoretical frameworks, we suggest that instructional technologies should be used in early childhood inquiry education to (a) enrich and provide structure for problem contexts, (b) facilitate resource utilization, and (c) support cognitive and metacognitive processes. Examples of existing and hypothetical early childhood applications are provided as we elaborate on each role. Challenges and future research directions are also identified and discussed.

Development of two-digit place value understanding in the elementary grades has been the subject of some study; however, research at the pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) level is limited. This two-part paper begins by providing an overview of two-digit place value instruction in Pre-K and describes the component parts of a research-based math curriculum, MyTeachingPartner Math (MTP Math) . Part two presents the results of a video analysis of classroom interactions across four MTP Math place value activities facilitated by two high quality teachers. Particular attention is given to the primary conceptual hurdles faced by students, as well as the scaffolding strategies employed by teachers. Results indicate that students possess a conceptual understanding of the ones place prior to the tens place and initially struggle the concept of unitizing groups of ten. Considerations are discussed for improving the quality of teacher-child interactions in pre-kindergarten that can best support children’s thinking and learning.

Teachers in early childhood and elementary classrooms (grades K-5) have been using ten-frames as an instructional tool to support students’ mathematics skill development for many years. Use of the similar five-frame has been limited, however, despite its apparent potential as an instructional scaffold in the early elementary grades. Due to scant evidence of teacher use and a lack of systematic research we know little to nothing about both the developmental and pedagogical implications of using five frames and related instructional manipulatives in early childhood mathematics classrooms. In this paper, we provide an overview of five-frames and specifically demonstrate ways that five-frames, if used in conjunction with concrete manipulatives, can support pre-kindergarten (pre-K) children’s development of Gelman and Gallistel’s ( 1978 ) three basic counting principles: the stable-order principle, one-to-one correspondence, and cardinality. We conclude by discussing the developmental and instructional implications of using five-frames, as well as offer a set of teaching tips designed to help teachers maximize the potential advantages of integrating five-frames in the pre-K classroom.

As the Internet continues to grow as a delivery medium for health information, the design of effective Web sites becomes increasingly important. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of one effective model for Web site design, a user-centered process that includes techniques for needs assessment, goal/task analysis, user interface design, and rapid prototyping. They detail how this approach was employed to design a family health history Web site, Health Heritage . This Web site helps patients record and maintain their family health histories in a secure, confidential manner. It also supports primary care physicians through analysis of health histories, identification of potential risks, and provision of health care recommendations. Visual examples of the design process are provided to show how the use of this model resulted in an easy-to-use Web site that is likely to meet user needs. The model is effective across diverse content arenas and is appropriate for applications in varied media.

The evaluation of teaching quality in mathematics has become increasingly important following research reports indicating that preschoolers are developmentally able to engage in mathematic thought and that child performance in mathematics at this level is a strong predictor of later school achievement. As attention turns to early mathematics education, so too does the focus on teaching quality. This paper reviews nine instruments designed to measure mathematics teaching quality—their theoretical bases, foci, and psychometrics—and examines their appropriateness for administration in early childhood settings. Three of the nine measures are identified as having highly desirable characteristics, with one of them specifically designed for early childhood administration. The measures, our review process, and our recommendations for practice are presented. As school divisions and teacher educators examine teaching quality, they will be better able to support their teachers’ practice, and better able to reap the benefits in improved child outcomes.

Can “Information Age” learners effectively multi-task in the classroom? Can synchronous classroom activities be designed around conceptually related tasks, to encourage deeper processing and greater learning of classroom content? This research was undertaken to begin to address these questions. In this study, we explored the use of instructionally-related instant messaging (IM) discussions during undergraduate university lectures. Over the course of three weeks, students practiced with and then employed hand-held computers for brief, synchronous class discussions in response to assigned questions related to the lectures. Students were observed during these sessions, and students and the instructors were interviewed separately afterwards. The contents of students' discussions indicate that they were capable of engaging in on-task discussions and of expressing opinions and exploring instructionally relevant topics. However, even though students routinely multi-task in classrooms as they attend to lectures, process the contents, and record notes for later study, both students and the instructors expressed some discomfort with discussion occurring synchronously with classroom lectures. In this paper, we describe student discussion behavior, and reflect on possible applications of multiple sequential (rather than simultaneous) tasks during classroom instruction.

Research suggests the importance of professional development for teachers of at-risk children, and while educational technologies can be harnessed to help support teaching practice in innovative ways, such programs are often limited in scale.My Teaching Partner (MTP)was designed to deliver a targeted program of professional development for teaching quality, integrated with early childhood curricula, to large numbers of teachers. It has been used by 235 teachers of at-risk preschool children across the commonwealth of Virginia. MTP links curricula with layers of web-based support, including an on-line consultant--a teaching expert who regularly observes, de-briefs, and extends teachers' educational practice. The research-based curricula support the needs of at-risk Pre-K students in language, literacy, and social relationships; numerous video clips demonstrate effective teaching practice. In this paper, we describe the user-centered design process used and the support services and curricula delivered. The dynamic nature of the website is emphasized, including development practices which enable non-developers to easily contribute and maintain website contents. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this approach, and describe the field trial now underway, which includes examination of child outcomes, teaching quality, and teacher reflectivity. Evaluation data from the project are also summarized.