In a brightly lit classroom in northeast Brazil, kindergarteners and their teachers gather for their daily circle time on the carpet. However, today is different. The children are joined by a group of visitors from Nebraska, many of whom don’t speak Portuguese.
While there are distinct differences between the U.S. and Brazil, there are even more things the two countries have in common. In particular, a desire to ensure all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential guides the work of early childhood educators, researchers and other professionals in both parts of the world.
Michael Hebert, associate professor of special education and communication disorders, led a May 1 virtual presentation in the Spring 2020 Methodology Applications Series. About 40 people attended his presentation via Zoom video conference.
His presentation, “Seeing the Forest Plot for the Trees: Using Meta-Analysis to Synthesize Research,” is now available on video.
In a typical preschool classroom with as many as two-dozen children, there are bound to be times of elevated stress for the teacher — and sometimes the students.
Along with meeting the needs of several children, teachers juggle many emotional and physical demands in their daily work, often with limited resources. Following an early childhood curriculum or philosophy, engaging families, maintaining a safe environment and dealing with interpersonal conflicts are just some of their daily classroom tasks.
Nebraska researchers are exploring ways to better understand how students with visual impairments are being taught to write, and how that instruction can be enhanced and tailored to each individual student’s needs.
Michael Hebert, associate professor of special education and communication disorders, and Mackenzie Savaiano, assistant professor of practice of special education and communication disorders, are the principal investigators in Project VIEW — Visual Impairments Education in Writing. The four-year study focuses on identifying factors that influence teachers’ writing instruction practices in an effort to improve outcomes among visually impaired students.
For centuries, families have served up good conversation around the dinner table.
Sharing advice, planning events and recounting the day’s highs and lows are key mealtime ingredients to connecting families and building support systems — all while cooking up valuable learning opportunities for the youngest family members.
Although kindergarten is widely recognized as the beginning of a child’s formal academic journey, preparation for that journey is crucial. Research shows that solid early childhood experiences provide substantial benefits for children’s success.
High-quality, early mathematical instruction is particularly important. Children’s early mathematical knowledge also predicts reading achievement even beyond kindergarten.
As demand increases for employees with expertise in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, representation of Latinos in STEM fields continues to lag.
As of 2011, Latinos represented only 7 percent of the American STEM workforce, despite accounting for more than 16 percent of the U.S. population.
