Jennifer Masters

Teacher Scaffolding: An Exploration of Exemplary Practice

While computers have increasingly been used in classroom over the last twenty years, their application has often been mundane; being merely used to reinforce existing educational practices rather than as a catalyst for educational innovation. An effective way to bring about change may be to identify instances of best practice and then study associated strategies that may be useful for teachers trying to use computers in new and meaningful ways. This study investigates strategies used by a teacher deemed to be exemplary at using computers and associated technology in her classroom. It involved observing and recording teaching sessions conducted by the teacher. This paper discusses the learning task, the childrens progression through the task and the teaching strategies used. In particular, it looks for instances of teacher scaffolding as a strategy for supporting children working with computers.

A pilot evaluation of a social media literacy intervention to reduce risk factors for eating disorders

OBJECTIVE This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of a social media literacy intervention for adolescent girls on risk factors for eating disorders. METHOD A quasi-experimental pre- to post-test design comparing intervention and control conditions was used. Participants were 101 adolescent girls (Mage  = 13.13, SD = 0.33) who were allocated to receive three social media literacy intervention lessons (n = 64) or to receive classes as usual (n = 37). Self-report assessments of eating disorder risk factors were completed one week prior to, and one week following the intervention. RESULTS Significant group by time interaction effects revealed improvements in the intervention condition relative to the control condition for body image (body esteem-weight; d = .19), disordered eating (dietary restraint; d = .26) and media literacy (realism scepticism; d = .32). DISCUSSION The outcomes of this pilot study suggest that social media literacy is a potentially useful approach for prevention of risk for eating disorders in adolescent girls in the current social media environment of heightened vulnerability. Replication of this research with larger, randomized controlled trials, and longer follow-up is needed.

Using Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to Frame ‘SuperclubsPLUS’, an Online Social Network for Children

This paper uses a Cultural Historical Activity Theory framework to describe a social-networking online community project, “SuperclubsPLUS”, for children aged 6-12. The use of the CHAT frame enables a detailed description of connections within the project as participants work together to achieve individual and common goals. Application of this structure to the SuperclubsPLUS environment supports the concept that the community is continually changing, shaped by the interactions of the participants. It is anticipated that this snapshot of the project will provide a tangible base in order to further develop and map ongoing patterns of interaction for research.

Learning Mathematics with Technology: Young Children's Understanding of Paths and Measurement.

Geo-Logo was designed as an environment to support the learning of geometry. The research reported in this paper concerns the performance and strategies of children working in one of three gender pairs (girls, boys, and boy/girl) onGeo-Logo tasks that form a complete curriculum teaching and learning sequence. The case studies presented reveal that the children show a high level of engagement and learning in theGeo-Logo environment. They engage in complex problem-solving which requires them to integrate previously acquired mathematical knowledge with strategies, in a new and dynamic way.

Selfies and social media: relationships between self-image editing and photo-investment and body dissatisfaction and dietary restraint

Engagement with social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, may lead to negative outcomes for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating due to the appearance focused nature of the online interactions. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine relationships between social media photo-related activities and overvaluation of shape and weight, body dissatisfaction, and dietary restraint in adolescent girls. Participants were 101 year 7 girls (Mage = 13.1, SD = 0.3) who completed measures of social media use and body image and disordered eating via self-report. Significantly higher levels of overvaluation of shape and weight, body dissatisfaction, dietary restraint, and internalisation of the thin ideal were found for participants who regularly shared self-images on social media, compared with those who were not regular sharers. In addition, after controlling for media exposure and internalisation of the thin ideal, higher engagement in manipulation of self-images and greater investment in the self-images prior to sharing were associated with greater overvaluation of shape and weight, body dissatisfaction, and dietary restraint. Findings suggest that self-image related social media activities may contribute to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating and indicate important contemporary targets for social media based intervention for these problems.

A comparative analysis of nature kindergarten programmes in Australia and New Zealand

ABSTRACT This paper highlights the similarities and differences of seven nature kindergarten programmes in Australia and New Zealand. The study targeted three programmes from New Zealand and four from Australia. Participant observations and semi-structured interviews were used to build a profile of each site. The profiles were compared on factors such as philosophical influences, curriculum design, site location, safety requirements and programme activity. In many ways, the programmes were quite similar, and this was attributed to synergies between the respective curriculum frameworks and the influence of the European Forest School movement. There were, however, some unique features at each site and differences attributed to national perspectives. It is anticipated that the profiling of philosophical and logistical dimensions of nature programmes implemented in exemplar settings can help to inspire other early childhood educators and encourage them to reposition nature pedagogy as part of their own early childhood programmes.

The King Island digital stories (KIDS) project: telling stories for tomorrow’s learning

The King Island Digital Stories (KIDS) project was an initiative to extend children’s literacies through developing digital stories. The project was conducted over a ten-week term with 21 children in a Year 4/5 class. An ethnographic approach was used where the research team worked collaboratively in the classroom to scaffold individual children to represent their story ideas. The children were told that their stories needed to be about King Island and in their voice (first person) but otherwise, the stories could be about any aspect. The project was slow to start but a weekly sharing session helped the children to conceptualise and develop their stories. As the resources began to emerge, it was evident that the children were engaging effectively with the process of digital storytelling and developing their literacies, especially digital literacies. The resulting digital stories were diverse but collectively they communicated a tapestry of life on the island through the children’s eyes.