Shirley Grimshaw

Electronic books: Children’s reading and comprehension

This study investigates the differences in children’s comprehension and enjoyment of storybooks according to the medium of presentation. Two different storybooks were used and 132 children participated. Of these, 51 children read an extract from The Magicians of Caprona, about half reading an electronic version with an online dictionary, and the rest reading a printed version with a separate printed dictionary. The remaining 81 children read an extract from The Little Prince, 26 reading an electronic version, 26 reading the same but with narration and 29 reading a printed version. No dictionary was supplied with this storybook. The type of medium did not significantly affect the children’s enjoyment of either storybook, and while it took them longer to read the electronic versions, this difference was only significant for The Little Prince. For both storybooks, comprehension scores were higher for retrieval-type questions than for inference ones. The use of the online dictionary in the electronic condition of The Magicians of Caprona was significantly greater than that for the printed dictionary in that condition. The provision of narration in the electronic version of The Little Prince led to significantly higher comprehension scores than when narration was absent.

REDEEM: Simple Intelligent Tutoring Systems from Usable Tools

REDEEM allows teachers and instructors with little technological knowledge to create simple Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Unlike the other authoring tools described in this book, REDEEM does not support the construction of domain material. Instead, authors import existing computer-based material as a domain model and then use the REDEEM tools to overlay their teaching expertise. The REDEEM shell uses this knowledge, together with its own default teaching knowledge, to deliver the courseware adaptively to meet the needs of different learners. In this chapter, we first explain how the REDEEM tools capture this knowledge and how the REDEEM Shell uses it. Then, we describe four different studies with REDEEM aimed at answering questions concerning the effectiveness of this approach to ITS development. We conclude by reflecting on the experiences of the last six years and the lessons that we have learned by using REDEEM in a variety of real world contexts.

Reading for pleasure?: A summary of the findings from a survey of the reading habits of year 5 pupils

The paper presents the findings from a study of the reading habits and preferences of 132 mainstream pupils in Year 5 of the English education system. It examines whether or not the pupils enjoyed reading, and if so, why. It discusses what they read, by whom, and for how long. It compares these findings with the pupils’ television viewing and computer use. The study found that more females than males liked reading. Pupils mainly read for enjoyment or relaxation. Books were preferred to comics or magazines. The preferred type of story was adventure. The favourite author for females was Jacqueline Wilson, but for males there was no favourite. On a typical day, about half the sample read at home; all watched television; a quarter of the males, and less than a quarter of the females used a home computer. One fifth of the sample had read a book on a computer. The paper concludes that it is essential that schools and libraries prioritise reading for pleasure, if pupils are to be both competent and willing readers.

Teachers implementing pedagogy through REDEEM

Abstract Previous research has shown that teachers, working in computer supported classrooms, are often unhappy with what they perceive as a diminution of their role as educators. One solution to the problem of loss of control over the teaching and learning process is to provide teachers with tools to develop their own computer-based learning environments. The investigation presented here is a case-based evaluation of one such tool, the redeem authoring environment. redeem is designed to allow teachers to create intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) by taking existing computer-based material as a domain model and then overlaying their teaching expertise. Three educators, one subject matter expert and two practising teachers, were observed using redeem to create an ITS for primary mathematics. They were asked to author for a ‘virtual’ class of students and were given the opportunity to review the consequences of their authoring decisions by watching videos of the ‘virtual class’ interacting with redeem . The evidence from an in-depth study of the participants’ interactions with redeem confirms that the authoring environment is usable by authors with no previous experience in computer-based learning and that teachers can use it to achieve ITSs which match the perceived needs of their pupils. In addition, redeem can provide opportunities for teachers to reflect upon their professional knowledge.

Using an ITS Authoring Tool to Explore Educators' Use of Instructional Strategies

REDEEM is an ITS authoring environment that creates simple ITSs from existing domain material. In this paper, we report on an exploratory study which examined how authors used the REDEEM tools to create ITSs that matched their views on instruction. Four authors were asked to describe a class of children learning primary mathematics and then use REDEEM tools to create ITSs that they thought appropriate for these students. The results of the study showed that although all the authors tended to analyze the class in the same way, they had very different approaches to how they should be taught. We report on the inter-author and intra-author differences in the number and composition of teaching strategies and the application of these strategies to individual children. We conclude that the REDEEM environment can cater for different instructional goals.

The cultural impact of an in-depth consultation on the University of Nottingham A bottom-up approach

Abstract This project aimed to ascertain from those involved in the research process the kinds of electronic tools that would most support them in their work. This information was used to inform and steer development of new tools and resources delivered via secure technology. The approach was predominantly bottom-up with a huge emphasis placed on effective consultation with practitioners. Honest two-way communication between developers and practitioners was an essential part of the process of embedding new ideas and technologies. In seeking to deliver the requirements suggested, the team identified a much wider need for collaboration across many other University departments.