[senco-forum] help for a pupil recognising numbers

I am so sceptical about the efficacy of some of these practices... Does

I'm not in the slightest bit upset, Maggie.  I thought that Philippa's 
advice, outlining strategies and approaches that she has found effective in 
practice, and supported by a case study (one of many that she has posted) 
was entirely credible - certainly enough for most sensible practitioners to 
consider trying what's been suggested, even if it needs to be adapted for 
the particular children that they work with.

This would certainly be a more sensible approach than trying nothing, while 
waiting for some peer-reviewed research that may or may not happen.

It's entirely your right to be sceptical (which I have logged in my 
understanding as 'doubting, inclined towards incredulity', so yours is a 
pretty hairline semantic distinction).  But peer-reviewed research only gets 
to the design stage on the back of real-life, on-the-ground practice, 
otherwise we're just plucking hypotheses out of the air.

It's even your right to be sceptical when a well-known, published 
practitioner with a solid academic background puts forward suggestions based 
on professional practice.

But perhaps most of us begin from a position of neutrality, rather than 
scepticism, which is normally founded on experience or knowledge that 
contradicts the ideas being put forward.

Honest, I'm not upset!  But I'm not impressed, either, because you haven't 
put forward, or referred to, any evidence to explain why you are so 
sceptical.

Biff

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Maggie Downie
To: Biff Crabbe ; Mary Kelly ; 'WrayJanice Wray' ; 'senco forum'
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 3:23 PM
Subject: Re: [senco-forum] help for a pupil recognising numbers - 
notdyscalculic

Well, most of them, really!  Note I said 'sceptical', not 'I don't believe 
it'!.. I'm willing to be convinced by some well researched, peer reviewed, 
evidence.  What is wrong with that?  Doesn't 'advice' on this forum extend 
to advice on where to find evidence for a practice?

After all, massive swathes of the teaching profession used to believe that 
children learned to read by 'immmersion' in text, learning word shapes and 
looking at pictures.  Was it research evidence or 'teachers' 
beliefs/experience' that caused a (slight) denting of this particular 
belief?

No-one has to agree with me or get upset because I don't subscribe 
uncritically to 'accepted practice'.

Maggie

Biff Crabbe <ba at biffc.vispa.com> wrote:
Which are the practices about which you are so sceptical Maggie? Are we to
take it that your scepticism about their usefulness is based simply on the
absence of peer-reviewed research?

Biff
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Maggie Downie"
To: "Mary Kelly" ; "'WrayJanice Wray'"
; "'senco forum'"
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 1:27 PM
Subject: RE: [senco-forum] help for a pupil recognising numbers -
notdyscalculic

>I am so sceptical about the efficacy of some of these practices... Does
>anyone have references to any peer reviewed studies which confirm their
>utility?
>
> Maggie

Sent from Yahoo! - a smarter inbox.

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.6/1282 - Release Date: 15/02/2008 
19:08 