In the study, it is aimed to determine the views of primary school teachers on dictation activities which are used for reading and writing instruction. The participants of the study, which has adopted qualitative research approach, include the teachers who taught the first grade students at the primary schools in the city center of Eskişehir in 2011-2012 school year. The qualitative data which were collected through open-ended questions have been analyzed by using descriptive analysis technique. In line with the obtained findings, it is determined that the teachers define dictation differently and concluded that it is an educatory activity which brings pupils in various skills such as correct learning of alphabet sounds, letters and words; and notebook use. Moreover, some suggestions on the activities and difficulties which teachers do and experience during dictation are made.

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Distance education is used for teacher training at different levels and fields in Turkey. Launched in the 2000-01 academic year and still applied by Anadolu University, the Preschool Teacher Training Program is one of those programs offered by distance education. This study aims to evaluate Anadolu University's Preschool Teacher Training Program in Turkey by obtaining student opinions. A total of 1,026 senior students enrolled in the Preschool Education major at the Open Education Faculty of Anadolu University participated in the survey. A questionnaire to determine the opinions of students about the program was used as a means of data collection. Means (X) and standard deviations (SD) were employed to analyze the survey data. The results showed that although the teacher candidates study at a good level, they do not have a good record of watching the television programs. The results also revealed that the opinions of teacher candidates about the textbooks, television programs, teaching practices, and academic assistance services are positive.

The purpose of this study was to determine the reflections of authentic task-based learning environments upon students’ learning processes and attitudes regarding the course of Life Science. In the study, which was designed in mixed model, the embedded experimental design was used. The study was carried out in an elementary school third-grade class and conducted in five weeks. The research data were collected via the Attitude Scale for Life Science Course, observations and video records, and semi-structured interviews held with the teacher, students and parents. In this respect, the results demonstrated that authentic task-based learning environments had positive influence on the students’ attitudes towards the course of Life Science. In addition, it was found that in authentic task-based learning environments, the students applied higher-order thinking skills, developed different viewpoints, shared their real-life experiences, made related reflections, benefited from the primary sources, studies cooperatively, maintained communication with their friends out of class environment, undertook multiple roles, associated the authentic context with their own lives, and made use of experts’ experiences in real life. Besides all, it was concluded that the students and their parents generally reported positive views about the use of authentic task-based learning environments and found the current application effective.

The authors describe how Middle Eastern Muslims are represented in a text set of award‐winning picture books. Most were written by authors with outsider perspectives who wrote about (a) antiquated times and practices and (b) war‐stricken countries and dangerous journeys. Although most of the books are not problematic on their own, the large number of the same two stories obstruct many other Middle Eastern Muslim representations, creating blind spots for readers. Authentic books about authors’ beliefs, stories remembered from childhood, and connections between the Middle East and the West are also present, although to a much smaller extent. These themes are described and titles listed for classroom use. Ultimately, although children's literature offers the potential to validate readers’ communities and teach about others, it can also create barriers to understanding by only sharing partial stories, obscuring some stories by overrepresenting others, and revealing information that should not be shared.