Please check, just in case…
APA Tip of the Day: Spaces
There are several places where students
often either don’t put in any/enough spaces
or they put in too many. Here are a few rules:
1. Put only one space in between sentences.
2. In your reference list, if an author has two+
initials, put a space between them.
3. When listing pages numbers, put one
space in between “p.” and the actual
number.
Examples
1. The old rule was two spaces between
sentences. The new rule is only one.
2. Beukelman, D. R., & Mirenda, P. (1998).
Augmentative and alternative
communication...
3. “Insert one space after
• commas, colons, and semicolons;
• periods that separate parts of a reference
citation; and
• Periods of the initials in personal names
(e.g., J. R. Zhang)” (APA, 2010, p. 87-88).
Announcements
1. Your key concepts paper is due in two
weeks. If you haven’t done so already, read
the assignment description, cover sheet,
and instructor grading criteria CAREFULLY.
2. Next week bring your beginning notes/draft
to work on in the second half of class.
Quick
questions or
quandaries?
Today’s Topic:
Pre-symbolic vs.
symbolic
communication
What is a “symbol”?
“Something that
stands for or
represents
something else.”
Vanderheiden & Yoder, as cited in Beukelman & Mirenda, 1998, p. 40
Important Qualification!
In most of the professional literature,
“symbol” is used more specifically than
the previous generic definition. This
term is only used when the
relationship between the sign and the
referent is ABSTRACT.
= New York
Icon:
A direct or obvious
representation.
Symbol:
An arbitrary or abstract
representation
Transparent
= an apple
= NY City
Opaque
Transparent
(icon)
= an apple
= NY City
Opaque (symbol)
How “transparent” is this,
actually?
Is this more transparent?
What is a symbol?
A representation that an individual
uses in a decontextualized
manner, where the relationship
between the representation and
the referent is arbitrary and
abstract.
Children’s early gestures:
“Children’s initial representational
gestures are highly context
bound, presumably because
children lack the understanding
that symbols ‘stand for’ their
referents.”
(Iverson & Thal, 1998, p. 69)
If you didn’t know the relationship
between these symbols and their
referents, would you be able to guess?
If you said yes, figure these out:
Developing “symbol-ness”
“representational gestures become
increasingly distanced from their
referents over time, leading to a
gradual understanding of the type
of arbitrary symbol-referent
relationship that characterizes
most words.”
(Iverson & Thal, 1998, p. 70)
Warning!
Whether a particular representation
is symbolic has to do with the
extent to which the relationship
between a representation and its
referent is context-bound -- for the
particular individual .
Sometimes a cigar is
just a cigar…
Quick Write
Why does it matter whether a
word is a symbol or not? In other
words, why do we need to figure
out whether our students have
developed symbolic
communication?
Small Group Activity:
Using the objects group members
brought to class, come up with two
examples of symbols and two
examples of icons. Be prepared to
explain and defend your examples.
When should
you use words,
symbols, icons,
or actual
objects?
Looking ahead…
Pre-intentional vs. intentional
communication
Please take a
minute for the
minute paper.
And don’t forget to turn
your phone back on.