Assessing Students' Opportunity to Learn: Teacher and Student Perspectives

How can we assess the opportunity that students have to learn the material they find on tests? How do students' perceptions of opportunity to learn differ from their teachers?     

Opportunity to Learn: A language-based perspective on assessment

In many countries today schools have been subjected to a testing and accountability agenda tied to a return to 'basic skills' in reading, maths and science and a demand that all children, regardless of race and class, learn these skills. In this paper I argue that current work in sociolinguistics, cognitive science, and literacy studies, work not directly involved with assessment, suggests a more complicated view of assessment and its ties with learning and equity. This view challenges the current testing and accountability agenda, but can also redefine more broadly how we have to think about learning, assessment, and equity in schools. I develop this view around one key notion, namely opportunity to learn . In each section of the paper I discuss some area of current research relevant to learning and assessment and then state a principle about opportunity to learn. While I centre my discussion around assessing reading, in the end I make clear that my argument applies to assessment of all content areas in school (e.g. maths and science).     

学会学习:学生学习素质及培养

学会学习应和学科知识同样成为课堂的基本内容。学会学习是学习素质的重要组成部分,是学情分析的起点。提升学习素质的内容包括:静心训练、注意力训练、记忆力训练、逻辑推理能力训练、想象力训练。培养学生的学习素质要转变学生的培育观念,构建学习素质培养的课程体系、教学方法体系、控制体系。     

Introduction: Learning to Learn from Seattle

The road to Kananaskis Village curves up from Highway 40 in a long twisting arc.     

学以致用 以用促学

读写脱节一直是中学语文教学存在的不良现象 ,也是语文教学低效的重要原因。如何使学能致用 ,以用促学 ?本文提出了读写结合的教学模式 ,并从三个环节对这一模式进行探讨。     

转变教学理念学好大学英语

怎样才能学好大学英语,适应21世纪对人才的需要呢?拟从转变教学理念和掌握正确的学习方法上来阐明观点:教师要转变教学理念,大学生要转变学习理念,两方面结合,才能真正做到"发挥学生的积极性和主观能动性,掌握正确的学习方法,才能学到更多的知识,建立合理的知识结构.     

Learning to Learn From Data: Benchmarks and Instructional Communities

This article examines the use of interim assessments in elementary schools in the School District of Philadelphia. The article reports on the qualitative component of a multimethod study about the use of interim assessments in Philadelphia. The study used an organizational learning framework to explore how schools can best develop the capacity to utilize the potential benefits of interim assessments. The qualitative analysis draws on data from intensive fieldwork in 10 elementary schools and interviews with district staff and others who worked with the schools, as well as further in-depth case study analysis of 5 schools. This article examines how school leaders and grade groups made sense of data provided through interim assessments and how they were able to use these data to rethink instructional practice. We found substantial evidence that interim assessments have the potential to contribute to instructional coherence and instructional improvement if they are embedded in a robust feedback system. Such feedback systems were not the norm in the schools in our study, and their development requires skill, knowledge, and concerted attention on the part of school leaders.     

Problem- and Case-Based Learning in Science: An Introduction to Distinctions,Values, and Outcomes

Case-based learning and problem-based learning have demonstrated great promise in reforming science education. Yet an instructor, in newly considering this suite of interrelated pedagogical strategies, faces a number of important instructional choices. Different features and their related values and learning outcomes are profiled here, including: the level of student autonomy; instructional focus on content, skills development, or nature-of-science understanding; the role of history, or known outcomes; scope, clarity, and authenticity of problems provided to students; extent of collaboration; complexity, in terms of number of interpretive perspectives; and, perhaps most importantly, the role of applying versus generating knowledge.

A leader who gives trust earns trust.His profile is low, his words measured.His work done well, all proclaim,“Look what we’ve accomplished!”—Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching

Problem-based learning (PBL) and case-based learning (CBL) are at least as old as apprenticeship among craftsmen. One can envision the student of metals at the smelting furnace, the student of herbal remedies at the plant collector''s side, or the student of navigation beside the helm. In recent years, however, PBL and CBL have emerged as powerful teaching tools in reforming science education. Most notably, these approaches exhibit key features advocated by educational researchers. First, both are fundamentally student-centered, acknowledging the importance of actively engaging students in their own learning. As the responsibility for learning shifts toward students, the role of the instructor also shifts, from the conventional authority who dispenses final-form knowledge to an expert guide, who motivates and facilitates the process of learning, while promoting the individual development of learning skills. The efforts of an ideal teacher may well be hidden. As Lao Tsu suggested centuries ago, educational achievement is measured by what a learner learns more than by what the teacher teaches.Second, in orienting more toward student perspectives and motivations, CBL and PBL tend to focus on concrete, specific occasions—cases or problems—wherein the target knowledge is relevant. Contextualizing the learning contributes both to student motivation and to the making of meaning (construed by many educators as central to functional memory and effective learning). The cases and problems are not merely supplemental illustrations or peripheral sidebars, but function centrally as the very occasion for learning. This style of learning resonates with views of cognitive scientists that our minds reason effectively through analogy and models, as much as through the interpretation and application of general, abstract principles.A third feature, and perhaps the most transformative, is the potential of PBL and CBL to contribute to the development of thinking skills and an understanding of the nature of science, beyond the conventional conceptual content. As students work on cases or problems, they typically exercise and hone skills in research, analysis, interpretation, and creative thinking. In addition to benefiting from practice, students may also reflect explicitly on their experience and thereby deepen their understanding of scientific practices. But such lessons do not emerge automatically. The instructor must make deliberate choices and design activities mindfully to support this aim.In these three ways, PBL and CBL have proven valuable in many settings and hold promise more widely. An instructor first venturing into the realm of CBL and PBL, however, may easily be overwhelmed by the variety of approaches and the occasional contradictions among them. The literature is vast and includes sometimes conflicting claims about appropriate or ideal methods. This paper aims to introduce some of the key dimensions and to invite reflection about the respective values and deficits of various alternatives. It hopes to inform pedagogical choices about learning objectives and foster corresponding clarity in classroom practice. It also hopes, indirectly, to promote clarity on values and learning outcomes among current practitioners and in educational research and to provide perspective on the discord among advocates of specific approaches.1The first two sections below introduce CBL and PBL, respectively, as instructional strategies reflecting certain values. (A teacher might well adopt both simultaneously.) Beyond these basics, there are many dimensions or distinctions to consider, addressed in successive sections (and summarized in 2 In addition, PBL gained recognition largely from applications in professional education—medical, business, and law schools (Butler et al., 2005 ). These instructional contexts tend to emphasize training. Contemporary science education, by contrast, tends to highlight student-based inquiry and understanding of scientific practices (National Research Council, 2012 ). The original approaches, as models, may need adapting. Most notably, the difference in context, between learning how to apply knowledge and learning how knowledge is generated, can be critical, as described below. The principles surveyed here can help guide the teacher in crafting an appropriate instructional design to accommodate specific contexts and values.

Table 1.

Key dimensions shaping learning environments and outcomes in CBL and PBL

Learning How to Learn: Parental ethnotheories and young children's preparation for school

This paper discusses one aspect of the findings from an ethnographic study of the ways in which four-year-old children learn, and are taught, at home and in their Reception class. The children were from two distinctive cultural backgrounds within the same urban neighbourhood: one-half belonged to UK ('Anglo') families, and one-half to families from Bangladesh. They were observed and assessed throughout their first school year, and additional data were collected from interviews with parents, practitioners and the children themselves. Analysis of the data suggested that one way of understanding the variation in the children's experiences was through the ethnotheories, or cultural belief systems, of their home communities--such as their parents' concepts of childhood, and their theories of intelligence and instruction. The paper argues that such differences in children's home preparation have consequences for their school experience, and carry implications for their school providers. The study of parental ethnotheories, therefore, may help to explain, and alleviate, the differences in school achievement of children from diverse backgrounds. However, accessing respondents' personal theories presents both ethical and methodological problems, particularly when the researcher is working with socially disadvantaged groups. La recherche dans les ethnothe´ories parentales, ou dans les syste ¤ mes de croyance culturels, peut contribuer a ¤ notre compre´hension de l'expe´rience scolaire diffe´rentielle et de l'accomplissement des enfants de classes diffe´rentes et de milieux culturels diffe´rents. Cependant, l'acce ¤ s a ¤ les the´ories personnelles des personnes interroge´es, que peut-etre ils sont inconscients de posse´der, pre´sente proble ¤ mes e´thiques et methodologiques, particulie ¤ rement quand les chercheurs travaillent avec des groupes qui sont de´savantage´s socialement. Cet essai pre´sente quelques de´couvertes d'une e´tude ethnographique sur les fac¸ons dans lequelles des enfants de quatre ans apprennent, et sont enseigne´s, a ¤ la maison et dans leur classe de re´ception. La expe´rience d'apprendre a ¤ la maison est diffe´rente pour chacun des 16 enfants, et dans chaque cas est forme´e par les croyances parentales -- en particulier leurs concepts sur l'enfance, et sur les ro´les des parents, et leurs the´ories sur l'intelligence et l'instruction. Ceux-ci refle ¤ tent partiellement la position des familles dans la communaute´ anglo ou bangladaise dans leur voisinage partage´. Quand les diffe´rences dans la pre´paration e´ducative des enfants a ¤ la maison sont comprises, il y a des implications e´videntes pour leurs pourvoyeurs d'e´ducation. La investigacio´n sobre las etnoteor L ´as paternales, o sea sobre los sistemas culturales de la creencia, pueden contribuir a nuestra comprensio´n de la experiencia diferencial escolar y del logro de los nin ¨ os de clases y or L ´genes culturales diferentes. Sin embargo, el acceso a las teor L ´as personales de los respondientes, que quizas ellos mismos no son conscientes de poseer, presenta problemas e´ticos as L ´ como tambie´n metodolo´gicos, particularmente cuando los investigadores trabajan con grupos socialmente desventajados. Este ensayo presenta algunas conclusiones de un estudio etnogra´fico sobre el modo en que los nin ¨ os de cuatro an ¨ os de edad aprenden, y se les ensen ¨ a, en casa y en su clase de recepcio´n. La experiencia de aprendisaje en el hogar es diferente para cada uno de los 16 nin ¨ os, y en cada caso esta´ formada por creencias paternales -- en particular sobre sus conceptos de nin ¨ ez, y el rol que juegan los padres, y de sus teor L ´as sobre la inteligencia y la instruccio´n. Estos conceptos reflejan en parte la posicio´n de las familias dentro de la comunidad 'Anglo' o banglades L ´ en su vecindario compartido. Cuando las diferencias en la preparacio´n educativa en el hogar de los nin ¨ os son comprendidas, hay implicaciones evidentes para sus proveedores de escuela.     

Videoconferencing: A New Opportunity to Facilitate Learning

The use of distance learning techniques as a means of delivering instruction in higher education classrooms has become increasingly popular with the growing diversity of today's college students. Videoconferencing has been used as a tool to facilitate the simultaneous communication of individuals across varying geographic regions through the use of telecommunication technologies that allow two-way video and audio transmissions. In this article, the authors share their journey into the world of learning about videoconferencing as a way to facilitate the teaching of courses in their newly designed hybrid program. They outline methods for selecting videoconferencing programs, provide specific steps for using a videoconferencing tool across various educational contexts, and discuss other creative ideas for using videoconferencing in PK–12 settings and beyond.     

面向学习者画像的评估工具设计:中小学生“学会学习”能力问卷构建与验证研究

作为学习分析技术之一,学习者画像可以通过多元化数据收集对学生的学习效果与学习过程进行全面深描。然而,并非所有类型的数据都可以通过信息技术直接采集,学习者的能力与素养就是其中之一。为解决这一难题,本研究针对中小学生核心素养——学会学习能力,设计了面向学习者画像的评估工具。通过分析主要国家与地区的学会学习能力评估工具,本研究总结出了认知、情感、元认知三大维度,并在此三大维度下构建了中小学生学会学习能力问卷。为验证问卷的信效度,研究者向上海市M区16所学校中4-9年级的学生发放了网络问卷,共收回有效回答2879份。通过对问卷进行统计分析和修正后,最终得到了具有高信效度的问卷版本。经过修正和验证后的问卷具有以下两个特点:一是问卷独立于学科知识之外,适用于多年龄段的学生;二是面向学习者画像,从中小学生学业学习的角度出发。     

Learn to Lead: Mapping Workplace Learning of School Leaders

In recent years policy makers’ interest in the professional development of school leaders has grown considerably. Although we know some aspect of formal educational programs for school leaders, little is known about school leaders’ incidental and non-formal learning in the workplace. This study aims to grasp what workplace learning activities school leaders value most, what work-related questions incite them to learn, what outcomes they achieve through workplace learning and what conditions support workplace learning of school leaders. In order to generate answers to the research questions, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 Dutch school leaders in secondary education, which also served as a form of reflection for the respondents. Results show that school leaders mostly value workplace learning through working on improvement and innovation and through reflection. In addition to outcomes for the school leader, working on improvement and innovation also leads to learning outcomes for teachers, and seems to provide opportunities for teachers to influence changes in the school. On the other hand, teachers take little or no part in reflection. Here, school leaders find peace and stability to reflect with fellow school leaders. If adjusted to a specific context, the methods used in this study might be transferred to other contexts, to study workplace learning of all kinds of leaders.     

Learning Robotics in a Science Museum Theatre Play: Investigation of Learning Outcomes,Contexts and Experiences

Theatre is often introduced into science museums to enhance visitor experience. While learning in museums exhibitions received considerable research attention, learning from museum theatre has not. The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate the potential educational role of a science museum theatre play. The study aimed to investigate (1) cognitive learning outcomes of the play, (2) how these outcomes interact with different viewing contexts and (3) experiential learning outcomes through the theatrical experience. The play ‘Robot and I’, addressing principles in robotics, was commissioned by a science museum. Data consisted of 391 questionnaires and interviews with 47 children and 20 parents. Findings indicate that explicit but not implicit learning goals were decoded successfully. There was little synergy between learning outcomes of the play and an exhibition on robotics, demonstrating the effect of two different physical contexts. Interview data revealed that prior knowledge, experience and interest played a major role in children’s understanding of the play. Analysis of the theatrical experience showed that despite strong identification with the child protagonist, children often doubted the protagonist’s knowledge jeopardizing integration of scientific content. The study extends the empirical knowledge and theoretical thinking on museum theatre to better support claims of its virtues and respond to their criticism.     

Test-Enhanced Learning: The Potential for Testing to Promote Greater Learning in Undergraduate Science Courses

Testing within the science classroom is commonly used for both formative and summative assessment purposes to let the student and the instructor gauge progress toward learning goals. Research within cognitive science suggests, however, that testing can also be a learning event. We present summaries of studies that suggest that repeated retrieval can enhance long-term learning in a laboratory setting; various testing formats can promote learning; feedback enhances the benefits of testing; testing can potentiate further study; and benefits of testing are not limited to rote memory. Most of these studies were performed in a laboratory environment, so we also present summaries of experiments suggesting that the benefits of testing can extend to the classroom. Finally, we suggest opportunities that these observations raise for the classroom and for further research.Almost all science classes incorporate testing. Tests are most commonly used as summative assessment tools meant to gauge whether students have achieved the learning objectives of the course. They are sometimes also used as formative assessment tools—often in the form of low-stakes weekly or daily quizzes—to give students and faculty members a sense of students’ progression toward those learning objectives. Occasionally, tests are also used as diagnostic tools, to determine students’ preexisting conceptions or skills relevant to an upcoming subject. Rarely, however, do we think of tests as learning tools. We may acknowledge that testing promotes student learning, but we often attribute this effect to the studying students do to prepare for the test. And yet, one of the most consistent findings in cognitive psychology is that testing leads to increased retention more than studying alone does (Roediger and Butler, 2011 ; Roediger and Pyc, 2012 ). This effect can be enhanced when students receive feedback for failed tests and can be observed for both short-term and long-term retention. There is some evidence that testing not only improves student memory of the tested information but also ability to remember related information. Finally, testing appears to potentiate further study, allowing students to gain more from study periods that follow a test. Given the potential power of testing as a tool to promote learning, we should consider how to incorporate tests into our courses not only to gauge students’ learning, but also to promote that learning (Klionsky, 2008 ).We provide six observations about the effects of testing from the cognitive psychology literature, summarizing key studies that led to these conclusions (see

Science and Language Integration in Elementary Classrooms: Instructional Enactments and Student Learning Outcomes

Research in Science Education - While some students will pursue careers in science, all will engage with multimodal science-based texts. The effective use of language skills is essential to support...     

融合学习科学与普适计算:构建大学生泛在学习环境的路径选择

信息技术广泛而又深入地渗透到大学生的学习和生活,但在具体的大学生学习实践中,学习者主动性不足、学习交互行为匮乏、所谓的探究性学习活动形式化严重,学习资源利用意识欠缺等表现普遍,大学生学习质量的提升依然具有较大空间。学习科学的发展重新阐释了学习的本质,提供了泛在互联网络和计算设备的普适计算(Pervasive Computing,Ubiquitous Computing)环境,使泛在学习(Ubiquitous Learning)成为可能。大学校园应科学地配置和整合已有的数字化学习环境,从技术设施、学习资源和学习共同体三个方面,为大学生构建支撑泛在学习的技术文化环境。     

Learning to Learn to Teach: An ``Experiment' Model for Teaching and Teacher Preparation in Mathematics

This paper describes a model for generating andaccumulating knowledge for both teaching andteacher education. The model is applied firstto prepare prospective teachers to learn toteach mathematics when they enter theclassroom. The concept of treating lessons asexperiments is used to explicate theintentional, rigorous, and systematic processof learning to teach through studying one's ownpractice. The concept of planning teachingexperiences so that others can learn fromone's experience is used to put into practicethe notion of contributing to a sharedprofessional knowledge base for teachingmathematics. The same model is then applied tothe work of improving teacher preparationprograms in mathematics. Parallels are drawnbetween the concepts emphasized for prospectiveteachers and those that are employed byinstructors who study and improve teacherpreparation experiences. In this way, parallelsalso are seen in the processes used to generatean accumulating knowledge base for teaching andfor teacher education.     

Being Subjective about Autistic Thinking and Learning to Learn

In this paper, we discuss the deviant pattern of the development of thinking in autism and outline our thesis that the problem with autistic memory is in developing a personal episodic memory, and that this difficulty arises because of a deficit in the development of an experiencing self, which we have termed (after Brewer, 1986) an ‘ego‐self. We discuss constraints which we suggest result in learnable thinking skills remaining domain specific: difficulties with (i) language, (ii) coding, storage and retrieval of information and (iii) the role of emotions. We discuss what ‘improving the thinking’ of individuals with autism would entail and draw implications regarding fundamental requirements and caveats of teaching thinking for all individuals.