Assessment and Learning: differences and relationships between formative and summative assessment

The central argument of this paper is that the formative and summative purposes of assessment have become confused in practice and that as a consequence assessment fails to have a truly formative role in learning. The importance of this role is argued particularly in relation to learning with understanding (deep learning). It is pointed out that the requirements of assessment for formative and summative purposes differ in several dimensions, including reliability, the reference base of judgements and the focus of the information used. This challenges the assumption that summative judgements can be formed by simple summation of formative ones. An alternative procedure for linking formative and summative assessment is proposed such that their separate functions are preserved.     

Patterns of contingent teaching in teacher-student interaction

The present study aimed at investigating the process of scaffolding in a naturalistic setting with focus on a key aspect of scaffolding, namely contingency. Three Social Studies teachers in innovative prevocational schools were observed and interviewed. A coding scheme for the measurement of scaffolding was developed which revealed different patterns of contingent and non-contingent teaching amongst the teachers. In general these teachers of innovative schools showed little contingent teaching. Not adapting the support to students' current understanding and barely diagnosing the students' understanding appeared to be characteristic of this scarcity of non-contingent teaching.     

Learning strategies and their relationships to academic performance of high school students in Hong Kong

The present study examines the dynamic relationship between academic performance of high school students and their respective learning and study strategies. Two hundred thirty-six high school students were recruited to participate in this study by completing a Chinese version of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory - LASSI, to probe into the relationship. Results found that (1) there were clear differences to the learning and study strategies used by high school students with high academic performance, and those with low academic performance; (2) all the three components (Will; Self-regulation and Skill) were equally important to differentiate high academic achieving high school students from low academic achieving high school students within the strategic model of learning; and (3) a numbers of learning and study strategies were effectively predicting the academic performance of the high school students. All of these result patterns confirm that learning and study strategies used by high academic achievers and low academic achievers as well as the components used to predict students’ academic performance in the high school setting are quite different from the patterns revealed in the tertiary education sector.     

论“双师型”教师队伍的建设途径

职业教育的职业性和实践性特点,决定了职业学校的专业教师不仅必须具备教师的基本能力和素质,还必须有丰富的现代新型知识和实践能力,既能讲理论又能指导实训操作,“教师技师合一”。建设这样一支高素质的“双师型”教师队伍,是办大、办活、办强品牌专业,实现职业教育又好又快发展的关键。     

Noncontingent and contingent no-choice intervals and concurrent performance

Pigeons responded to changeover-key concurrent variable-interval variable-interval reinforcement schedules while there were intervals during which the changeover key was inoperative (no-choice intervals). In Experiment 1, a multiple schedule on the changeover key signaled choice and no-choice intervals. All subjects showed near-perfect discrimination during initial discrimination training and rapid reacquisition of discrimination following contingency reversals. In Experiment 2, the onset of no-choice intervals was unsignaled and contingent on interchangeover time. The temporal distribution of changeover-key responses conformed to the temporal distribution of choice intervals. The results of both experiments suggest that changeover responding is modifiable as a function of its immediate consequences. The results of Experiment 2, in particular, suggest that time or some correlate of time since the last changeover response can determine subsequent changeover behavior.     

Stereotypy of spatial movements during noncontingent and contingent reinforcement

The degree of stereotypy in the movement patterns of 3 pigeons during noncontingent and contingent periodic food reinforcement was quantified by analyzing the distribution of turning angles, and by using information and Fourier analyses. The results indicated that (1) movement patterns were less stereotyped during noncontingent than during contingent reinforcement, (2) a reversal to noncontingent reinforcement resulted in a degree of stereotypy comparable to that during the first phase of noncontingent reinforcement, (3) movement patterns were maximally stereotyped immediately after food withdrawal and generally became less stereotyped as reinforcement approached, regardless of whether reinforcement was noncontingent or contingent, and (4) higher frequency movements generally accounted for more variance in the movements during contingent than during noncontingent reinforcement. Greater stereotypy in the movements during contingent reinforcement was likely due to a greater probability that similar movements were reinforced during contingent reinforcement. Momentary changes in the stereotypy of the movements within the interfood interval might reflect changes in the level of arousal.     

对普通高校教师队伍建设的思考

科教兴国 ,教育先行。振兴教育 ,关键在教师。因此 ,必须重视教师队伍建设。世纪之交的高校如何形成比较完善的适应社会主义市场经济和教育科技发展的具有各校特色的师资队伍是本文思考的主题 ,即分析现状 ,找出问题、明确任务、提出对策     

The effects of contingent feedback on perceived control and performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact on students’ performance of three contingent feedback strategies used by teachers. Contigency means that the feedback strongly corresponds with task behaviour that can be controlled by the students. Elementary school students (N=296) received individualized feedback about their performance during a series of five lessons. Within this contingent feedback structure, three strategies were applied which were assumed to enhance the perceived controllability of the task situation: (1) enhancing the perceptibility of the contingency between feedback and task behavior; (2) explicit reference to effort as part of the feedback, and (3) setting of goals. As predicted, the three contingent feedback strategies had a significant positive effect on perceived controllability, and led to better task performance.     

Income contingent student loans for Thailand: Alternatives compared

There is significant irresolution in many countries concerning the design of student loan schemes. In no country recently has there been more uncertainty as to the form that loans should take than Thailand. The Student Loans Fund (SLF), a conventional approach to financing, was introduced in 1996, discontinued at the end of 2005, and re-introduced in 2007. In its place an income contingent loan (ICL) was implemented for one year only, 2006. As part of this debate we contribute to an understanding of the repayment burdens associated with the SLF in Chapman, Lounkaew, Polsiri, Sarachitti and Sitthipongpanich (in this issue).     

An alternative conception of mentor–novice relationships: Learning to teach in reform-minded ways as a context

Teacher educators have suggested that mentoring has the potential to help novices learn to teach in reform-minded ways. This suggestion implies a change in the nature of mentor–novice relationships as conceptualized in the existing literature and an understanding of the complexities of mentoring relationships. Based on critical constructivist and social cultural perspectives of learning as well as research on learning to teach, we conceptualize 16 types of mentor–novice relationships and identify challenges and complexities associated with moving novices toward reform-minded teaching. Drawing on exemplary mentoring cases, we illustrate some of our conceptualized mentor–novice relationships and their consequences on learning to teach in reform-minded ways. Finally, we suggest that helping mentors and novices develop a shared vision for teaching and relevant beliefs about learning to teach is a central challenge for using mentoring to support reform-minded teaching.     

The River of Learning: building relationships in a university,school and community Indigenous widening participation collaboration

In this article, findings of a qualitative study of an Indigenous widening participation program are presented. The program, River of Learning, has been in existence since 2010 and represents a powerful collaboration between a rural high school in New South Wales (NSW) Australia, a metropolitan university, Indigenous Elders and non-Indigenous community members. An analysis of the narrative data generated through individual and group interviews with stakeholders provided findings with respect to the program including how it has contributed to the building and strengthening of university and community relationships and how important the interaction with Indigenous Elders and school and university staff is in development of confidence to engage in higher education in the Indigenous students. These findings are discussed and the article concludes with reflections on the learnings generated through such university, school and community collaborations and what these may mean in ensuring greater Indigenous representation in higher education in Australia in the future.     

集群创新:研究型大学学科团队发展对策

首先阐述了学科团队、集群创新等概念;其次,根据研究型大学的特征与内涵,从资源集中、学科综合、职能多样、文化宽松等方面分析了学科团队集群创新的优势;最后,从发展规划、组织结构、运行机制、环境氛围等角度提出了学科团队向集群创新发展的对策建议。     

完善机制 建设学习型学生工作队伍

几年来,北京农学院以全面贯彻中央16号文件为契机,针对新形势下学生工作的新情况、新特点,围绕建设一支政治坚定、品德高尚、业务精湛、作风优良的学生工作队伍的目标,在建设学习型学生工作队伍上进行了有益探索。     

高校人才队伍建设的几点思考

全国人才工作会议的召开,一系列人才政策和举措的出台,极大地推动了高校的人才队伍建设。华东师范大学充分发挥党组织在人才队伍建设中的作用,以良好的机制环境吸引和激励人才,为学校各项事业的发展,提供了有力的保障。     

关于综合性学术期刊编辑队伍建设的思考

建设一支政治强、业务精、纪律严、作风正、结构合理、数量充足的高素质编辑队伍 ,是综合性学术期刊的当务之急 ,也是时代的要求。综合性学术期刊 ,一方面要积极创造条件为编辑人员充电 ,提供知识更新的机会和条件 ;另一方面要面向全国 ,不拘一格选人才。     

Integration of spatial relationships and temporal relationships in humans

Three experiments tested human participants on a two-dimensional, computer, landmark-based search task to assess the integration of independently acquired spatial and temporal relationships. Experiment 1 showed that A-B spatial training followed by B-outcome spatial training resulted in spatial integration in such a way that A was effectively associated with the outcome. Experiment 2 showed that A-B spatial and temporal training followed by B-outcome spatial and temporal training resulted in integration that created both spatial and temporal relationships between A and the outcome. Experiment 3 refuted an alternative explanation, one that is based on decision-making speed, to the temporal-integration strategy that was suggested by Experiment 2. These results replicate in humans the observations regarding spatial integration made by Sawa, Leising, and Blaisdell (2005) using a spatial-search task with pigeons, and they extend those observations to temporal integration.     

新形势下高校学生干部队伍建设探析

高校学生管理是高校管理工作的重要组成部分,而学生干部在学生管理和教育中又起着特别重要的作用,加强学生干部队伍的培养和建设是构建新时期和谐稳定的高校校园的关键.文章论述了高校学生干部队伍建设的重要性,分析了学生干部队伍建设中存在的问题,提出了加强对学生干部队伍自身建设和制度建设的具体对策和措施.