Developing Performance Standards for Teacher Assessment by Policy Capturing

There is a need for assessment of teachers' competencies fostered by a growing attention given to accountability and quality improvement. Important questions are how good the demonstrated competencies of teachers should be for a satisfying assessment and how the different competencies should be weighted. Using a policy capturing method, in two rounds, nine stakeholders developed performance standards (or cut-off scores) for teacher assessment on eight criteria (or content standards) that resulted from an earlier study. Between the rounds, the panellists held a structured group discussion. Policy capturing proved to be a clear and useful method generating consistent judgements that can be described according to both a compensatory model and a conjunctive model. From the first to the second round, the consistency increased. However, while the panellists agreed to a substantial degree on the performance standards, they disagreed on the weights to be assigned to the criteria.     

“线上线下,虚实结合”的工业机器人实践教学模式设计与实现

针对当前高职院校工业机器人实践教学中普遍存在的问题,将传统教学模式与信息化教学模式相结合,基于PDCA循环理念和翻转课堂形式,设计了“线上线下,虚实结合”的工业机器人实践教学模式.以“工业机器人分拣”实验项目为例,按“教学准备(plan)—教学实施(do)—教学评价(check)—教学反思(act)”四个阶段详细阐述了...     

基于核心素养的课堂改革本质、困境与出路

基于核心素养的课堂改革在推进过程中,出现了远离核心素养的不良现象,这是因为相关课堂实践偏离了改革本质,找不准走出课堂困境的出路。要深入推进基于核心素养的课堂改革,需要把握其质量、理论与实践本质,针对还原论与组装式、概念化与灌装式、简单化与平面式的课堂改革,细化价值重塑、要素整合、创新样态和分层发展等措施。     

新时期大学体育课堂教学“拓展延伸”研究

大学体育课堂教学的拓展、延伸、补充、完善,是整个大学体育教育链条上的一个不容忽视的重要环节,也是提高大学生身体素质和心理承受能力最直接、最有效的体育教育载体.随着大学体育课程改革的不断深化,大学体育课堂教学模式也在不断创新和发展,不再局限于体育基本技术技能的学习,而是从项目、目标、空间、时间、方法、资源等方面＂拓展延伸＂,形成了有利于培养学生创新精神、实践能力和社会适应能力等全面提高的教学模式.     

问题导学法在初中数学教学中的应用探究

问题导学法是随着教育教学改革不断深化而出现并且得到教师广泛关注和应用的一种新兴的教学模式。在初中数学教学课堂上应用这种模式,不仅能实现教学效率的提升,还有助于学生自主学习能力的强化,实现学生的综合发展和成长。因此,教师要在课堂上强调问题的设计,通过师生有效沟通以及课堂的回顾总结,使这一模式在数学课堂上得到更好的应用,同时给初中学生的数学学习和全面发展提供更大的帮助。     

Graduate teaching assistants’ perceptions of teaching competencies required for work in undergraduate science labs

ABSTRACT

Many post-secondary institutions provide training and resources to help GTAs fulfil their teaching roles. However, few programmes focus specifically on the teaching competencies required by GTAs who work with undergraduate students in laboratory settings where learning tends to be more active and inquiry based than in classroom settings. From a review of 8 GTA manuals, we identified 20 competencies and then surveyed faculty and lab coordinators (FIS) and GTAs from a Faculty of Science at a comprehensive Canadian university to identify which of those competencies are required of GTAs who work in undergraduate science labs. GTAs and FIS did not significantly differ in the competencies they view as required for GTAs to work effectively in undergraduate labs. But, when comparing the responses of GTAs and FIS to TA manuals, ‘Clearly and effectively communicates ideas and information with students’ was the only competency for which there was agreement on the level of requirement. We also examined GTAs’ self-efficacy for each of the identified competencies and found no overall relationship between self-efficacy and demographic characteristics, including experience and training. Our results can be used to inform the design of training programmes specifically for GTAs who work in undergraduate science labs, for example, programmes should provide strategies for GTAs to obtain feedback which they can use to enhance their teaching skills. The goal of this study is to improve undergraduate lab instruction in faculties of science and to enhance the teaching experience of GTAs by better preparing them for their role.     

Accountability for Quality: One State’s Experience in Improving Practice

South Carolina recently implemented a new initiative to improve the quality of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms in primary schools. This article describes the initiative and examines evidence that such an effort can have a positive effect on early childhood program quality. Data from both classroom observations using the ECERS-R scale, and from teacher surveys, are used to examine the effectiveness of the quality improvement effort. Results indicate that training and support coupled with accountability requirements can facilitate positive changes within classrooms. Examples of positive changes teachers report they made as the result of this process are included, along with changes in ECERS-R quality rating scores.     

提高实验教学质量的措施

实验教学质量是高校教学质量保证的一个重要内容,针对影响实验教学质量各个关键环节提出合理的质量要求,这些要求形成实验教学质量的系统控制.同时,这些要求也为实验教学质量评价提供依据,保证实验教学质量可控和优质.     

Just add hours? An assessment of pre-service teachers’ perception of the value of professional experience in attaining teacher competencies

This study compared pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their professional competencies at two campuses of a large regional teacher education university, where one campus provided students 22% more hours of professional placement in schools and related educational settings. Students who had experienced more hours in schools and such settings were more positive about their, ability to apply their knowledge of students and how they learn, classroom management, professional knowledge and practice, and community engagement; however, when students felt well supported during professional experience, such differences diminished. Additional hours were not associated with pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their ability to apply subject content and teaching; plan, assess and report; and effective student communication. Researchers argued that this pointed to the crucial role of good classroom mentors in teacher professional experience but also the value of students’ tertiary teacher education in preparing them for classroom teaching.     

高校学生关键能力的弹性培育体系构建研究

中国高校对学生关键能力的培养与发达国家相比仍处于相对薄弱的状态,表现为:缺乏对"关键能力"指标的科学分析和评价;关键能力培养没有进入课堂;关键能力培养的实施策略缺乏系统有效的机制。构建基于学生"关键能力"的"弹性素质培育体系"的策略为:分级构造"关键能力"指标模型;结合"关键能力"指标,弹性构造学生综合素质培育体系。     

基于语文核心素养的SCORE课堂教学模式构建

基于语文核心素养的SCORE课堂教学模式的心理学依据源于马斯洛的需求层次理论,其教育学理论基础则在于当代素质教育和课程改革所围绕和提倡的学生核心素养的培养。SCORE课堂教学模式的设计原则是推动自主学习和原生态学习;其过程系统是秉持学生本位原则和社会性育人目标,以课前学情解析为教学起点,以设置发布综合性任务的形式,在引导和辅助学生获取新知识的过程中,培养学生的学习能力、探索能力和交流能力。     

课堂教学情境下学科高阶思维的结构与发展规律——以语文学科为例

高阶思维发展“沉浸”在不同学科课堂教学情境中,呈现出具有学科思维特点和学科活动特征的内在结构与发展规律。文章以语文学科为例,基于思维结构、高阶思维结构等基本理论,结合对学科思维的深入剖析,建立了认知要素与情感要素协同作用、思维过程与思维品质动态发展的学科高阶思维结构模型;进而以模型为理论框架对学科课堂教学视频进行质性分析,挖掘课堂情境中高阶思维活动发生与发展的表现与特征,构建了以复杂问题解决过程为主线、体现思维活动阶段性特征、高阶思维内在要素协同发挥作用、高阶思维外在品质不同程度提升的学科高阶思维发展规律模型。以期为探析学科高阶思维结构与发展规律提供一种思路与方法,为高阶思维发展取向的学科课堂教学设计与实施提供理论依据。     

基于补偿模糊神经网络在高校课堂评价中的应用

分析了补偿模糊神经网络的原理及其实现过程,并把它应用到高校课堂综合评价中,构建了高校课堂教学质量评价的补偿神经网络模型。实验结果表明,该评价模型能够较好地对课堂教学质量进行综合的评价,评价结果有利于促进课堂教学质量的提高。     

Improving the process of education: Total quality management for the college classroom

This article's purpose is to improve the effectiveness of classroom teaching by proposing a specific program for continuous improvement toward instructional excellence. Total quality management (TQM) is a systematic approach which utilizes four main elements: quality defined by the customer, top leadership responsibility for quality improvement, increased quality through systematic analysis of work processes, and quality improvement by continuous effort conducted throughout the organization. A strategy for continuous classroom improvement is developed through an examination of various definitions of quality and a comparative analysis of dimensions of quality, service quality, and effective teaching which aims to inspire and give direction.James P. Gilbert is an Associate Professor of Operations Management at The University of Georgia. He received his MBA from Western Illinois University and Ph.D. from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research interests include: total quality management methods, service management systems, and Japanese management techniques. Kay Keck is Director of Graduate Programs at The University of Georgia and teaches the first-year marketing course for MBA students. She obtained an MBA from the University of Kansas, and Ph.D. in Management Science from The University of Texas at Dallas. Her research interests center around sales management, services marketing, and applications of TQM in both sales and higher education. Ronald D. Simpson is Director of the Office of Instructional Development at The University of Georgia, where he also is professor of Higher Education and Science Education. He holds degrees from The University of Tennessee and The University of Georgia.     

Children’s academic and social-emotional competencies and the quality of classroom interactions in high-needs urban elementary schools

Teachers are often viewed as being primarily responsible for the quality of their classroom environment and teaching practices. Yet, the aggregate skills and competencies of children within classrooms may affect teachers’ ability to engage in emotionally and instructionally supportive interactions and maintain an organized classroom. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify common types of classrooms based on children’s academic and social-emotional competencies, and (2) examine the relation between classroom compositional profiles and the observed quality of classroom interactions across three domains, while accounting for the quality of interactions in teachers’ classrooms assessed during the prior school year. Participants included 117 third-grade teachers and their 1803 children from 53 urban public elementary schools, in the United States, composed of mostly Black and Latinx children from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Data were collected as part of a randomized-controlled trial of a social-emotional learning intervention and included assessments of children’s English language arts test scores, social competence, aggressive behaviors, depression, and anxiety, and the observed quality of classroom-level emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. Latent profile analysis revealed three distinct profiles: (1) academically and behaviorally high-risk classrooms (9%), (2) academically and emotionally at-risk classrooms (48%), and (3) academically and behaviorally low-risk classrooms (43%). Classrooms in the high-risk profile had significantly lower levels of emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support, while accounting for teachers’ prior year interactional quality and a set of key teacher and classroom demographic and compositional covariates. Implications for teacher accountability and school tracking practices within high-needs urban public schools are discussed.     

An investigation of preschool classroom behavioral adjustment problems and social–emotional school readiness competencies

The study examined the unique relationship between multiple dimensions of classroom behavioral adjustment problems and salient social–emotional competencies for urban Head Start children. These relationships were investigated using a hierarchical model that controlled for the variance in social–emotional outcomes attributed to age, gender, and verbal ability. Classroom behavioral adjustment problems were assessed early in the year by the Adjustment Scales for Preschool Intervention (ASPI) across multiple, routine preschool classroom situations. Outcomes assessed at the end of the year included emotion regulation, peer play in the home and neighborhood context, and approaches to learning. Socially negative behavior in the classroom predicted emotional lability, maladaptive learning behaviors, and disruptive social play in the home at the end of the year. Withdrawn behavior uniquely predicted lower affective engagement in the classroom and disconnection from peers in the home context. Findings provide predictive validity for the ASPI. Implications for policy, practice and future research are discussed.     

职业院校在线教学质量评价体系构建研究

针对在线教学课堂教学质量评价体系进行研究,构建学生、督导、同行三维度的在线课堂教学质量评价指标体系,为在线教学质量监控和提升提供一定的参考。探讨了评价指标体系构建的目的在于建立在线课堂教学质量评价数据库,利用数据库中的数据对教师在线课堂教学质量进行精准分类评价,以实现教师在线教学能力和教学质量的“双提升”。     

Working in the Mathematics Frame: Maximizing the Potential to Learn From Students' Mathematics Classroom Discussions

The quality of students' mathematics classroom discussions is an important factor in determining mathematics classroom learning outcomes. Good mathematics classroom discussions provide an opportunity for ideas to be shared and developed, but not all mathematics classroom discussions produce these learning opportunities. In this paper I discuss three constructs (subject, purpose, and frame) and how they can be used to analyze and characterize the quality of students' mathematics classroom discussions in terms of the mathematics learning potential that those discussions provide. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

What Competencies Do Sub-Baccalaureate Degrees Teach? Retrospective Reports from College Graduates

Sub-baccalaureate degrees represent a growing and distinctive sector of American higher education. However, policymakers and community colleges lack a clear understanding of the specific competencies learned in these programs that are useful in graduates’ careers. In particular, they overlook non-academic skills. This study uses qualitative interviews with sub-baccalaureate degree alumni (n = 98) to elucidate graduates’ perspectives on the range of competencies learned in sub-baccalaureate degree programs. Graduates reported learning several competencies that remained salient in the long term: cognitive processes and strategies, content knowledge, work ethic, self-efficacy, teamwork, and professional skills. In addition, this study analyzes whether disadvantaged students were more likely to report learning certain competencies. By describing a fuller range of valuable non-academic competencies, as well as how different student populations may vary in learning these competencies, this study contributes to a better understanding of sub-baccalaureate degrees’ value. These findings also provide insight for community college faculty, administrators, and/or policymakers seeking to build sub-baccalaureate programs that better prepare students for career success.