Assessment for Learning in the writing classroom: an incomplete realisation

An Observation Guide, designed to help New Zealand teachers identify areas of teaching strength and aspects for development, was developed as part of a wider project. In the second phase of this project, 18 middle school teachers used the Guide to gather and record evidence as they participated in seven rounds of reciprocal peer observation and feedback during writing lessons with Grades 6–8 students. We report here on data from round 6 observations about the assessment for learning (AfL) strategies reported as evident in teachers’ practices, how these strategies were implemented and potential gaps in practice. AfL has at its heart a core of interdependent strategies that collectively contribute to the development of autonomous, self-regulating learners and quality learning. While the middle school teachers shared goals for learning and communicated what counted as successful achievement to students, they appeared to struggle when articulating goals in terms of literacy learning and conveying the substantive aspects and quality expected in students’ writing. In addition, despite AfL's promotion of learner autonomy, few teachers openly afforded students focused opportunities to take a meaningful role in their learning through the appraisal of their own and peers’ writing and the joint construction of feedback. As such, teachers’ AfL practice in the writing classroom failed to realise its full potential. It is argued that the promise of AfL can only be reached when strategies are enacted in ways that reflect its unitary nature, promote quality outcomes and give students a central role in their learning.     

3. HISTORY

MEGAMEDIA: HOW GIANT CORPORATIONS DOMINATE MASS MEDIA, DISTORT COMPETITION AND ENDANGER DEMOCRACY by Dean Alger (Lanham, MD: Rowman &; Littlefield, 1998—$27.95, ISBN 0–8476–8389–3, 277 pp., cartoons, notes, index)

UNDER THE RADAR: TALKING TO TODAY'S CYNICAL CONSUMER by Jonathan Bond and Richard Kirshenbaum (New York: Wiley “Adweek Books,”; 1998—$27.95, ISBN 0–471–17469–6, 226 pp., photos, credits, index)

MEDIA IN AMERICA: THE WILSON QUARTERLY READER edited by Douglas Gomery (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998 [rev. ed.]—$40.00/17.95, ISBN 0–943875–86–2 hard, 0–943875–87–0 paper, 303 pp., index)

THE ADVERTISING AGENCY BUSINESS: THE COMPLETE MANUAL FOR MANAGEMENT &; OPERATION by Eugene J. Hameroff (Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Business Books, 1998 [3rd ed.]—$39.95, ISBN 0–8442–3169‐x, 275 pp., index)

MEDIA MANAGEMENT: A CASEBOOK APPROACH by Ardyth Broadrick Sohn, et al. (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates “LEA's Communication Series,”; 1998 [2nd ed.]—$39.95, paper, ISBN 0–8058–3026‐X, 383 pp., tables, notes, references, index)

GLOBAL PRODUCTIONS: LABOR IN THE MAKING OF THE “INFORMATION SOCIETY”; edited by Gerald Sussman and John Lent (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press “Communication Series,”; 1998—$65.00, ISBN 1–57273–171–0, 317 pp., map, charts, tables, references, index)

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY ECONOMICS: A GUIDE FOR FINANCIAL ANALYSIS by Harold L. Vogel (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998 [4th ed.]—$39.95, ISBN 0–521–59438–3, 490 pp., charts, tables, chapter readings, references, glossary, appendices, index)

MEDIA MERGERS edited by Nancy J. Woodhull and Robert W. Snyder (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books “Media Studies Series,”; 1998—price not given, paper, ISBN 0–7658–0409–3, 184 pp., charts, further reading, index)     

Motion pictures

THE FILMS OF MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI by Peter Brunette (New York: Cambridge University Press “Cambridge Film Classics,”; 1998—$49.95/paper price not given, ISBN 0–521–38085–5 hard, 0–521–38992–5 paper, 186 pp., selected bibliography, filmography, notes, photos, index)

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN: NEW ESSAYS ON THE WESTERN edited by Edward Buscombe and Roberta E. Pearson (London: British Film Institute, 1998—$60.00/22.50, ISBN 0–85170–660–6 hard, 0–85170–661–4 paper, 218 pp., chapter notes, photos, color advertising plates, index)

REPRESENTING THE WOMAN: CINEMA AND PSYCHOANALYSIS by Elizabeth Cowie (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997—$18.95 paper, ISBN 0–8166–2913–7 hard, 0–8166–2913–7 paper, 397 pp., chapter notes, photos, index)

TRACKING KING KONG: A HOLLYWOOD ICON IN WORLD CULTURE by Cynthia Erb (Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press “Contemporary Film and Television Series,”; 1998—$24.95, paper, ISBN 0–8143–2686–2, 238 pp., bibliography, chapter notes, index)

IMAGES OF THE PASSION: THE SACRAMENTAL MODE IN FILM by Peter Fraser (Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998—$65.00/22.95, ISBN 0–275–96464–7 hard, 0–275–96465–5 paper, 201 pp., bibliography, filmography, chapter notes, photos, index)

DOCUMENTING THE DOCUMENTARY: CLOSE READINGS OF DOCUMENTARY FILM AND VIDEO edited by Barry Keith Grant and Jeannette Sloniowski (Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1998—$27.50, paper, ISBN 0–8143–2639–0, 488 pp., film and video distributors’ address list, chapter notes, general bibliography, index)

HOLLYWOOD RENAISSANCE: THE CINEMA OF DEMOCRACY IN THE ERA OF FORD, CAPRA, AND KAZAN by Sam B. Girgus (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998—$59.95/paper price not given, ISBN 0–521–62388‐X hard, 0–521–62552–1 paper, 258 pp., index, chapter notes, filmography, B&W photos)

IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN: CONTEMPORARY FEMALE FRIENDSHIP FILMS by Karen Hollinger (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1998—$47.95/18.95, ISBN 0–8166–3177–8 hard, 0–8166–3178–6 paper, 275 pp., chapter notes, photos, index)

INDIGENOUS AESTHETICS: NATIVE ART MEDIA AND IDENTITY by Steven Leuthold (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1998—$35.00/16.95, ISBN 0–292–74702–0 hard, 0–292–74703–9 paper, 238 pp., bibliography, filmography, photos, index)

PASSPORT TO HOLLYWOOD: HOLLYWOOD FILMS, EUROPEAN DIRECTORS by James Morrison (Albany: State University of New York Press “SUNY Series in Postmodern Culture,”; 1998—$65.00/21.95, ISBN 0–7914–3937–2 hard, 0–7914–3938–0 paper, 310 pp., bibliography, chapter notes, photos, index)

EDISON MOTION PICTURES, 1890–1900: AN ANNOTATED FILMOGRAPHY by Charles Musser (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998—$75.00, ISBN 1–56098–567–4, 720 pp., illustrations, bibliography, indexes for film titles, personal and corporate names, subjects, and locations)

THE FILMS OF JOHN FRANKENHEIMER: FORTY YEARS IN FILM: JOHN FRANKENHEIMER TALKS ABOUT HIS LIFE IN THE CINEMA TO GERALD PRATLEY by Gerald Pratley (Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University Press, 1998—$55.00, ISBN 1–900541–40–8, 294 pp., photos, film credits, index)

SAVAGE CINEMA: SAM PECKINPAH AND THE RISE OF ULTRAVIOLENT MOVIES by Stephen Prince (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1998— $35.00/18.95, ISBN 0–292–76581–9 hard, 0–292–76582–7 paper, 282 pp., bibliography, chapter notes, photos, index)

FOR THE LOVE OF PLEASURE: WOMEN, MOVIES, AND CULTURE IN THE TURN‐OF‐THE‐CENTURY CHICAGO by Lauren Rabinovitz (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1998—$49.00/19.00, ISBN 0–8135–2533–0 hard, 0–8135–2534–9 paper, 233 pp., film index, bibliography, chapter notes, photos, index)

REALITY TRANSFORMED: FILM AS MEANING AND TECHNIQUE by Irving Singer (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1998—$25.00, ISBN 0–262–19403–1, 216 pp., notes, photos, index)

THE NEW HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF THE AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY by Anthony Slide (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1998—$55.00, ISBN 0–8108–3426‐X, 267 pp., resource libraries and institutions addresses, index)

FRAMING LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA: CONTEMPORARY CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES edited by Ann Marie Stock (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press “Hispanic Issues, Vol. 15,”; 1997—$47.95/18.95, ISBN 0–8166–2972–2 hard, 0–8166–2973–0 paper, 269 pp., chapter notes, photos, index)

MODES OF REPRESENTATION IN SPANISH CINEMA edited by Jenaro Talens and Santos Zunzunegui (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press “Hispanic Issues, Vol. 16,”; 1998—$54.95/21.95, ISBN 0–8166–2974–9 hard, 0–8166–2975–7 paper, 346 pp., chapter notes, index)

WORKING GIRLS: GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN POPULAR CINEMA by Yvonne Tasker (New York: Routledge, 1998—hardcover price not given/$19.99, ISBN 0–415–14004–8 hard, 0–415–14005–6 paper, 234 pp., bibliography, chapter notes, filmography, photos, index)

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NOVELS INTO FILM edited by John C. Tibbetts and James M. Welsh (New York: Facts on File, 1998—$48.00, ISBN 0–8160–3317‐X, 522 pp., filmographies, references, appendices including biographical sketches of authors, selected bibliography, index)

GUIDE TO AMERICAN CINEMA, 1930–1965 by Thomas R. Whissen (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press “Reference Guides to the World's Cinema,”; 1998—$79.50, ISBN 0–313–29487–9, 389 pp., appendixes, bibliography, index)

ALLEGORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT: AESTHETICS AND POLITICS IN MODERN BRAZILIAN CINEMA by Ismail Xavier (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997—$54.95/21.95, ISBN 0–8166–2676–6 hard, 0–8166–2677–4 paper, 285 pp., chapter notes, photos, index)     

Our Experience with User Experience: Exploring Staffing Configurations to Conduct UX in an Academic Library

ABSTRACT

A research project was undertaken by a university library system to develop a sustainable user experience strategy. A task force was convened to conduct a pilot project with members from both libraries in the system to assess staffing responsibilities, guidelines, processes, and data-gathering procedures. The team tested an electronic resources list common to both libraries. In describing the methods employed by the task force in their research, this article outlines the benefits and drawbacks of staffing configurations to initiate user experience practices in an academic library setting.     

Gaining a future through self‐understanding

Mertens states that teachers should be trained in enrichment education not gifted education, and that the traditional school curriculum could be stretched to serve the needs of the gifted with acceleration and fast‐paced tracks.     

Translating Laboratory Evidence into Classroom Practice with Teacher‐Led Randomized Controlled Trials—A Perspective and Meta‐Analysis

We initiated and structured a single program that supervised teachers, some with neuroscience or psychology degrees, to collaborate and explore the effects of science of learning‐translated pedagogy. This article reports on the 34 findings from teacher‐led randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and replications. Teachers designed trials, looking at areas such as attention, memory, and spaced learning. Overall, positive effects were found over short periods (1–6 weeks; r = 0.15, p < .0001 [d = 0.30], N = 2,157). However, retrieval practice (testing as a learning experience) had differential effects mediated by age, approach, and lesson content. Results suggest science of learning‐translated pedagogy needs extensive replication to establish how best to use laboratory evidence in classrooms. Multiple planned replication of teacher‐led RCTs has potential as an evaluation tool, combining high levels of mundane realism with strong internal validity and the potential to build cost effective large samples for meta‐analysis.     

Teacher perspectives on factors facilitating implementation of whole school approaches for resolving conflict

While social–emotional learning programmes in schools often have positive outcomes, many such initiatives are not well implemented and maintained. This paper reports on teacher reflections on the process of planning and implementing a whole school social–emotional learning (SEL) programme with a conflict resolution focus, called Enhancing Relationships in School Communities (ERIS). Ten primary schools participated in an 18‐month professional development programme offered by the researchers to assist schools to develop a whole school approach to handling interpersonal issues using a cooperative problem‐solving approach. Implementation (core) teams of three to five members, including principal or assistant principal and relevant teachers, attended workshops and managed the change process. In individual interviews, 29 core team members described the most significant changes that had taken place, what factors facilitated those changes and what assisted in overcoming barriers. A synthesised model of facilitators of implementation was developed on the basis of these interviews. The major components of the model included ensuring a whole school vision and process; pre‐programme engagement confirming commitment and alignment of researcher and teachers' visions; facilitative programme structure and processes such as linking the current programme to existing programmes and processes in the school; leadership and support for staff in the change process, for example, through the implementation team; the nature of the programme content; and monitoring and feedback processes to sustain motivation and inform on needs and outcomes.     

Educational inequality in Tasmania: evidence and explanations

In this article, we map the extent of educational inequality within Tasmania, and between Tasmania and the rest of Australia, using National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and senior secondary attainment data. This analysis yields some surprising findings, showing the success of Tasmanian primary and high schools and that Tasmanian educational inequality is most strongly expressed at the senior secondary level. We conclude that using such publicly available data to identify differential achievement within and between jurisdictions would strengthen public policy and practitioner interventions aimed at achieving more equal educational outcomes for students in all schools. Our findings also have implications for research directions in this field, suggesting that by analysis of NAPLAN and My School data across individual schools and jurisdictions academic researchers could assist practitioners gain a deeper understanding of inequalities reproduced by the systems they are working within, while finding examples of schools and systems which show a greater level of success in ameliorating disadvantage.