Computer-based assessment of reading ability and subtypes of readers with reading comprehension difficulties: a study in French children from G2 to G9

European Journal of Psychology of Education - Reading difficulties in school are very challenging for teachers due to many different reader subtypes in one and the same class. Moreover, there are...     

Looking through the lenses of science literacy and cultural diversity: learning from Helena’s mistake

Maria Andrée focuses on an immigrant student whose error in a laboratory activity leads to a novel, colorful outcome that she excitedly shares with peers. After engaging in class activities for a few weeks she returns to her earlier dislike of science, saying: "I hate science, particularly Chemistry." The classroom activity system focused on reproduction of school knowledge did not expand to accommodate Helena's “new activity system with an object of learning science.” This essay suggests teachers be prepared to teach diverse students in ways supporting multiple ways to engage in science. This becomes possible when teachers view their classrooms as dynamic, participatory activity systems that support content mastery as contributing to but not being identical to science identity and science literacy.     

A commentary on the Special Issue “Innovations in measuring and fostering mathematical modelling competencies”

Educational Studies in Mathematics - This is a commentary on the ESM 2021 Special Issue on Innovations in Measuring and Fostering Mathematical Modelling Competencies. We have grouped the ten...     

Meaning Making with Multiple Representations: a Case Study of a Preservice Teacher Creating a Digital Explanation

Research in Science Education - The construction of dynamic multimedia products requires the selection and integration of a range of semiotic resources. As an assessment task for preservice...     

Effects of targeted interventions and of specific instructional time on reading ability in French children in grade 1

European Journal of Psychology of Education - The aim is to examine the impact of interventions on fluency and reading comprehension and how the effects of these interventions depend on the time...     

Assessment criteria for competency-based education: a study in nursing education

This study examined the effects of type of assessment criteria (performance-based vs. competency-based), the relevance of assessment criteria (relevant criteria vs. all criteria), and their interaction on secondary vocational education students’ performance and assessment skills. Students on three programmes in the domain of nursing and care (N = 93) participated in the study. Results show that students who were given the relevant criteria made more accurate assessments of an expert model, performed better on a test and achieved higher instructional efficiency (defined as the relationship between performance and mental effort) compared to students who were given all criteria. Students who were given performance-based assessment criteria made more accurate assessments of an expert model and scored higher on task performance during practice compared to students who were given competency-based assessment criteria. They invested less mental effort in the assessments, resulting in higher instructional efficiency. An interaction effect for the concreteness of answers shows that the combination of performance-based and relevant criteria leads to superior analysis of worked examples compared to the other combinations of criteria.     

Evidencing the impact of teaching-related CPD: beyond the ‘Happy Sheets’

Abstract

In this paper we report the outcomes of a national survey of academic development staff in a range of UK HE Institutions to consider the approaches adopted to evaluate teaching-related continual professional development (CPD). Despite the increasing drive towards accountability, the majority of respondents undertook no benchmarking to establish existing knowledge, there was minimal use of existing data sets, and few evaluated provision longitudinally. We argue that in order to arrive at an evidence-informed approach, evaluation and teaching-related CPD must be clearly conceptualised, and aligned with institutional priorities. The involvement of students with staff CPD could also be usefully explored.     

Metropolitan regions—new geographies of inequality in education: the Chicago metroregion case

This paper examines the changing nature of metroregions and their schools. It discusses the influence of global neo‐liberalism and resistance on processes of social differentiation through case studies of Chicago metroregion communities and schools. Using spatial theory, the paper argues that while the restructuring of metroregions creates inequality and marginality, it also bears seeds of a more multicultural, transnational perspective and resistance.     

The missing voice of culturally relevant teachers in school restructuring

This article addresses the role of exemplary teachers of students of color in educational reform. Using an ethnographic study of two urban junior high schools in the beginning stages of restructuring, I describe threeculturally relevant teachers who create empowering educational experiences for low-achieving African American students. Despite their exemplary practice and their enthusiasm for educational change, thewisdom of practice of these teachers was largely discounted in the restructuring process. They were marginalized by ideological and political contexts which suppressed racial issues and advocacy for African American students and which supported a deficit model of low-achieving African American students. Restructuring fostered little examination of policies, practices, and beliefs which tended to marginalize African American students. This research suggests that professional dialogue and collaboration are mediated by teachers' ideologies and by relations of power in schools and communities. If exemplary teachers of children of color are to influence educational change, reformers need to legitimize their knowledge and sponsor their leadership. Also, reforms that benefit marginalized children of color may require the mobilization and participation of parents and communities of color as well as their teacher-advocates. Even though I'm not doing the Mentoring and Counseling Program any more, I can't reject them. They know I care about them. They know when you're not pretending. You don't turn off realness. Paulette I find them where they are. I say, “You've told stories. When you say, ‘The way I see it,’ that's point of view.” I just do it like that. When kids believe you think they can learn, they will. Samuel We have to challenge these students. When we don't give them an opportunity, we're taking something away from them. Helen