Assessment for learning in the accountability era: Queensland, Australia

Developments in school education in Australia over the past decade have witnessed the rise of national efforts to reform curriculum, assessment and reporting. Constitutionally the power to decide on curriculum matters still resides with the States. Higher stakes in assessment, brought about by national testing and international comparative analyses of student achievement data, have challenged State efforts to maintain the emphasis on assessment to promote learning while fulfilling accountability demands. In this article lessons from the Queensland experience indicate that it is important to build teachers’ assessment capacity and their assessment literacy for the promotion of student learning. It is argued that teacher assessment can be a source of dependable results through moderation practice. The Queensland Studies Authority has recognised and supported the development of teacher assessment and moderation practice in the context of standards-driven, national reform. Recent research findings explain how the focus on learning can be maintained by avoiding an over-interpretation of test results in terms of innate ability and limitations and by encouraging teachers to adopt more tailored diagnosis of assessment data to address equity through a focus on achievement for all. Such efforts are challenged as political pressures related to the Australian government's implementation of national testing and national partnership funding arrangements tied to the performance of students at or below minimum standards become increasingly apparent.     

贵阳市小学教师校本专业发展调查与研究

通过对贵阳市小学教师校本专业发展调查与研究,提出贵阳市小学教师校本专业发展的对策和措施,为贵州省小学教师校本专业发展提供理论支持并进一步推动贵州省小学教师校本专业发展。     

Negotiating epistemological challenges in thinking and practice: A case study of a literacy and inquiry tool as a mediator of professional conversation

This study examines how a Humanities team engaged in professional conversation to refine and implement a literacy and inquiry tool in an Asian Studies curriculum. Drawing on socio-cultural perspectives of teacher learning and theories of tools as mediators of action, this case study investigates the ways this community of practice discussed their understandings of contexts, curriculum, and classroom practice to implement the literacy and inquiry tool. Such practices hold promise for the design of professional learning experiences where teachers engage in conversations about key tools they can use in their practice and assume more control of their own professional learning.     

Successful university-school partnerships: An interpretive framework to inform partnership practice

This paper presents an Interpretive Framework stemming from a longitudinal and iterative multiple case study of five Australian universities examining the cogent and unique practices underpinning their established and successful school-based science teacher education programs. Results from interviews with teacher educators, school staff and pre-service teachers, show four components that guide the successful and sustainable use of university-school partnerships. These components: Guiding Pedagogical Principles; Growing University-School Partnerships; Representations of Partnership; and Growth Model provide a scaffold for initiating, growing and sustaining partnerships that maximise the benefits for all. The essential role of both university and school staff is also highlighted.     

The role of treatment acceptability,effectiveness, and understanding in treatment fidelity: Predicting implementation variation in a middle school science program

Evaluating a school-based program is a particular challenge when teachers implementing the program. Variations in implementation can be difficult to measure and predict. We developed measures to explore variation in treatment implementation and serve as predictors of variation in a school-based science education program. Based on previous work, we focused on assessing treatment acceptability, effectiveness, and understanding among teachers as critical determinants of variations in program implementation using self-reported and objective measures of implementation. All three constructs were associated with implementation of the program. Our measures of these constructs show promise for use in formative and summative evaluations. Our stratification of program elements with implementation predictors can provide a template for future exploration of treatment fidelity.     

中职教育听障生语文教学实践探析

从中职教育听障生语文教学现状入手,分析了分层教学的必要性和可行性,并确定其基本原则、具体措施和实施过程。在教学中采用学生主动参与、自主协作、探索创新的教学模式,开展适合学生特点的"教师为主导、学生为主体"的教学活动。在校本教材建设中,注重体现平衡工具性与人文性的关系、学习方法、体例设计等校本教材的特点。     

民族地区体育校本课程开发的创新模式及成效研究——以吉首大学《民族传统体育》校本课程为例

文章运用文献资料法和理论与实践结合等方法,分析了吉首大学＂民族传统体育＂校本课程开发的创新模式：因地制宜地开发课程资源;课程内容的时代性与长远性;灵活多样的教学组织形式;科学完善的多元评价体系。同时,阐述了＂民族传统体育＂校本课程开发后的实施效果。     

高校毽球特色校本课程开发的研究

文章总结了晋中学院毽球校本课程开发的经验教训,探讨了高校毽球特色校本课程开发的依据,提出了毽球校本课程开发的措施,以期为民族民间体育的开发提供一定的借鉴。     

提高普通高校体育教学质量的思考

普通高校体育教学质量直接影响大学生的身心发展,提高普通高校体育教学质量至关重要。影响普通高校体育教学质量的因素有教师、学生、教材、教学方法、教学评价等。提出了提高普通高校体育教学质量的举措：对体育教师进行培训,全面提高体育教师的素质;提高学生的自信心和学习的积极性;开发校本课程,使教学更有特色;正确选择体育教学方法,引进先进的体育教学方法;建立多维度评价体系和多元的评价主体观念,保证教学目标的达成。     

The school leader’s role in school-based development

ABSTRACT

Background: While the school leader’s role is undoubtedly instrumental in school effectiveness, the specific influence of formal leadership on pupil learning is indirect and can be difficult to determine. Research findings suggest that school leaders can influence school organisation and pupil learning by acting catalytically, thus unlocking their schools’ existing potential. In school-based development, school leaders and their staff undergo a workplace development process, using school resources to contribute to it.

Purpose: This article explores the concept of leadership in school-based development, focusing on leading teacher learning processes in relation to pupil learning. The research problem is formulated in the following question: How is the school leader’s role enacted and experienced when enhancing teachers’ learning in school-based development? The intent of the study was to further the understanding of leadership in school-based development.

Sources of information and method: A qualitative interview study was conducted with teachers and leaders from three lower secondary schools, roughly 2 years after the schools participated in a formal school-based development project which was initiated by the Norwegian education authority. To present the findings based on the collected data, narrative texts were constructed.

Findings: The findings draw attention to the importance of leaders’ participation in the teacher learning processes of school-based development. The study highlights the importance of leaders building trust in their schools: development processes must be collegium-rooted with common goals for the whole school. The interplay of culture, structure and content is found to be necessary for successful school-based development. Furthermore, school leaders need to balance internal and external accountability, moving school practices towards local goals, which are constructed within national overall aims.

Conclusions: The study suggests that leaders require an overview of developmental processes to manage to support and progress development; leadership needs to be distributed. Further research on leaders’ learning in relation to school-based development can generate knowledge that serves as a thinking tool, thereby informing leaders’ actions in support of school-based development.