Formative assessment (FA) has been a popular discourse in education, but its potential benefit is fundamentally dependent on teachers’ willingness to make changes to their classroom practices. These changes bring about much assessment tension (AT). This paper argues that how well teachers experience and manage AT determines the efficacy of their FA practices. Past studies have warned that AT experienced by teachers is complex and problematic. Therefore, it would be useful to investigate the variation of AT experienced by teachers, and how well they are dealing with these tensions. This phenomenographic research examines the use of FA in the context of different ways that AT is experienced. Findings on teachers’ conceptions of AT are presented, and each is then discussed for insights into teachers’ meanings and practices of assessment. In particular, instances of how AT hindered or helped FA are identified to highlight more productive ways of understanding and using assessment to support students’ learning. Implications of the research findings for the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) will be discussed.
Cultural Studies of Science Education - The science laboratory is a politically entrenched space where complex power relations interplay while social agents learn about the rules and routines to... 相似文献
The problem of student discipline disproportionately affects urban schools with large numbers of low income and ethnic minority students. Research over the past 35 years however has consistently shown that discipline policies that are understood and accepted by teachers, students, and parents and consistently enforced by school officials, correlate with lower levels of student disruption. The important role that urban school districts can play in building consensus in support of student discipline policies has not been well documented. But increased levels of student mobility in large urban areas, and increased diversity among the families served by urban districts, highlight the need for district-wide codes of behavior that provide schools with a range of discipline programs that serve the needs of their particular communities. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the process of developing and implementing a district-wide code of student behavior in Cincinnati played an important role in reducing disruptive behaviors leading to student suspension and expulsion. By involving all stakeholders in the development of its policies, and by responding to the concerns of all stakeholders in the range of programs it offered, the Cincinnati Public Schools was able to build consensus across socioeconomic and ethnic lines and make its code of behavior effective. On the basis of the evidence presented, it is argued that urban school districts can play a more active role in the area of student discipline. By developing and implementing district-wide codes of behavior that are understood and accepted by teachers, students, and parents, and consistently enforced by school officials, urban districts can lay the foundation on which schools can build healthy learning communities. Dr. Lionel H. Brown holds Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Brown is retired from the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) where he served as a teacher, vice-principal, principal, and Deputy Superintendent. His responsibilities in the role of CPS Deputy Superintendent included the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Office of Student Discipline, and the Office of Student Affairs. Dr. Brown is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Educational Studies, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio. His research and teaching interests include urban education, alternative education, and programs for Black males.Dr. Kelvin S. Beckett holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of British Columbia, Canada and a Doctoral degree from the University of London, United Kingdom. He is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Division of Educational Studies, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio. His teaching and research interests include urban education and alternative education. 相似文献
Student self‐assessment is a popular practice for enhancing student empowerment in the assessment process. However, in recent times various writers have questioned whether the practice of student self‐assessment automatically enhances student autonomy. Some writers have even warned that students' participation in the assessment process may discipline, rather than empower, students. How can student self‐assessment be practised in a way that empowers its students instead of disciplining or controlling them? It is argued that student empowerment can only be realized if the ways that power is exercised over students in self‐assessment practices are first understood. This paper examines the issues of power that underlie student self‐assessment practices and analyses how different notions of power enhance or undermine student empowerment. The notion of the teacher's unilateral power as the basis for student self‐assessment is critically examined against three contrasting notions of power in student self‐assessment: sovereign power, epistemological power and disciplinary power. 相似文献
We report a facile and robust microfluidic method to fabricate polymeric core-shell microspheres as delivery vehicles for biomedical applications. The characteristics of core-shell microspheres can be precisely and easily tuned by manipulating the microfluidic double emulsion templates. The addition of a shell can significantly improve the versatility as well as functionality of these microspheres as delivery vehicles. We demonstrate that the nature of the shell material plays an important role in the properties of the core-shell delivery vehicles. The release kinetics is significantly influenced by the material of the shell and other characteristics such as the thickness. For example, by adding a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) shell to an alginate core, the encapsulation efficiency is enhanced and undesired leakage of hydrophilic actives is prevented. By contrast, adding an alginate shell to PLGA core can lead to a reduction of the initial release rate, thus extending the release period of hydrophobic actives. Microfluidic fabrication enables the generation of precisely controlled core-shell microspheres with a narrow size distribution, which enables the investigation of the relationship between the release kinetics of these microspheres and their characteristics. The approach of using core-shell particles as delivery vehicles creates new opportunities to customize the release kinetics of active ingredients. 相似文献