Carol Rolheiser

Student Self-Evaluation in Grade 5-6 Mathematics Effects on Problem-Solving Achievement.

We examined the effects of self-evaluation training on mathematics achievement. When Grade 5-6 students self-evaluated for 12 weeks (N = 259 treatment, 257 control) treatment students outperformed control students (ES = .40). The findings contribute to the consequential validity argument for self-evaluation. Considered in the context of previous research, these results indicate that subject moderates the effects of self-evaluation on achievement.

Skills training versus action research in-service: impact on student attitudes to self-evaluation

Teachers in 23 classes in one district were randomly assigned to two frequently used professional development methods. In the skills training treatment expert presenters provided strategies for teaching students how to evaluate their work. Teachers received three training workshops, a handbook of resources (containing case studies, strategies, and student self-evaluation instruments), two half-days of in-school release time, and information about the beliefs of their students about self-evaluation. Teachers were expected to implement the strategies presented. In the action research treatment teachers received the same resources but the in-service sessions emphasized the process used by a previous group of (CLEAR) teachers to improve their use of student self-evaluation. The CLEAR teachers delivered most of the in-service and acted as mentors to the teachers in the action research condition. Pre- and post-test student surveys and interviews indicated that the action research condition made a more positive contribution to student attitudes toward self-evaluation than the skills training condition. The advantage of the action research condition was attributed to (1) sharing control in the in-service provided a better model of sharing control in the classroom, and (2) the handbook examples provided to teachers in both conditions were generated in earlier action research projects, making the information more accessible to teachers in the action research condition. The modest student impact of the treatments was attributable to the neglect of student cognitions about self-evaluation in the classroom, the short duration of the project (8 weeks) and the dilution of effects through rotary timetables.

Accomplishing large scale reform: a tri-level proposition

The field of educational reform has shifted focus over the past decade to issues of large scale, sustainable reform. It is no longer sufficient to work with one school at a time. In our own work we are working on the tri-level reform model which is what has to happen at the 1) school and community level 2) the district or regional level and 3) the state level. Both intralevel development (within the levels) and crosslevel coordination are needed. We have been involved in many examples of district level capacity building involving many or all schools within a district, and some multilevel reform initiatives such as the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy in England. This chapter outlines the tri-level model and provides examples of how the model works in practice.

Pre-Service Portfolios: A Base for Professional Growth

We studied first-year teachers who had developed professional portfolios in their pre- service program. Data came from two interviews with 11 graduates. Participants valued the portfolio process, most continuing to maintain their professional portfolios and to use aspects of the process with their students. Two frameworks, “The Portfolio Organizer” and “retell, relate, reflect,” supported portfolio use. Factors affecting continued portfolio implementation included first-year teaching pressures, the influence of other teachers, and external expectations. The first-year teachers experienced a positive change in attitude and acquired confidence as they refined their use of portfolios. L’etude porte sur l’utilisation des portfolios professionnels par des enseignants en formation des maitres. Les donnees proviennent de deux entrevues menees aupres de 11 etudiants diplomes. Les participants apprecient la methode du portfolio ; la plupart les tiennent a jour et en utilisent certains elements avec leurs eleves. Deux systemes, « The Portfolio Organizer » et « retell, relate, reflect », favorisent l’utilisation des porfolios. Parmi les facteurs ayant une incidence sur le recours aux portfolios, les auteures mentionnent les pressions inherentes a l’enseignement lors de la premiere annee, l’influence des autres enseignants et les attentes externes. Au cours de leur premiere annee, les enseignants deviennent plus surs d’eux-memes a mesure qu’ils raffinent leur utilisation des portfolios.

Influences on Student Cognitions About Evaluation

Interviews on two occasions with 71 Grade 2, 4 and 6 students in a multi-ethnic setting in Toronto, Canada, found that student cognitions about evaluation mediated the relationship between evaluation and achievement. Parents, peers and student characteristics influenced student cognitions about evaluation. Parents identified the evaluation dimensions their children should attend to, raised student aspirations, stated how well student work attained standards and recommended actions children should take in response to the evaluation. Peer interpretations influenced whether a given performance was viewed as superior or inferior. Older student peers focused attention, to a greater extent than parents, on specific aspects of student performance that could be ameliorated through self-remediation. Children became more sophisticated evaluation consumers as they grew older. Females processed evaluation data more productively than males. There were few cultural differences in response to evaluation. Students responded to traditional and alternate evaluation in very similar ways.

Building Norms for Professional Growth in Beginning Teachers: A Learning Consortium Initiative

ABSTRACT One of the goals of Junior/Intermediate Option 2, a preservice and induction program initiated by the Faculty of Education, University of Toronto, and the Learning Consortium (a schoolboard/university partnership), is to explore the formation of peer groups and improve the significance of peer relationships among preservice and induction teachers. The authors report on the specific cooperative learning structure of Base Support Groups used to foster a sense of community in the Junior/Intermediate preservice program (J/I Option 2). The data suggest that the use of the Base Support Group (a valuable cooperative learning strategy in teacher education) is an important component of the process of fostering collegiality and collaboration. The base support group is not only valuable in the preservice program but also is effective as a mechanism for ongoing support in the induction phase. In this study, base support groups are instrumental in facilitating understanding in preservice course work; enhancin...