Connie M. Moss

Teacher inquiry into formative assessment practices in remedial reading classrooms

Six remedial reading teachers in a large, rural school district participated in a form of professional development called Teaching as Intentional Learning, based on an inquiry process. Their topic of inquiry was formative assessment. Professional development comprised both direct instruction and inquiry learning in teachers’ own classrooms. This study describes the strategies they experimented with, their professional growth in formative assessment, and effects on students. All six teachers showed important professional growth, as indicated by their own reflections and also by their supervisor’s observations. In First Grade, at‐risk students assigned to these project teachers had increased reading readiness scores on one measure (DIBELS PSF) compared with at‐risk students assigned to non‐project teachers.

Leading by Learning.

When principals immerse themselves in learning about formative assessments and how students learn, they become better instructional leaders for teachers.

Belief, Doubt and Reason: C. S. Peirce on education

In this paper, we explore Peirces work for insights into a theory of learning and cognition for education. Our focus for this exploration is Peirces paper The Fixation of Belief (FOB), originally published in 1877 in Popular Science Monthly. We begin by examining Peirces assertion that the study of logic is essential for understanding thought and reasoning. We explicate Peirces view of the nature of reasoning itself—the characteristic guiding principles or ‘habits of mind’ that underlie acts of inference, the dimensions of and interaction between doubt and belief, and his four methods of resolving or ‘fixing’ belief (i.e., tenacity, authority, a priori, and experimentation). The four methods are then juxtaposed against current models of teaching and learning such as constructivism, schema theory, situated cognition, and inquiry learning. Finally, we discuss Peirces modes of inference as they relate educationally to the resolution of doubt and beliefs and offer an example of belief resolution from an experienced teacher in a professional development environment.

Professional Learning on the Cyber Sea: What Is the Point of Contact?

In this article I argue that generating and sharing scholarship should be the outcome, the point of contact, for professionals on the cyber sea. To support this argument, I first describe the theoretical underpinnings of effective online professional learning environments through two unique lenses: relevant theory operating in effective practice and online learning environments as environments that learn. Through these lenses I advance the view that professional learning environments on the web can be generative and organic and, as such, have the potential to help educators create the future while reinventing the here and now. I characterize my thinking process during the creation and development of an online professional learning environment known as Teaching as Intentional Learning (TIL), a learning program of the Center for Advancing the Study of Teaching and Learning at Duquesne University. I describe ways in which the communication, information, and human resources in TIL support the goal of generati...

A preliminary examination of a theoretical model for researching educator beliefs

Abstract This paper introduces the concept of the palimpsest as a tool for examining teacher and administrator beliefs about teaching, learning, and managing. The palimpsest is integrated into a Peircean semeiotic framework utilizing von Uexkülls Lebenswelt. Three typical cases enrolled in a learning program that engages teachers in a process of systematic and intentional inquiry were chosen. Raw responses from the three cases were examined. Of particular interest, all three participants tended to reason from premises that currently fit their belief structures and seem to hand pick clues to examine. Finally, the palimpsest appears to be a useful and flexible concept to examine the consistencies and inconsistencies of beliefs.