Dineke Tigelaar

A model for programmatic assessment fit for purpose

We propose a model for programmatic assessment in action, which simultaneously optimises assessment for learning and assessment for decision making about learner progress. This model is based on a set of assessment principles that are interpreted from empirical research. It specifies cycles of training, assessment and learner support activities that are complemented by intermediate and final moments of evaluation on aggregated assessment data points. A key principle is that individual data points are maximised for learning and feedback value, whereas high-stake decisions are based on the aggregation of many data points. Expert judgement plays an important role in the programme. Fundamental is the notion of sampling and bias reduction to deal with the inevitable subjectivity of this type of judgement. Bias reduction is further sought in procedural assessment strategies derived from criteria for qualitative research. We discuss a number of challenges and opportunities around the proposed model. One of its prime virtues is that it enables assessment to move, beyond the dominant psychometric discourse with its focus on individual instruments, towards a systems approach to assessment design underpinned by empirically grounded theory.

Positive experiences as input for reflection by student teachers

In many teacher training courses, reflection upon practice plays a very important role in learning to teach. A number of strategies have been developed to help student teachers learn to reflect. Current reflection strategies often focus on problematic instead of on positive experiences. Ideas from positive psychology and solution‐based therapy have inspired us to question whether problematic experiences should always be taken as starting point for reflection. Instead, teachers might learn even more from reflecting on positive experiences. Thus, the aim of the current study is to compare the outcomes of reflecting on difficult, problematic experiences with those of reflecting on positive experiences. We focused on three outcome areas: (1) the content of teachers’ resolutions after reflecting because decisions need to be productive, (2) their motivation to act on their decision because teachers need to implement their resolutions, and (3) the emotions they have during the process of reflection because emotions are very influential to thinking and learning. In an exploratory study, 16 student biology teachers were asked to reflect on two problematic and two positive teaching experiences and to take notes during the reflection process. Subsequently, these student teachers indicated their motivation for implementing their resolutions and they reported their emotions evoked by the reflection processes. In order to gain insight into results with respect to the three outcome areas, the content of the teachers’ resolutions was categorized, motivation scores were averaged, and emotions were scored and calculated. Our investigation showed that student teachers who reflected on positive experiences made more innovative resolutions, were more highly motivated to implement these resolutions and had more positive feelings compared to when reflecting on problematic experiences. Implications of the findings include the use of reflection methods based on positive experiences for experience‐based learning and for developing adaptive expertise in teacher education. We also present some avenues for further research.

Developing Biology Lessons Aimed at Teaching for Understanding: A Domain-specific Heuristic for Student Teachers

Teaching for understanding requires teachers to organize thought-demanding activities which continually challenge students to apply and extend their prior knowledge. Research shows that student teachers often are unable to develop lessons in teaching for understanding. We explored how a domain-specific heuristic can assist student biology teachers in developing problem-posing lessons according to teaching for understanding. Worksheets of lesson plans were analyzed according to criteria for problem-posing lessons. Furthermore, student teachers’ perceptions of the design heuristic’s usefulness were categorized in a cyclical process. In general, the heuristic appeared helpful to most student teachers for designing problem-posing lessons satisfactory according to the criteria. Furthermore, teachers indicated that using the heuristic deepened their subject matter knowledge and their awareness of pupils’ prior knowledge.

Affordances of teacher professional learning in secondary schools

ABSTRACT It is commonly understood that teachers in secondary school should develop throughout their career in order to stay as an essential factor in student learning. Schools can offer opportunities to link teachers’ professional learning to their school practice with a positive impact on teachers’ motivation to learn and the effectiveness of their learning. In this field study, teachers, school leaders, policy-makers, educational consultants and educational scholars were asked for their perceptions of conditions for teacher learning in school and of interventions in school to enhance teacher professional learning. These conditions and interventions were understood as affordances in schools that enable and support teacher professional learning. The main affordance in school these stakeholders mentioned was an open, but critical way in which teachers share their practices, collaborate and reflect upon their teaching practice. Collaborative practices seem to stimulate many interventions of teacher professional learning in school. Two implications of this finding are discussed. First, we suggest that the maximum teaching time should be reduced, team teaching should be more implemented or classes should be scheduled in such a way that teachers can meet. Second, distributed leadership approaches match with our findings about the role of school leaders in teacher professional learning.

Teacher Learning through Participation in a Negotiated Assessment Procedure.

This article focuses on the impact of a specific formative assessment procedure, negotiated assessment, on teacher professional learning. Negotiations between the assessor and the teacher as assessee seem to be especially promising for this teacher learning. However, there is no empirical evidence yet that has confirmed this. We explored teachers’ opinions about the usefulness of the different elements in a negotiated assessment procedure for their professional learning and the learning benefits they reported as a result of being engaged in this procedure. Our findings show that teachers found the negotiated assessment procedure useful for their learning and reported different types of learning benefits in terms of change: change in their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes, change in their teaching practice and change in their students’ learning outcomes.

Assessment of Professional Competence

This chapter deals with research on judging, evaluating, monitoring and assessing professional competence in educational contexts. In line with current views on assessment and learning, we argue that assessment can and should be used to develop professional competence. Drawing on research from different areas of professional competence, we extend this line of argumentation by contending that learning and instruction can benefit when different methods of assessment are strategically combined in a coherent assessment programme. We will discuss the optimization of education- and practice-related purposes, formative and summative purposes and quality issues in the assessment of professional competence, and conclude with some prospects for supporting expert judgement, developing guidelines for assessment programmes and gaining improved understanding of mechanisms underlying the impact of assessment on learning.

Teacher agency within the context of formative teacher assessment: an in-depth analysis

Abstract Teachers’ agency has an effect on their own learning process at the workplace. In this study we explored the extent to which teachers participating in a formative teacher assessment procedure developed a sense of agency. We investigated not only whether teachers participating in a such an assessment procedure experienced agency and thus felt in control of the learning process and able to pursue their learning objectives, but also whether agency was visible, by looking at decision-making in real time: did teachers take an active role in their own assessment, especially regarding the learning objectives to be pursued, during the assessment meetings? We found that teachers experienced a high level of agency while participating in the assessment procedure, but did not consistently show this during the assessment procedure.

Studenten leren reflecteren in mbo-opleidingen voor Zorg en Welzijn

SamenvattingIn competentiegericht onderwijs speelt leren reflecteren een centrale rol. Leren door reflectie op praktijkervaringen is heel belangrijk, evenals het kritisch kijken naar eigen kennis, opvattingen en vaardigheden. Veel mbo-docenten vragen zich af hoe je studenten reflectievaardigheden aanleert en hen daarin kunt coachen. In dit artikel wordt een beeld geschetst van het onderwijs in reflectievaardigheden op mbo-opleidingen voor Zorg en Welzijn. Tevens wordt een onderzoeksproject beschreven dat antwoord moet geven op de volgende vraag: welke aanpak is het meest geschikt om mbo-docenten in de opleidingen Zorg en Welzijn te professionaliseren op het gebied van onderwijs in reflectievaardigheden?

Ontwerp en evaluatie van een docentportfolio

SamenvattingDit artikel doet verslag van een promotieonderzoek waarin een procedure werd ontwikkeld voor docentenbegeleiding en -beoordeling binnen de universiteit. Hierbij werd gebruik gemaakt van een portfolio: in feite een aangekleed CV dat allerlei materialen bevat zoals studentenoordelen, videofragmenten en eigen reflecties. Portfolio’s kunnen worden ingezet als reflectie-instrument om na te denken over het eigen functioneren én voor bevorderingsbeslissingen. Waardevol bleek vooral de combinatie van individueel reflecteren én daarover doorpraten met collega’s of een persoonlijke coach. Uitwisseling van gezichtspunten is tevens aanbeveling voor het toewerken naar bevorderingsbeslissingen.

Fostering students’ reflection: examining relations between elements of teachers’ knowledge

Abstract This study investigates the knowledge that experienced teachers draw on when fostering students’ reflections. Reflective skills are crucial for advancing students’ learning. In order to promote students’ reflection productively, extensive support and scaffolding from teachers is indispensible. However, teachers are in need of more guidance in this area. To inspire pedagogies for teacher training, this study provides insight into the knowledge that teachers employ when they are engaged with promoting their students to reflect. Video vignette interviews were administered to 36 teachers in secondary vocational education for nursing to elicit their knowledge. Interview transcripts were coded using categories for assessing teachers’ curricular, pedagogical and instructional knowledge. To investigate relations between the elements of teachers’ knowledge, we performed a lag-sequential analysis that enables statistical testing of observed sequences of categorised events. Four salient relations between elements of teacher knowledge emerged: (1) instructional knowledge as instrumental to construing pedagogical knowledge; (2) instructional knowledge contingent on pedagogical knowledge; (3) instructional knowledge and curricular knowledge related to fostering critical reflection; and (4) instructional knowledge and curricular knowledge related to fostering planning. Implications for teacher training are discussed.