Lucie Mottier Lopez

Whole-class and peer interaction in an activity of writing and revision

The perspective of situated cognition provides a conceptual framework for studying social mediation in activities of text production. The investigation presented here concerns two forms of social mediation: (1) whole-class interactions that prepare the students for drafting and revising their texts; (2) peer interactions occurring when dyads engage in joint revision of their drafts. The data collected in three fifth-grade classrooms include observations of whole-class interactions, recordings of dyadic interactions and classifications of text transformations that students carried out during individual and joint phases of revision. The analyses examine the relationships between qualitative indicators of interaction dynamics and quantitative data on text transformations. The findings show that differences in the whole-class interactions are reflected in the students’ revisions particularly with respect to the degree of rewriting that they undertake, as compared to simple error correction. Although analysis of the dyadic interactions reveals important variations in the dynamics of the exchanges, two general findings emerge. In the large majority of cases, the activity of joint revision leads to a substantial increase in the number of text transformations, beyond those made by each author individually. Even in cases where no new transformations occur, the authors engage actively in interaction about revision (e.g., they propose revisions of the other student’s text, explain revisions made individually to their own text, argue against proposals of the other student, etc.). Implications of the results for future research on writing instruction are discussed.

Teachers’ Professional Judgment in the Context of Collaborative Assessment Practice

This chapter examines teachers’ professional judgment in the context of collaborative practices of summative assessment. It adopts theoretical perspectives drawn from research on teacher collaboration and from work on situated cognition in classrooms and in professional communities of practice. A framework is proposed for analyzing four facets of teacher collaboration in summative assessment: the dynamics, scale, object(s) and aim(s) of collaboration. This framework is used to present findings from research on teachers’ assessment practices: a study conducted with Grade 6 teachers in Geneva, Switzerland, and a study involving secondary teachers (Year 8) in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. Findings are compared and implications are presented for actions that could promote teacher collaboration in summative assessment, through professional development, collaborative research and social moderation activities. Directions for future research are briefly considered.

Professional controversies between teachers about their summative assessment practices: a tool for building assessment capacity

Abstract This article describes two collaborative research projects whose common goal was to explore the potential role of professional controversies in building teachers’ summative assessment capacity. In the first project, upper primary teachers were encouraged to compare their practices through a form of social moderation, without prior instructor input or theoretical preparation. In the second project, lower secondary school teachers were encouraged to compare their summative assessment practices with reference to a theoretical model of curriculum alignment, under the guidance of an instructor. The findings support the potentially constructive role of professional controversies in supporting teachers’ professional development for summative assessment. They highlight the status of references called upon in discussion of controversies, and their contribution to the construction of the subjects under discussion.

Teachers’ Professional Development in the Context of Collaborative Research: Toward Practices of Collaborative Assessment for Learning in the Classroom

This chapter presents a collaborative research project carried out with six Geneva primary school teachers. The focus of the project was on teachers’ practices of collaborative assessment for learning in their classrooms. The main features of collaborative research are presented, in particular the process of co-construction between researchers and practitioners of a significant project for both the scientific and the professional communities. Interplay between professional development seminars and teachers’ classroom experiences was at the heart of the project. Support for teachers’ learning was provided by the articulation of conceptual tools proposed by the researchers with concrete tools and data coming from the teachers’ classrooms. The conceptualization of collaborative assessment for learning in classroom included both individual and group self-assessment procedures in the context of student work in small groups. An overview is given of the principal themes emerging during three professional development seminars and the intervening experiences in the classrooms. One particular theme is developed in order to illustrate the exchanges and issues considered by the participants. This theme concerns the focus of collaborative assessment for learning on social and/or academic objectives and the corresponding assessment criteria. It highlights teachers’ representations about collaborative assessment and, more broadly, their stance and sense of their responsibility with respect to assessment of student learning. The chapter’s conclusion outlines some recommendations for professional development in the context of collaborative research.