Assessing capability in design and technology: The case for a minimally invasive approach

The approach to assessing capability in design and technology advocated requires four features. First, there is the requirement for tasks that are culturally and personally authentic through which pupils can demonstrate designerly behaviour by making design decisions. Second, there is the requirement that the pupils use job bags, whose contents are based on utility, as the means of making and recording their design decisions. Third there is the requirement that scripted probes are used at key points in the design task to enable pupils to divulge and record their designerly thinking through revealing and justifying their design decisions. Fourth, it requires teachers to play the part of mentor and client in helping pupils use the scripted probes effectively. The paper is in seven parts. Part 1 briefly explores the difficulties in defining designerly activity. Part 2 considers some of the problems in revealing designerly activity. Part 3 considers the nature of tasks that might be appropriate for assessment in design and technology. Part 4 considers how designing might be describes as a set of interrelated design decisions. Part 5 describes how such design decisions might be revealed and justified through the use of a series of scripted probes. Part 6 considers the nature of the portfolio that enables pupils to make design decisions. In the conclusion, the paper summarises the approach to assessment developed so far and justifies it in terms of overcoming the problems of revealing designerly activity and having minimum impact on the pupils experience of designing. While most of the examples in this paper are drawn from the specific context of assessment in England and Wales, the ideas and issues raised and discussed will have relevance for all concerned with developing authentic approaches to assessment in Technology Education

The Impacts of Peer to Peer Collaboration on Science Self-Efficacy Among 8th-Grade Students

This action research project focused on determining the effects peer-to-peer collaboration has on 8th-grade students in a middle school science classroom. The intervention took place over six weeks in two classrooms, whose learning models changed between hybrid and distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021. For this study, researchers collected data through a pre and post-intervention science self-efficacy questionnaire and digital journal, and twice-weekly exit tickets. The results showed that the peer-to-peer model of collaboration implemented in this study increases student self-efficacy significantly, with girls having the most significant increase in self-efficacy. Researchers concluded that this model is an effective tool for supporting self-efficacy growth in the 8th-grade science classroom. Based on the results of this study, the researchers recommend implementing regular peer collaboration, teaching collaboration skills to support effective communication, and increasing the practice of self-reflection for students and teachers. Further research is needed to address how adding hands-on activities would affect self-efficacy and why female BIPOC students did not show the same levels of growth as their peers

The flipped classroom: An active teaching and learning strategy for making the sessions more interactive and challenging

Flipping the classroom is a pedagogical model that employs easy to use, readily accessible technology based resources such as video lectures, reading handouts, and practice problems outside the classroom, whereas interactive group-based, problem-solving activities conducted in the classroom. This strategy permits for an extended range of learning activities during the session. Using class time for active learning provides greater opportunity for mentoring and peer to peer collaboration. Instead of spending too much time on delivering lectures, class time can best be utilized by interacting with students, discussing their concerns related to the particular topic to be taught, providing real life examples relevant to the course content, challenging students to think in a broader aspect about complex process and encouraging different team based learning activities

The Impact of Collaborative Writing Lessons on Individual Attitudes and Specific Writing Skills of Mainstream High School Students in the English Classroom

The impact of specific collaborative writing skill lessons on individual writing skills and attitudes of mainstream students in two Chaska High School English classrooms was the focus of this study. Students in the control class and the experimental class studied the same literary selections and skills; however, the process of the writing skill lessons was different. The experimental class received additional instruction in the collaborative process by learning group roles, writing collaboratively, and evaluating progress after each group skill lesson. In order to assess the impact of collaboration in the experimental class, a pretest and posttest were administered to both the control and experimental class at the beginning of the quarter and at the end of the quarter. Two readers from the English department and the author holistically scored the pretests and posttests. The experimental class written posttest scores did not significantly differ from those of the control class written posttest scores. Therefore, the collaborative writing process did not appear to have a significant impact on individual student writing skills. An attitudinal survey was administered to both classes in the middle of the quarter and at the end of the quarter; the responses were categorized and tabulated into positive, negative, and neutral remarks. The experimental class attitudinal survey responses were not significantly different from those of the control class. However, the fact that the writing skills of students in both the experimental class and the control class improved was an important finding in this study

Estudio de las necesidades de formación del profesorado experimentado de IFE en la universidad española

This paper presents findings from a study exploring the teacher education needs of experienced english for specific purposes (esp) instructors. It discusses data from interviews with 19 experienced in-service teachers of esp in two spanish universities. The interviews aimed to develop an understanding of the teachers’ views of esp teaching, the kinds of knowledge and skills they required and the forms of support that could be of benefit to them. Results suggested that the teachers perceived needs in five areas: course development, knowledge of the target discipline, knowledge of language use in the target discipline, peer collaboration, and professional development opportunities. It is hoped that findings from the present study are illuminating for the esp teaching profession and drawn on in future teacher development initiatives in the local context.en este trabajo se investigan las necesidades del profesorado de Inglés para Fines específicos (IFe) en el caso concreto de profesores experimentados. se presentan y estudian los hallazgos obtenidos a partir de las entrevistas realizadas a 19 profesores experimentados de IFe y actualmente en activo en dos universidades españolas. Las entrevistas tenían por objeto comprender la visión que tienen estos profesores sobre la enseñanza de IFe, ahondar en los conocimientos y las destrezas que asumen como necesarios en su quehacer docente, así como identificar el tipo de apoyo que podría resultarles beneficioso en el ejercicio de su profesión. Los resultados indican que los profesores experimentados de IFe perciben la existencia de necesidades en cinco ámbitos concretos: desarrollo curricular, conocimiento de la disciplina meta, conocimiento del lenguaje especializado propio de la disciplina meta, colaboración entre iguales y oportunidades para el desarrollo profesional. es de esperar que la metodología seguida y los resultados obtenidos en este estudio sirvan de guía para el ejercicio de la profesión docente en el área y para el desarrollo de iniciativas de formación del profesorado a nivel loca

Transactive Discourse during Assessment Conversations on Science Learning

Transactive Discourse During Assessment Conversations on Science Learning by Homer A. Russell III It has been argued that development of science knowledge is the result of social interaction and adoption of shared understandings between teachers and students. A part of understanding that process is determining how student reasoning develops in groups. Transactive discussion is a form of negotiation between group members as they interpret the meaning of their logical statements about a topic. More importantly, it is a form of discourse that often leads to cognitive change as a result of the interaction between group participants as they wrestle with their different perspectives in order to achieve a common understanding. The research reported here was a correlational study designed to investigate the relationship between the various forms of transactive discussion and learning outcome performance seen in an investigation involving 24 students in a middle-SES high school located in southwest Atlanta, Georgia. Pretest and posttest measures of genetics reasoning, as well as curriculum content test data, were used in this study. Group discussion was captured on videotape and analyzed to determine whether transactional discussion was present and whether or not it had an effect on learning outcome measures. Results of this study showed that participant use of transactive discussion played a role in development of reasoning abilities in the area of genetics. It is suggested that teachers should monitor classroom discourse for the presence of transactive discussion as such discourse plays a role in fostering performance outcomes

Peer mentoring and collaboration in the clinical setting: a case study in dental hygiene

Evaluation of professional conversational opportunities experienced by pre‐profession majors in Dental Hygiene indicates significant reflective development through dialogue and participation in the experienced curriculum. A case study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a Peer Coaching strategy on pre‐professional students’ dispositional and technical preparation. Utilizing an elicitation methodology, researchers identified benefits to peer focused collaborative pedagogy. The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover whether or not collaborative work in practicum would have value for the development of quality workplace habits. The study explored the impact of peer coaching on pre‐professionals’ self‐efficacy and their professional dispositions following practicum experience

Technology-Rich Ethnography for Examining the Transition to Authentic Problem-Solving in a High School Computer Programming Class

This study utilized elements of technology-rich ethnography to create a rich description of a multi-user virtual environment in a high school computer programming class. Of particular interest was the transition that took place in classroom culture from one characterized by a well-defined problem solving approach to one more indicative of open learning environment. Using technology, high school students created learning activities and resources for use by younger students in the virtual environment. Evidence supported that high school students initially benefitted from the new open environment; however, some immutable elements of the classroom environment presented barriers to peer collaboration and motivation for high-level, creative work. Our findings lend support to the argument that teachers in high school computer programming classes should incorporate the following features in their curricula: open-ended problem solving, real-world clients, group work, student autonomy and ample opportunities for student creative expression.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline