Arte-non-Vi

Tag: Assessment

  • Heroic Failure – UK

    On social work training. ‘Degrees in social work are viewed as being “difficult to fail” – a reputation that is unacceptable, a select committee of MPs has said.’

    From James A: As I wrote several years ago;

    When I taught on social work courses, on which the majority of other tutors were former social workers, they were often exemplary tutors. They brought all their professional skills to bear in counselling and supporting students, and were enormously sensitive to their difficulties and any form of discrimination to which they might potentially be subject. Also true to their professional background, they acted as advocates for their “clients”. So it was that our assessment boards were interminable affairs, as tutors produced reams of evidence of extenuating circumstances to argue that students who had failed, or failed to submit work, should proceed to the next year of the course, or be granted extensions to produce the required work for completion.

    [Note; I left social work education fifteen years ago. I have confirmed in the last six months that in at least three not untypical programmes, nothing has changed in this respect.]

    Recently [2001, but this is the same borough in which the Baby Peter case happened – my link -BC], the Director of Social Services for the London Borough of Haringey admitted to the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié (a child killed by her aunt and partner who were supposed to be looking after her) that some of her staff had not read the Departmental policies and procedures on child abuse because, although qualified, they could not read very well. [Primary Source reference here see pp 77-78]*

    [James Atherton]

     

     

  • Identifying what matters…

    If ever there was essential reading for every teacher and every teacher-educator, the work of Professor John Hattie from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, would be at the top of my reading list.

    The clarity and focus of such an extensive, system-wide meta-study that focusses on the EFFECTs of what teachers, schools and education systems DO is very compelling.

    Professor Hattie delivered one of the key-note presentations at the 2007 EARLI conference [European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction]

    The abstract states:

    The session will overview a synthesis of over 600 meta-analyses of effects on achievement, highlighting the major themes that influence student learning. From these themes, the presentation will demonstrate the development of an assessment model of student learning that has been available and extensively used in NZ elementary and high schools over the past 5 years. A particular theme of the assessment model has been methods for helping teachers see and understand student progress, enable them to set targets/high expectations, and provide feedback so that there are more aware of the importance of some of the key competencies that act as enhancers or barriers to learning.

    I would highly recommend the work of Professor Hattie to all involved in educational research.  I would suggest you start by reading his Inaugural Lecture from August 1999; see the link at the bottom of this page.

    In this presentation, Professor Hattie presents three parts to his “story”. These are

    1. To identify major influences on achievement [ using 700+ meta-analyses ]
    2. To outline an assessment model based on these influences
    3. To demonstrate the power and joy of Educational Psychology
    Identifying what matters
    Prof John Hattie – 2007
    Links: 

  • Student Learning – Too much is known…

    An excerpt from Professor John Hattie’s Inaugural Lecture, Univeristy of Auckland, August 2nd 1999.

    Professor Hattie’s work resonates very strongly with my own experiences and limited research. It most certainly encourages me to continue with further study in this field.

    This was his third inaugural lecture.

    The excerpt reads;

    There is so much known about what makes a difference in the classroom. A glance at the journals on the shelves of most libraries, my colleagues’ shelves, and on web pages would indicate that the state of knowledge in the discipline of education is healthy. The worldwide picture certainly is one of plenty. We now can have a library solely consisting of Handbooks, most of which can not be held in the hand. Given this bounty, it would seem remarkable that there is much left to say. That never stopped an academic.

    Professor Hattie continues to say ;

    We all seek positive evidence in that which we love. Teachers/Researchers, like lovers, are often blind…..

    Hence, we have a school community peopled with teachers with self-fulfilling prophecies, all believing they are doing a good job, and with models of learning rarely based on any other evidence than “it works for me”. As well we have an educational research community peopled with academics chasing their pet theory, promoting their own methodology while passing each other in corridors, rarely asking for negative evidence, and pushing with passion that “if only the teachers would do this, or know that”. Both educational communities work behind closed doors, coming out to discuss kids, curricula, accountability, and each other, but rarely discussing the fundamental tenets about their teaching that leads to positive impacts on student learning.

    The potential for integration of research and practice in the school setting is enormous, yet woefully underestimated by both researchers and practitioners and [mysteriously -at least to me] not pursued as a genuine policy response by system leaders.

    I have worked with hundred’s of schools and hundreds if not thousands of teachers over many years, yet the focus, evidence and strength of the propositions within Professor Hattie’s paper and lecture are sadly absent from most schools and systems I have known.

    Let’s hope this can be changed.

    Link: