Identify and evaluate some of the ways in which psychologists from this perspective might suggest beneficial changes in education.
Answers
Evaluation of Teaching and Learning
Obtaining frequent feedback on your teaching
Getting regular insight on student learning
Soliciting student opinion during the term
Assessing a course at the end of the term
Educational researchers have found that effective teachers share several characteristics (e.g., Angelo and Cross, 1993; Davis, 1993; Murray, 1991; Reynolds, 1992; Shulman, 1990). Two of these characteristics stand out:
Through frequent assessment and feedback, effective teachers regularly assess what they do in the classroom and whether their students are really learning.
They try to anticipate the topics and concepts that will be difficult for their students and to develop teaching strategies that present these topics in ways their students will best understand. These teachers make a special point of becoming familiar with their students' preparation, knowledge, and abilities, and adjust their teaching to maximize the class's learning.
Yet, teachers, especially new teachers, may sometimes be too overwhelmed by all that is involved with teaching to assess student knowledge and learning. Creating a syllabus, preparing assignments, developing lectures, designing laboratories, structuring discussions, and writing test questions all take time, thought, and planning. The following sections describe various assessment schemes for both you and your students.
DETERMINING WHAT STUDENTS KNOW
Learning science is a cumulative process; each new piece of information is added to what students already know (or believe) about the topic at hand. If students have a solid foundation, the new pieces fit together more easily. However, if the students' preparation is spotty or incomplete, they may find it harder to grasp the new material. If the new material conflicts with earlier misconceptions or firmly held assumptions, the students
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 5: Evaluation of Teaching and Learning." National Research Council. 1997. Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5287.
unfortunately may ignore or distort the new information so that it fits into their old framework of understanding (American Psychological Association, 1992; Pintrich, 1988; see also Chapter 4). This suggests the following:
At the beginning of every course, try to gauge the students' prior knowledge of the subject. What are the prerequisites for your course, and have all student taken the prerequisites? There are several ways to identify what students already know (Davis, 1993; Angelo and Cross, 1993); one of the simplest is introduce a topic and then ask a question which brings out their knowledge such as ''What's going on here? How do we know that?" If student answers are recorded, the same questions can be posed again at the end of the topic or term to evaluate students' progress.
A more comprehensive way to learn about students' prior knowledge is to give a brief diagnostic pretest-ungraded and anonymous. The diagnostic pretest might include a list of key concepts, facts and figures, or major ideas. Ask students to indicate their familiarity with each topic.
During the term, frequent diagnostic mini-quizzes can help identify which students are keeping up and which need help. These quizzes also help students to identify the areas on which they need to work. Reading the quizzes will give the instructor a good indication of where to start the next class.