This qualitative, instrumental case study examined how a mentor inquiry community can serve as a space for mentors to articulate their knowledge and what about the inquiry community, its characteristics, might harm or help that development. Using Design-Based Research as the methodology, a mentor inquiry community, composed of three…

The place of fieldwork in both geography and science qualifications across the 14-19 age range remains contested, unclear and sometimes under threat. This article explores these issues for science education and was informed by a one-day, invitation-only workshop, which cut across geography and the sciences, that we ran at the behest of the Field…

The growth of teachers' professional knowledge and skills has been the topic of policy, research, and even philosophy for many decades. The assessment of English Learners (ELs), a more specific concern, has become an interest of the educational community in just the past 40 years (e.g., Harris, 1969). The authors' task in this chapter is to…

This literature review examines formative assessment education practices currently being utilized in Africa, as well as recent research regarding professional development on such assessments. Two main conclusions about formative assessment use and training, as well as a set of recommendations about teacher training on formative assessment, can be…

Evaluation of professional development (PD) has traditionally been composed of summative and formative feedback, and has focused on assessing the extent to which the PD impacts participating teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and practices. This study establishes an additional purpose for PD evaluation--as "educative opportunities" for…

Teachers today are called on to have an ever expanding knowledge base and skills that support working within a multi-tiered system of supports, including Response to Intervention (MTSS/RtI). Yet, most teachers do not possess these skills. Current field-based professional development initiatives focus on the existing teacher corps. However, Pk-12…

Few in the education field discount the eminently logical idea that teachers should be supported in the continuous improvement of their craft. But as a term for describing ongoing training investments in the teaching force, "professional development" has become both ubiquitous and all but meaningless. Though frequently invoked by…

This article explores the potential of a residential Continuing Professional Development (CPD) model to promote sustained constructive dialogue between science educators, both on knowledge and pedagogy, and impact on teaching practice in a wide geographical area. It is based on a science education initiative shared by the local authorities in…

Despite clear evidence that formative assessment creates vantage points throughout the teaching-learning cycle for both teachers and students, research suggests that teachers are not taking advantage of the full cadre of formative assessment strategies available to them--particularly those that have been associated with improved student learning…

A capstone electronic portfolio, usually focused on summative assessment, was altered for preservice social studies teachers to include video-based formative e-portfolio assessment. Using a case-study design with three participants, we found that use of video artifacts facilitated reflection, supported inquiry into classroom success and failure,…

This study compared the effects of four electronic portfolio curricula on pre-service and beginning teachers' self-ratings of their professional development (n =207), using a 34 item electronic Portfolio Assessment Scale (ePAS). Three formative portfolios, A, C and D, had teacher development as a primary objective and used participants' narrative…

In response to the findings and recommendations of a planning conference in 1989, the Department of Energy (DOE) increased its funding of ongoing precollege programs in science and mathematics education and launched some new initiatives. To evaluate and improve its efforts, the DOE has also initiated a 4-year evaluation and technical assistance…

This survey paper uses a framework derived from Herman and Winters (1994) to analyze seven selected research studies for evidence of electronic portfolios' technical quality, implementation effects, fairness, feasibility, and tool effects. Analysis sought to determine what methodologies and instruments for data collection yielded useful…

An innovative approach to the preparation of school administrators is described in which instructor and student come together in a learning situation that integrates three core components: (1) formative portfolio assessment; (2) reflective practice; and (3) cognitive apprenticeship. The operation and impact of this approach are illustrated through…

These proceedings contain 48 presentations and 15 poster abstracts. Papers include "Computer Tasks Required in Selected Undergraduate Agriculture Courses" (Johnson, Ferguson, Vokinnns, Lester); "College of Agriculture Faculty Perceptions of Electronic Technologies in Teaching" (Dooley, Murphy); "Steering Through Turbulent…