Elementary

Berdik, C. (2015, December 16). A Novel Way to Teach Kids About Engineering. Slate. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2015/12/novel_eng…

This paper argues that successful practice-based teacher education requires innovations in assessment that can better inform preservice teachers and those who prepare them. Such assessments must focus directly on specific teaching practices of novice teachers, as well as offer opportunities to assess the use of content knowledge for teaching. Simulations, an assessment type used in other professional fields, hold promise as one means for gathering data about and providing feedback on teaching.

There is the tendency to explain away successful urban schools as indicative of the heroic efforts by a tireless individual, effectively blaming schools that underperform for a lack of grit and dedication. This study reports the development of a research instrument (School Science Infrastructure, or SSI) and then applying that tool to an investigation of equitable science performance by elementary schools.

In this article Jessica Hunt explores the use of clinical interviews to gain a deep understanding of students' knowledge. Examples of clinical interviews are provided and advice for planning, giving and interpreting the results of interviews is also included.

Hunt, J.H. (2015). How to better understand the diverse mathematical thinking of learners. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 20(2), 15-21.

Little to no information exists explaining the nature of conceptual gaps in understanding fractions for students with learning disabilities (LD); such information is vital to practitioners seeking to develop instruction or interventions. Many researchers argue such knowledge can be revealed through student’s problem-solving strategies. Despite qualitative differences in thinking and representation use in students with LD that may exist, existing frameworks of student’s strategies for solving fraction problems are not inclusive of students with LD.

Tzur, R. & Hunt, J. (2015). Iteration: Unit fraction knowledge and the French fry tasks. Teaching Children Mathematics, 22(3), 149-157.