SUMMARY This research provides an outline for master degree students to conduct quantitative research and qualitative research focusing on art assessment. As the researcher stated, rubrics and controlled task portfolios can be productive formats for collecting data. This research investigated the use of the authentic assessment tools (rubrics, student digital portfolios) to document student growth in a middle school art classroom, and it included a pre- and post- instruction artwork that was assessed with the created rubrics. The procedure of the study was organized into two units of instruction, figure drawing and landscape painting. Students in this study participated in three figure drawings first using a live model prior to drawing instruction taking place. Pre-instruction drawings were assessed with a created rubrics and the researcher assessed the student drawings on the same document that the students used for self-assessment. Next, drawing instruction took place employing teacher demonstrations, and the post-instruction drawings were self-assessed again by the students and then assessed by the researcher on the same form. The researcher did the same thing during teaching landscape painting. In the closing part, students were required to write reflective artist statements to demonstrate their journey learning how to draw and paint in accordance with the lessons, including the instructional objectives and learned vocabulary. All artwork, assessments, and written statements were compiled into digital portfolios for the organization of the data. This assessment tool was designed to test the viability of using detailed rubrics and performance assessments to provide data on student growth and achievement as measures to determine teacher performance evaluation requirements. In addition, the artwork created in this study was additionally assessed by another middle school art educator in the study school district. This art teacher blindly assessed student works using the same assessment tool as did the student for his/her self-assessment. It was hoped that inter-rater reliability would exist between the researcher and the other art educator. Based on this study, the researcher recognized that it was evident in the data and student artwork images that growth was achieved by comparing and analyzing the scores reported in the pre- and post-assessments. In regard to the students who demonstrated little growth; effort and daily progress played a significant role in their lack of improvement in achievement. Daily progress and effort are important factors in student achievement scores. Certainly, students who needed additional time or assistance may have been capable of showing a higher percentage of growth. The researcher believes that authentic art assessments for middle school students should encompass more than two units of art production. Second, the researcher found that students were more critical of their work due to their increased understanding of the medium in which it was created. Third, the students’ writings show that they were able to recognized the growth they had made and also improvements they still needed to make. All in all, this study was limited by the length of art class, and the minutes in class which determined the duration of the two units of instruction. However, the assessment tool successfully documented the percentage of student growth as a result of the units of instruction. It also provided a means to compare teacher and student assessment scores and documented the benefits of using written artist statements. As a result, this assessment was beneficial and informative. RESEARCH PROBLEM The problem of this research is clearly stated. As the researcher claimed, in contrast to core curriculums, art education does not typically assess students using standardized testing, and a standardized method of assessing student achievement in art is not currently in place at the school district in which this study takes place. What is more, a detailed description of the new teacher evaluation standards and criteria places a heavy weight on student academic progress in her state. Certainly, the purpose of the research is discussed. The overall objective of this study is not only to create an assessment model for the current classroom, but also one that may be adapted to meet the needs of other art teachers and their art programs. Furthermore, the researcher defined several significant terms that the viewers need to know, such as Alternative Assessment, Analytic Scoring, Authentic Assessment, Confirmability, Credibility, Formative Assessment, Performance Assessment, Rubric, Summative Assessment, etc. LITERATURE REVIEW The review of previous research is well organized. This research literature review is divided into three parts, including Assessment, Rubrics, and Digital Portfolios. The researcher used the paper results of Huffman (1988), Garrison and Ehringhaus (2012), and Zimmerman (1997) to describe the importance of assessment and how it improves students’ learning. What is more, the researcher cited some research results from Gardner (2006), Huffman (1998), Boughton (1997), Kimberly Bartel (2003) and Madeja (2004) describing how rubrics work in the classroom and how rubrics and controlled task portfolios can be productive formats for collecting the data. Furthermore, the researcher utilized the results from Madeja (2004), Dorn & Sabol (2006) that supported the key components of this research study, and it expressed the need for development in art education that results in measurable data as well as supports the use of authentic assessment. It also supported two main methods for assessment and data collection, digital portfolios and the use of rubrics. Most of the cited resources are current, while there are two papers cited from the last century. RESEARCH QUESTIONS or HYPOTHESES The research questions are clearly stated which are listed below.
DATA SOURCES/SAMPLING The data source and the method of selection are clearly described in this research paper. The researcher conducted this research in a middle school located in a rural area of Virginia. Participants were sixth grade art students during the fall semester in which the study occurs. These sixteen students have had previous art instruction during their elementary education. Nine of the sixteen students participating have attended the same elementary school and received the same art instruction for their entire elementary school experience. The other six students in the sample transferred in, receiving more than three years in the elementary school that feeds into the study middle school. MEASUREMENT TOOLS An adequate description of all measurement tools is provided. In the methodology part, the author described several tools that she used. In order to measure the correlations, between student self-assessment and teacher assessment, teacher assessments and student self-assessment were recorded on the same document. Similarities and differences in the scores will then be visually represented and described as a percentage of difference. Assessment of the pre-instructional drawings and the assessment of the post-instructional drawings will be compared for student scores that are aligned with the scores of the educator. The validity and reliability data are reported in her research. She stated that a fellow art teacher in the school system participated in peer debriefing as well as an audit of the study. Peer debriefing is a means of supporting the credibility of a study. METHODOLOGY/PROCEDURES The descriptions of the methods and procedures are provided adequately. The author talked about the procedure in detail in the chapter 3. First, all forms, letters, and the proposal for this study were reviewed by the Institutional Review Board at James Madison University. The procedure of the study was organized into two units of instruction, painting and drawing. The focus of the drawing unit is figure drawing from a live model. This unit also includes instruction in the use of contour line to describe form, representation of standard human proportion, representation of proportion of facial features, and the use of value to describe form. Two days were allotted for the pre-instruction drawings which included four ten-minute poses. Students volunteered to model. Models rotated and all students drew the same four poses. Students submitted what they believed to be their best two drawings to be assessed. Ten fifty-minute class periods were dedicated to the implementation of this drawing unit. Detailed descriptions and examples of the criteria on the drawing assessment will be provided to the students before they self-assess. On day three of the drawing unit, following the introduction of artist images and vocabulary, students self-assessed their pre-instruction drawings. Students were introduced to the assessment tools. Rubrics, criteria, and the four achievement levels were explained in detail. Students were guided through their self-assessment as a copy of the assessment tool was projected and read aloud to them. Students had begun to develop the skills assessed on the rubrics and had viewed and discussed examples of the criteria in relation to achievement levels. Throughout the units students were directed back to the assessment tool as it clearly defined the learning objective that the daily class activities were supporting. Student progress, attitude, effort, and attendance were documented in the author’s observational notes. Following the drawing unit, the post-instruction drawing occurred. Students drew the same four poses using the same time frame of ten minutes as they had for the pre-instructional drawings. Students self-assessed their post-instructional drawings and completed an artist statement that accurately incorporated vocabulary used throughout the unit and described the skills the students have developed. The participants were given a writing prompt to guide their artist statements. These documents are a reflection of the students’ perceived areas of growth and areas still in need of improvement. The painting unit followed the same protocol as the drawing unit. RESULTS The results are understandable and the research questions are answered.
DISCUSSION The conclusions are related to the research questions, also the author shared some suggestions in addition which are appropriate. The author concluded that this study was limited by the length of the art classes, and the minutes in class limiting the duration of the two units of instruction. If we were to conduct a similar research project, or if we were to design a research project to test the validity of the assessment method, we might consider longer time intervals for the units. It is recommended that art teachers share the progress and data collection from alternative authentic assessments with administrators in order to advocate for assessment practices other than standardized, multiple choice testing in the arts. ![]()
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Mary J. Franco and Kathleen Unrath: The Art of Engaging Young Men as Writers
I read this article last semester, and immediately thought this article is a good example of how art improves student’s skills in literacy and writing. Moreover, it is a good introduction to how VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies) works and how that helps students improve learning and strengthens students’ communication, critical-skills, and creativity. However, after reading the article again this semester , I have some new understandings based on this article. First, this is a good article for novice researchers to explore how to use the ground research method. Let me explain the meaning. Obviously, I can see the research questions, literacy review, data collection, analysis, and result, even though the article is not a research paper. It is like an overview or summary of this research, but I think it provides a picture of the ground research paradigm. Second, I was wondering whether we could use the ground research method to explore our group research topic of the assessment of the choice-based curriculum? This research data collection was based on the boy writers’ club, so could we possibly collect data as a class group project? How could we collect data? We would need to state our questions first and then subsequently determine the best method to use to do the research. Certainly, this article gives us the potential model that we could follow as a reference. Visual Thinking Strategies: Learning How to Teach with Art This article talks about how to teach people and help them retain as much knowledge as they have the ability to do so. Moreover, it gives us insight into the reason they decided to pursue the VTS idea. Certainly, it provides some meaningful and thought-provoking background information, much of which I had no prior knowledge. The first time I was exposed last semester to VTS, I felt like the VTS was a very powerful tool . At the time we had time to brain storm and share ideas with each other. Based on these shared ideas, we collaboratively established the meanings of an artwork. My conclusion was that VTS would be easy to use in the classroom. Well this was my first thought. Back to this article, the process of creating VTS was not easy and simple. Yenawine was trying to devise teaching methods to help visitors retain information that they had been taught. However, she failed in this attempt. I think the turning point for Yeanwine was Housen’s ideas. I am impressed by Housen’s various stages of development. She found that most of visitors are in the early viewing stages, so what about children? Can I immediately jump to the conclusion that people who have little experience with art fit into the early viewing stage totally independent of their age? In addition, as Yenawhine stated “we teach, they do not learn, at least not enough”, I feel like I would like to learn about the research of VTS in depth, because I really want to know if VTS is the solution to this problem or in the least can help change the outcome. What is more, I am curious about the rules in the classroom when the teacher is conducting the VTS and how teachers teach in this way. What is the teacher’s role when you use the VTS? Inquiry in Action Chapter 13: A Primer for Today’s Quantitative Research in Art Education This was difficult for me because I am not familiar with some of the terminology which is very technical. This article presents a comprehensive overview of how to conduct quantitative research for novice researchers. I have gotten some basic information about quantitative research because of reading this article, however, I think I have a misconception of quantitative research, namely, that is is usually done by research scientists only. Based on this article, Brewer provides the steps of conducting quantitative research. She also reminds us that “quantitative research application in today’s education milieu can be used with art assessment from the classroom to the state level.” That is an indication that we could use the methodology for our group topic of art assessment. If we all reap the benefits from quantitative research then why does Brewer point out that qualitative research was dominant for almost 40 years? However, the previous reading says that most researchers prefer to use quantitative. I am a little confused about which method is considered preferable and under what circumstances according to the article. In fact, it is meaningless to talk about which one is better and which one is worse, so I don't want to spend a lot time doing so. However, it is important to understand that nowadays most art researchers prefer to choose qualitative research instead of quantitative research. Is that a possible explanation as to why Brewer stresses the importance of quantitative research? Every single question/problem is a special case which needs a case specific study, which means we need to design the methodology based on the characteristic-/features of the case. That is why I think the problems in social sciences cannot universally be explained or studied by one single method or by a hybrid-type method. Brewer introduces many quantitative research methods, including descriptive, correlational, causal-comparative, quasi-experimental, experimental and mixed and rapprochement methods. Based on my understandings and this article, I prefer to divide these methods into different categories. The first is descriptive research, which is like qualitative research methods, describing something in detail while it uses the numbers to describe something in words. For example, measuring the length and width of the laptop screen in numbers and describing it with verbal parameters. The researcher could describe it in words or by using the ruler. The second group is correlational and causal-comparative, because they are all taking about relationship, but they are different. For example, I am gaining weight and simultaneously my roommate is gaining. If I want to research the relationship between me and my roommate, I could use the correlational method. I gain one pound while my roommate gains “X” pounds. However, for causal-comparative, the reasons are emphasized. As the author states “cause and effect”. Take me as an example again, I want to research whether it is me that affects my roommate getting fat or visa-versa. I could conduct a comparison group study. One group is treatment, my roommate eats with me, and one group is no treatment, my roommate does not eat with me. (This is just an example and is not a real situation). The third group is the experimental method and the quasi-experimental method. I think experimental research should be perfectly control every factor. If my previous example could be conducted in this way, it should collect the exact calorie intake of both groups which are being compared. According to the meaning of quasi-experimental method, it is less strict then experimental research. The fourth group is rapprochement and I am still confused as to exactly what this is. Study Design in Qualitative Research The author provides three key differences between qualitative research and quantitative research. As the author states first of all, these two methods are different logics. The logic of the qualitative research is inductive, in my words, we should see through the appearance to the essence. While the logic of the quantitative research is opposite, it calls for seeing through the essence to the appearance. Second, the qualitative research is flexible and dynamic, but the quantitative research is more limited by some factors. Third, the qualitative research is non-linear and non-sequential, however, the quantitative research is inclined to be linear. Based on these differences, I want to point out one more difference. As we all know the methods of qualitative research and quantitative research are different in several ways. There are many methods that can be used in the qualitative research, such as case study, ground study, etc. In the previous reading, however, the author demonstrates some methods of the quantitative research including descriptive, correlational, causal-comparative, quasi-experimental, experimental and mixed and rapprochement methods. To some extent, they are completely different. That is why I think the qualitative research is more appropriately applied in the humanities while the quantitative research is more appropriate for the sciences where data can be more finite. In my opinion that is why quantitative research is usually conducted by the scientist but not the art researchers. A more important point is that when we do the research, it is always vital to develop and use a research design that is appropriate for the research objective, no matter which methodology is better than others. Even though this article is based on human health which talks about how to design a qualitative research study, it is still useful and has significant usefulness as a reference. It provides a mind-map which teaches me how to conduct the qualitative research. I think doing research is like constructing a house. You should have a good foundation so that the house will not collapse. This foundation equates to the “research question”. If the researcher has good relevant questions, this would result in question-centered research which narrows down the focus of the research. Moreover, the basement is like the literature review. The author gives us a sample of potential literature review topics, while I prefer to find potential literature review topics in art assessment. Furthermore, the author suggests the novice researchers set up the goal of the research, taking into consideration the audience of the research and how it will affect that audience, etc. As the author states in the beginning of the article, different goals will affect the researchers choice of the research method. Finally, the author asserts that some resources need to be acquired such as personnel, equipment, supplies and travel. In addition to these researchers can also gain resources from different groups of people, including research or research teams, and other stakeholders. All in all, the qualitative research requires the utmost in professionalism, respect and integrity which are described in the reflection 4. Practice Theory Chapter 2 It was repeated many times in my high school political science class that the theory guides/directs practice and practice tests the theory. They supplement each other in many ways and ultimately help humans better understand the world. As the author states, “theories are tools that our minds use to help us understand, explain, or predict, a certain conception that guides our inquiry”. Obviously, the theories help teachers teach well, however, “theories change over time”. Teachers should be aware of the movement of the theories. I want to elaborate on what the author states in the article, the author said in the article that “we teach as we were taught”. It reminds me of the book named Reflective Teaching, the author was taught the value of inquiry and this value influenced her when she was teaching. In her article, it talks about how teachers are affected by their personal experiences, knowledge and values. I strongly agree with that. However, she also asserts that “although firsthand experience in schools is critical to the education of teachers, not all experience is necessarily beneficial” which is the result of “theories changing over time”. I reflected this on Amy’s course. When I was teaching in middle school, I used the same curriculum in different classes in the same grade. Some classes worked well, unfortunately, some worked badly. When I encountered different out-of-the ordinary situations, I realized that I should appropriately correct the curriculum to be more appropriate for the given situation rather than continuously using the curriculum which according to my personal experience had worked in the past. Like the author shares, “informal theories are typically limited in their applicability to new situations”. At this point, I recognized the importance of theories, because they “can be utilized to develop curriculum frameworks and instructional practices”. As Amy Bergh shares, “art teachers also need to take the responsibility of keeping aware of the movements within art education so that they can make thoughtful decisions about what they find important in their art practice.” Practicing teachers actually perform informal research everyday in their classrooms. Teachers try something new and see how it works, in the author’s view, this is informal research. However, the author shares the issue that “racist views and fears of the legislators permeated the educational system and spread to children throughout Virginia through history books”. So when teachers encounter this situation, how do teachers teach? Does informal research help teachers in this situation? The author suggests that “any curricular choice that a teacher might make, says something about the teacher’s background, educational experiences, and values”. I do not know whether it works. However, it would be a good theory to test. As the author claims, there are three kinds of research: (a) informal research, (b) the middle ground, (c) formal research. As I mentioned in the last paragraph, teachers’ every day practice can be informal research, while the middle ground research is performed by a group of people doing research. According to the author’s thought, formal research “typically involves a systematic plan that may be a requirement for a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation”. I think formal research would be a rigorous and challenging “investigation”. However, I prefer to do informal research while actually teaching in the classroom, because it is easier to define and solve the problem for novice teachers. The author states that “teachers can begin with increasing their power to effect change through an awareness of informal research in their daily practice”. Gradually experiencing informal research will eventually become formal research. Qualitative Quality: Eight “Big-Tent” Criteria for Excellent Qualitative Research When I did my undergraduate research on image construction, I was taught quantitative research methodology and the qualitative research methodology. This was my first exposure to research methodology. It is obvious that most researchers use the quantitative research methodology, because it is more likely to gain the true result. That was my original perception. However, based on the background information that the author states, I have a better understanding of qualitative research methodology. It is beyond my imagination to learn that qualitative researches would be influenced to a high degree by political and societal non-objective opinions as mentioned in the beginning of the article. As stated in the article, politics affects qualitative research, and therefor quantitative research methodology occupies the leading position in social science. Meanwhile, qualitative research lacks and could benefit from universal criteria to measure or judge the validity of qualitative research. Action should be taken to establish the criteria to maintain and improve the quality of qualitative research. It is a valid point as the author states earlier, “what makes for good qualitative research?” This is a specially vital point for novice teachers such as myself If I conduct a qualitative research project, what model would I use? Through this article, the author introduces eight criteria, including Worthy topic, Rich rigor, Sincerity, Credibility, Resonance, Significant contribution, Ethical, and Meaning coherence, to measure the quality of the qualitative research which is the framework of criteria which I will use to conduct a qualitative research. The author introduces each of the criteria in detail, and I prefer to interpret some aspects that I think are very significant. First, in the Rich Rigor category, the author claims that “rich rigor” cannot guarantee that the research result is valid However if the researcher does not use “rich rigor” criteria, an invalid consequence could result. I strongly agree with the author. When I was young, my elder relatives always reminded me, “no pain no gain”. “Doing the research sometimes can be very boring and frustrating” never-the-less be rigorous towards research. Secondly, the author lists sincerity as a criteria and this means “the research is marked by honesty and transparency about the researcher’s biases, goals, and foibles, as well as about how these play a role in the methods, joys, and the mistakes of the research”. I completely agree with this idea. Be honest towards the research, simultaneously, be self-reflective and self-reflexive towards the research. In my words, when doing qualitative or quantitative research one must be sincerely embracing and self reflecting. Like the author claims, “personal experiences and connection in ethnography are best used, not for personal catharsis, but to illuminate the reader’s understanding of the cultural events, places or practice.” Having a sincere heart results in a successful research project I really understand the importance of the qualitative research criteria however how would I implement and justify the authors established criteria. This is an endless question which is like a snake biting his tail, and it is an endless loop. “There are thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes.” This could better describe the qualitative research. I asked several PhD students what they think about the qualitative research, their answers surprise me. They view that the qualitative research and the quantitative research are important. The quantitative research is needed to support the qualitative research, and the quantitative research needs the qualitative research analysis. They supplement each other on the journey to research. Rita Irwin: Becoming A/r/tography It is really difficult to read this article, especially to understand some of the terminology. In the beginning of the article, the author introduces what a/r/tography is and the possibilities of how it can be. As we all know that a/r/tography as a research methodology does not create the invention while it does gain the new understanding based on the existing knowledge. The author then describes how researchers establish the condition for becoming. She claims that “the condition of possibility or the inventive potential creates the conditions for becoming”. In her view, the lines of intensity, movement, and events that entangle across time and place unfolds a cartography of a/r/tography. She continuously introduces what becoming-intensity/becoming-events/becoming-movement is and how we can pursue the a/r/tography. As the author states that “becoming-intensity is about the capacity to affect and be affected with learning to learn. I was wondering whether these three aspects affect mutually. When I kept reading, the author demonstrates that the “becoming-event does not reside in a single personal encounter; it resides in a multiplicity of events that are social and collective.” What is more, it “runs alongside becoming-intensity as affect resonates, reverberates, echoes across time and space within and beyond event”. Since the a/r/tography is a living inquiry, and poses the question-what does life look like? What are your feelings towards life? How can you capture the aspect of life? How can you achieve the goal of a/r/tography? The author illustrated that “life is full of entangled lines of events, intensities, and movements”. Discuss how art teachers can collaborate with classroom teachers to build visual and verbal literacies. Coincidentally, a Korean language instructor at Mizzou described her teaching experience to me which is related to the idea of how she collaborated with an art teacher to teach English in elementary school in South Korea. She taught English in a private elementary school, and because of the financial support each language class had an art teacher who helped language teachers teach verbal literacies. She informed me that it was not usual to have two teachers in the same classroom, however because the district where her school is located was a rich community, it was possible. Based on their special type of curriculum, the learning result was beneficial. She claimed that her students were fully engaged in the lesson and they not only achieved the objectives of the lesson, but also they were enthusiastic to continue their study of English and Art. Later on, she shared with me some student achievements and positive progress which can be seen below. She suggested that I should use this strategy when I teach Chinese in the U.S. I do agree with her idea and her investigation. However, it is very difficult to design the curriculum which is related to both of these subjects - Language & Art. Since I do not have actual experiences in collaborating with classroom teachers to build visual and verbal literacies, maybe I could use VTS as an initial tool. I certainly benefited from using VTS last semester when I taught Tiger Art Class. I definitely learned from students. However, analyzing and articulating the meaning of the feed back which I received from the students was difficult. MAKING AND UNMAKING BODIES Actually, I am not familiar with the issue of the 2014 suspension of the art education program. However, when I decided to apply for this program, my friend shared the information from Facebook which was a message that was used to support the art education program. Definitely, I felt worried and quickly contacted the program director whether the master program was suspended. It is a great opportunity to understand something behind this issue based on an unprecedented idea. I understood that “the capital-machine marginalizes the soft sciences and humanities while advancing the hard sciences as dominant”. Well, I have my own personal feeling towards this truth. Before entering the universities, most of my relatives recommended that I choose hard sciences which could be engineering, computer science, etc. However, I did not choose one of the hard sciences since I did not excel in Math. Well, my relatives looked down upon me while my cousins were regarded with high esteem. As a result, I was discriminated against just because I chose soft science. Back to the previous point, I want to know whether the marginalization of soft sciences is justifiable and what are the arguments for supporting soft sciences? Or how can the marginalization of soft sciences be avoided? Moreover, does the attitude of an educational institution towards art reflect the values of the community in which the educational institution is located? As we all know, the soft sciences play a significant role in the society and the growth of civilization. With the development of human society, who should control the development of soft sciences? Schools? Districts? States? Federal government? I believe that it should be the federal government that should take the lead in the development of soft sciences. In China, for example, the traditional Chinese arts are led by the government who financially supports them. I am familiar with a project concerned with reviving traditional culture which was designed by the government in Quanzhou, Fujian Province. It financially supports reconstruction of buildings in the West Street District to duplicate the historical architecture and traditions of previous dynasties. It also supports the traditional arts, such as Nanyin music, marionette, and Gaojia Opera which receives benefits and positive rewards from the reproduction of the colorful, multicultural opera ecology of Quanzhou. Furthermore, most of art schools in Quanzhou offer related courses in these traditional arts to those students who are interested in pursuing knowledge in these artistic areas. I think Quanzhou government recognized the importance of regional culture, and it is rapidly recovering and restoring the traditional arts and cultures in Quanzhou. However, I think the funding of this project in Quanzhou came from the Chinese government, because recently the Chinese government is supporting projects in many provinces to restore historical culture. On the other hand, even though most states realize the importance of soft sciences in the U.S., the competition among states places high priority on the importance of hard sciences. Consequently, the universities are in intense battles that focus on hard sciences. One must conclude that the development of soft sciences depends on the federal government. Practice Theory: Chapter 6 & Chapter 12
I am very interested in the study of an immigrant community in British Columbia, so I read the paper named The City of Richgate: A/r/tpgraphic Cartography as Public Pedagogy. The process of this research could be divided into three parts. First, the definition of the appropriate research topic. Richmond is an immigrant city, and definitely, it is full of different cultures. It is worthwhile to research the immigrants’ situations and feelings. The researchers interviewed eight groups of immigrants by integrating themselves into the community. They collected their immigrant experiences and stories. Finally, they created the “GATE” as the topic for making artwork. Secondly, in order to explore the actual reality of their daily lives, they collected the research data in the form of art. The researchers in this study collected the interviewees’ photos, and took observational notes as well as analyzing/categorizing them, and made a documentary. Third, the researchers presented the research results in a delicate and multicultural form. This study reminds me of my previous undergraduate research about “mainland-brides” who come from Mainland China that are married to Taiwanese people. The words used in “Mainland-brides” to describe this sociological issue by the media in Taiwan were seemingly chosen by the media while wearing tinted glasses. I collected the data from two newspapers and calculated how many times they reported and how they reported in different angles. I used quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. However, since I have gotten more acquainted with A/r/tography, I prefer to use this methodology in the future which could help me to have a better understanding about “Mainland-brides”. As Irwin says, “through the help of aesthetic cartography, community members are encouraged to create, share and/or change their relational understanding of what home and away mean.” A/r/tography: A Metonymic Message I am so surprised that there is a methodology called A/r/tography which presents three roles: the artist, the researcher, and the teacher. The A/r/tography includes self-realization, self-development and the relationship between the self and the outside world, and extends to the reflection on education and teaching as well as personal life through artistic and aesthetic approaches to self-consciousness in education and social phenomena. This methodology does not place emphasis on the identity of the researcher, nor on the artist or the educator, while it focuses on when he/she is the researcher, or the artist, or the educator, including the transition between or among them. Moreover, these roles of “A/R/T” are not separate, I think they are united. Artist-researcher-teachers are inhabitants of these borderlands as they re-create, re-search, and re-learn ways of understanding, appreciating, and representing the world (Finley and Knowles 1995). A/r/tography places more emphasis on the close relationship between theory and practice, cognition and art than in previous educational research. Art is not just a means of expressing itself, it is also a way of recognizing and thinking about the world in reality. As the author says, “A/r/tography is a living practice of art, research and teaching: a living message; a life-writing, life-creating experience” (Irwin et al. 2001) Cultivating Potential-Harvesting Wisdom: An A/r/tographical Illumination of Mentorship Honesty, I read this paper first without any knowledge of A/r/tography and obviously I was confused about some points in the beginning. Well, after reviewing the methodology of A/r/tography, at least, I figured out that the roles of Dr. Kathy and Amy are artists, researchers, and teachers. Certainly, they were using this methodology to display the illumination of mentorship. It is a very special way to talk about mentorship. As far as I know, mentorship is a relationship between the teacher and the student. However, it is interesting to know how the mentor cultivates the student in a shared artistic process. Dr. Kathy and Amy present a unique way to explore the mentorship by setting up a six week co-creating case, and they documented the whole process of collecting the video data. I enjoyed reading the narrative about the video data which presents how they communicated with each other and how they reflected on the topic which they were exploring. Moreover, I believe that it is the trust that inspired them to engage each other as artists to explore the journey of mentorship. Furthermore, I am willing to use the methodology in future research. I believe that real life is complicated, however, objectivism is inclined to theoretical inquiry, including thefact that knowledge belongs to the objective category. Definitely, it ignores the complexity of the subject itself. Consequently, it blindly pursues the “purity” of knowledge, avoiding the subjectivity of the penetration at all costs. Finally, the researchers and the people who are influenced by this theory are not able to adapt to the realities and complications of real life. That’s why I think that subjectivism and objectivism are interconnected in the classroom on which I reflected upon in Parker Plamer’s paper in Amy’s Reflective teacher course. ![]()
SUMMARY This week I chose the article named Designing a Comprehensive Approach to Classroom Assessment which is written by Robert J. Marzano as the week one research translation. This article is published in a book titled Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to transform Teaching and Learning which was assigned reading in Livek’s class last semester. Dr. Marzano believes that effective classroom assessment has the potential to dramatically enhance student academic achievement, while posing the question: “how do school leaders set out to design a comprehensive approach to classroom assessment?” This article describes how a school or district might do just that to address the problems and it begins with four research-based findings regarding effective classroom assessment. These four findings form the basis of a five-step process for designing a comprehensive system of classroom assessment which is the most important part in the article. Here are research-based findings on Effective Classroom Assessment Finding 1: Classroom Assessment Feedback Should Provide Students with a Clear Picture of Their Progress on Learning Goals and How They Might Improve. Finding 2: Feedback on Classroom Assessments Should Encourage Students to Improve. Finding 3: Classroom Assessment Should Be Formative. Finding 4: Formative Classroom Assessments Should Be Frequent. Since the research is typically conducted in a highly controlled situation, Dr. Marzano points out a five-step process based on these findings for designing and implementing a comprehensive approach to classroom assessment.
For step 1, Dr. Marzano asserts that the First finding might not be evident initially, state and national standards are far too complex and lengthly/verbose and are a major impediment to developing a comprehensive system of classroom assessment. He suggests that standard documents can be reconstructed to articulate a small number of measurement topics that address single dimension issues that are closely related to student understanding. (Sample Measurement Topics can be seen in the following.) For step 2, once measurement topics have been identified, construct a scale that is sensitive to learning over time. Dr. Marzano suggests to use the rubric scale (0.0 - 4.0) and he believes that it is possible to design similar scales for kindergarten through high school.
For step 3, teachers place measurement topics in the scale (rubric) which is based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Each formative assessment must have items or tasks that students must learn for each level on the rubric.
For step 4, Dr. Marzano claims that it is powerful for a student to see their progress over time, and teachers require students to chart their progress on each learning goal as well. Meanwhile, it is significant to provide a visual map of their progress. Certainly, teachers can discuss progress on each learning goal with each student, allowing for powerful discussions between teachers and students. As a result, the teacher and student are better able to communicate with parents about their child’s progress. Below is the Sample Student Progress Chart For step 5, designing a comprehensive system of assessment based on the research findings is to redesign report cards to better represent student performance. (The sample student report card is attached.) Each subject includes both academic and life-skills. Life-skills topics include participation, work completion, behavior, and working in groups. Overall scale (rubric) score for each subject area/life skills area is averaged by overall topic scores for the subject area/life skill area. The benefits of a comprehensive approach to formative classroom assessments are increasing the specificity and the rigor of tracking and reporting student learning. RESEARCH PROBLEM I think the research problem is clearly stated. The author believes effective classroom assessment has the potential to dramatically enhance student academic achievement, however, how do schools design a comprehensive approach to classroom assessment? He points out several problems encountered in previous research, for example, the first finding “might not be evident initially, state standards as they are currently formatted are a major impediment to the implementation of this finding. One reason is that state and national standards simply articulate too much.” Definitely, the author tries to make further efforts to improve the current research findings. LITERATURE REVIEW The research is well organized and it provides many relevant sources. The cited sources are primarily. Finding 1: Classroom Assessment Feedback Should Provide Students with a Clear Picture of Their Progress on Learning Goals and How They Might Improve. Finding 2: Feedback on Classroom Assessments Should Encourage Students to Improve. Finding 3: Classroom Assessment Should Be Formative. Finding 4: Formative Classroom Assessments Should Be Frequent. RESEARCH QUESTIONS or HYPOTHESES The previous research findings are well stated in the beginning, and the research question is step by step stated roundly. The question is how school leaders set out to design a comprehensive approach to classroom assessment? The author hypothesizes five steps of designing a comprehensive approach to classroom assessment. DATA SOURCES/SAMPLING IS The research does not provide data sources, while it attaches several samples. For example, the author revises the standards document in which is articulated a small number of measurement topics that address single dimensions. “Articulating measurement topics in this way will require states to focus on a more manageable set of content from the state documents.” Below is the diagram of the sample measurement topics. MEASUREMENT TOOLS
The description of all measurement tools is not adequate, because it just provides samples which are qualitative, while it does not provide quantitative methods. METHODOLOGY/PROCEDURES The descriptions of the procedures are sufficient. In step one, the author provides sample measurement topics which are the basis of the research. Continuously, the author presents the sample scale for measuring learning over time which is a scale from score 0.0 to score 4.0. The author goes on with an example which assumes an eighth-grade science teacher who wished to design a formative assessment for the topic of atmospheric processes and the water cycle. The author proposes a sample science measurement (rubric) for eight-grade. In step 4, the author provides a sample student progress chart, and students can see their progress over time. In step 5, the author provides sample a student report card and describes it in detail. RESULTS The author indicates five-steps of designing a comprehensive approach to classroom assessment, and the five steps are understandable and meaningful. Obviously, the research question is answered. However, the five-steps have not been put into action yet. Certainly, it needs to take effect in schools so that the author is able to test the results which would be helpful to improve this research in the future. DISCUSSION The author does not state the conclusion, because his hypotheses has not been put into practice in schools, and he does not have quantitative data. However, on the basis of this research, the schools or districts could utilize it to design a comprehensive approach to formative classroom assessment. From this research, I have learned some new assessments that we could use in the real classroom. Student progress chart, for instance, is a very unique method for both of students and teachers to know their learning progress. It reminds me of the documentation videos which emphasize learning progress as well. REFERENCE Marzano J. Marzano, Chapter 5: Designing a Comprehensive Approach to Classroom Assessment, Ahead of the Curve: The Power of Assessment to Transform Teaching and Learning, Solution Tree Press, Page 103-125 |