I'm currently undertaking on online workshop on assessment in the PYP.
I submitted both modules.
The assessment product is in two parts. Tips for this activity Additional Material Here is a checklist that can be used to evaluate the evidence to justify and support conclusions/recommendations from research. Use the questions to appraise the validity, reliability and generalisability of your research.
Part 1
Produce a defence of your research and exhibition, using literature throughout to support your discussion. This defence should justify decisions in the research process and should display an awareness of the weaknesses and limitations of your research design.
Specifically the account should:
- further justify your conclusions
- demonstrate awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of your research method and methodology
The account should be 1200 words or equivalent.
Part 2
Produce an account detailing responses to peer review challenges and exploring what you have learned from the peer review process.
The account should be 800 words or equivalent.validity
Is the study a close representation of the truth? overview questions
1. Was there a clear statement of the aims of the inquiry?
2. Was the position of the researcher clearly stated, their starting point for conducting the inquiry?
3. Was action inquiry methodology appropriate? detailed questions
4. Was the sampling strategy appropriate to address the aims?
5. Were the data collected in a way that addresses the inquiry issue?
6. Was the data analysis sufficiently rigorous?
7. Has the relationship between researchers and participants been adequately considered? reliability
Are the results credible and repeatable? 8. Is there a clear statement of the findings?
9. Do the researchers indicate links between data presented and their own findings on what the data contain?generalisability
Will the results help me in my own work setting? 10. Are the findings of this study transferable to a wider population?
11. How relevant is the research to your situation/scenario/problem?
12. How important are these findings to practice?
Tomorrow is my impact day. To remember:
My school had an in-house workshop yesterday and today, called "Making the PYP happen in the classroom". While this is the title of a regional workshop, the in-school one was similar, just met the needs of the school more.
My interview with my workplace advocate happened over several meetings, where we looked at the organisation's needs, my needs, my interests, my strengths and my weaknesses.
I have this idea to structure the whole La 1., 2 and possible 3 as a major story around a character I invented. I have not been able to finish LA 1 yet, which means I may be .... better off combining them?
The first three activities fall under review anyway, so combining them would give me 3000 words.... sounds better!
Addressing the learning outcome: Demonstrate appropriate knowledge, skills and understanding to address complex problems relevant to practice
Undertake an analysis of your knowledge, skills and understanding using the workshop ‘Learning Skills Audit’.
Complete an individual SWOT analysis on your research.
Discuss, with your peers, the gains in knowledge skills and understanding that you have made in your research and learning.
Use these elements to inform an account portraying yourself as a lifelong learner and practitioner researcher.
Informed by your SWOT, skills audit, and community discussion create an outline of yourself as a lifelong learner and practitioner researcher which shows that you have acquired knowledge skills and understanding which are applicable to your work role.
Tips for this activity
don't be afraid to highlight areas which may still be improved.
give specific examples if your studies have influenced you practice.
ensure that you use literature on lifelong learning.
Reading:
Atkins, M. J., 1999. Oven-Ready and Self-Basting: Taking stock of employability skills. Teaching in Higher Education, 4 (2).
Eraut, M (2006) Transfer of knowledge between education and workplace settings Chapter 6 in Munro, Anne; Rainbird, Helen; Fuller, Alison. 2004., Workplace Learning in Context [online]. Taylor & Francis. Available from: http://www.myilibrary.com/Browse/open.asp?ID=1993&loc=201 10 July 2008
Hager, P (2004)
Lifelong learning in the workplace? Challenges and issues in Journal of Workplace Learning Vol.16 Issue: 1/2 Page: 22 – 32
Langworthy, L and Turner, T (2003) Learning for the Workplace and Beyond: The Challenge for University-Community Engagement viewed online http://www.ld.swin.edu.au/crd/documents/herdsapaper.pdf on 10/7/08
Consider Workshop: Learning Styles
LA2
Addressing the learning outcome: Reflect critically on personal strengths and weaknesses against the achievement of the University’s generic graduate learning outcomes
First ensure that your personal portfolio of transferable skills achieved during Level 3 is up to date. Use the resources in Plone and the community for guidance. A general guide is that your portfolio should consist of five or six short extracts from your Level 3 modules, showing the range of all the university graduate skills. Avoid excessive portfolios as this is supporting material only.
Create an account that reflects upon your achievement of the graduate learning outcomes. This should refer to how you have used your degree in the workplace. Within the account there should be an emphasis on transferable skills.
The skills portfolio will act as supporting evidence for account. It should be submitted as a clearly marked appendix. It should be cross-referenced in support of claims in the reflective account.
Learning Set Task: Discuss your emerging reflections.
Produce an account, which reflects upon your achievement of the graduate learning outcomes.
The account should be 1000 words or equivalent.
Genre
To help you to reflect critically you might wish to select a genre which facilitates this. Consider perhaps ...
A newspaper press release exploring the skills of a new graduate, using yourself as the focus.
A series of questions and answers (as if for a promotion or job interview) exploring your graduate credentials.
A letter for a new job/ promotion detailing your graduate attributes.
You would be equally welcome to submit a report/account which does not draw upon one of these genres.
Tips for this activity
don't be afraid to highlight areas which may still be improved - remember the learning outcome requires that you reflect 'critically'.
ensure that evidence cited in your account is cross referenced to your portfolio
ensure that you reflect upon your graduate skills - go beyond description.
do not spend a disproportionate amount of time on perfecting the portfolio - remember it is the reflections that are the focus of this activity; the portfolio acts as supporting material only.
Reading:
Barrie, S.C, (2006) Understanding What We Mean by the Generic Attributes of Graduates. In Higher Education Vol. 51 Issue 2, p215-241
Smith, C & Bath, D (2004)The Role of the Learning Community in the Development of Discipline Knowledge and Generic Graduate Outcomes. Higher Education Vol. 51 Issue 2, p259-286
activity 3: planning for the future
LA3
Addressing the learning outcome: Establish progression routes for employment and further learning
Meet workplace advocate to discuss future plans and reflect on this in your learning journal.
Undertake a Career Planning: Self-audit
Explore the careers Service (archived hotseat)
Explore the Workplace Advocate (archived hotseat)
Undertake a Personal Values Exercise
Produce an account which treats the question -
Where next for your research and for you at work?
The account should be 1000 words or equivalent.
So obviously these are all fairly connected, while LA 3 is a look into the future, based on the learning from the past. LA 1 looks at at knowledge, skills and understanding and me as a life-long learner and practitioner researcher. LA 2 is more about the strengths and weaknesses in relation to the GLOs, but to be quite honest, the learning skills audit is similar, if not nearly the same, and the SWOT analysis just extends those GLOs to, as I have pointed out so far in the activity, the subject-based knowledge, skills and understanding, and also the work-based ones.
I will think about this and see if I cannot make a cool combined activity out of this today and tomorrow. Any input welcome!
All of us have areas of learning which are “blank” and these may be reflected in your research and exhibition. Consider yours. What aspects of research and exhibition do you try to avoid? (e.g. tasks that involve detailed checking). What types of workplace learning do you actively enjoy? Why is this, do you think? You may wish to spend some time thinking these aspects through, particularly in the context of your recent research and exhibition, jotting down ideas in your learning journal.
Demonstrate appropriate knowledge, skills and understanding to address complex problems relevant to practice
Overall the feedback is positive, especially showing that it was obvious that I was passionate and enthusiastic about my research and about improving my practice. Moreover, comments were made about how well prepared I was ...
Lets reflect on my feedback a little, shall we? Now, I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but to make sure that anonymity is maintained here, I will not use names. And, I will always refer to the female pronouns she and her. Just to make it easier, alright?
So there is one… she says that the exhibition has definitely increased her understanding of both, the research subject, and action inquiry. GOOD NEWS! So she learnt something… which was my intention. She comments that she saw my AI progress but did not really know too much about it. Excellent!
Rated my presentation and communication skills, and my preparation and organisation as excellent. Great! This could be something for the portfolio then!
She thought the overall impression was excellent and commented that it was obvious that a lot of time and effort had been put into the research and into the exhibition. She also said that the clarity of content was excellent.
The exhibition was only partly relevant to her, rating it as good (3 on a scale of 5), commenting that for her class’ level, a basic version could be used, but it was not made apparent in the exhibition. Another person commented that for her grade level the visuals would be great, but the approach would have to be different as they are younger.
She also commented that provision was made for the audience to be heard, in the form of post-it notes, prompts for questions and the feedback sheet. However, she said that maybe some group discussion prompts may have enabled more interaction between the speaker and audience.
Two of the sheets have no comments on them at all, but rate everything but maybe one or two things excellent, the rest very good.
Then there is another one, she also explained her comments to me, so I know a bit more than what she wrote.
She also said that the exhibition increased her understanding of the research topic and action inquiry, saying that it put action inquiry into context.
Rated all things excellent, but said preparation and organisation was brilliant, better than excellent. She thought it was way above average and shows my commitment. Same was said about my knowledge of the topic and the research process.
She agrees with my findings and is looking forward to the introduction of the whole-school approach.
She said that the following things were good:
• Preparation was outstanding
• Setting in context
• Flow if ideas
• Presentation approach:
- Sense of humour
- “statements” throughout as to benefits for children
- focusing on benefits for all
The following stood out to her:
• Personality of presenter shone through. Her enthusiasm and passion for this research was evident.
She found that this presentation and exhibition is of value and furthermore commented freely:
• It was a good presentation that considered the audience from other educational backgrounds. This was very successful.
• The displays are relevant to all members of the audience.
Then another one commented positively on everything. She elaborated on relevance, saying it was a good way to see other ways of assessing children using self-assessment.
She commented, on overall impression, that the information was well spaced and approachable.
She agreed with my findings and conclusions, stating that they support recent studies she has been doing, and furthermore, that she will look into developing her existing strategies.
She said the following was good:
- The variety of research
- The view to provide entirely for all types of learner all the time
and she felt this whole thing was of value.
