Some subscribers to TIPS and TeachEdPsych might be interested in a recent post "How Much Value is Added at Elite Institutions? [Hake (2011d)]. The abstract reads:
********************************** ABSTRACT: In a previous post "Value-Added Inequities: Should Value-Added Measures Be Used to Evaluate Teachers?" [Hake (2010b)] I implied that the less-than-stellar value-added rankings of Boris Korsunsky's high school and Stuyvesant High School (each with top-tier reputations) were examples of "Value-Added Inequities." I thank Catherine Johnson for correctly pointing out that those two appraisals were not *necessarily* inequitable - they could, in fact, be *correct*. Two cases in point are the less-than-stellar value-added assessments of instruction at two elite institutions: (1) Eric Mazur's traditional 1990 calculus-based introductory course at Harvard, and (2) traditional introductory courses in electromagnetism a MIT. Both assessments are correct as judged by the value-added assessment provided by the average normalized pre-to-posttest gain on valid tests of students' conceptual understanding. Fortunately, in both cases "interactive engagement" pedagogy greatly improved normalized pre-to-posttest gains in those courses: (1) Mazur switched to "Peer Instruction," as is engagingly described by Mazur (2009) in "Confessions of a Converted Lecturer" on UTube at <http://bit.ly/dBYsXh>; and (2) John Belcher instituted TEAL (Technology Enabled Active Learning) as is cogently reported in the "New Your Times" by Sarah Rimer (2009) in "At M.I.T., Large Lectures Are Going the Way of the Blackboard" at <http://nyti.ms/e3JtYN>. In my opinion, demonstrations that the less-than-stellar value-added assessments of Korsunsky's high school and Stuyvesant High School are inequitable would require meaningful value-added measures such as normalized average pre-to-posttest gains on valid and consistently reliable tests of higher-order learning developed by disciplinary experts, not the value-added measures that characterize "Race to the Top," and that have been called into question by the many expert panels listed in my previous post "Value-Added Inequities: Should Value-Added Measures Be Used to Evaluate Teachers?" It is conceivable that if there were "Eric Mazurs" or "John Belchers" at Korsunsky's high-school and the Stuyvesant High School, scenarios similar to those at Harvard and MIT might occur, even though all those institutions are regarded as "elite." ********************************** To access the complete 36 kB post please click on <http://bit.ly/g25OHd>. Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References which Recognize the Invention of the Internet (PEDARRII) <rrh...@earthlink.net> <http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake> <http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi> <http://HakesEdStuff.blogspot.com> <http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake> "I point to the following unwelcome truth: much as we might dislike the implications, research is showing that didactic exposition of abstract ideas and lines of reasoning (however engaging and lucid we might try to make them) to passive listeners yields pathetically thin results in learning and understanding - except in the very small percentage of students who are specially gifted in the field." Arnold Arons (1997, p. vii) REFERENCES [URL's shortened by <http://bit.ly/> and accessed on 22 Jan 2011.] Arons, A.B. 1997. "Teaching Introductory Physics." Wiley. Amazon.com information at <http://amzn.to/bBPfop>. Note the searchable "Look Inside" feature. Hake, R.R. 2011a. "The Ceiling Effect #2" online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at <http://bit.ly/hUnHZe>. Post of 12 Jan 2011 16:19:49-0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post are being transmitted to various discussion lists are also online on my blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/gLWr7W> with a provision for comments. Hake, R.R. 2011b. "Value-Added Inequities: Should Value-Added Measures Be Used to Evaluate Teachers?" online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at <http://bit.ly/fN1HmD>. Post of 18 Jan 2011 15:34:47-0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post were transmitted to various discussion lists are also online on my blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/h23shQ> with a provision for comments. See also Hake (2011c). Hake, R.R. 2011c. "Value-Added Inequities: Should Value-Added Measures Be Used to Evaluate Teachers?" online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at <http://bit.ly/fAvRpA>. Post of 19 Jan 2011 11:36:22 -0800 to AERA-L, EDDRA2, Math-Teach, Net-Gold, and PhysLnR. Hake, R.R. 2011d. "How Much Value is Added at Elite Institutions? " online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at <http://bit.ly/g25OHd>. Post of 22 Jan 2011 14:50:14-0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post are being transmitted to various discussion lists are also online on my blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/gnLPjH> with a provision for comments. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=8080 or send a blank email to leave-8080-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
