ZDM

Charalambous, Charalambos; Praetorius, Anna-Katharina

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-018-0914-8

Researchers from different fields have developed different observational instruments to capture instructional quality with a focus on generic versus content-specific dimensions or a combination of both. As this work is fast accumulating, the need to explore synergies and complementarities among existing work on instruction and its quality becomes imperative, given the complexity of instruction and the increasing realization that different frameworks illuminate certain instructional aspects but leave others less visible. This special issue makes a step toward exploring such synergies and complementarities, drawing on the analysis of the same 3 elementary-school lessons by 11 groups using 12 different frameworks. The purpose of the current paper is to provide an up-to-date overview of prior attempts made to work at the intersection of different observational frameworks. The paper also serves as the reference point for the other papers included in the special issue, by defining the goals and research questions driving the explorations presented in each paper, outlining the criteria for selecting the frameworks included in the special issue, describing the sampling approaches for the selected lessons, presenting the content of these lessons, and providing an overview of the structure of each paper.

Berlin, Rebekah; Cohen, Julie

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-018-0940-6

In this paper, we analyze mathematics lessons using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), a standardized observation protocol that suggests that high-quality lessons are distinguished by the tenor and frequency of classroom interactions. Because the CLASS focuses on interactions, rather than the specifics of content teaching, it can be used across content areas from language arts to mathematics. While many previous studies have used CLASS as a measure of instructional quality, to date, no work has examined the affordances and constraints of using the content-agnostic CLASS to examine instructional quality in mathematics lessons. Our close qualitative analysis of three lessons highlights the importance of including practices that cut across content areas in measurement of instructional quality in mathematics classrooms. In addition, this paper is the first to highlight aspects of instruction in mathematics classrooms that are obscured by the CLASS. Discussion highlights how a relational lens foregrounds particular instructional aspects and marginalizes others.

Kyriakides, Leonidas; Creemers, Bert; Panayiotou, Anastasia

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-018-0919-3

The dynamic model of educational effectiveness refers to eight factors that describe teachers’ instructional role. A multidimensional framework for measuring both quantitative and qualitative characteristics of teaching factors is also proposed. Empirical support for the validity of the model has been provided, which revealed that the teaching factors can be grouped into five stages situated in developmental order. In this study, for the first time, a qualitative methodology is used to provide an in-depth analysis of three video-lessons through the perspective of the five stages of effective teaching. Thus, we present how each stage is defined and use the cases of the three video-lessons to justify the rationale for these stages and help readers see how observational data are used to identify individual improvement priorities and provide differentiated feedback, even to teachers allocated to the same stage. Finally, based on the qualitative analysis of the three case-studies, strengths and limitations of the dynamic model to evaluate quality of teaching for formative reasons are identified.

Muijs, Daniel; Reynolds, David; Sammons, Pamela; Kyriakides, Leonidas; Creemers, Bert; Teddlie, Charles

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-018-0921-9

Teacher effectiveness, which impacts student attainment even when controlling for student characteristics, is of key importance as a factor in educational effectiveness and improvement. Improving the quality of teaching is thus the primary means by which we can enhance student learning outcomes. Thus there has long been great interest in the development of classroom observation measures in the field of educational effectiveness research (EER). The International System for Teacher Observation and Feedback (ISTOF) is a unique instrument in the field, as it was developed by a team from 20 countries using an iterative Delphi process to ensure cross-cultural relevance and validity. While previous studies have looked at psychometric properties of the instrument, they have not interrogated the extent to which ISTOF is useful for evaluating individual lessons and providing feedback to teachers. In this study, we observed three grade 4 mathematics lessons taken from the NCTE video library at Harvard University for this purpose. Findings show that ISTOF can provide a highly differentiated and fine-grained picture of individual lessons, but that the strengths of the generic approach in terms of breadth are to an extent counterbalanced by limitations such as the lack of attention to content richness.

Praetorius, Anna-Katharina; Klieme, Eckhard; Herbert, Benjamin; Pinger, Petra

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-018-0918-4

In this paper, we argue that classroom management, student support, and cognitive activation are generic aspects of classroom teaching, forming Three Basic Dimensions of teaching quality. The conceptual framework was developed in research on mathematics instruction but it is supposed to generalize across subjects. It is based on general theories of schooling and teaching as well as established theories and research traditions from educational psychology. Although used frequently in German-speaking countries, no comprehensive overview of the theoretical foundation as well as the existing evidence regarding the framework, including its strengths and weaknesses, exists so far. The present paper therefore presents first an overview of the theoretical rationale of the framework. Second, it gives an overview of differences and commonalities in the operationalizations of the Three Basic Dimensions in different studies, including a comprehensive set of sub-dimensions. Third, evidence on the reliability and validity of the dimensions is reviewed, with good results for reliability and mixed results for predictive validity. Fourth, an analysis of three mathematics lessons using observer ratings illustrates how the framework of the Three Basic Dimensions can be used for investigating instructional quality. Finally, strengths and limitations of the framework for capturing instructional quality are discussed and we elaborate on the framework’s potential for further development.

Boston, Melissa; Candela, Amber

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-018-0916-6

The Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA) identifies the nature and quality of classroom instruction by considering students’ opportunities to engage in cognitively demanding mathematical work and discussions. The IQA assesses ambitious mathematics instruction based on the following dimensions: potential of the task, task implementation, rigor of the discussion, teacher’s questions, and accountable talk (e.g., teacher’s and students’ talk moves related to linking and press). The IQA rubrics have been tested for reliability and validity by the IQA team and external researchers. The IQA has previously been used in research to assess ambitious mathematics instruction. Through looking at three episodes of classroom instruction, this article will highlight how the IQA can go beyond assessing instruction and serve as a tool to enhance instruction by providing formative feedback to mathematics teachers targeted towards planning and implementing cognitively demanding tasks. While the IQA’s specific focus on assessing ambitious mathematics instruction may limit its applicability in research, when used as a professional learning tool, the IQA rubrics can provide explicit pointers to frame teachers’ learning, self-reflection, and instructional change.

Charalambous, Charalambos; Litke, Erica

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-018-0913-9

In this study, we use Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI), a content-specific observation framework, to examine the mathematical quality of instruction of three focal lessons in order to examine the instructional aspects illuminated by this framework as well as discuss those aspects not captured by MQI. While prior work provides evidence on the validity and reliability of the MQI measures, no prior work systematically explores the strengths and limitations of MQI in capturing instructional quality. Our analysis points to the affordances of MQI for highlighting differences within lessons across instructional dimensions related to the mathematics of the lesson, as well as for comparing across lessons with respect to the depth and quality of the mathematics instruction provided to students. We discuss how the depth of information provided by MQI may guide instructional improvement efforts. In addition, we explore three categories of instructional aspects not highlighted when examining instruction through the lens of MQI, addressing areas in which MQI in particular, and observation instruments in general, might be limited in their capacity to support teachers in instructional improvement efforts.

Walkowiak, Temple; Berry, Robert; Pinter, Holly; Jacobson, Erik

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-018-0931-7

The Mathematics Scan (M-Scan), a content-specific observational measure, was utilized to examine the extent to which standards-based mathematics teaching practices were present in three focal lessons. While previous studies have provided evidence of validity of the inferences drawn from M-Scan data, no prior work has investigated the affordances and limitations of the M-Scan in capturing standards-based mathematics teaching. We organize the affordances and limitations into three categories: the operationalization of the M-Scan, the organization of the M-Scan, and the M-Scan within the larger ecology of instruction. Our analysis indicates the M-Scan differentiates among lessons in their use of standards-based mathematics teaching practices by operationalizing the M-Scan dimensions at the lesson level, sometimes at the expense of capturing the peaks and valleys within a single lesson. Simultaneously, the analysis revealed how the application of the rubrics may be impacted by lesson transcripts. We discuss the theoretical organization of the M-Scan and its implications for researchers and practitioners applying the rubrics. Finally, we point to the affordances and limitations of the M-Scan within the larger ecology of instruction by considering curricular issues and two dimensions of instruction not highlighted by the M-Scan.

Schlesinger, Lena; Jentsch, Armin; Kaiser, Gabriele; König, Johannes; Blömeke, Sigrid

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-018-0917-5

Instructional research in German-speaking countries has conceptualized teaching quality recently according to three generic dimensions, namely, classroom management, student support and cognitive activation. However, as these dimensions are mainly regarded as generic, subject-specific aspects of mathematics instruction, e.g., the mathematical depth of argumentation or the adequacy of concept introductions, are not covered in depth. Therefore, a new instrument for the analysis of instructional quality was developed, which extended this three-dimensional framework by relevant subject-specific aspects of instructional quality. In this paper, the newly developed observational protocol is applied to three videotaped mathematics lessons from the NCTE video library of Harvard University to explore strengths and weaknesses of this instrument, and to examine in more detail how the instrument works in practice. Therefore, we used a mixed-methods design to extend the quantitative observer ratings, which enable high inference, by methods from qualitative content analysis. The results suggest the conclusion that the framework differentiates well between the lessons under a subject-specific perspective.

Schoenfeld, Alan

2018 ZDM

doi: 10.1007/s11858-017-0908-y

This paper provides an overview of the teaching for robust understanding (TRU) Framework, its origins, and its evolving use. The core assertion underlying the TRU Framework is that there are five dimensions of activities along which a classroom must do well, if students are to emerge from that classroom being knowledgeable and resourceful disciplinary thinkers and problem solvers. The main focus of TRU is not on what the teacher does, but on the opportunities the environment affords students for deep engagement with mathematical content. This paper’s use of the TRU framework to highlight salient aspects of three classroom videos affords a compare-and-contrast with other analytic frameworks, highlighting the importance of both the focus on student experience and the mathematics-specific character of the analysis. This is also the first paper on the framework that introduces a family of TRU-related tools for purposes of professional development.