QUINT finds it highly valuable to work towards a richer, and to a larger extent shared, theory-based understanding of the concept teaching quality. Indeed, a principal ambition of the QUINT Center, articulated in the application to NordForsk, is to contribute to theoretical development in research on teaching quality through an empirical integration of perspectives. So, while occupied with gathering extensive comparative data linked to several subprojects and bringing new PhD students and post docs into the project, we would also like to facilitate conversations among the QUINT researchers about the theoretical aspects of our joint research objective. For this purpose, we invite QUINT researchers to a series of study webinars in which we explore and discuss theoretical aspects of teaching quality linked to the design of the QUINT subprojects. The aim is to develop an interdisciplinary and applicable understanding of the theoretical lenses with which we investigate teaching quality.
Webinar #1: LISA and PLATO
The first of these seminars focuses on the LISA project linked to the so-called PLATO protocol and its theoretical underpinnings. The ambition is to learn more about the way PLATO conceptualizes teaching quality and how it operationalizes theory of teaching and learning. As preparation, we will read
- Klette, K & Blistad-Balas, M., "Observation manuals as lenses to classroom teaching: Pitfalls and possibilities" in European Educational Research Journal 2018, Vol. 17(1) 129–146 (resctricted access)
- Grossman, P., Loeb S., Cohen, J., Hammerness K., Wyckoff J., Boyd D., Lankford H., "Measure for measure: the relationship beween measures of instructional practice in middle school English language arts and teachers' value-added scores, Working Paper 16015, NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, May 2010 (resctricted access)
In order to structure the discussion, we suggest a set of discussion points:
- What is the basic over-arching argument in the two texts?
- What are the basic theoretical underpinnings of the PLATO protocol?
- How are theoretical underpinnings linked to data generation and analysis?
- Are there significant doubts or critical questions to raise against PLATO?
- What are the losses and gains of using coding manuals, and specifically using PLATO instead of other instruments?
Moderators: Professor Nikolaj Elf and Professor Michael Tengberg
This webinar is limited to researchers at QUINT.