Beth R. Walizer, Ph.D., is an assistant
professor teaching Children’s Literature, Reading
and Language Arts Methods, Corrections of Reading Disabilities and
corresponding Internship courses in the Department of Teacher Education at Fort Hays
State University.
One research interest is the development of a theoretically ground intervention
to improve teaching and increase student learning in a technology-embedded
classroom.
The work sample
process provides evidence of the accountability for the impact of teachers on
student achievement and gives beginning teachers the opportunity to provide
credible evidence that they possess the knowledge and skills to facilitate
learning for all students. Fort
Hays State
University has structured
a continuum of practice for initial candidates in preparing, teaching, writing,
and assessing a work sample document. Beginning in the sophomore year and
extending through directed teaching, candidates are provided with a sequence of
techniques for developing and writing the work sample. Candidates and faculty
members have noticed an increase in candidates’ abilities to prepare and
validate their teaching. Dispositions on the part of candidates regarding the
teaching and assessing of candidate learning have become more positive.
Upon admittance to elementary teacher education and extending through directed teaching, initial candidates are provided opportunities and skills necessary to deliver a technology rich lesson in an authentic classroom setting. The university has structured a continuum of practice for initial candidates in measuring and evaluating their ability to construct and deliver a lesson using integration of technology. Remote field experience evaluations provide evidence of comparative research conducted on the effectiveness of face-to-face observation evaluations by university supervisors in comparison with observation evaluations using transparent technology, such as a web camera and videoconferencing, using inter-rater reliability. Comparative research conducted on the effectiveness of remote field experience evaluations give initial candidates the opportunity to receive immediate feedback from multiple sources.
