Putting Paint to Canvas

The purpose of this chapter is to inform the readers about how to artfully design seamless instruction for adult learners. The authors approached this concept by drawing a connection between the processes of making beautiful art and designing instruction geared toward adult learners. The authors identified several aspects of adult learning theory applied to the following instructional strategies: clear learning objectives, differentiated instruction, formative and summative assessment, and use of descriptive feedback. The authors provided several examples of these instructional strategies intended to support adult learners.

Formative Assessment and Preservice Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Justification

The focus of this chapter is on elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs') use of justification in problem-solving contexts based on a semester algebra course designed for elementary education mathematics minors. Formative assessment and digital tools facilitated the development of PSTs' understanding and use of justification in algebraic topics. The instructional model used includes the following components: negotiating a “taken-as-shared” justification rubric criteria; engaging in problem solving; preparing, digitally recording, and posting justification videos to the Cloud; and finally, listening and sharing descriptive feedback on the posted videos. VoiceThread was the digital venue for the preservice teachers to listen to their peers' justifications and post descriptive feedback. Findings from an analysis of a group focus on the PSTs' peer- and self-feedback as it developed through a semester and the PSTs' ability to provide a range of descriptive feedback with the potential to promote growth in the understanding and use of mathematical justification.

Putting Paint to Canvas

The purpose of this chapter is to inform the readers about how to artfully design seamless instruction for adult learners. The authors approached this concept by drawing a connection between the processes of making beautiful art and designing instruction geared toward adult learners. The authors identified several aspects of adult learning theory applied to the following instructional strategies: clear learning objectives, differentiated instruction, formative and summative assessment, and use of descriptive feedback. The authors provided several examples of these instructional strategies intended to support adult learners.

Formative Assessment and Preservice Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Justification

The focus of this chapter is on elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs') use of justification in problem-solving contexts based on a semester algebra course designed for elementary education mathematics minors. Formative assessment and digital tools facilitated the development of PSTs' understanding and use of justification in algebraic topics. The instructional model used includes the following components: negotiating a “taken-as-shared” justification rubric criteria; engaging in problem solving; preparing, digitally recording, and posting justification videos to the Cloud; and finally, listening and sharing descriptive feedback on the posted videos. VoiceThread was the digital venue for the preservice teachers to listen to their peers' justifications and post descriptive feedback. Findings from an analysis of a group focus on the PSTs' peer- and self-feedback as it developed through a semester and the PSTs' ability to provide a range of descriptive feedback with the potential to promote growth in the understanding and use of mathematical justification.

EFFECT OF DESCRIPTIVE FEEDBACK AND CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF VII GRADERS IN MATHEMATICS

Mathematics has become a universal language and a way of thinking especially due to the advancement in the electronic media. Effective teaching plays a vital role in the propagation of mathematical knowledge. Feedback strategies can be used to enhance mathematical understanding. Feedback process helps the students to acquire information about their existing achievement with respect to goals and help them to improve learning. This study was designed to explore the effect of descriptive feedback and corrective feedback on academic achievement of VII grade in mathematics. Only post-test control group design was used. There were three groups. Group 1 received descriptive feedback, group 2 received corrective feedback and group 3 served as a control group. All groups contained 53 students each. The results analysed indicated that descriptive feedback has more positive effect on students’ achievements as compare to corrective feedback. Students taught through corrective feedback performed better than control group. Although, it is difficult to generalize the results of this study (issue of all experimental researches) but having support of literature it might be suggested that feedback is effective tool for the improvement of mathematics achievement of the students.

Identity Fusion and Status of the Evaluator as Moderators of Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification at the Group Level of Self-Description

We examined the influence of identity fusion and status of evaluator on willingness to fight for one’s group after group-descriptive or not group-descriptive feedback. The valence of evaluative information was varied as well: feedback either support negative group-stereotype (negative but descriptive condition) or contradict negative group-stereotype (positive but not descriptive condition). In two studies (N=208 & N=119) we partially replicated previous findings on self-verification. Individuals fused with one’s group were more prone than non fused to fight for group members after receiving, challenging, not group-describing feedback, but only when evaluator’s status was high. When the evaluator’ status was low, fused participants (vs. non fused) engaged in self-enhancement strategies: that is they endorse radical behavior after negative, even if group-describing, feedback. We discuss the importance of identity fusion and evaluator’s status for determining when self-enhancement and self-verification will and will not be evoke.