Abstract:

We present a retrospective analysis of a pre-service teacher reflections of a design-based research, consisting in the design of an Authentic Task based on a Problem Based Learning Scenario to mathematically answer the question “Is it possible that the Trocadero’s Island disappears due to the climate change?”. A portfolio, on paper and digital, was also designed to assess students’ performance and product. The task project was implemented to 48 grade 7 Spanish students (ages 12 and 13). The theoretical framework for analysing teacher and student portfolio integrates the Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (Mishra and Koehler, 2006) and authentic assessment (Ashford-Rowe, Herrington and Brown, 2014). The critical elements of this authentic assessment, that we consider are: the challenge for the student, the outcome in form of performance or product, the transference of knowledge, the metacognition, the accuracy in assessment performance, the environment and tools used to deliver the assessment task, the importance of discussion and providing feedback and the value of collaboration. The integration has been made through the inclusion of these eight criteria as new descriptors of the elements of the sets and subsets of the technological pedagogical and content knowledge. The content analysis done using this system of categories is the main methodological strategy applied in the retrospective analysis. The retrospective analysis aims to know how the pre-service teacher develop her awareness about the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge for authentic assessment and if the students’ portfolio designed accomplishes the main requirements for an authentic assessment. The ongoing and retrospective analysis has provided insights about the professional problems that arose during the implementation of the task project, such as how to assess: the incentre construction, the student mathematical disposition using ICT, the development of learning to learn competency, how to integrate geometrical knowledge to answer the realistic question and how to improve students’ portfolio organization. We can highlight that the students’ portfolio designed has the main requirements for an authentic assessment; however, it has not been designed to assess the collaboration between students and how their collaboration is an opportunity to discuss and provide feedback. In conclusion, the portfolio of students, designed and implemented, assessed the students performance and task product. Nevertheless, it was unable to capture the specificities of the collaborative deliberative dialogue.

Keywords:

Teacher training, professional development, authentic assessment, collaborative learning.