Abstracts - Earli

Using videocases in a problem-based course for preservice teachersCindy Hmelo-Silver, Rutgers University, USASharon Derry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USAProblem-based learning (PBL) is a methodology for student-centered learning that relies on small,facilitated, collaborative groups. In PBL, students learn through solving complex problems andreflecting on their experiences. In the STELLAR project, we have adapted the PBL model tospecifically support preservice teachers in gaining an understanding of educational psychologythat they can transfer to their classroom practice. The STELLAR system is an online PBLenvironment that provides preservice teachers with an opportunity to engage with educationalpsychology concepts by using video cases as contexts for collaborative lesson redesign. Thesystem consists of three components: an online educational psychology hypertextbook, theKnowledge Web; a PBL online module; and a library of video cases that present examples ofclassroom practice. These cases provide rich contexts that present opportunities for discussion asstudents engage in redesign of instruction depicted in the cases as well as providing links to theKnowledge Web, helping students understand how concepts apply to multiple cases. The PBLonline module includes tools that scaffold students’ individual and group PBL activities. Theseinclude a personal notebook where students record initial observations, a threaded discussion,where students share research, and a whiteboard where students discuss proposals for lessonredesigns. Over 400 students have participated in the STELLAR adaptation of PBL. During thistime, we have conducted both qualitative and quantitative studies of learning in STELLAR. Quasiexperimentalstudies demonstrate that students in STELLAR courses develop a significantly betterunderstanding of targeted educational psychology concepts than students in a comparison course.This presentation, will describe STELLAR environment and the results of our research.G 1630 August 2007 08:30 - 10:30Room: 0.79 JánossySymposiumAssessing development and learning: Rasch measurement of learningpotentialChair: Trevor Bond, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong KongOrganiser: Trevor Bond, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong KongDiscussant: Philip Adey, King’s College London, United KingdomThe potentials which students have for academic achievement are not always fulfilled in schoolsystems. While cognitive processes might be labelled variously as cognitive development,problem-solving ability, or cognitive competencies, they are routinely held to be key componentsin student potential for academic learning. The common foci for these symposium presentationsare developmental assessments over time and the calibration of those assessments on projectspecificRasch measurement scales. Because of the complementary nature of the independentlyconceived projects reported here, the symposium focusses in turn on the measurement of Piagetiancognitive development, the estimation of cognitive change during Vygotskian co-construction, therelationship between everyday and formal complex problem solving as well as the development of– 404 –