Kendra McMahon - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Leader of the Centre for Research in Scientific and Technological Learning and Education (CRiSTLE)
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Papers by Kendra McMahon
Primary Science, Mar 1, 2018
There have been recent calls for more interaction between learning scientists and teachers. Howev... more There have been recent calls for more interaction between learning scientists and teachers. However, this requires mutual access and sustained time together, which is difficult to achieve in practice. Teachers are very busy people and scientists also have many demands on their time. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) could provide an interdisciplinary bridging point by bringing together relevant stakeholders to select and translate relevant research for trainee teachers. Here, we introduce a design-based research project in which teacher educators, cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists are collaborating to enhance the learning sciences for a primary PGCE. This article explores how this interdisciplinary working is leading to curriculum development.
Routledge eBooks, Apr 24, 2014
After reading this chapter you should have: ▪ an understanding of the key ideas about animals inc... more After reading this chapter you should have: ▪ an understanding of the key ideas about animals including humans that children in the Early Years context should develop and why these ideas are important; ▪ ideas about thematic contexts for children's learning about animals; ▪ an insight into how practitioners can support children's learning about animals through enquiries in science and D&T.
Summary and proposals arising from mid point of the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) ... more Summary and proposals arising from mid point of the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project based at Bath Spa University and funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust.
Teaching of Quantum Mechanics (QM) has been only recently introduced by curriculum reforms in the... more Teaching of Quantum Mechanics (QM) has been only recently introduced by curriculum reforms in the last year of secondary school. Hence, little is known about how students progress in their knowledge about QM from secondary to university level. To know in more detail students' learning pathways in making sense of basic concepts of QM may help construct a more effective teaching framework and develop reliable assessment tasks. This study builds on a learning progression approach to investigate students' understanding of basic QM concepts from secondary school to university level. Initial learning progressions around three big ideas in QM were constructed taking into account research findings, school textbooks, and physics teachers' views about QM. The big ideas were atom and electrons; measurement; wave function. To validate the progressions, we developed a multiple choice questionnaire, submitted to 330 students. Rasch analysis was used to analyse students' responses. Findings led to a revision of the hypothesized learning progressions, which may be useful to design research-based QM teaching sequences from secondary to university level.
Science education international, 2003
Primary Science, 2010
Abstract: Since the demise of the key stage 2 (age 11) science Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) i... more Abstract: Since the demise of the key stage 2 (age 11) science Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) in England, teachers have been getting to grips with the issue of teacher assessment. Although arguably providing a more valid picture of children's scientific ...
The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project is based at Bath Spa University and fund... more The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project is based at Bath Spa University and funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT). TAPS aims to develop support for valid, reliable and manageable assessment, which will have a positive impact on children’s learning. This short guide for teachers introduces the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) school self evaluation tool.
International Journal of Science Education, 2017
The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project is funded by the Primary Science Teachin... more The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project is funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) and based at Bath Spa University. The study aims to develop a whole-school model of valid, reliable and manageable teacher assessment to inform practice and make a positive impact on primary-aged children's learning in science. The model is based on a data flow 'pyramid' (analogous to the flow of energy through an ecosystem) whereby the rich formative assessment evidence gathered in the classroom is summarised for monitoring, reporting and evaluation purposes (Nuffield Foundation, 2012). Using a Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, the authors worked in collaboration with teachers from project schools and other expert groups to refine, elaborate, validate and operationalise the data flow 'pyramid' model, resulting in the development of a whole-school self-evaluation tool. In this paper we argue that a DBR approach to theorybuilding and school improvement drawing upon teacher expertise has led to the identification, adaptation and successful scaling-up of a promising approach to school self-evaluation in relation to assessment in science.
Primary Science, Mar 1, 2018
There have been recent calls for more interaction between learning scientists and teachers. Howev... more There have been recent calls for more interaction between learning scientists and teachers. However, this requires mutual access and sustained time together, which is difficult to achieve in practice. Teachers are very busy people and scientists also have many demands on their time. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) could provide an interdisciplinary bridging point by bringing together relevant stakeholders to select and translate relevant research for trainee teachers. Here, we introduce a design-based research project in which teacher educators, cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists are collaborating to enhance the learning sciences for a primary PGCE. This article explores how this interdisciplinary working is leading to curriculum development.
Routledge eBooks, Apr 24, 2014
After reading this chapter you should have: ▪ an understanding of the key ideas about animals inc... more After reading this chapter you should have: ▪ an understanding of the key ideas about animals including humans that children in the Early Years context should develop and why these ideas are important; ▪ ideas about thematic contexts for children's learning about animals; ▪ an insight into how practitioners can support children's learning about animals through enquiries in science and D&T.
Summary and proposals arising from mid point of the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) ... more Summary and proposals arising from mid point of the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project based at Bath Spa University and funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust.
Teaching of Quantum Mechanics (QM) has been only recently introduced by curriculum reforms in the... more Teaching of Quantum Mechanics (QM) has been only recently introduced by curriculum reforms in the last year of secondary school. Hence, little is known about how students progress in their knowledge about QM from secondary to university level. To know in more detail students' learning pathways in making sense of basic concepts of QM may help construct a more effective teaching framework and develop reliable assessment tasks. This study builds on a learning progression approach to investigate students' understanding of basic QM concepts from secondary school to university level. Initial learning progressions around three big ideas in QM were constructed taking into account research findings, school textbooks, and physics teachers' views about QM. The big ideas were atom and electrons; measurement; wave function. To validate the progressions, we developed a multiple choice questionnaire, submitted to 330 students. Rasch analysis was used to analyse students' responses. Findings led to a revision of the hypothesized learning progressions, which may be useful to design research-based QM teaching sequences from secondary to university level.
Science education international, 2003
Primary Science, 2010
Abstract: Since the demise of the key stage 2 (age 11) science Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) i... more Abstract: Since the demise of the key stage 2 (age 11) science Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) in England, teachers have been getting to grips with the issue of teacher assessment. Although arguably providing a more valid picture of children's scientific ...
The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project is based at Bath Spa University and fund... more The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project is based at Bath Spa University and funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT). TAPS aims to develop support for valid, reliable and manageable assessment, which will have a positive impact on children’s learning. This short guide for teachers introduces the Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) school self evaluation tool.
International Journal of Science Education, 2017
The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project is funded by the Primary Science Teachin... more The Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS) project is funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) and based at Bath Spa University. The study aims to develop a whole-school model of valid, reliable and manageable teacher assessment to inform practice and make a positive impact on primary-aged children's learning in science. The model is based on a data flow 'pyramid' (analogous to the flow of energy through an ecosystem) whereby the rich formative assessment evidence gathered in the classroom is summarised for monitoring, reporting and evaluation purposes (Nuffield Foundation, 2012). Using a Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, the authors worked in collaboration with teachers from project schools and other expert groups to refine, elaborate, validate and operationalise the data flow 'pyramid' model, resulting in the development of a whole-school self-evaluation tool. In this paper we argue that a DBR approach to theorybuilding and school improvement drawing upon teacher expertise has led to the identification, adaptation and successful scaling-up of a promising approach to school self-evaluation in relation to assessment in science.