# Foundations and Assessment of Education/Edition 1/Foundations Table of Contents/Chapter 3/Experts Take Sides/Peer Review One

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This article has been reviewed by: Khedl002 (talk) 02:13, 14 June 2009 (UTC)
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PEER REVIEW TEMPLATE
Use this template for your peer reviews.
DIRECTIONS:
You are required to complete TWO (2) peer reviews.
Please take your time and provide effective, helpful feedback. Plan to spend 1.5 to 2 hours per review!
Each peer review is worth 50 points and will be "graded" by the article's author. (Click on Discussion to see the rubric the author will use to grade your peer review.)
You may only review articles written in the current semester (no articles with BOLD titles)
As instructed above, be sure to sign your peer review with four tilde ~~~~. You will not receive credit for reviews that are not signed
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Starting the DAY AFTER the peer reviews are due, you may complete ADDITIONAL peer reviews for EXTRA CREDIT (25 points each). You MAY NOT complete any Extra Credit Reviews until that time.
Part 1 - Article Components
Learning Target(s)
Answer the following questions regarding the learning targets:
Is/are the stated learning targets actual learning targets i.e. they state what the reader should know or be able to do after reading the article? YES, THE LEARNING TARGETS ADDRESS THE SUBJECT MATTER THAT IS IN THE ARTICLE AND TEST QUESTIONS
Is/are the learning target(s) specific? NO, THE LEARNING TARGET IS NOT VERY SPECIFIC. IT IS A GENERAL STATEMENT AND DOES NOT MENTION THE THREE PERSPECTIVES THAT ARE ADDRESSED. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO MENTION THE THREE IDEAS/ THEORIES IN THE LEARNING TARGET TO GET THE READER INTRODUCED TO AND EXCITED ABOUT THE INFORMATION.
Is/are they appropriate and reasonable? (Are they too easy or too difficult for ECI 301 students?) YES, IT IS AN APPROPRIATE SKILL LEVEL QUESTION.
Is/are they observable? (You wouldn't have to look inside the readers head to know if they met this target.) YES, THE INFORMATION ADDRESSED BY THE LEARNING TARGET CAN BE FOUND IN THE ARTICLE.
Does the article provide adequate information for readers to achieve these targets? YES
Please make a comment about the learning target(s). If you answered "No" to any of the questions above, please explain how the author can improve them.
Comment:
IT MAY ALSO BE BENEFICIAL TO MENTION THAT THE STUDENT SHOULD IDENTIFY SIMILARITIES/ DIFFERENCES FROM PAST TO PRESENT (IN THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION) AS A LEARNING TARGET- THEN YOU COULD EXPLAIN A FEW IN YOUR ARTICLE TO GIVE AN IDEA OF HOW SPECIFIC THINGS HAVE CHANGED/ STAYED THE SAME.
Grammar and Mechanics Review
Please either paste the entire body of the article here or any sections that you feel need to be revised.
To do this:
go back to the module page for the article
select "edit this page"
highlight all the text, hit control "c" (or "copy" from the edit menu)
navigate back to your peer review page
click edit this page and paste the text into this window (use control "v" or paste from the edit menu)
You may want to have Wikibooks open in two windows/tabs to make this process easier.
Type your comments in ALL CAPITALS or in another color so the author can easily find them.
PASTE TEXT HERE
Different methods have been used to help improve the way education is looked at (DO NOT END A SENTENCE WITH A PREPOSITION)
The reader will be able to describe the different interpretations of The History of Education (HISTORY OF EDUCATION DOES NOT NEED TO BE CAPITALIZED)
As the world evolves and changes so does the way that education is looked at (DO NOT END A SENTENCE WITH A PREPOSITION)
Edward J. Power's article Persistent Myths in the History of Education says that the reason to study it is "that the History of Education will sharpen students' professional study with precisely the same objective as, say, techniques of teaching or classroom management."(Powers, pg.142) (UNDERLINE OR ITALICIZE THE TITLE. NO NEED TO CAPITALIZE THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION; PERIOD OUTSIDE THE PARENTHESES)
Basically what he is saying that learning about the past is just as important, if not more important, than just learning about the hands on aspect of the profession. (REFERENCE THE AUTHOR BY NAME OR "THE AUTHOR")
"In recent years the history of education has been treated as educational philosophy's untitled and undistinguished cousin." (Powers, pg. 142) (INTRODUCE THE QUOTE USING THE AUTHORS LAST NAME; PERIOD OUTSIDE THE PARENTHESES)
The teaching styles of today are very similar to those of fifty years ago. (THIS SENTENCE IS LATER CONTRADICTED. YOU STATED EARLIER THAT EDUCATION IS EVER CHANGING AND LATER GO ON TO SAY THAT THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENCES. POSSIBLY ELABORATE ON SOME OF THE SIMILARITIES IF THERE ARE ANY)
For instance, there was a point in time when everyone that was attending school was taught in one big room at the same time no matter the age. (THEIR SHOULD BE SPELLED THERE)
The evolution of the history of education has drastically improved the way that school is thought about. (DO NOT END THE SENTENCE WITH A PREPOSITION)
Charles Webster says in his article Changing Perspectives in the History of Education that the main reason for the study of the history of education is "to familiarize intending teachers with notable steps in the development of the modern system of public education." (Webster) (UNDERLINE OR ITALICIZE THE TITLE; PERIOD OUTSIDE THE PARENTHESES)
The Encyclopædia Britannica describes the history of education as "tracing the evolution of the formal teaching of knowledge and skills, from prehistoric and ancient times to the present, and considering the various philosophies that have inspired the resulting systems." (Britannica) (PERIOD OUTSIDE THE PARENTHESES)
It is also saying that many different philosophies have lead to the education curriculum being the way it is today. (LEAD SHOULD BE SPELLED LED)
This is because every one in the teaching profession has their own opinion on what the important aspects of "the history of education" actually consist of. (DONT END THE SENTENCE WITH A PREPOSITION)
Sources
For each source listed in the "References" section of the article, name the type of source (scholarly or popular) and the perspective it provides (research, expert opinion from educator, popular news source, parent organization, personal contact, etc.)
.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education POPULAR-RESEARCH/ GENERAL INFORMATION
.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179408/education POPULAR-RESEARCH/ GENERAL INFO.
.Elliott, B. J. (1977).Researching The History of Education. Research Intelligence. 3, 16-19. SCHOLARLY- RESEARCH
.Webster, Charles (1976).Changing Perspectives in the History of Education. Oxford Review of Education. 2, 201-213. SCHOLARLY- EXPERT OPINION FROM EDUCATOR
.Power, Edward J. (1962).Persistent Myths in the History of Education. History of Education Quarterly. 2, 140-151. SCHOLARLY- EXPERT OPINION FROM EDUCATOR
List the range of publication years for all sources, e.g. 1998-2006: 1962 - 2009
Answer the following questions about the sources used in the article:
Did the author CITE at least 5 sources? YES and use at least 2 scholarly sources? YES
Are the citations in APA format? NOT ALL ARE (YOU MUST ALSO INCLUDE DATE RETRIEVED FOR THE WEBSITES)
Here are two examples of citations in APA format, one for a paraphrase and one for a quotation:
Constructing a title is both a science and an art, but on one fact all of the experts agree: the title must contain a colon (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, & Starr, 2007).
Unfortunately impoverished children are often attending “low-performing schools staffed by ill-equipped teachers” (Murnane, 2007, p. 34).
Are all the sources listed in APA format in a Reference list labeled "References"? NO, IT IS LABELED SOURCES. THIS SHOULD BE CHANGED TO REFERENCES
Here is an example of a reference written in APA format:
Bailey, J., & Barnum, P. (2001). The colon and its rise to prominence in the American circus. Journal of American Punctuation, 34(5), 2-3.
Taken together do the 5 sources represent a good balance of potential references for this topic? YES, THERE COULD HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN ANOTHER, MORE RECENT, SCHOLARLY SOURCE LISTED. EACH OF THE JOURNALS/PERIODICALS WERE 30 YEARS OLD OR MORE- MAY WANT A MORE RECENT VIEW ON THE SUBJECT FROM A SCHOLARLY SOURCE.
Does the author consider potential bias in the sources? YES
Are most of the sources current (less than 5 years old)? NO (ALL THREE SCHOLARLY SOURCES ARE 30+ YEARS OLD)
Please make a comment about the sources. If you answered "No" to any of the questions above, please explain how the author can improve.
Comment:
THE SOURCES SEEMED RELIABLE AND REPUTABLE. YOU MAY WANT TO FIND ANOTHER SCHOLARLY SOURCE (WITH A PERSPECTIVE ON THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION) FROM A MORE RECENT SOURCE.
Multiple Choice Questions
What does each question assess: knowledge or reasoning (application of knowledge)?
Question 1 KNOWLEDGE
Question 2 KNOWLEDGE
Question 3 KNOWLEDGE
Question 4 KNOWLEDGE
Answer the following questions about the multiple-choice questions.
Are there 4 multiple-choice questions? YES
Do they each have four answer choices (A-D)? YES
Is there a single correct (not opinion-based) answer for each question? NO- IT SEEMS AS THOUGH #2 MAY BE BIASED. AS STATED IN THE ARTICLE, MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS AS TO WHY TEACHING HISTORY OF EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT- THERE IS NO CLEAR ANSWER HERE.
Do the questions assess the learning target? YES, ONE QUESTION DOES
Are the questions appropriate and reasonable (not too easy and not too difficult)? YES
Are the foils (the response options that are NOT the answer) reasonable i.e. they are not very obviously incorrect answers? MAYBE, I AM NOT SURE OF THE ANSWER FOR #1. I DO NOT SEE THAT TOPIC ADDRESSED SPECIFICALLY IN THE ARTICLE.
Are the response options listed in alphabetical order? NO
Are correct answers provided and listed BELOW all the questions? YES, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE, BELOW THE SOURCES.
Please make a comment about the multiple-choice questions. If you answered "No" to any of the questions above, please explain how the author can improve the question/s.
Comment:
YOU MAY WANT TO HAVE 2 APPLICATION QUESTIONS IN ADDITION TO THE KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS.
Part 2 - Ratings
LIST and EXPLAIN your rating for each of the four criteria.
Importance:
I rated this article 4 for importance because...IT INCLUDED RELEVANT INFORMATION. IT PROVIDED A FEW DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW WITH SOME KEY IDEAS.
Interest:
I rated this article 3 on interest because...THE SIDEBAR WAS A BIT DISTRACTING. ALTHOUGH I LIKED THE PICTURE, I THINK IT WAS A LITTLE TOO BIG- MADE IT DIFFICULT TO READ THE TEXT BECAUSE IT COVERED A FEW WORDS. SOME NEW, INTERESTING IDEAS IN THE ARTICLE. SOME KEY POINTS WERE MADE BUT NOT ALWAYS ADEQUATELY SUPPORTED/ DISCUSSED.
Credibility:
I rated this article 4 for credibility because...THE SOURCES SEEMED RELIABLE, FEW FORMATTING APA ERRORS WITH THE WEBSITES, NO RECENT SCHOLARLY SOURCES, GENERALLY CREDIBLE BECAUSE HE STATED WHEN IT WAS THE AUTHORS OPINION SEVERAL TIMES
Writing skill:
I rated this article 2 on writing because... MANY OF THE SENTENCES WERE DIFFICULT TO READ, ALL FOUR MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS WERE KNOWLEDGE, INTERESTING INFORMATION BUT DISTRACTING SIDEBAR (PICTURE) WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO READ TEXT
HIGHLIGHT SPECIFIC POINTS IN THE RUBRIC that apply to the article.
To do this: Highlight sections with the cursor and use the BOLD icon above OR type ''' (3 apostrophes) before and after the text you want to make bold
Wiki Article Rubric
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How important was the information presented on this topic to you as a teacher education student?
Covers key ideas crucial for future teachers to know
Based on researched information.
Highly relevant to current educational practice (*this description may be less applicable for some topics such as history of education)
Provides an excellent overview of the topic including relevant research, educational practice, laws and litigation. Includes in-depth discussion of at least a few selected key issues.
Includes ideas relevant to future teachers
Mostly based on researched information.
Applicable to today’s schools
Provides a good general overview with relevant information and discussion of a few key ideas
A couple useful points; some irrelevant information
About half of the information is the author’s opinion.
Some out-dated information; may not reflect current practice
Good information is included but the paper yields a partial /incomplete understanding of the topic or key issues
One useful point
A few facts but mostly the author’s opinion.
Most of the information is irrelevant in today’s schools.
Focused on unimportant subtopics OR overly general with few specifics. Important information is missing.
Information is not relevant to future teachers.
Information is entirely the author’s opinion.
The information is obsolete.
Only irrelevant details or common knowledge. Lacks any substantive information.
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How interesting was the article to read?
Sidebar includes new information that was motivating to read/view
Visuals (headings, colors, fonts, pictures, etc.) enhance the article by making it easier or more inviting to read
Multiple perspectives are considered and discussed
Mostly new information/ideas
Insightful interpretation & analysis are evident throughout the article; a clearly stated conclusion synthesizes all of the material presented.
Points are clearly made and elaborated on with compelling examples.
Sidebar includes new information that enhances understanding of the topic
Visuals add to the article
At least two perspectives were presented
About half of the information/ideas are new
Interpretation and analysis is provided for 3-4 points in the article; a reasonable conclusion based on this information is stated
Some good points are made and explained.
Sidebar includes new information related to the topic.
Visuals are included but have minimal effect
One interesting or new perspective is presented
A couple (2-3) new ideas or pieces of information
Interpretation/ analysis is included for a few (1-2) individual sections, but there is not a conclusion that synthesizes the information presented.
Points are made but may not always be adequately supported or explained.
Sidebar repeats what is already in the article
Visuals are somewhat distracting or not included
Only the “typical” view or one biased perspective is presented.
One new idea or bit of information
Information presented with minimal analysis or interpretation; no conclusion or the conclusion is not based on the information presented
At least one clear point is made and supported.
No side bar included.
Visuals are offensive and completely detract from the content
No perspective is acknowledged.
Nothing new.
No analysis or interpretation included
No clear points are made or points appear pasted from other sources without any explanation.
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How credible do you think the information is?
Required sources are properly cited and included in a reference list in APA format.
Information from diverse sources representing multiple perspectives is included. Several reputable and current sources are cited. The author acknowledges potential bias in sources where appropriate.
Author clearly identifies his own ideas, biases and opinions
Required sources are included; a couple of formatting errors
Information from a variety of sources is included. Most sources are reasonably reputable; bias is acknowledged in others.
It is clear when the author is presenting his own opinion; he doesn’t try to pass if off as fact.
Required sources are included; APA format is not used or has many errors.
A variety of sources is listed but the information primarily reflects a single viewpoint. Sources are reasonable.
The author occasionally (1-2 times) states his own opinion as fact.
Only 4 sources are cited/listed in the references or only 1 scholarly source was used
Sources lack diversity OR information from divergent sources is only superficially mentioned. Some sources are untrustworthy or biased and not acknowledged as such.
Author routinely (3-4 times) states her opinion as fact, ignores own biases.
Missing two or more sources OR sources used but not cited or listed.
All sources and information reflect a single viewpoint. Most sources are untrustworthy or biased and not acknowledged as such.
The entire article is biased and opinion-based without acknowledgment of this perspective.
criteria
5
4
3
2
1
How well do you think this article was written?
Multiple-choice questions (2 application & 2 knowledge) align with the learning targets, assess key points, and are written according to guidelines (see R4)
Specific, appropriate and observable learning targets are stated; the content is clearly organized to help the reader achieve these goals
Captures and maintains attention throughout
All or almost all of the cited information is introduced, elaborated on and explained
Writing is organized, easy to read, and contains few to no mechanical errors.
Multiple-choice questions (2 application & 2 knowledge) align with the learning targets, and assess key points.
Specific and reasonable learning targets are stated; the content aligns with these goals
Captures attention initially and periodically throughout
Most of the cited information is discussed or explained.
The article flowed pretty well and there were just a few mechanical errors.
Multiple-choice questions (2 application & 2 knowledge) assess key points
Reasonable learning targets are stated; the content relates to these goals
Parts of the article capture attention
About half of the cited information is discussed
A few areas were hard to follow, confusing or oddly organized. There were a few distracting errors.
4 multiple-choice questions are included.
Learning targets generally related to the content are stated
At least one part of the article is interesting
Information is “pasted” together with minimal explanation.
Organization was difficult to follow, sentences were awkward and/or there were several distracting errors.
Questions are missing or not multiple-choice.
Learning target is missing or unrelated to content or is/are not actual learning targets
Nothing in the article grabs the reader’s attention
Article is entirely “pasted” together from other sources.
Poor organization, sentence structure and/or grammatical errors made it very difficult to understand the content.
Part 3 - "2+2"
List TWO compliments and TWO suggestions about the article content
Hints:
Focus on the work, not the person
Describe "There is...", "I see.." rather than judge "You didn't..."
Compliments
. I THOUGHT THE INFORMATION WAS VERY INTERESTING AND LIKE HOW YOU OFFERED SEVERAL IDEAS, THINGS I HAD NOT READ BEFORE!
. I LIKE THE PICTURE YOU CHOSE THAT REPRESENTED AN OLDER STYLE CLASSROOM, IT FIT THE IDEA OF YOUR ARTICLE
Suggestions
. I SAW SEVERAL MECHANICAL/ GRAMMAR ERRORS, BE SURE TO PROOF READ
. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO READ THE TEXT TO THE LEFT OF THE PICTURE, MAYBE TRY TO MAKE IT SMALLER WITH A LARGER MARGIN ON THE SIDE SO THAT WORDS WILL NOT BE CUT OFF.
You can make compliments and suggestions that relate to specific areas of the paper or to the paper in general. I suggest a mixture of both. Focus on what's most important. Of course, you can also include more than two suggestions and more than two compliments. The goal is to help the author improve his/her article. :