# Foundations and Assessment of Education/Edition 1/Foundations Table of Contents/Chapter 2/In the News/Peer Review One

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PEER REVIEW TEMPLATE
Use this template for your peer reviews.
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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!
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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
Is/are the learning target(s) specific? YES
Is/are they appropriate and reasonable? (Are they too easy or too difficult for ECI 301 students?) YES
Is/are they observable? (You wouldn't have to look inside the readers head to know if they met this target.) NO
Does the article provide adequate information for readers to achieve these targets? NO
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: THE LEARNING TARGET ITSELF IS A GOOD GOAL. HOWEVER, GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS NEED TO BE REVIEWED. SUBTOPICS BELOW LEARNING TARGET ARE CONFUSING. NOT ORGANIZED WELL.
Grammar and Mechanics Review
Please either paste the entire body of the article here or any sections that you feel need to be revised.
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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)
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Type your comments in ALL CAPITALS or in another color so the author can easily find them.
In The News:Philosophy of Education
By Derrick Long
Contents [hide]
1 Introduction
2 Learning Target
3 US:The Business of Higher Education
4 Spitting in the Eye of Mainstream Education
5 Students Benefit From Writing Project
6 Conclusion
7 Questions
8 References
[edit] Introduction
A philosophy of education refers to a methodology behind teaching practices. These range from classical âpreconceived methodsâ to newer more experimental thoughts about teaching. Teaching is one of the oldest and most powerful professions known to man. Throughout time we have sought to improve methods of teaching in order to improve the quality of our population. One of the guiding forces in education are teaching philosophies. As ways of thinking about education change and evolve so does the practice and profession of teaching.
[edit] Learning Target
Readers of this section should gain a sense of the ever changing nature of educational philosophies at all levels of education.
[edit] US:The Business of Higher Education
This article is particularly poignant considering the nature of this âtext-bookâ,(WHAT ARTICLE IN WHAT TEXTBOOK? GOT TO CITE PROPERLY) it concerns the new business models being brought to Universities throughout the country. With the economic crash, and the uncertainty and underfunding that it brings with it, colleges and universities have begun adapting a more capitalist approach. One such example is Colorado State University, who elected Joe Blake as its system counselor, not on academic merit but rather on his business prowess.
âSearch committee members were chosen for their knowledge and understanding of complex, billion dollar businesses.â Said, Michelle McKinney, a public relations representative for the board of Colorado State. As colleges grow more geared towards profit margins and capital gains the problem is further compounded by reduced public funding and rising education costs. These fiscal burdens are now being passed onto individual students, leaving many students in âhome mortgage sized debtâ. In todayâs modern world a college degree is in ever increasing demand but the ability to obtain one grows more and more difficult. Could this emphasis on finance be a novel approach to these growing problems or will turning education into a for-profit venture only exasperate the situation? TOO WORDY. POINT COULD BE MADE MORE BRIEFLY. SENTENCE STRUCTURE NEEDS WORK.
[1] The Full Article
[edit] Spitting in the Eye of Mainstream Education
This article concerns a California charter school called, American Indian. (Charter schools are schools which are publicly funded, but are allowed to work outside the constraints of the public school system) American Indian is a school that represents the âEssentialistâ philosophy of education in the extreme. The curriculum is strict, the levels of liberal bashing almost caricature, and the discipline is as severe as it can get without having nuns involved (OPINION?). Their educational philosophy âdoes not preach or subscribe to the demagoguery of tolerance.â(Lansberg, 2009) The results however, are amazing and the âAmerican Indianâ schools have some of the best scores in all of California. In American Indian there are no non-essential courses, any course not tested on does not exist, the arts in general are scoffed at, and testing, not practical application is the emphasis. There are no T.Vâs or computers all learning is done strictly by the book. To go with this rather utilitarian approach to learning the school has equally strict punishments for misconduct. Humiliation is often used as an enforcement tool, in one situation a student caught stealing had his head shaved in front of the entire school, in another a young lady was forced to clean the male restroom. The article goes on to explain the possibility of cherry-picking being used to artificially inflate the schoolâs test scores. (Cherry-picking in this situation would be seeking out successful students for the school and denying âtroubleâ cases) However, no definitive proof is offered either way in the article and in lieu of actual proof of âcherry-pickingâ American Indianâs draconic education philosophy seems to be paying off. OPINIONATED, NOT CITED PROPERLY.
[2]The Full Article
[edit] Students Benefit From Writing Project
This article concerns more the formation of teachers, teaching philosophies rather than an actual education philosophy itself. It describes a writing program offered at the graduate level during the summer at MSU university, made specifically to help teachers formulate and refine their philosophies of education. Through the program teachers engage in a variety of âcutting edge âlearning techniques including acting out parts of plays, writing creatively, and acting out murder mysteries. The program is free, relatively intense, and its main goal is to help teachers by exploring why they teach, hopefully leading to better teachers. The program is tailored to help teachers find new meaning within their careers and hopefully bring that new knowledge and invigoration back to the classroom. CHECK SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND PUNCTUATION. ARTICLE NEEDS TO BE CITED CORRECTLY...APA FORMAT. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM AGAIN?
[3] The Full Article
[edit] Conclusion
Right now, this moment,(REDUNDANT) education is changing, evolving. Someone out there, in the nether is contemplating a new way to teach. In our state of Virginia many are still reconciling their teaching methods with the importance of the S.O.Lâs, or standards of learning, the S.O.Lâs are standardized tests used as a yard stick to measure whether or not students are prepared to move on to the next grade level(RUN ON SENTENCE). These tests have changed the curriculum for everyone and helped define what can be seen as âsuccessâ within the classroom(OPINIONATED). They represent a teaching ideology(NOT AN IDEOLOGY) that places importance upon testing well and less upon innovative teaching methods.
Throughout the new methods of education are being explored and enacted (HUH? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?). In large states with an urban population(COMMA) charter schools are being created in order to utilize more radical teaching methods in the hopes of raising the passing rates of underprivileged minority students(WORDY). Across the country, colleges and universities are looking for ways to make colleges profitable by hiring new staff, consulting marketing teams, and merchandising themselves in the same way successful corporations do. Our definition of education and our ideologies surrounding it are fluid, ever changing things. (THIS IS KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE.)
[edit] Questions
1.Charlieâs Middle School is funded publicly but is not subjected to the limitations of Public Schools. What kind of school does Charlie attend?
A)Charter School
B)Private School
C)Super School
D)Public School
2.Universities under the âeconomic crunchâ are adopting what kind of strategy?
A) Military strategy
B) Business strategy
C) Liberal strategy
D) Risk Strategy
3. If a teacher were to attend the MSU graduate program over the summer, he/she would be mainly seeking to explore and expand upon his/her _____.
A) Educational Philosophy
B) Writing Style
C) Educational Philanthropy
D) Taco Recipes
4.Every year there are new educational programs and policies. Often these programs are inspired by a change in ________.
A)Temperature
B)Location
C)Educational Philosophy
D)Educational Theory
Key: A, B, A, C
[edit] References
JOHNSON, A. (n.d.). Students benefiting from writing project institute - MinotDailyNews.com | News, sports, business, jobs - Minot Daily News. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/517111.html?nav=5010
Landsburg, M. (n.d.). Spitting in the eye of mainstream education - Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-charter31-2009may31,0,7064053.story?page=2
Mcgettigan, T. (n.d.). University World News - US: The business of higher education. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20090528172951762
Standards of Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Superintendent/Sols/home.shtml
country. (n.d.). Education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education
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.)
. POPULAR, NEWS SOURCE
. POPULAR, NEWS SOURCE
. POPULAR, NEWS SOURCE
. POPULAR, EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
. WIKIPEDIA...I WAS TOLD ONCE THAT WIKIPEDIA COULD NEVER BE TRUSTED WITHOUT ADDITIONAL VERIFICATION.
List the range of publication years for all sources, e.g. 1998-2006: ______ - ________ IMPROPERLY CITED.
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? NO
Are the citations in APA format? NO
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
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? NO
Does the author consider potential bias in the sources? NO
Are most of the sources current (less than 5 years old)? DON'T KNOW
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: I QUESTION CREDIBILITY.
Multiple Choice Questions
What does each question assess: knowledge or reasoning (application of knowledge)?
Question 1 KNOWLEDGE
Question 2 KNOWLEDGE
Question 3 KNOWLEDGE, BUT THE ANSWER WAS NOT CLEAR.
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? SURE
Do the questions assess the learning target? MAYBE
Are the questions appropriate and reasonable (not too easy and not too difficult)? NEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE
Are the foils (the response options that are NOT the answer) reasonable i.e. they are not very obviously incorrect answers? NO
Are the response options listed in alphabetical order? NO
Are correct answers provided and listed BELOW all the questions? YES
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: SOME QUESTIONS WERE HARD TO ANSWER BECAUSE THE CORRECT CHOICE WAS NOT EASILY FOUND IN THE ARTICLE.
Part 2 - Ratings
LIST and EXPLAIN your rating for each of the four criteria.
Importance:
I rated this article 2 for importance because...IT NEEDS REVIEWED AND DOESN'T APPEAR THAT MUCH EFFORT WAS GIVEN.
Interest:
I rated this article 2 on interest because... SENTENCES WERE HARD TO FOLLOW. POINTS WERE NOT MADE CLEARLY.
Credibility:
I rated this article 1 for credibility because...SOURCES WERE NOT CITED PROPERLY AND WERE NOT CREDIBLE.
Writing skill:
I rated this article 1.5 on writing because... I KNOW IT CAN BE BETTER...ESPECIALLY FOR A CREATIVE WRITER.
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
. IDEAS BEHIND ARTICLES INTERESTING.
. I DON'T LIKE GIVING CRITISM TO WRITING. I HAD TO DO THIS ASSIGNMENT. I HAD A FRIEND REVIEW YOUR PAPER AS WELL. THE ARTICLES, IF CITED PROPERLY, WITH ADDITIONAL SCHOLARLY REFERENCES, WOULD HAVE GIVEN AN INTERESTING TAKE ON EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES. TRY OUTLINING AND ADDING MORE THAN ONE SOURCE FOR EACH SUBTOPIC. ALSO, IF YOU ARE WRITING ON EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES, PERHAPS THAT COULD BE BETTER DEFINED IN YOUR INTRODUCTION. I HOPE THIS HELPS.
Suggestions
.NEEDS REVISION...SENTENCE STRUCTURE, GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, MECHANICS..
.REVIEW SOURCES FOR CREDIBILITY. CITE PROPER APA FORMAT.
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. :