Knowing the Learner: A New Approach to Educational Information (Paperback)

Description

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​Who Should Read Knowing the Learner
Every student, teacher, parent, educational policymaker,​ ​and institution​ ​deserves a way to know whether students​ ​are learning what is being taught.​ ​Educational assessment and evaluation are needed to create and apply this​knowledge productively. ​​Knowing the Learner is directed​ ​to everyone who wishes​ ​to understand what truly​ educational assessment and evaluation are (as well as​ ​what they are not). But to understand these, it is first​ ​necessary to understand​ ​the basic nature of educational activities. The book shows how to develop this​ understanding and how, for the field of education to move forward, teachers must​ ​become increasingly skilled in the practice of assessment and evaluation. Although Knowing the Learner delves into technical subjects, they are always presented in​ ​a way that requires no technical knowledge. For all of these reasons, Knowing​ ​the Learner can be of value to everyone who cares about improving education​ ​and particularly to those who are actively engaged in educational practice, policy,​ ​and decision-making. Readers may be surprised to discover that a new approach​ ​to assessment and evaluation is precisely what is needed, not only to make​ ​educational practice more effective but also to make it more humane.​

About the Author

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Dr. Paul Zachos has been teaching in primary schools, secondary schools, and university settings since the 1970s. He has served as researcher, evaluator, and planner for the New York State Education Department. Dr. Zachos has carried out evaluations of educational programs in public and independent schools and in projects funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA. He has a special interest in scientific and educational creativity. He currently offers practical, interactive, online courses in the fundamentals of educational assessment and evaluation. Dr. Zachos holds an MS in curriculum and instruction from the State University of New York at Albany. He holds a BA in comparative language from Queens College of the City University of New York.

Dr. William E. J. Doane has expertise in computer science, computer science education, computer science education research, information science, instructional design, and curriculum development. Before joining IDA’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, Dr. Doane was a research associate at the University at Albany and the Association for the Cooperative Advancement of Science & Education. He has taught at the University at Albany, Bennington College, the College of Saint Rose, Skidmore College, and other institutions. Dr. Doane holds an MS in information and computer sciences from the University of Hawai'i — M-anoa, and a BA in cognitive science from Hampshire College.