Linking Instruction and Student Achievement

-Investigating reading instruction in 47 lower secondary classrooms (n=178 lesson) reveal that explicit reading instruction is rare and when provided (n=6 classrooms) teachers focus their instruction on texts structures and text-based discussions and with little reference to general aspects of reading instruction. -Analyzing the use of literary texts across these 47 classrooms indicate that the use of literary instruction is mainly used for writing purposes, focusing on generic text features relevant for texts across the same genre. Short stories, excerpts from novels and fictional texts dominate and instruction did not include whole novels except as individual pleasure reading. Exactly the same texts (short stories, fictional texts) occur across these 47 classrooms and we argue that literature education on this level would benefit from (i) great width in the selection of texts and (ii) more extensive use of novels. -Voluminous research underscore teachers' use of feedback as crucial for students' learning. Our analyses of teachers' feedback practices reveal, however, that superficial, generic and procedural feedback dominates and with little support from the teachers for how students can improve their work substantially and/ or conceptually. Only nine of 94 teachers (10 %) systematically provide substantial and conceptual feedback (five in Mathematics and four in Norwegian LA). -Analyzing feedback practice in mathematics classrooms (47 classroom, 164 lessons) focusing on procedural and conceptual feedback especially, reveal that 30 % (14 teachers) give what we might describe as procedural and generic feedback solely, and only five teachers (11 %) give systematically conceptual and substantial (high quality) feedback. However, 70 % (33 teachers) switch between procedural and conceptual feedback suggesting that only small changes are needed for feedback to have a more systematic conceptual focus. Overall analyses of from the LISA project suggest that i) Pre-designed observation instruments work well as means of capturing features of teaching quality in the Norwegian classroom ii) Norwegian teachers in both Mathematics and Norwegian LA score high on the domain classroom climate capturing features of classroom instruction such as time management and behavioural management. 98 % of the observer teachers score high on these two indicators of classroom quality. iii) The observed teacher score systematically low on scaffolding strategies such as Modelling Strategy Instruction and Feedback. For these indicators of teaching quality, our observed teachers reveal a rather limited repertoire and with considerable room for improvement. iv) Our observed teachers score average (between 2 and 3 on a scale from 1-4) when it comes to the indicators capturing representation of content and cognitive and intellectual demands. The quality of the intellectual challenges and teacher representation of content, including their quality of explanations and conceptual language, are expedient and relevant. Students' opportunities to participate in the classroom discourses (with peers or the whole class) also point to an average score (between 2 and 3). For this element only a handful of teachers, however, have a stable high score, indicating this as an area for considerable improvements -Student surveys from the observed classrooms (n= 1062) suggest that students perceptions provide a nuanced and valuable measure when analysing teaching quality. Students are able to differentiate between teachers as well as individual teachers' strengths and weaknesses. Students could, for example, give a teacher high score on the construct Care while low on the construct Challenge. Generally, our students rate their teachers' instructional practices towards the high end (on a scale from 1-5) with the exception of one item related to the construct Confer. Overall, students rate their mathematics classrooms higher than their LA classrooms. -Combining mean scores from the video data (PLATO scores) with student achievement scores (gains on national test in reading and numeracy) reveal that across classrooms only the PLATO scores Feedback and Purpose show moderate correlation with gains in reading and no correlations in mathematics. Dividing classrooms into high, low and average performing students based on scores on national tests when entering lower secondary level (grade 8)) reveal, however, that both high and low achieving classrooms benefit PLATO scores Intellectual Challenge and teachers' targeted use of Classroom Discourses. High achieving students profit, in addition, from teachers' use of metacognitive framing such as how the teachers present the Purpose of the activity; Link the activity to Prior Knowledge and effective use of Time Management. The quality of teachers' explanation and conceptual language when representing the content are further linked to achievement gains for high performing students.

Det er virkninger og effekter langs flere dimensjoner Metodisk og substansielt: i)Hvordan pre-definerte kodingsmanualer kan si noe kvalitet på undervisning i norske klasserom ii)Hvordan prosessdata (videodata) og produktdata (elevresultater) kan belyse hvilke trekk ved lærernes undervisning som bidrar til læring iii)Hvordan henholdsvis høyt-presterende og lavt-presterende elever synes å nyttiggjøre seg ulike sider ved lærerens undervisning og der systematisk bruk av tydelige faglige krav og mulighet for å diskutere med medelever korrelerer med læring for begge elevgrupper. Infrastruktur for forskning: iv)Bidratt til infrastruktur og klare prosedyrer for forskning der videodata inngår v)Bidratt til styrking av video forskningsfeltet og især knyttet til etikk og personvern og gjenbruk/ deling av data vi)Bidratt til ytterligere prosjektakkvisisjon Kompetanse og profesjonslæring: vii)Bruk av video i kompetanse utvikling for lærer viii)Bruk av video i lærerutdanningen

Research on instruction has revealed complex and nontrivial relations between instructional variables -classroom characteristics, teacher cognition and beliefs, teachers and students activities during instruction - and learning outcomes. The aim of the pr oposed LISA study is to investigate the impact of different modes of classroom instruction on students' learning by comparing video data of class room interaction, assignment data, and student questionnaire data with student achievement data. The empirica l material is taken from lower secondary level classrooms in reading and mathematics. Findings from the study should be used to improve instructional practices in these two subject areas The project has three objectives: - To understand how instructional practices within mathematics and reading support and contribute to student learning. - To develop a research design that enables us to link classroom data with achievement data within an integrated model, and thus contribute to the recent international m ethodological discussion on the development of research designs measuring quality of teaching. - To test out and develop robust coding manuals and instruments aiming at measuring teaching within a Norwegian context, and thus support teachers professional learning. The coding manuals will serve as a possible tool for developing quality indicators which are relevant for teacher training and the teaching profession.