Uppeldi og menntun - 01.01.2011, Page 121

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 20 (1) 2011 121
meyVant ÞÓrÓlfSSon, ingVar SigUrgeirSSon og JÓHanna KarlSdÓttir
progressivism, while texts pertaining to assessment in discrete subjects and grades
manifest more explicit characteristics of ideologies rooted in traditional education,
stressing accountability when assessing learning outcomes.
The results suggest that assessment practices “inside the black box” as described
by Black and Wiliam (1998a) need extensive attention. These are complex activities,
interpretive in nature, where success depends not simply upon objective measures
of predetermined behaviour but rather upon a comprehensive partnership between
teachers and students (Bell 2000) with no less emphasis on formative assessment than
summative assessment. Furthermore, teachers and school administrators need to
focus more intensely on well established assessment frameworks, employing some
systems of learning outcomes, e.g. Marzano´s taxonomy of objectives (2001).
Keywords: Assessment, assessment in science, science curriculum, assessment methods,
learning outcomes
aboUt thE aUthors
Meyvant Þórólfsson (meyvant@hi.is) is an assistant professor at the School of Education,
University of Iceland. He completed a B.Ed. degree at the Iceland University of
Education in 1978 with emphasis on science, geography and mathematics education,
an M.Ed. degree at the Iceland University of Education in 2002 with emphasis on
science and mathematics education, and is currently a Ph.D. student at the University
of Iceland studying science curriculum reform. His research fields are curriculum
development and curriculum studies, science education, assessment and school
evaluation and educational research.
Ingvar Sigurgeirsson (ingvar@hi.is) is a professor in curriculum and instruction at
the School of Education, University of Iceland. Ingvar completed an MA degree in
Education from the University of Sussex in England in 1986 and a Ph.D. in 1992.
Ingvar has written curriculum materials and handbooks for teachers, as well as
research reports and articles. His main field of interest is classroom research. Ingvar
is the editor of Netla – Online Journal on Education (http://netla.khi.is/). Homepage:
http://starfsfolk.khi.is/ingvar.
Jóhanna Karlsdóttir (johannak@hi.is) is an assistant professor at the School of Education,
University of Iceland. She graduated from Teacher Training College of Iceland as a
teacher in the year 1972. She graduated in studies in elementary teaching and art and
craft from University of Pedagogy in Denmark in the year 1989 and earned an M.Ed.
degree from Iceland University of Education in the year 2001. Her main research
focuses on pedagogy, assessment, student homework and inclusive education.