An Intellectual Journey of a Teacher - Researcher

Dr. Stephanie Chitpin

School Administrator and TeacherPrior to joining the Faculty of

Education Vice-Principal with the Toronto District

School Board. Resource Teacher with Peel District

School Board. Teacher of Core French, French

Immersion, English Social Sciences and Math from Kindergarten to Grade 12

Doctoral Student The Great Philosopher: Karl Popper

Popper’s approach for teachers’ growth of knowledge

Popper’s schema for questioning teachers’ own knowledge and skills

sustained process of inquiry, reflection and communication, teachers can become avid learners of their own expertise

Teacher -Researcher

Faculty of Education since 2004 Taught the following courses

-Curriculum Design and Evaluation both face-to face and online

-leadership, research methodology, issues in teaching and program organization courses to adult learners.

Objective Knowledge Growth Framework (OKGF)

An active and innovative research program funded by

1. Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

2. Ministry of Education in Ontario 3. University of Ottawa focusing on the

Objective Knowledge Growth Framework (OKGF) which was originally developed and used in my thesis.

Research Funding

External Research Funding 2004 to 2010 Total = $464,334

Internal Research Funding 2004 to 2010 Total = $13,360

Publications

Chapters in books ………………………………2

Papers in refereed journals ..………………..10

Communication in refereed conference proceedings and presentations ..…………..27

Conferences 2010

The International Professional Development Conference, Birmingham, UK, November.

Association pour le Developpement des Methodologies d’Evaluation en Education, Quebec, QC, Nov.

The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Montreal, QC, May. 12th Annual International Conference on Education, Athens, Greece, May Research Fair, the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, ON, March. 

2009 International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Madrid, Spain,

November. The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Ottawa, ON, May.  The American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA, April

2008 Paris International Conference on Education, Economy & Society, Paris, France,

July. The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Vancouver, BC, May. 

2007 The Society, Culture & Literacies Group of the Faculty of Education, University of

Ottawa, ON, March.  The American Educational Research Association, Chicago, Ill, April. The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Saskatoon, SK, May.

Continue…

Conferences (continued) 2006

The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Toronto, ON, May.

The American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA, April.

2005 The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, London, May.

 2004 The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Manitoba,

May.  2002

The Hong Kong Educational Research Association Conference, Hong Kong, June

OISE/UT Conference, Toronto, March. 2001

Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Quebec, May

Using Popper’s Critical Approach in a Curriculum Design and

Evaluation CoursePresentation

Conclusion

Courses Taught

Graduate Courses EDU 5461 - Managing Change in Educational Organizations – 2008, 2010 EDU 5230 - Educational Leadership in Educational Organizations – 2007, 2009 EDU 5265 - Contemporary Issues in Curriculum and program Organization –

2006 EDU 5190 - Introduction to Research in Education – 2006 EDU 6259 - Research and Contemporary Issues in Teaching and Learning –

2005, 2009 1999Y - Childhood Education, University of Toronto - 2000-2003 

Undergraduate Courses PED 3103 - Curriculum Design and Evaluation (on-line) – 2004 to 2010 PED 2142/3142 - Reflection in Practice – 2006 to 2008 PED 3105 - Reflective Practice Seminar – 2004 to 2005 ED 371 - Teaching Elementary Language Arts - 2004 ED 306 - Human Development - 2003-2004 ED 408 - Teaching Reading – 2003

Schematic representation of Popper’s framework

P1 Problem Identification

TT1 Tentative Theory

EE1 Error Elimination

Pn New Problem or

Revised Problem

A1 – Identification of Problem

Definition of Problem (P1):

the problem(s) you face in your school or organization

What are difficult problems?

What makes them problematic?

TT1 – Tentative Theory

Definition of ‘TT1’:

a statement that helps you solve the identified problem.

synonyms for policies, standards, guidelines, steps, criteria.

EE1 – Error Elimination

Definition of ‘EE1’: the detection of weaknesses and limitations

when applying the theory to solve the problem;

one or more of the criteria are not met.

Identification of problem (PI) What do I do for students who failed to take the required quiz in Module 3?

Identification of Assessment Issue(A2) What assessment can I use to obtain the same information with the multiple choice quiz?

Identification of Assessment Issue(A3) What assessment can I use to provide me with evidence of my students’ understanding of Mod. 3

Identification of Theory (TT1) To use the UbD Design Standards, Stage 2 “Are a variety of appropriate assessment formats used to provide additional evidence of learning?”I can ask those students to provide me with a reading response on Mod. 3 to show evidence of learning.

Identification of Theory(TT2) To use the UbD Design Standards, Stage 2 “Are a variety of appropriate assessment formats used to provide additional evidence of learning?”I can ask them to answer specific questions related to all the readings for Mod. 3 to show evidence of learning.

Identification of Theory (TT3) To use the UbD Design Standards, Stage 2 “ Students asked to exhibit their understanding through authentic performance tasks?I can ask them to construct a performance task such as “presentation” to show evidence of learning

Error Elimination (EE1)Is this doable? Yes, In asking students to submit a reading response, they choose to elaborate on areas of their strengths or areas they feel passionate about, thus it does not provide me with an accurate picture as to whether they have a sound understanding of all the readings. In sum, the reading response does not give me the same information that a multiple choice quiz would.

Error Elimination (EE2)Is it feasible? No, given that I am teaching multiple sections of the same course, it will not be feasible for me to read and grade their answers to my questions on Module 3, not to mention that it will take me time to construct reliable, valid and fair questions that will give me the same information that the multiple choice quiz would.

Error Elimination (EE2)Is it useful? Yes, as it would be a good experience for them to present their understandings of Module 3 to their classmates.The rest of the class will have a chance to further pose questions to test their knowledge of the subject. However, since this is an on-line course, scheduling a classroom might be problematic.

Pn New Problem or Revised Problem

External Research Funding

Year Source Type Amount/yr Purpose2010 SSHRC G $107,000

Co-InvestigatorResearch

2009 University of Ottawa O $6,000Principal Investigator

Teaching

2008 University of Ottawa O $6,000On-line Course Developer

Teaching

2008 SSHRC G $37,968Principal Investigator

Research

2007 Ministry of Education of Ontario

G $300,000Collaborator

Research

2004 NASA/UAH O $7,366 USD$Principal Investigator

Research

Year Source Type Amount/yr Purpose

2010 SSHRC G $148,373 Research

EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING SUBMITTED

Internal Research Funding

Year Source Type Amount/yr Purpose2010 University Funds O $1,500 Travel

2009 University Funds O $1,500 Travel

2008 University Funds O $1,500 Travel

2007 University Funds O $2,800 Travel

2006 University Funds O $1,000 Travel

2005 University Funds O $1,000 Travel

2004 Faculty of Education O $4,060 Research

Publications:Chapters in Peer-Refereed Books

2009 A principal’s view on the use of the Objective

Knowledge Growth Framework (OKGF) as a reflection tool web link - pdfIn. M. P. Caltone, Handbook of Lifelong Learning Developments, New York, NY, Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Ch. 12, pp.1-15.

2003 “From Uncertainty to Knowledge Growth through

Individual Reflection,” in Australian College of Educators, Teachers as Leaders in a Knowledge Society (The College Year Book, 2003), pp. 33‑44.

Publications:Papers in Refereed Journals

2010 A Critical Approach for Building Teacher Knowledge – link Can mentoring and reflection cause change in teaching practice? A professional

development journey of a Canadian teacher educator  - link Should Popper’s view of rationality be used for promoting teacher knowledge? Pre-service Teachers’ Thinking about Student Assessment Issue - link

2009 Even if no one looked at it, it was important for my own development: Pre-service

teacher perceptions of professional portfolios - link 2008

Pre-service teachers’ use of the Objective Knowledge Growth Framework for reflection during practicum - link

 2006 Exploring the Popperian Framework in a Pre-Service Teacher Education Program. - link The use of reflective journal in initial Teacher Training: A Popperian analysis

 2005 The role of professional portfolios for teachers Authentic assessment of student work: The use of portfolios.

Publications:Refereed Conference Proceedings

2010 A Canadian pre-tenure teacher educator’s professional development journey: Her struggles

in teaching at the University level. The International Professional Development Conference, Birmingham, UK, November.

Using Popper’s critical approach in a Curriculum Design and Evaluation course. 12th Annual International Conference on Education, Athens, Greece, May

Application of an introspective approach for investigating pre-service teachers’ thinking about student assessment issues. 12th Annual International Conference on Education, Athens, Greece, May.

2009 Using the Objective Knowledge Growth Framework to collect research data on pre-service

teachers’ problem solving processes. International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Madrid, Spain, November.

A principal’s understanding and experience of reflective practice. International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation. Madrid, Spain, November.

2008 A critical analysis of the evidence of the objective knowledge growth framework in teacher

portfolios. Paris International Conference on Education, Economy & Society, Paris, France, July. The use of the objective knowledge growth framework for developing pre-service teachers'

professional skills. Paris International Conference on Education, Economy & Society, Paris, France, July.

Presentations

Publications:Refereed Conference Presentations

2010 The Objective Knowledge Growth Framework in [and] Principal’s Decision Making.

International Professional Development Association Conference, Birmingham, UK, November. Utilisation d'une approche poppérienne afin de faire évoluer les représentations

des étudiants-maîtres en matière d'évaluation des apprentissages. Association pour le Developpement des Methodologies d’Evaluation en Education, Quebec, QC, Nov.

Developing Pre-service Teachers’ Critical Thinking: A Popperian approach. The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Montreal, QC, May.

Redesign of an Online Course Through a Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Process.The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Montreal, QC, May.

Organizer and Chair of Teacher Education and Critical Pedagogy.12th Annual International Conference on Education, Athens, Greece, May

Applying Popper’s Critical approach to Teacher Education. Research Fair, the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, ON, March. 

2009 Objective Knowledge Growth Framework: A self-report data collection method on

decision-making processes.The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Ottawa, ON, May. 

Objective Knowledge Growth: A framework for pre-service teachers. The American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA, April

2008 Using the Objective Knowledge Growth Framework as a reflection model for teacher

professional portfolios. The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Vancouver, BC, May. 

Continue

Publications: Refereed Conference Presentations (continued)

2007 Pre-service teachers reflective practices on behaviour management. The Society, Culture &

Literacies Group of the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, ON, March.  The teacher education reflective seminar and the professional portfolio.The American

Educational Research Association, Chicago, Ill, April. Pre-service teachers reflective practices on behaviour management. The Canadian Society for

the Study in Education, Saskatoon, SK, May. Self-directed professional inquiry and the principalship: The objective knowledge growth.

The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Saskatoon, SK, May. 2006 Professional portfolio and pre-service teachers: A reflective practice. The Canadian Society for

the Study in Education, Toronto, ON, May. Reflective Practice with Pre-service Teachers. The American Educational Research Association,

San Francisco, CA, April. 2005

A Popperian analysis for guiding reflective practice in pre- service teachers. The Canadian Society for the Study in Education, London, May.

 2004 Exploring the Popperian Knowledge Building with Pre-Service. The Canadian Society for the

Study in Education, Manitoba, May. 2002

The use of professional portfolios for teachers’ professional growth and development. The Hong Kong Educational Research Association Conference, Hong Kong, June

Professional journeys: Reflecting on the role of portfolios in preservice teacher education. OISE/UT Conference, Toronto, March.

2001 Student portfolios: Changing the way we assess students in the twenty-first century.

Canadian Society for the Study in Education, Quebec, May