When research meets practice

When research meets practice

By Communications Staff

May 10, 2016

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An upcoming education conference being hosted by Queen鈥檚 University is bringing together teachers and education researchers from across the country with the aim of fostering collaboration on assessment for learning.

Chris DeLuca (Education), centre, takes part in one of the many discussion groups at the 2015 Canadian Assessment for Learning Network (CAfLN) Conference and Symposium. This year's event is being hosted at 成人大片. (CAfLN Photo)

The third annual Canadian Assessment for Learning Network (CAfLN) Conference and Symposium is being hosted at Queen鈥檚 on May 13-14 under the banner of Moving Forward: Assessment for Learning in Policy, Research & Practice.

The goal of the conference, explains Chris DeLuca (Education), is to create permanent links between the research and theory from the academic side with the practice of the educators in the elementary, secondary and tertiary levels.

鈥淭he conference is really about bringing people together because what we see in the teacher world, for professional learning, is that educators are doing a lot of professional education on their own or in their schools. But this is an opportunity where teachers can talk to teachers from across districts, across regions, across provinces and also then have a conversation with researchers,鈥 says Dr. DeLuca, an associate professor of Classroom Assessment in the Faculty of Education. 鈥淚t鈥檚 emphasizing assessment to be used in very positive ways 鈥 classroom-level assessment and how teachers grade and do test and performance assessments with their students 鈥 how they can do that in a more productive, generative and supportive way for students.鈥

The event is expected to draw approximately 200 educators, assessment researchers and policy leaders from across the country, including some 100 local educators. After the conference, it is hoped that the participants will maintain the connections they have made and share what they have learned with their colleagues.

Previous conferences have already yielded positive results.

鈥淭his is a real opportunity to work with practitioners and establish networks for them to continue their learning,鈥 Dr. DeLuca says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to continue to build the CAfLN and have teachers really connect with one another and establish greater connections to support their efforts at positive assessment in schools and classrooms.鈥

Visit the Faculty of Education鈥檚 website to learn more about the .

Education