© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 137
J. Kriewaldt et al. (eds.), Educating Future Teachers: Innovative Perspectives
in Professional Experience, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-5484-6_9
Chapter 9
Using a Developmental Assessment Rubric
to Revitalise Stakeholder Conversations
in Professional Experience
Trudy-Ann Sweeney and Barbara Nielsen
Abstract This chapter reports a study that sought to examine the impact of intro-
ducing a developmental assessment rubric for professional experience for preser-
vice teachers in one South Australian university. The rubric was designed to focus
the mentoring and formative and summative assessment of professional experience
to align with the new Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). The
study engaged with all the stakeholders on multiple dimensions of the mentorship
and assessment of professional experience. The aspects selected for reporting in this
chapter focus on the scope, value and changes in the nature and quality of the con-
versations between various stakeholders. The study has produced evidence that as a
result of introducing the developmental rubric, the conversations changed from gen-
eralities and platitudes to more professional conversations that encompassed the full
scope of what is expected of a graduate teacher, clarifying their level of perfor-
mance and informing their orderly development. Those engaged in the assessment
process using the rubric valued the shared language to talk about teaching and its
developmental properties. The use of the rubric was shown to increase preservice
teachers’ capacity and willingness to exercise agency in managing their own learn-
ing needs. This chapter argues that such an approach makes professional experience
a pivotal element that defines, forms and assures the readiness of preservice teachers
to teach and, more importantly, prepares them to be active agents of their learning
in their future teaching careers.
Introduction
Schools of education in Australian higher education institutions are being called
upon to justify their approaches to initial teacher education to assure the government
and the profession that at the completion of their courses, graduates are competent
T.-A. Sweeney (*) • B. Nielsen
Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
e-mail: [email protected]