Connecting Teaching and Learning: History, Evolution, and Case Studies of Teacher Work Sample Methodology

As accountability in education has become an increasingly prominent topic, teacher preparation programs are being asked to provide credible evidence that their teacher candidates can impact student learning.

Teacher Work Samples, first developed 30 years ago, have emerged as an effective method of quantifying the complex set of tasks that comprise effective teaching and documenting the effectiveness of preservice teachers' impact on student learning. Hilda Rosselli, Mark Girod, and Meredith Brodsky, editors of Connecting Teaching and Learning, have assembled case studies from ten universities and insights from key policy leaders. Now implemented in more than 200 colleges and universities across the country as well as in Scotland and Chile, a preponderance of new evidence is evolving from the use of Teacher Work Samples in various venues that is expanding the field's knowledge in areas of practice, research, and policy. This volume also includes a chapter by the forerunner of Teacher Work Sample theory, Del Schalock, with his thoughts about remaining theory development needed to effectively link teacher preparation and student learning. Furthermore, Connecting Teaching and Learning provides practical advice on implementing Teacher Work Samples and is a must-have resource for all educators alike.

Hilda Rosselli is dean of the College of Education at Western Oregon University.
Mark Girod is chair of the Division of Teacher Education and an associate professor at Western Oregon University.
Meredith Brodsky served as professor, Director of Clinical Services, dean of the College of Education at Western Oregon University, and the director of Teaching Research Institute. She was a commissioner for the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.