Practice to Theory: Making Connections Between Assessment and Evaluation Through a Reflective Practice Assignment in the Bachelor of Education Program

Oct 15, 2026

Self-study documents and analyzes the author’s learning as an early career teacher educator in Ontario, Canada, focusing on shifting a Bachelor of Education assignment structure to bridge the theory-to-practice gap. The study addresses risks that field-experienced educators may share “tips and tricks” without strong theoretical connections. The change aims to help teacher candidates link placement assessment practices to assessment theory and policy. The reflective essay presents instructional decisions and forward-looking reflections.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose and research focus

Teacher-candidate alignment and outcomes

Instructional decisions and reflection

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 15 | Issue 3 | Article 20 | | --- | --- | Winter 12-31-2024 Practice to Theory: Making Connections Between Assessment and Evaluation Through a Reflective Practice Assignment in the Bachelor of Education Program Terri Jackson Trent University, [terrijackson@trentu.ca](terrijackson@trentu.ca) Follow this and additional works at: [https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca](https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca) [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2024.3.18539](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2024.3.18539) Recommended Citation Jackson, T. (2024) . Practice to theory: Making connections between assessment and evaluation through a reflective practice assignment in the Bachelor of Education program. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 15(3) . [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2024.3.18539](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2024.3.18539) Practice to Theory: Making Connections Between Assessment and Evaluation Through a Reflective Practice Assignment in the Bachelor of Education Program Abstract In self-study, researchers explicitly identify how their practices add to the body of knowledge in teacher education (Vanassche & Kelchtemans, 2015). This self-study aims to document and analyze some of my learning as an early career teacher educator in Ontario, Canada. Being cognizant of the well-researched theory-to-practice gap in teacher education and the potential for someone with recent field experience to readily share “tips and tricks”without deeply connecting to theoretical perspectives (Hibbert et al., 2022), I document and analyze my experiences shifting the structure of a Bachelor of Education course assignment. The purpose of the shift is to help support teacher candidates in drawing connections between their assessment practices on placement and assessment theory and policy. Through this reflective essay, I share my instructional decisions, how I enacted them, and reflect forward. Because teacher candidates demonstrated clear connections about how their assessment decisions aligned with theory, policy, and curriculum documents, I believe this assignment was a successful addition to the course Dans l'auto-étude, les chercheurs identifient explicitement la manière dont leurs pratiques contribuent à l'ensemble des connaissances dans le domaine de la formation des enseignants et des enseignantes (Vanassche & Kelchtemans, 2015) . Cette auto-étude vise à documenter et à analyser certains de mesapprentissages en tant que formatrice d'enseignants en début de carrière en Ontario, au Canada. Consciente de l'écart entre la théorie et la pratique dans la formation des enseignants et desenseignantes, qui a fait l'objet de nombreuses recherches, et du risque qu'une personne ayant une expérience récente sur le terrain partage volontiers des « trucs et astuces » sans s'intéresser de près aux perspectives théoriques (Hibbert et al., 2022), je documente et analyse mes expériences en modifiant la structure d'un devoir de cours de baccalauréat en éducation. L'objectif de ce changementest d'aider les étudiants et les étudiantes en enseignement à établir des liens entre leurs pratiquesd'évaluation en stage et la théorie et la politique d'évaluation. Dans cet essai réflexif, je fais part de mesdécisions pédagogiques, de la manière dont je les ai mises en œuvre et je réfléchis à l'avenir. Parce que les candidats et les candidates à l'enseignement ont démontré des liens clairs sur la façon dont leursdécisions d'évaluation s'alignent sur la théorie, la politique et les documents du programme, je pense que ce travail a été un ajout fructueux au cours.. Keywords self-study, teacher education, theory-to-practice, assessment and evaluation, assignments; auto-étude, formation des enseignants, de la théorie à la pratique, appréciation et évaluation, devoirs This Other submission/autre proposition is available in The Canadian Journal

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the self-study described in the document?

To document and analyze the author’s learning while shifting the structure of a Bachelor of Education course assignment to help teacher candidates connect their assessment practices on placement with assessment theory and policy.

Why does the author emphasize the theory-to-practice gap in teacher education?

Because well-researched literature highlights an ongoing gap, and because educators with recent field experience may share practical “tips and tricks” without deeply connecting to theoretical perspectives.

What does the author reflect on through the reflective essay?

The essay shares instructional decisions, explains how they were enacted, and includes forward-looking reflection, grounded in evidence that candidates made clear connections aligning assessment decisions with theory, policy, and curriculum documents.

Oct 15, 2026

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