In this study physics education researchers collaborated with a high school physics teacher who tried an innovative instructional strategy in her class. The teacher composed sheets with mistaken statements, based on students’ answers to her exams, and guided students to learn from their mistakes. The students were required a) to diagnose the mistaken statements: what went wrong and why? b) to replace the incorrect statements with correct ones. Following these activities the teacher discussed with the students their diagnosis. This instructional strategy is an example of implementing alternative assessment in the physics classroom.

The collaboration described in this study was part of a long-term process of professional development. First, the teacher participated in a yearlong workshop guided by the researchers that focused on promoting students’ problem solving skills. Second, the teacher and the researchers designed together materials for the class implementation. Third, the teacher carried out action research guided by the researchers. Finally the team developed and implemented a short workshop where the teacher shared both her instructional strategies and research findings with her peers in school.

We will describe the development in the teacher’s knowledge of her students during the class implementation and the action research attached, and how it affected her practice: did she know what her students don’t know? what diagnosis were the students able to carry out? how did their conceptual understanding develop between consecutive implementations, if at all? how she responded to the research findings? We will also describe the influence of her work within the school. Namely, how her peers responded to the instructional strategies and findings she presented in the workshop.

We believe that this study can contribute to the database of living examples of the change processes accompanying implementation of alternative assessment in classrooms, as recommended by Black et al (2002).

P. Black, C. Harrison, C. Lee, B. Marshall, and D. Wiliam, Working Inside the Black Box: Assessment for learning in the classrooms, King’s College London Department of Education & Professional Studies, London, 2002.