Innovation and evaluation in the context of a changing paradigm in education (DOI: 10.2436/20.3000.02.43)

Evaluation involves a specific form of educational research and aims primarily at developing and improving the reality in which it operates. It is a transforming practice that requires the activation of the most relevant cultural, social and political wherewithal of the context in which it works in order to have a deep impact. From the methodological standpoint, modern evaluation incorporates new logics that enable it to adapt to changing needs and addresses emerging spaces, such as educational innovation.Thus, evaluative thinking contributes to new learning by providing evidence to map and monitor the progress, successes, failures and roadblocks in innovation as it unfolds. It involves thinking about what evidence will be useful during the course of innovative activities and establishing the range of objectives and targets that allow its progress to be determined- It is also considered one of the best strategies to develop a new form of teacher training and professional development.Here we provide a description of and a reflection on the different stages in the evaluative cycle of educational innovation from a dynamic viewpoint.Key words: educational innovation, evaluation, research, transformative practice, training, professional developmentOriginal source: Revista Catalana de Pedagogia, 12: 39-59 (2017