Using portfolio assessment in Classical Studies

1. Using portfolio assessment in Classical Studies An alternative approach to internal assessment Megan Peterson Hobsonville Point Secondary School http://mrsmeganpeterson.wordpress.com/ @mrsmeganpete

2. Rationale • To gather evidence of student work more frequently in a variety of contexts • Smaller, more targeted tasks • Can cover a range of skills / key concepts • “Assessment for the purpose of improving student learning is best understood as an ongoing process that arises out of the interaction between teaching and learning” – NZC, p39

4. Links to the New Zealand Curriculum

5. Effective pedagogy – pp34-35 • “reflective learners assimilate new learning, relate it to what they already know, adapt it for their own purposes” • “Students learn best when they are able to integrate new learning with what they already understand” • “students learn most effectively when they have time and opportunity to engage with, practise, and transfer new learning”

6. NZC and assessment: Effective assessment (extracts, p40) • benefits students – It clarifies for them what they know and can do and what they still need to learn. When students see that they are making progress, their motivation is sustained and their confidence increases. • involves students – They discuss, clarify, and reflect on their goals, strategies, and progress with their teachers, their parents, and one another. This develops students’ capacity for self- and peer assessment, which lead in turn to increased self-direction. • is suited to the purpose – Evidence is obtained through a range of informal and formal assessment approaches. These approaches are chosen to suit the nature of the learning being assessed, the varied characteristics and experiences of the students, and the purpose for which the information is to be used. • is valid and fair – Teachers obtain and interpret information from a range of sources and then base decisions on this evidence, using their professional judgment. Conclusions are most likely to be valid when the evidence for them comes from more than one assessment.

7. Principles – p9 The “principles put students at the centre of teaching and learning, asserting that they should experience a curriculum that engages and challenges them”

8. Key competencies • Thinking: learners “reflect on their own learning, draw on personal knowledge and intuitions, ask questions, and challenge the basis of assumptions and perceptions” • Managing self: learners “establish personal goals, make plans, manage projects and set high standards” • Participating and contributing: peer and self assessment to contribute to an active learning classroom

9. Links to the Classical Studies Teaching and Learning guide http://seniorsecondary.tki.org.nz/Social-sciences/Classical-studies

10. Key concepts • Culture and identity • Conflict • Art and Aesthetics • Citizenship and society • Heritage • Assessment: • “Self and peer assessment exercises, opportunities for reflection (together with attention to the processes of reflection), and journals or portfolios are all useful tools to help students benefit from assessment information. Students could keep blogs or visual diaries as formative and even summative assessment tools.” • “Students in pairs or small groups could grade or annotate exemplar scripts then compare their evaluations with the actual rankings in class discussion.” • Mechanisms that facilitate learning in the Social Sciences • Making connection to our students’ lives • Align experiences to important outcomes • Build and sustain a learning community • Design experiences that interest students

11. Assessing 91204 using a portfolio Why 91204? • Allows students to make connections to the world around them in a variety of contexts • Through a portfolio students are able to look at multiple aspects of the classical world and multiple “other” cultures (time and place) • Small frequent assessments take focus off the 6 credit assessment and place it back on learning • Able to assess using a variety of modes, group and individual work...

12. Paperwork • Task • Template • Deconstructed standards • Individual tasks • Tracking sheet • Peer/self assessment sheet

14. 2013 mini-tasks (to date) • Education – Greek and Modern • Olympics – ancient and modern • 300 and Battle of Thermopylae • Influences of Greek art seen at the Museum (wide scope) • Free choice activity Proposed for term 3 • Themes in Medea (infanticide, divorce, treatment of foreigners...) • Theatrical experience – then and now • Another free choice (if time)

22. The whole portfolio • Emma – Excellence • Natasha – Merit • Ori – Not Achieved

23. Pros • Assessment integrated into teaching and learning • Students work at own pace, gather feedback from other students, critically reflect on their work and refine their ideas • Can make links between classical world and other cultures repeatedly • Students given (limited) choice in their assessment – raises autonomy in learning • Can focus task on an aspect of the classical world/ an Excellence descriptor from the standard – don’t have to do it all at once • Students seem to enjoy the variety of tasks

24. Cons • Teacher time needed to monitor progress • In 2012, seems to have taken more than the 3 weeks that a stand alone task probably would have • Time taken to write mini tasks, and have them moderated! • Students struggled to integrate evidence in early submissions • Unless peer feedback or self assessment used, students unable to monitor their own learning

25. Student perspectives... • “It is good for my learning as it allows us to investigate a large range of aspects surrounding the classical world that may not have been covered in the curriculum. It also allows us to relate the classical world to our own lives through the comparisons” • “Instead of doing one assessment, the portfolio allows us to explore different aspects of Athenian life vs. other cultures. It also means less stress for students, as our submissions aren’t back to back, we get more time and breaks in between” • “It means that our work has been given chances of choosing our best work and putting it all together to get our best grade” • F:\NZACT\NZACT mini conference\Portfolio reflection - student perspectives.docx

26. Lessons learnt in 2012 • My 2012 task was too big, 10 small tasks and 6 to be submitted with a summary conclusion was too demanding • In 2013, reducing the number of set tasks. • Following up on late submission needs to be done earlier in the year • Primary source evidence was hard for students to find within shorter time frames • more teacher provided resources would have helped • 2013 assessment will be more of a mix of in class and homework tasks – too much emphasis on homework tasks in 2012

27. Results • Students explored a range of PSE, contexts, perspectives – a strong foundation for L3 • Students who had considered a range of aspects or factors (Merit and Excellence) reported finding the Level 3 internals easier as they had practised the skill so many times • High level of academic achievement • All results were moderated by an experienced moderator (not me!!!) • Traditionally, Northcote College students have performed well above the National Standards for internals (and essay topics). These results surpassed expectations

28. Questions? Comments?