Formative Assessment / ‘assessment for learning ’

1. Сайн байна уу? Formative Assessment /‘assessment for learning’ Kate Elliott Ulaanbaatar, 21 October 2013

2. 1. summative vs. formative assessment 2. Goals (actions to work towards): • to produce and supply rubrics to students (sample matrix, rubrics) • to create space for reflection by students and teachers • to provide qualitative feedback 3. Benefits (the fruits of your labour): • you will recognise and reward a student’s attitude and progress • you will avoid pre-judging a student’s potential to learn / succeed • You will be able to tailor the pace, timing and style of instruction to your students

3. Additional benefits:

4. ! • External examinations (e.g. CIE) • End of unit (or module) tests (intra-school) • University entrance exams (e.g. GMAT) • [assessment of learning] • Pre-testing • Progress reports • Taking notes during classes • Peer feedback • [assessment for learning] FORMATIVE( F) SUMMATIVE (S) (usually less-formal) (usually formal) THE ‘USE VALUE’ OR CONSEQUENCE OF PERFORMANCE / ASSESSMENT DATA IS WHAT DETERMINES WHETHER IT’s ‘F’ or ‘S’ as teachers: identify, then apply diagnosis should be followed by performance-informed teaching and teaching within the ‘zone’

5. How can we collect evidence of what students can currently do/say/make/write?

6. 1. write and distribute rubricsto students -Provide milestones -Link them to Bloom’s

7. Sample matrix Reference List Anderson, L.W. & Krathwohl, D.R. (Eds.) (2001), A Taxonomy for Learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Addison Wesley Longman. ACARA (2009), Curriculum Design Paper v2.0, ACARA, available from: http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Curriculum_Design_Paper_.pdf (last accessed 25/10/11). Freire, P. (1970), Pedagogy of the Oppressed, London: Penguin Books. Griffin, P (2009), ‘Teachers’ Use of Assessment Data’, Educational Assessment in the 21st Century 2009 (3), pp. 183-208 Hattie, J. & Timperley, H. (2007), ‘The Power of Feedback’, Review of Educational Research 77(1), pp.81-112. Kozulin A. & Gindis, B (2007), Sociocultural Theory and Education of Children with Special Needs: From Defectology to Remedial Pedagogy. In Daniels et al (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Vygotsky, New York: Cambridge University Press, pp.332-362. VCAA (2009a), ‘Glossary –‘Conventions’’, VCAA, available at: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/ict/glossary_terms/conventions.html (last visited 24/10/11) VCAA (2009b), VCAA (2009), ‘Structure of the Information and Communications Technology Domain’, VCAA, available at: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/ict/structure.html (last visited 24/10/11) VCAA (2009c), ‘Years 5 to 8 – Building breadth and depth’, VCAA, available at: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/history/stages.html (last visited 24/10/10) VCAA (2009d), ‘The Humanities - History - Level 4’, VCAA, available at: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vels/history.html (last visited 22/10/11) VCAA (2009e), ‘Information and Communications Technology - Level 4’, VCAA, available at: http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vels/ict.html (last visited 24/10/11). VIT (2009), ‘VIT Standards for Graduating Teachers’, Victorian Institute of Teaching, available at: http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Standards-for-Graduating-Teachers-jan-09.pdf (last visited 22/10/11). Woods, K (2011), ‘Developmental Assessment for Students with Additional Needs’, ALT, M.Teach Program, University of Melbourne, 24/10/11. Appendix iPanelled Rubric [1] Students start to assess online resources for ‘reliability, accuracy and validity’ (ACARA, 2009 p.13). [2] It is suggested that timeline conventions are scaffolded using spoken word, the whiteboard, and the projector attached to the teacher’s laptop, so that s/he may model using Publisher software. Students can contribute to oral discussion, whiteboard diagrams, and even take control of the laptop at various stages of the explanation so that they are provided with a chance to ‘apply’ their understanding (and demonstrate their skills as MKOs). [3] Vygotsky saw ‘special needs children as a socio-cultural, rather than an organic or individual, developmental phenomenon’(Kozulin & Gindis, 2007 p.334). [4]‘Teachers need to manipulate the learning environment and scaffold learning for every student, regardless of the student’s developmental or intellectual capacity’ (Vygotsky, in Kozulin & Gindis, 2997) [5] Victorian teachers are familiar with this taxonomy and Bloom’s different types of knowledge (factual, conceptual, procedural, meta-cognitive), and this familiarity should support them to adjust the demands of this task in the case of students requiring extending or additional supports. [6]‘[Students] learn to develop explanations in a range of forms such as timelines, oral presentations, posters, multimedia presentations, reports and narratives…’ (VCAA, 2009d). [7]At VELS 5, students ‘use historical concepts such as time, evidence, continuity and change, and historical conventions such as documenting sources by using a bibliography and footnotes. They present their understanding in a variety of forms such as annotated timelines... [and] oral reports’ (VCAA, 2009e). [8] Students must be able to reflect upon key events in their own lives to be able to produce the narrative component which informs the timeline construction. They will also be working on developing their research skills; aided by a source record sheet which acts as a prompt to introduce information selection and analysis as important skills into VELS 6 and VCE History - and, indeed, beyond formal schooling. [9] To be used to instructional ends, Sadler argues that feedback must ‘provide information specifically relating to the task or process of learning that fills a gap between what is understood and what is aimed to be understood’ (Hattie & Timperley, 2007 on Sadler 1989). [10] The narrative written piece and hand-written timeline can be the extent of assessed work in the case of a student requiring modified work, where the student’s individual progress report is focused upon communication through written language. [11]‘A curriculum for the 21st century will reflect an understanding and acknowledgment of the changing nature of young people as learners and the challenges and demands that will continue to shape their learning in the future. Young people will need a wide and adaptive set of skills to meet the changing expectations of society and to contribute to the creation of a more productive, sustainable and just society’–21st Century Skills’(ACARA, 2009 p.4) [12] NB: We have purposefully not stipulated in the rubric whether peer panelling must occur face to face, or via email or through anonymous exchange or written work: decisions to this end should be made by the teacher who best knows her/his students (VIT Standard 3) and the type of activities and skills which students have honed in other parts of the unit. However, the rationale for panelling, under Thinking Skills, is for students’ timelines to include events that are removed from the students’ immediate experience, and so that students can check their own understanding of the task through exposure to their peers’ work. [13] As an alternative to formal PD, web-based manuals and help guides are accessible online (e.g. http://desktoppub.about.com/od/microsoft/p/Microsoft-Publisher-2010-Preview.htm).

8. 2. Create a space for reflection Costa and Kallick’s 16 Habits of Mind Post-activity reflection sheet (an example)

9. 3. Provide qualitative feedback • Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) • A lot of challenge, a lot of support • Encourage a ‘can do’ attitude through constructive feedback

10. 4. Tailor the pace, level, and teaching style • Student vs. Teacher-centred teaching Howard Gardner (1982) – Theory of Multiple Intelligences Test your/their dominant intelligence (Google search a test) Bruner - Scaffolding Theory teacher as guide and facilitator of learning lots of challenge and lots of support Self-efficacy (Albert Bandura)

11. Reflect:Why is it important to collect, and act on, assessment data during the school term?

12. Prevent ‘talent loss’ 5: Potential • Potential – ‘Defektologia’ (Lev Vygotsky) • Low performance in a summative assessment does not tell us what the student learnt that year because only a formative assessment task at the beginning of a new unit can help us to identify the learning curve. If the child performs poorly compared to others, it could be due to i) lack of prior exposure, ii) a learning disability, iii) triggered by apathy, iv) illness. • Please don’t label students as ‘bad’ or ‘stupid’ – we need to build their self-efficacy (self-belief)

13. SUMMARY to support lesson planning and delivery that is informed by what students can do/say/make/write, teachers should: • make and provide rubrics (Dreyfus, Bloom), • create space for T & Ss self-reflection (Dewey, Katz & Kallick) • provide qualitative feedback (Vygotsky, Dewey, Friere) • tailor the pace and level, and cater for all learning styles with conviction supported by: • ‘Defektologia’ and Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky) • Scaffolding theory (Bruner), and • Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner)

14. ‘Slow and steady wins the race!’ End of presentation focus questions: Q: What is the key difference between summative and formative assessment? Q: what are some main reasons for collecting data on students’ progress during the term? Q: how do you use test data to shape your lesson planning?

15. Bayarlalaa! Contact me if you want the slides emailed to you newerapedagogy@gmail.com • FA • ‘can do’ FA – case study • slides