A ctivity : discuss in pairs

2. Activity: discuss in pairs We can only assess what students do, say, make and write 1st What does assessment look like? / What form(s) can assessment take? (1 minute) 2nd What can teachers assess? / What can students produce that teachers can assess? (e.g. do/say/make/write) 3rd What is the purpose of assessment? / Why is assessing students an important part of the learning cycle? (1 minute) S3

3. The purposes of assessment Let’s focus on the teacher and student relationship, as this is in our court • To compare students’ outputs using a standardised measure • To identify what students know, what they need to learn, and to gauge appropriate ways to get them there (also: pacing). • ….. • ….. Extension: what style of assessment do each of these purposes require? S3, R6

4. KEY TERMS re: ASSESSMENT Constructive versus Destructive feedback sandcastle & building-block analogies Formative versus Summative to ‘inform’ in ‘informal’ way vs. to ‘summarise’ Qualitative (personalised) versus Quantitative (enable comparison) individually-tailored, detailed comments vs. NAPLAN, PISA, TIMSS Peer and personal assessment (student-driven assessment) promote self-regulation as learners through guided reflection TASK: match the images with the core assessment word to demonstrate recognition of corresponding format R6

5. Self-efficacy(Bandura1977, 1994)For Albert Bandura, self-efficacy is ‘the belief in one’s capabilities to organise and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations’. That is, a student’s self-efficacy is their belief in their own ability to succeed in a particular situation. For Bandura (1994), these beliefs determine how students think, behave and feel at school. R6

6. Extension Q: What level of assessment is most relevant to whom? Consider the stakeholders: students (and their parents), teachers (and schools), examiners (and university selection committees), funding bodies, etc. S3, R6

7. Assessment for Learning (AfL) Techniques [f] How and When ? [P] [G] [I] [W] Monitoring notes (e.g. did the student contribute relevant comments during class discussion?) Lexical interrogation / notebooks (i.e. check the usage of grammar and vocabulary in a student’s notes) Go-between / phone a friend (e.g. ask students to raise their hands for additional assistance – teacher as guide/rover) Utilising student outcomes (i.e. take note of what they’ve shown they can do/say/make/write) ‘Comment only’ marking (i.e. focus on qualitative, constructive feedback that is tailored to the recipient) Presentation forums (e.g. have students report back on what they have learned) Quiz (e.g. run a MCQ quiz or ‘pop quiz’ as a way of concluding a lesson, enhancing student motivation, and testing for retention/application of new knowledge) Notation schemes

8. Possible Approach : Classroom Assessment OUTCOMES / RECORD KEEPING Record the results of in-class assessment tasks (learning objective, outcome: ‘achieved’ or ‘working towards’) Collect outcomes in a way that supports observation of patterns and trends. Remember Chris and his clipboard yesterday?

9. Q: What if you notice that a student had demonstrated a skill earlier in the unit, but thendoes not? Did the assessment format take a distinctly different form last time and demand a style of presentation that the student is weak in? (format vs. content) Are you certain that the question was pitched at the equivalent level on the Bloom’s Taxonomy? (recognition of pitch) Photo lifted from: www.utexas.edu

10. Possible Approach : Internal Summative Assessment • To be carried out at the end of each module (for us: term) • Progressive tests, designed to test the learning objectives of the term, will be sat by students. • Students’ individual results in the ISA will contribute to the students’ final annual attestation (faa), whilst also providing feedback to teachers on progress made by students in the more short-term. • Learning Objectives tested will also be tested through Classroom Assessment. But tasks should be run in an alternative context – alongside other learning objectives in most cases.

11. Progress Cycle What AfL can be channelled into our lesson planning for learner-centred classes? Inputs – Outcomes Is there a return on our investment? Could the inputs be changed in order to improve student outcomes? Questioning and monitoring Remember Chris and his clipboard? Oral and written feedback Qualitative, constructive comments (formal and less-formal) Tracking progress: focus on individual gains, not only where a child performs in relation to her/his peers Test a number of skills through PBL (project-based learning), inquiry, end of unit test, etc. Plan for the next unit / module Planning School-based assessments Input and Outcomes Formative Assessment Recording progress Questioning and Monitoring Oral and Written Feedback

12. [Lesson plan here] Email Kate at newerapedagogy@gmail.com for a copy of it

13. Leaving Note: • Avoid labelling the student (e.g. ‘you are a bad student’). • -describe the outcome and encourage thought about how to improve it. Promote self-efficacy (belief in self as a capable learner to minimise risk of attrition / talent loss) • Encourage senior students to become self-regulating learners. • -provide language tools that will help them to talk about the learning process (e.g. see: The 16 Habits of Mind). • -ask students to grade themselves in terms of their application (attitude) to a task and/or command of a new skill. • Accommodate different learning styles. (see: Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences) • -test what you set-out to test • -you have some control over how target skills are developed and tested (formative level) • -when explaining something, ask yourself: ‘is there another way?’ • -experiment and see what your students respond best to • Personalise student feedback • -feedback is more meaningful when it focuses on developmental progression points rather than numerical grades • -this requires you to get to know your students

14. Further Reading: Bloom’s - a practical guide for teachers - http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/blooms,+learning+styles+and+thinking+organisers More on Albert Bandura and self-efficacy - http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/self_efficacy.htm www.freemake.com -download YouTube video clips -copy the URL, press ‘paste URL’, open in specified folder