Title: Assessment for Learning Strategies: Merging theory and practice within SA realities
1Assessment for Learning Strategies Merging
theory and practice within SA realities
- Sarah Howie,
- CEA, University of Pretoria
- Presented at the GDE Assessment for Learning
Conference, May 2006, Johannesburg
2Overview
- Introduction
- Positioning authentic assessment
- Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Questioning
- Peer and self-assessment
- Challenges to implementing authentic assessment
in most/all SA classrooms - Conclusions
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4Introduction
- Assessment the process of collecting,
synthesizing and interpreting information to aid
in decision making - Test formal, systematic, usually
paper-and-pencil procedure used to gather
information about pupils - Measurement process of quantifying or assigning
a number to pupils performance - Evaluation judging the quality of a pupils
performance or determining a possible course of
action - Airaisian, p.8-9
5Introduction
- Traditional assessments developed to measure
traits with paper and pencil tests, e.g.
multiple-choice and essay - Alternative assessments those based on a
different philosophy goal to provide stronger
link between instruction assessment make
learning more significant - McMillan, (20019-10)
- constitute an alternative to traditional,
paper-and-pencil tests. - Popham, (2002175)
6Introduction
- Authentic assessment constructed to be more
consistent with what people do in situations that
occur naturally outside classroom - Performance assessments students are required
to demonstrate a skill or proficiency by
creating, producing or doing something, - McMillan, (2001 p.9-10)
7Positioning authentic assessment
8Harlen, 2006
9Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Purposes of assessment
- Establish classroom equilibrium
- Plan and conduct instruction
- Place pupils
- Provide feedback
- Diagnose pupil problems
- Judge and grade academic learning and progress
- Airasian, (20014)
10Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Why assessment for learning?
- as opposed (or in addition to?)
- to assessment for assessment or assessment of
learning for reporting sake?
11Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Black Wiliam and the Assessment Reform Group
(ARG) in UK - Evidence of learning gains - applying formative
assessment - Formative assessment was weak in current teacher
practices - Feedback is only effective if used as a guide to
improvement
12Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Depends on
- Effective feedback to pupils
- Active pupil involvement
- Adjusting teaching to take account of results of
their assessment - (ARG, 19994)
13Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Recognition of the profound influence assessment
has on the motivation and esteem of pupils - The need for pupils to be able to assess
themselves and understand how to improve - (ARG, 1999 4)
14Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Including
- Sharing learning with pupils
- Involving pupils in self-assessment
- Providing feedback - pupils recognizing next
steps and how to take them - Believing that every pupils can improve
- ARG (19997)
15Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Inhibiting factors
- Tendency for teachers to assess quantity of work
and presentation rather than quality of learning - Greater attention given to marking and grading,
much of it tending to lower self-esteem of
pupils, rather than to provide advice for
improvement - ARG,(19995)
16Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Inhibiting factors
- A strong emphasis on comparing pupils with each
other which demoralizes the less successful
learners - Teachers feedback to pupils often serves
managerial and social purposes rather than
helping them learn more effectively - ARG (19995)
17Effective assessment for learning strategies
18Effective assessment for learning strategies
19Collated from James, p.53-58 in Gardner, 2006
20Collated from James, p.53-58 in Gardner, 2006
21Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Teachers should be skilled in
- choosing assessments - appropriate, depending on
technical adequacy, usefulness, convenience and
fairness for instructional decisions. - developing all types of assessments.
- administering, scoring and interpreting -
standardized tests and classroom assessments - using assessment results to make decisions re
individual students, instruction, curriculum and
school improvement. - McMillan (20019)
22Effective assessment for learning strategies
- developing rationale, justifiable, and fair
procedures for grading students. - communicating assessment results to students,
parents, other lay audiences and other educators
and finally, - recognizing and practicing sound ethics and legal
requirements. - McMillan (20019)
23Effective assessment for learning strategies
- School administrators should
- understand assessment standards for teachers
- understand and apply basic concepts of assessment
and measurement theory - McMillan (20019)
24Effective assessment for learning strategies
- understand different purposes of different types
of assessments - understand and communicate measurement
terminology - recognize appropriate and inappropriate uses of
assessments and follow ethical guidelines - McMillan (20019)
25Effective assessment for learning strategies
- know how to construct appropriate and useful
assessments - know how to accurately interpret and
appropriately use assessment results. - understand how interpretation of assessment
results is moderated by student characteristics - McMillan (20019)
26Effective assessment for learning strategies
- be able to evaluate an assessment program or
strategy - use computer-based assessment tools.
- McMillan (20019)
27Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Guidelines
- Perform complete sizing up assessments of pupils
needs and characteristics - Use sizing up assessment information when
planning - Do not rely entirely and uncritically on
textbooks and accompanying aids when planning - Airasian (200197)
28Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Include a combination of low- and higher- level
objectives - Align objectives, teaching strategies and planned
assessments - Recognize own knowledge and pedagogical
limitations - Airasian (200197)
29Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Include a broad sample of pupils when assessing
instruction - Supplement informal assessment information with
more formal information about pupil learning - Use appropriate questioning techniques and
strategies to assess pupil learning - Airasian (2001133-135)
30Black Wiliam Model
31Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Teachers, learners and subject discipline
- Teachers more aware of quality of their questions
responses to students questions
32Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Teachers role and regulation of learning
- Teachers shifting from
- what am I going to teach and
- what are pupils going to do? to
- how am I going to teach this and
- what are the pupils going to learn?
33Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Feedback and student-teacher interaction
- Central feature in formative assessment the
student. Interaction between student-teacher is
crucial.
34Effective assessment for learning strategies
- Students role in learning
- Student need to change to
- active learners
- from
- passive recipients.
35Effective assessment for learning strategies
- formative use of summative assessment
- questioning
- feedback by marking
- student peer-and self assessment
- Harlen, 2006
36Questioning
- Why ask questions?
- To promote attention
- keep attention of pupils
- To promote deeper processing
- pupils verbalise thoughts and ideas
- To promote learning from peers
- hear peers interpretations and explanations
- Airasian, (2001135)
37Questioning
- To provide reinforcement
- reinforce important points and ideas
- To provide pace and control
- keep continuous attention
- To provide diagnostic information
- provide teachers with information re pupils
- Airasian, (2001135)
38Questioning
- Types of questions higher and lower level
questions - Convergent questions have one correct answer
- What is the capital of Brazil?
- Divergent questions may have many appropriate
answers - What are the benefits of good education?
- Need both types of questions
39Questioning
- Typology of questions
- open-ended
- Diagnostic
- information
- challenge
- action
- sequence
- prediction
- extension
- Generalisation
- Christensen, (1991)
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41Questioning
- Give pupils enough time to respond
- thinking in pairs, or groups
- Give pupils a choice of different possible
answers - ask them to vote on options
- Ask all pupils to write down an answer
- then read out a selected few
- Black and Wiliam, (1998)
42Questioning
- Ask questions related to important objectives
- Avoid global, overly general questions
- Be aware of patterns in distributing questions
among pupils - State questions clearly and directly to avoid
confusion - Airasian, (200084-86)
43Questioning
- Probe student responses with follow-up questions
- Allow private questioning time for shy and
difficult to engage with pupils - Remember that oral questioning is a social
process involving interaction between teacher and
pupils in public setting. - Airasian, (200084-86)
44Questioning
- Invite students to elaborate
- say a little bit more about.
- Echo
- so you think that.
- Non-verbal invitations
- eye contact, tilt of head, nod etc
- Make a personal contribution from your own
experience - I remember
- Clarify ideas
- I can tell that is the case because.
- UK National Literacy Strategy
45Questioning
- Make a suggestion
- You could try..
- Reflect on topics
- yes, I sometimes think that
- Offer information or make observation on a topic
- it might be useful to know that
- Speculate on a given subject
- encourage students to explore ideas
uncertainty is a normal stage in thinking process - UK National Literacy Strategy
46Questioning
- Most important!!!
- To understand link between question and learning
intention underlying question
47Peer and self-assessment
- Students working in groups, peer assessment
valuable way of implementing formative assessment
- (Sadler, 1989, 1998).
48Peer and self-assessment
- Assessment for learning requires effective group
work. - Peer assessment is very demanding on students
social and communication skills - listening,
- turn-taking,
- clear and concise verbal and written expression,
- empathy
- sensitivity.
- Seeba, (2006191)
49Peer and self-assessment
- Peer assessments used to give feedback on each
others regular presentations of work and on
teamwork skills. - In pairs use criteria provided by the teacher to
give each other feedback on ways of improving
quality of work.
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51Peer and self-assessment
- Training children to be self-evaluative during
whole-class sharing - explain to class purpose of self-evaluation
sessions - repeat the learning intention during lesson
- display a range of self-evaluative questions at
end of lessons - Clarke, Timperly and Hattie, (200346)
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53Peer and self-assessment
- start by modeling possible answers might have to
questions and asking them not to answer questions
yet (to stop high-achievers hijacking session) - after training period, choose one question and
link it to learning intention, e.g. what are you
most pleased with about understanding pushes and
pulls
54Peer and self-assessment
- allow short period of time (15-30 seconds) of
thinking time (heads down, eyes down, dont move) - use a variety of approaches for different days
whole class responses, paired responses, group
responses (2-10 mins) - avoid getting children to write own
self-evaluations
55Peer and self-assessment
- Critical that teachers deal with situations that
children find difficult or get stuck
56Peer and self-assessment
- Impact of self evaluation on learners is overall
rise in self-esteem - More likely to ask for help
- More in control of own learning
- Begin to set own targets and goals
- Enjoy finding others have similar thoughts
- Children enthusiastic about self- evaluation
sessions - (Clarke et al,2003 50)
57Peer and self-assessment
- Impact on teachers
- Teachers more insight into pupils learning
- Time is an issue
- Teachers found whole-class sharing time more
focused and relevant - (Clarke et al,2003 54)
58Peer and self-assessment
- Students identify own individual learning targets
and at regular intervals have time to writing
reflections on own learning, their team learning
and achievement of targets. - Some students are taught to assess themselves
against standards. (e.g. students in Australia
and Canada) - Sebba, (2006190)
59Peer and self-assessment
- Self-assessment,
- may be even more powerful once students have a
good understanding of the criteria with
development of skills in self-assessment,
learners can develop as own coaches and critics. - Lissitz Schafer, p.70
60Challenges to implementing authentic assessment
in most/all SA classrooms
How practical is its application in the SA
classroom? multilingual, multicultural and
inclusive classes
61Challenges to implementing authentic assessment
in most/all SA classrooms
- Tension between philosophy of learning in
intended curriculum and that of implemented
curriculum
62Challenges to implementing authentic assessment
in most/all SA classrooms
- dependability of assessment is enhanced when
teachers have a thorough understanding of the
goals and of the nature of progression towards
them PROBLEM when you have poorly prepared
teachers. - Harlen, (2006107)
63Challenges to implementing authentic assessment
in most/all SA classrooms
- Preparation of lessons
- Knowledge of developmental criteria
- To develop students understanding and skills
teachers need to have in mind some developmental
criteria in order to see how the goals of
specific lessons are linked to the progression of
more general concepts and skills, -
- Harlen, (2006116).
64Challenges to implementing authentic assessment
in most/all SA classrooms
- Inadequate training of teachers
- large classes
- under-resourced classrooms
- Inadequate training and resources are obvious
threats to formative assessment. In large and
badly resourced classrooms, ideas of individual
feedback or of regular groupwork are
non-starters. - Stobart, p.137-140
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67Challenges to implementing authentic assessment
in most/all SA classrooms
- Entrenched views on teaching and learning may
undermine or support formative assessment - Stobart, (2006137-140)
68Challenges to implementing authentic assessment
in most/all SA classrooms
- Communication
- Language of learning
- Literacy in home
69Challenges to implementing authentic assessment
in most/all SA classrooms
- Inclusive education
- Poor comprehension
- Poor auditory skills
- Poor visual skills
- Time constraints
- Anxiety
- Embarrassment
- Variability of behaviour
- Understanding directions, completing assessments
- Understanding oral directions, assessment tasks,
and questions being distracted by noises - Understanding written directions, assessment
tasks and questions, decoding symbols and letters
being distracted by visual cues. - Finishing assessments
- Finishing assessments and being able to think
clearly demonstrating best work - Finishing assessments, being reluctant to ask
questions - Finishing assessments demonstrating best work
70Conclusions
- For authentic assessment to lead to learning
- classroom context must be supportive and feedback
to learners productive
71Conclusions
- Conditions
- 1. trust and motivation
- student feels safe to admit difficulties and
teacher is constructive and encouraging - motivation both teacher commitment to students
learning and students own motivation to learn
and improve. - Crooks (2001)
72Conclusions
- Also students must trust that teachers know what
is to be learned - includes both teachers knowledge of task,
criteria and standards to be met - Crooks (2001)
- how effectively these are communicated to the
learner - Clarke, (2001, 2005).
73Conclusions
- Students must understand
- what they are supposed to be learning
- what reaching the intended standard will
involve. - Crooks (2001)
74Conclusions
- Assessment for learning compared to assessment of
learning for reporting - No sharp division between formative and summative
assessment - Both are important
- What is more important is striving for good
assessment - Harlen, p113
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76How do we achieve effective assessment?
- Need a clear conception of all intended learning
outcomes - A variety of assessment procedures must be used
- The instructional relevance of the procedures
must be considered - An adequate sample of student performance is
needed - Gronlund, p.18-21
77How do we achieve effective assessment?
- Procedures must be fair to all
- Specifications of criteria for judging successful
performance are required - Feedback to students must emphasise strengths of
performance and weaknesses to be corrected - Must be supported by comprehensive grading and
reporting system - Gronlund, p.18-21
78THESE CHILDREN RELY ON US TO MAKE IT WORK
79Thank you
- Email sarah.howie_at_up.ac.za