Assessment and Feedback

Formative assessment also know as assessment for learning is about the involvement of students in the learning process. It follows a loop of specific characteristics which starts with sharing the learning objectives or goals, followed by, effective questioning, self and peer assessment techniques and finally using marking and feedback techniques. Clarke (2005) and qcda.gov.uk

The following blog looks at assessment and feedback.
I will follow this posting with a blog on effective feedback.

I've just read an interesting article Peterson, E., & Irving, E. E. (2008). Secondary school students' conceptions of assessment and feedback. Learning and Instruction, 18(1), 238-250.
Peterson (2008) uses the work of Hornby to define assessment as having four main roles. Those of summative, formative, certificating and evaluative.
This evaluative assessment I interpret as being a way for parents, teachers schools students to judge the success of the system. accountability.
This New Zealand based article focused on Year 9 and 10 Secondary School students and their conception of assessment and feedback. A repeated theme in the article is that students think that assessment and feedback are inextricably linked and that assessment should be used for improving learning.

What is interesting in this article and relevant to this blog thread are the discussions that focus on "lack of student accountability and the impact of assessment".

This research concluded that although students understood that assessment could be used to help improve their learning, little evidence was found that they independently acted on it. (p244)
Instead of accepting responsibility for learning, students shifted the responsibility to the teacher by blaming or getting angry. Statements like "the teacher doesn't like me" and "being meant" were added to make the point.
Students measured their results against their friends and if the results were positive, they attributed it to their effort. (Not the teachers)
What I take as an important point here is that as teachers we must do something with the feedback we give our students. We must teach them the skills to act on the feedback we give them. Our responsibility and accountability is to give students process feedback, that is information that they can use to improve their work. We must then give the time to let students use that feedback.
"Grades are important but not enough" Students want outcome feedback along side corrective feedback that is constructive and guided. I take this on board and intend to slow my teaching down so students have time to appreciate my feedback and utilise it successfully.

What do you think? (This is good practice and should be happening!!!)

But alas to often Secondary School teachers are so pressured (teaching the knowledge) for the summative assessment they brush over the important stuff.
This knowledge drive is enhanced in Health and Physical Education as it is 100% internally assessed at Years 11, 12 13. That's Level 1, 2 and 3 of the Achievement Standard qualification system and Level 6,7,8 of NZC.

CHEERS SANDY

Assessment for Learning

As we near the end of this course and the end of my blogging on educational assessment, I will list the four characteristics of assessment for learning also know as formative assessment. Those of effective questioning, using marking and feedback strategies, sharing learning goals and peer and self assessment.
I reiterate the importance of ultisising assessment for learning as a means of teaching our students to learn. Finch A (2009) implied that in today's world where content knowledge is so easily attainable , what is important is, "learning to learn" . The 21st Century student needs to be self managing and able to learn for life. For this to happen we need to move a culture of effective assessment for learning into our classrooms. It involves:

• sharing learning goals with pupils
• helping pupils know and recognise the standards to aim for
• providing feedback that helps pupils to identify how to improve
• believing that every pupil can improve in comparison with previous achievements
• both the teacher and pupils reviewing and reflecting on pupils' performance and progress
• pupils learning self-assessment techniques to discover areas they need to improve
• recognising that both motivation and self-esteem, crucial for effective learning and progress, can be increased bye effective assessment techniques

When sharing these points with colleagues I am often met with, "isn't that just good teaching?"

Yes it is. My challenge then is to gain their reflective thoughts. How far are they taking the strategies.

For example: recognising motivation and self-esteem needs of individual students, how does it happen?

For example: when tests are marked or constructive comments make, are students given the time to act on those comments?

I sense their is a never ending loop to this assessment for learning. Let me think on that on and I'll get back to you.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I so often feel like I'm reflecting to myself. Hence the face to face contact has so much more impact. (I read that somewhere on receiving feedback, will see if I can find the article)

CHEERS SANDY

Motivation: One of the ten researched-based principles of 'Assessment for Learning' to guide classroom practice

Hi fellow readers

Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there. www.qcda.gov.uk/library/media/4031-afl-principles.pdf

Assessment for Learning details ten research-based principles to guide classroom practice.

As a follow on from my last posting, I will present one of the ten guiding principles which details taking account of the importance of learner motivation when assessing. That is assessment needs to focus on the students progress and achievement rather than their failures. Assessment methods need to protect the learners autonomy and provide choice while giving constructive feedback and creating opportunity for self-direction.

Margolis and McCabe (2004) link motivational levels to self-efficacy. They state, without sufficiently high self-efficiency or the belief that they can succeed on specific academic tasks like homework, many struggling learners will not make the effort needed to master academics.

They go on to recommend the following ways to improve motivation by increasing a students belief that they are capable of performing in a certain manner to attain certain goals. Teachers can help students by:

• matching task difficulty to learners individual levels
• linking new work to students recent success's
• teaching strategies that produce success
• reinforcing effort and persistence
• using peer model
• linking school work to personally important goals.

Margolis, H., & McCabe, P. (2004). Self-Efficacy: A key to improving the motivation of struggling learners. The Clearing House, 77(6), 241-249.

Do we employ all these strategies?

As 'learning to learn' become more important then the knowledge, we as professionals should be self-encouraged to gain up to date knowledge on all strategies that will help our student learn at their own levels and to their abilities. This sounds like good teaching practice, we have the time, resourcing, professional learning assistant and school support structures to allow this to happen, or do we?

More thinking. Will get back to you before the month is up as an end to this course is approaching tooooooo fast.

CHEERS

THANKS FOR YOUR THOUGHTS