Dylan WiliamI did some research into Dylan Wiliam’s work and findings on formative assessment and I found some things that I really liked. In a Youtube video interview discussing his book Embedded Formative Assessment, Wiliam talks about 5 ways teachers can be more responsive to the learning needs of their students. These five strategies are: 1. Sharing learning intentions with the students. 2. Finding out where students are at already with their understanding 3. Giving feedback that moves students’ learning forward 4. Students should be helping each other 5. Activating students as owners of their own learning. He also discusses his goal to help teachers be better and acknowledges that each teacher needs to find their own way to integrate these techniques into their practice, there is no one size fits all. One thing he said in the interview that stuck with me was that “you never get any good at [teaching], there’s always room to improve.” In a Powerpoint presentation “How formative assessment improves teacher effectiveness and student learning” found on his website, he talks about Hinge Points; these are points in a lesson where you stop and collect evidence from students in order to decide what to do next. I’ve seen this used in my practicum class where the teacher has a small check-in activity, one example was 3 math questions to see where the students were at and what the teacher needed to focus on in preparation for their upcoming test (or if the test need be pushed back). In this presentation, Wiliam also discussed the goal of group work, saying that his goal for collaborative work is that “students are working as a group, not just in a group” - in my Frame of Reference I have “Intentional group work, not just group work for the sake of group work” so I really liked and agreed with his ideas on collaboration between the students being intentional. Moving forward, Hinge Points are something that I would like to add into my lesson planning, having deliberate points in a lesson where I check for understanding before moving on is really important in making sure the direction the lesson is going is benefiting the students. I think that by intentionally incorporating these check points, it makes it easier for the teacher to slow down or redirect as the lesson is happening rather than back tracking at the end and re-teaching the students that got left behind. Damian Cooper Through watching "Assessment 'Good for All Students'" and exploring Damian Cooper's website (Plan Teach Assess) and Vimeo page, he discusses that his idea of assessment is that it should be good for all students and that it should promote learning, not measure it. He talks about the need to differentiate the purpose for assessment and the primary user of the data; in what ways do the students benefit from this assessment, why is it being assessed, who is the assessment for? He also talks about triangulation and the frequency of assessment. The idea of triangulation is having 3 pieces of data to identify where the student is at, as teachers we should not be basing our conclusions on one piece of work nor should we be basing them on every single piece of work the students do. I like this idea because it provides a safe space for students to practice and take risks, knowing that certain things will not be marked while giving them the time and opportunity to improve and experiment before handing something in for assessment. I think using this triangulation strategy can allow for teachers to promote the Successful Learner Traits and give students a space to safely experiment with them. Risk-Taking, creative, and strategic (as well as the other traits) are things that require time, practice, and experimentation. I believe that if we are to really incorporate these traits into our daily routines we need to allow spaces for the students to work on them without the pressure of assessment that might deter them from going outside of their comfort zone. It also allows for student choice and voice in what is being assessed. Students can be given a choice to submit the pieces they are proudest of and that they see as the best representation of what they can do. Another dimension to this to consider is emotions, students emotions can affect their output significantly, therefore by giving choice in what is assessed, students need not submit work that may have been done on a bad day- which is likely not representational of their true capabilities. Cooper also talks about the Understanding By Design approach to planning and how, in the planning stage, teachers need to identify learning objectives (what needs to stick, how will my students be different at the end). Cooper’s emphasis is on purposeful and planned assessment where students are given feedback in words not just numerical scores and letter grades. I think, as a teacher, this is an important thing to remember and I think in my classroom when I am assessing I will try to focus more on comments as feedback rather than letter and number grades. I like the idea of having comment only assessment and might implement that for certain subject areas in my own class. Finally, in a sports analogy, Cooper says that effective coaches watch, listen, and give feedback; exceptional coaches teach and give athletes the tools to self and peer assess. I think that’s something that with the new curriculum is possible and is super important to do when thinking in terms of formative assessment. SourcesWiliam, Dylan. Embedded Formative Assessment. (2012, April 1) [Youtube video by Hawker Brownlow Education]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3HRvFsZHoo. Retrieved: 01/15/2018
Wiliam, Dylan. How formative assessment improves teacher effectiveness and student learning [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from presentations online. http://www.dylanwiliam.org/Dylan_Wiliams_website/Presentations.html. Retrieved: 01/15/2018 Cooper, Damian. Assessment "Good For All Students" (2014, August 19) [Vimeo post by the Learning Exchange]. https://vimeo.com/103849537 Retrieved: 01/15/2018 Damian Cooper (n.d.) Retrieved 01/15/2018. http://www.planteachassess.com/damian-cooper/
0 Comments
Before this program, I had experience working with children but not in a classroom setting. Most of my experience has been through coaching figure skating and working in school aged childcare. In both scenarios I was rarely by myself, so managing students without a partner is a whole new situation for me.
A time when I've seen classroom management go well was when I worked at the YMCA, attention getting and management strategies were key to a smooth day. There was one staff in particular that had been working with the Y for a number of years and all the children loved and respected her. She worked in the same room (with often the same kids year to year) and had the same rules and expectations that the kids knew and understood. One attention getting strategy that was consistent throughout the entire Y was when the staff said “1, 2, 3 eyes on me” the kids paused what they were doing, turned their attention to the leader, and responded “1, 2, eyes on you.” In my first couple days, I was amazed at how that small phrase had so much power and I thought to myself “wow, I don’t know if I could ever get the attention of a room that efficiently.” To my surprise, the first time I tried it the kids immediately responded and turned their attention to me. At first I was amazed at my new found power, but then realized that it wasn’t me, it was the routine that these kids have been doing forever. It was then that I realized the importance of consistency. With that particular phrase, the kids at the Y knew what the expectation was of them when they heard it because in many cases, it was their routine for multiple months (if not years). I think by establishing your expectations at the beginning of the year and sticking to them, it makes it easier for the students to follow throughout the year and it gives your classroom a sort of rhythm and the students a reflex that everyone understands and knows. A time where I have seen classroom management not go so well is from when I was in high school and some of my teachers did not have control of the class. As a student, if I didn’t respect a teacher, good luck getting me to listen to them; if my friends felt the same, no learning was happening anytime soon. The thing that was lacking for me I think was a relationship. In the two cases I am thinking of, the teacher either didn’t let us get to know them well enough to form a relationship of trust or respect or he tried to build relationships with us but it came across as not genuine and inauthentic. I think this experience, especially having had it from the perspective of a student, just emphasizes how important relationship is and how drastically it can improve or decrease the environment and day-to-day of your classroom. Once your students feel like they trust and respect you, everything else follows suite. How can you expect them to follow your instructions or do what you're asking when they don't know if they can take those learning risks with you or open themselves up to learning. There's a visual that I think of when I think of learning, it's a 3 zone circle comprised of a comfort zone, a learning zone, and a panic zone. Without establishing the comfort zone, students won't be able to get into the learning zone. Ensuring that the comfort zone is there and secure is crucial in getting anything productive done in the classroom and relationship is key to establishing it. In my 5/6 practicum classroom, my sponsor teacher always sets out expectations before anything else and always gives explanations for why he wants things done in a certain way. He also set expectations at the beginning of the year for his expectations for basic things like lining up, the morning routine, end of day routine, walking down the hallways. By setting these expectations early and enforcing them (if the line up to go to gym is taking too long, he just says “we’re not leaving until you show me you’re ready” and the students promptly get in order, face forward, and stop talking) he has set a standard in his classroom and I have yet to see it broken. Whenever he sets expectations, he always gives the rationale behind it. For noise levels, he has red, yellow, and green “zones” and indicates which is in effect on the board with a traffic light. One classroom management strategy that was shared by one of the other student teachers (their practicum teacher uses it) is called “Secret Student.” The way it works is one student is picked by random popsicle stick draw at the start of the day, that student is the “secret student” and no one but the teacher and other staff in the room that day know who it is. Throughout the day, the teacher watches that student’s behaviour and if it is a good day, the class gets a star. The catch is, the students don’t know which one of them is being watched, so it forces them all to be accountable for their behaviour and peer-police each other. At the end of the day, if the student had a good day, the teacher will let the class know who it was. If the student did not have a good day (therefore the class does not get a star) the teacher simply says something along the lines of “wasn’t a great day today” or “we’ll have to do better tomorrow.” Out of the entire month, the class needs to get a certain amount of stars and then gets a “prize.” For example, for the month of October, if the target is reached, the class gets to watch a halloween movie on the 31st. I like this strategy because it encourages the all of the students to be accountable for their own actions, it doesn’t single any one student out for “bad” behaviour, and nothing is taken away if the goal is not reached. They get a treat if they achieve the goal, but there is no “punishment” if they don’t, it’s just business as usual. I think this type of positive enforcement is good and I like the anonymity of it. Students are given recognition for good behaviour, but no one is singled out for bad behaviour. I recently did a webinar on Classroom Organization and Management and I think having an organized classroom is key to classroom management. Having materials accessible and organized makes transitioning between activities smoother and gives the students less down time. By keeping the ball rolling and not wasting time trying to get yourself and your lesson organized, you keep your students engaged and you don’t lose them to distractions as easily. Another thing I liked in the webinar was how involved this teacher had her students in the organization and the day-to-day tasks that kept her classroom running smoothly. All of the students knew the protocols and systems and had jobs within them to keep everything in the class efficient and organized and I got some great ideas for when I get my very own class one day. I think one thing I’ve noticed overall when it comes to classroom management is that it varies so much from teacher to teacher and is really dependent on your personality, your students personalities, and the type of relationship you have with your class. I think that as I gain more classroom experience and more teaching experience, I’ll be able to better navigate what my own teaching and management style is, while understanding that year-to-year I will have to adjust and make changes that work for the personalities and the learners coming through my doors. When I was 16 years old, I went to La Pocatiere, Quebec where I participated in a 5 week Explore Program. In this program, I was with 200 other students varying in age (16 was the youngest, I believe the oldest were in their 40’s) to learn or improve our french. We lived in dorms and took classes in the mornings. Our afternoons and weekends were spent doing activities, in workshops, exploring and immersing ourselves in the Quebecois culture. During these 5 weeks, I started to really love the french language and was confused, upon reflecting, with what had deterred me from it in the first place. I had been in French Immersion since age 5 and I was shocked that in 5 weeks I had gained more of an appreciation and willingness to learn for French than I had in my 10 years of French Immersion classes. After thinking about it some more, I realized that a big part of liking or disliking French for me was the teachers that I had. In elementary school, I had some amazing teachers that developed really strong relationships with our class and really got us excited about learning. In high school, however, the lessons were repetitive day after day, year after year with the same teacher and both my learning and interest in French began to decline. It was this realization about what an impact teachers could have on a student’s view on a subject that I started to think about teaching as a possible career path, specifically in French Immersion. After my second year of university, I started working with the YMCA of Northern BC as a Licensed School Age Summer Care Programmer. I planned and executed the summer care programming, incorporating a variety of activities, games, and field trips that fit the given weeks theme. It was working with the Y and the kids there that really solidified my choice to go into education. Seeing the games and activities I had hand-picked or created played out by the kids and the joy and energy they had while doing it was an amazing thing to see. I got to build relationships with so many kids and see them explore and grow throughout the two summers I was there. The look on a child’s face when they are learning something new or when they have created something they are truly proud of was the most amazing thing to see and I knew that seeing and creating opportunity for those moments was something I wanted to do every day for the rest of my life. |
Categories
All
Archives |