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
|
Categories
All
Archives |