Assessment for learning

Principles of Assessment for Learning

• AfL:• Is part of effective planning• Focuses on how pupils learn• Is central to classroom practice• Is a key professional skill• Is sensitive and constructive• Fosters motivation• Promotes understanding of goals and criteria• Develops the capacity for self (and peer) assessment• Recognises all educational achievvement

When should you assess?

• All of the time– Every section of the lesson should include some

form of assessment. A variety of techniques should be used in every lesson

What should you assess?

• Subject knowledge?• Skills?• Progress?• Understanding?

Assessment for learning methods in Geography:

Oral Written Graphic Products

QuestioningListeningDiscussingPresentationsInterviewsDebatesAudio recordingVideoRole playVideo recordingSimulation

QuestionnairesDiariesReportsEssaysNotesStoriesNewspaper articlesScriptsListsPoemsDescriptions

DiagramsSketchesDrawingsGraphsPrintouts

ModelsArtefactsGamesPhotographs

How could this be done in Geography?

• Share learning objectives at the start of the lesson

• Introduce peer and self assessment centred around the learning objectives.

• Make all written comments formative in nature• Encourage students to reflect upon their own

progress at the end of lessons and modules of work

Using success criteriaGrade Criteria

A* You include all four schemesYou use lots of facts and figuresYou describe most problems in the inner cityYou explain several ways you can improve the inner city

A You include at least 3 schemesYou use some facts and figuresYou describe some problems in the inner cityYou explain some ways you can improve the inner city

B You include 2 schemesYou use one or two facts and figuresYou describe a couple of problems in the inner cityYou explain a couple of ways you can improve the inner city

C You include 1 schemeYou use one facts and figureYou describe a problem in the inner cityYou explain one way you can improve the inner city

Using success criteriaLevel Criteria

3 You clearly labelled the places below:• Asia, Africa, North America, South America• Europe, Oceania, Antarctica

4 You have clearly labelled all of the above and:The following oceans: Atlantic, Indian, PacificThe following countries: USA, China, England, France, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Mexico

5 You have clearly labelled all of the above and:The following countries: India, Japan, Australia, South AfricaShade in these mountain ranges: Andes, Rockies, Alps, Himalayas

6 You have clearly labelled all of the above and:Shade in these deserts: Sahara, Atacama, NamibShade in blue these rivers: Nile, Amazon, Ganges

Building AFL into accurate exam marking

Task one

• Human Geography• Mark the following exam question:– Describe how people’s lives can be improved in

squatter settlements (8 marks)

Mark scheme

• Level 1 – 1-3 marks– Describes only the problems– No linked statements or PSD

• Level 2- 4-6 marks– Problems described and there are some links to improvements

• Housing is poor quality and has been improved using breezeblocks• Toilet waste which spreads disease is now disposed through sewers

– Little PSD – A place may be named• Level 3 – 7-8 marks

– Must have two examples of PSD and a case study e.g. Sao Paulo, Brazil– Linked statements including PSD

• Houses are poorly constructed. A self-help scheme allows people to obtain a loan of $40 to buy breezeblocks to make their houses stronger

• Building new schools together encourages a strong community spirit to develop allowing improvements to happen rapidly

• In Sao Paulo over £10 million were spent on new sewers to reduce the spread of diseases. This combined with medical facilities set up by charities have improved the peoples lives.

Answer 1

• Shanty towns appear all over the world. The houses are poorly constructed and may fall down. A self-help scheme is where local people can get a loan to improve their hoses with breezeblocks, they do this is Kenya. The loans can be $40. Often there are poor roads and are ruined during flooding. They have very poor health care and have built a new nurses station to cure various illnesses.

Answer 2

• In shanty towns there are lots of problems. Raw sewerage runs down the street as there are no plumbed in toilets. Houses are made of corrugated iron and plastic. They are near roads, railways and rivers. There is very poor sanitation that cause over 40,000 deaths a year in shanty towns. Over 1 billion people live in slums across the world. They have poorly paid jobs like shoe shining and cannot afford to improve their own lives.

Answer 3

Houses are poorly constructed. A self-help scheme allows people to obtain a loan of $40 to buy breezeblocks to make their houses stronger. People can get jobs making roof tiles which they can sell but also the local people can stop rain coming into their houses. Building new schools together encourages a strong community spirit to develop allowing improvements to happen rapidly. In Sao Paulo over £10 million were spent on new sewers to reduce the spread of diseases. This combined with medical facilities set up by charities have improved the people’s lives.

Task two

• Physical Geography• Mark the following exam question:– Using an example describe the effects of an

earthquake in a poor country (8 marks)

Mark scheme

• Level 1 – 1-3 marks– States the effects to an earthquake– Incorrect case study named– No linked statements or PSD

• Level 2- 4-6 marks– Effects described – may only be short or long-term – not categorised– Some links between ideas

• Buildings fell down and people died• Dead bodies were not cleared up so disease spread

– Little PSD – A place may be named• Level 3 – 7-8 marks

– Must have two examples of PSD and a case study e.g. Haiti, Caribbean– Linked statements including PSD

• A primary effect of the earthquake was over 250,000 people dieing• A secondary effect was the spread o cholera in contaminated water as dead bodies

were not cleared up immediately• The earthquake’s shockwaves destroyed the harbour of Port-Au-Prince; a primary

effect and the secondary effect of this was that food and supplies were delayed causing further death and suffering

Answer 1

• On January 10th 2010 the island of Haiti suffered from a horrendous earthquake. Many people died and were crushed. The people were rescued and America sent $100 million of aid to help. Roads were damaged and the British sent 10,000 tents and clean water to help people. More destruction and devastation meant lots of workers from foreign countires came to help. I thin the effects were worse in this county as it was so poor.

Answer 2

• Earthquakes can be devastating. A primary effect of this earthquake was the death of 4,346 people due to nearly 200,000 poorly built buildings collapsing. Over 120 of the 150 quays in the port of Kobe, Japan were damaged and destroyed. A secondary effect were the fires which swept through he city caused by broken gas pipes and damages electricity lines. This caused 2 million homes to be without power. 10% of the roads were damaged so the remaining roads quickly became blocked with major traffic jams, which delayed emergency services.

Answer 3

• Haiti is small island in the Caribbean. In 2010 an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck close to the capital of Port-au-Prince. One primary effect was 220,000 people were killed and over 300,000 due to poorly constructed houses and poorly prepared population. Another primary effect was the destruction of 8 hospitals which reduced the effectiveness of the emergency services. A secondary effect was the spread of diseases due to water contaminated by dead bodies. The damage to the port and main rods meant that critical aid supplies for immediate help and longer-term reconstruction were prevented from arriving or being distributed effectively.

AFL

• Huge number of strategies– Through questioning– Effective teacher feedback– Pee feedback– Student self-assessment

Effective use of AFL & exam questions

• Not an exhaustive list– Exam question – teacher marks it – pupil responds

to feedback– Exam question – teacher marks it – pupil responds

to feedback– Exam question – teacher gives mark scheme and

pupils have to write an A* answer– Exam question – teacher gives mark scheme and

two answers – one level 1 and one level 2 – pupils have to write a level 3 answer

Effective use of AFL & exam questions

• Not an exhaustive list– Exam question – give pupils 3 answers – pupil create a mark

scheme– Give pupils model answer and pupils explain why –

highlighting/annotating– Exam question – in groups pupils write 3 answers – different

levels – swap and mark– Exam question – in pairs on sugar paper– Exam question- Groups – different coloured pens for each person– Mini-whiteboards – write down – level 1 sentence, level 2

sentence, level 3 sentence– Snowballing