Introducing formative assessment guide - Newcastle...
11
Formative Assessment in Science and Mathematics Education Page 1 of 11 INTRODUCING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GUIDE Introduction Research shows that teaching is more effective when it assesses and uses prior learning so that the teaching may be adapted to the needs of students (Black & Wiliam, 1998) 1 . Prior learning may be uncovered through any activity that offers students opportunities to express their understanding and reasoning. This process, often referred to as formative assessment, may be defined as: "… all those activities undertaken by teachers, and by their students in assessing themselves, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged. Such assessment becomes ‘formative assessment’ when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching work to meet the needs." (Black & Wiliam, 1998, p. 91) 1 This module considers the different ways this can be done and focuses on the following questions: • How can problems be used to assess performance? • How can this assessment be used to promote learning? • What kinds of feedback are most helpful for students and which are unhelpful? Activities Activity A: What is formative assessment? ...................................................................................... 3 Activity B: Teachers' own experiences of formative assessment .................................................... 4 Activity C: Principles and strategies for formative assessment ....................................................... 5 Activity D: Analyse students’ responses to problem-solving tasks .................................................. 6 Activity E: Observing formative assessment in action ..................................................................... 7 Activity F: The effects of feedback on student learning................................................................... 9 Activity G: Exchanging experiences................................................................................................ 11 Time Approximately 3 hours (or two 1½ hour sessions) plus teaching time Acknowledgement: In preparing this material, we acknowledge the permissions given by the Bowland Charitable Trust to adapt the professional development resources, Bowland Maths (www.bowlandmaths.org), that they had previously funded the University of Nottingham to produce for the UK. This includes many of the handouts and most of the video extracts. Additional resources were also adapted from Improving Learning in Mathematics, a government funded program in the UK and from the Mathematics Assessment Project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2010 Centre for Research In Mathematics Education University of Nottingham, adapt for FaSMEd by African Institute for Mathematical Sciences School Enrichment Centre and University of Duisburg-Essen. 1 Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment. London: King's College London School of Education 1998.
Transcript of Introducing formative assessment guide - Newcastle...
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page1of11
INTRODUCINGFORMATIVEASSESSMENTPROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENTGUIDE
Introduction
Researchshowsthatteachingismoreeffectivewhenitassessesandusespriorlearningsothattheteachingmaybeadaptedtotheneedsofstudents(Black&Wiliam,1998)1.Priorlearningmaybeuncoveredthroughanyactivitythatoffersstudentsopportunitiestoexpresstheirunderstandingandreasoning.Thisprocess,oftenreferredtoasformativeassessment,maybedefinedas:
"…allthoseactivitiesundertakenbyteachers,andbytheirstudentsinassessingthemselves,whichprovideinformationtobeusedasfeedbacktomodifytheteachingandlearningactivitiesinwhichtheyareengaged.Suchassessmentbecomes‘formativeassessment’whentheevidenceisactuallyusedtoadapttheteachingworktomeettheneeds."(Black&Wiliam,1998,p.91)1
Thismoduleconsidersthedifferentwaysthiscanbedoneandfocusesonthefollowingquestions:
• Howcanproblemsbeusedtoassessperformance?
• Howcanthisassessmentbeusedtopromotelearning?
• Whatkindsoffeedbackaremosthelpfulforstudentsandwhichareunhelpful?
Activities
ActivityA: Whatisformativeassessment?......................................................................................3ActivityB: Teachers'ownexperiencesofformativeassessment....................................................4ActivityC: Principlesandstrategiesforformativeassessment.......................................................5ActivityD: Analysestudents’responsestoproblem-solvingtasks..................................................6ActivityE: Observingformativeassessmentinaction.....................................................................7ActivityF: Theeffectsoffeedbackonstudentlearning...................................................................9ActivityG: Exchangingexperiences................................................................................................11Time
Approximately3hours(ortwo1½hoursessions)plusteachingtime
Acknowledgement:
Inpreparingthismaterial,weacknowledgethepermissionsgivenbytheBowlandCharitableTrusttoadapttheprofessionaldevelopmentresources,BowlandMaths(www.bowlandmaths.org),thattheyhadpreviouslyfundedtheUniversityofNottinghamtoproducefortheUK.Thisincludesmanyofthehandoutsandmostofthevideoextracts.AdditionalresourceswerealsoadaptedfromImprovingLearninginMathematics,agovernmentfundedprogramintheUKandfromtheMathematicsAssessmentProjectfundedbytheBillandMelindaGatesFoundation.
©2010CentreforResearchInMathematicsEducationUniversityofNottingham,adaptforFaSMEdbyAfricanInstituteforMathematicalSciencesSchoolEnrichmentCentreandUniversityofDuisburg-Essen.
1Black,P.,&Wiliam,D. (1998). Inside theblackbox: raising standards through classroom assessment. London:King's College London School of Education 1998.
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page2of11
Researchtohelpyourplanningforthismodule
Black,P.,&Wiliam,D.(1998).Insidetheblackbox:raisingstandardsthroughclassroomassessment.King'sCollegeLondonSchoolofEducation.NowpublishedbyGLAssessment:
http://shop.gl-assessment.co.uk
Thisshortbookletoffersasummaryoftheextensiveresearchliteratureintoformativeassessment.Itshowsthatthereisclearevidencethatusingformativeassessmentraisesstandards,andsuggestshowformativeassessmentcanbeimproved.Thisbookletisessentialreadingforallteachers.
Black,P.,&Harrison,C.(2002).Workinginsidetheblackbox:Assessmentforlearningintheclassroom.King'sCollegeLondonSchoolofEducation.NowpublishedbyGLAssessment:
http://shop.gl-assessment.co.uk
Inthisbooklet,theauthorsdescribeaprojectwithteachersinwhichtheystudiedpracticalwaysofimplementingformativeassessmentstrategiesandtheeffectthishadonlearning.Thesectiononfeedbackandmarking(pages8-9)areparticularlyrelevanttothismodule.
Black,P.,Harrison,C.,Lee,C.,Marshall,B.,&Wiliam,D.(2003).Assessmentforlearning:Puttingitintopractice.Buckingham:OpenUniversityPress.
ThisbookgivesafulleraccountoftheearlierbookletsInsidetheblackboxandWorkinginsidetheblackbox.Itdiscussesfourtypesofaction:questioning,feedbackbymarking,peer-andself-assessmentandtheformativeuseofsummativetests.Thesectiononfeedbackandmarking(pages42-49)isparticularlyrelevanttothismodule,whilethesectiononpeerandself-assessment(pp49-53)isrelevantformoduleImprovingstudentcollaboration. Hodgen,J.,&Wiliam,D.(2006).Mathematicsinsidetheblackbox.King'sCollegeLondonSchoolofEducation.
NowpublishedbyGLAssessment:
http://shop.gl-assessment.co.uk
ThisbookletappliestheabovefindingsspecificallytoMathematics.ItconsiderssomeprinciplesforMathematicslearning,choiceofactivitiesthatpromotechallengeanddialogue,questioningandlistening,peerdiscussion,feedbackandmarking,andselfandpeerassessment.Thisbookletisessentialreadingforallmathematicsteachers.
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page3of11
ActivityA:Whatisformativeassessment?
Thedifferenttypesandpurposesofassessment
Startthisactivitywithagroupdiscussionaboutthedifferenttypesandpurposesofassessment.Youmightliketousethequestionshereasastartingpoint.
• Whydoyouassessstudents?
• Whatdifferentpurposesdoyourassessmentsserve?Makealist.
Theirlistofreasonsmightinclude:diagnosingdifficulties;celebratingachievement;motivatingstudents;selectingstudentsforclasses;maintainingrecordstokeepteachersandparentsinformedofprogress;toassessteachingmethods.
Tosummarise,therearetwomainpurposesofassessment:
• Summativeassessment-tosummariseandrecordoverallachievementattheendofacourse,forpromotionandcertification.Most‘highstakes’testsandexternalexaminationsaredesignedforthispurpose.Summativeassessmentisalsousedtoevaluatetherelativeeffectivenessofaparticularcourse,teachingmethod,orevenaninstitution.SummativeassessmentissometimescalledAssessmentofLearning.
• Formativeassessment–torecogniseachievementsanddifficultiesatthebeginningorduringacourse,sothatteachersandstudentscantakeappropriateaction.Thistypeofassessmentformsanintegralpartofallteachingandlearning.FormativeassessmentissometimescalledAssessmentforLearning.
Thepotentialofformativeassessmenttoimprovelearning
Brieflymentiontheresearchevidencethatsetsoutthecaseforformativeassessment.ThisissummarisedbyBlackandWiliaminseveralaccessiblepublicationsforteachers(seep.2),mostofwhicharefreelydownloadablefromtheInternet.Theseresearcherssetouttofindoutwhetherornotimprovingformativeassessmentimproveslearning.
“Wecheckedmanybooksandnineyears'worthofmorethan160journals,andearlierreviewsofresearch.Thisprocessyielded580articlesorchapterstostudy.Wepreparedareviewusingmaterialfrom250ofthesesources.All…studiesshowthat…strengthening…formativeassessmentproducessignificant,andoftensubstantial,learninggains.Thesestudiesrangeoverages,acrossseveralschoolsubjects,andoverseveralcountries…”(BlackandWiliam,1998)2.
Thismodulewillexaminetheimplementationofformativeassessment,basedonthisandotherresearch.GivetheteacherseachacopyofHandout1:Theimportanceofformativeassessment.Notethatthishandoutincludesreferencetooneofthefourresearchpublicationsonpage2ofthisguidance.Youmightliketorefertotheotherthreeinyourdiscussions.
2Black,P.andWiliam,D.(1998)."AssessmentandClassroomLearning",AssessmentinEducation,pp.7-74.
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page4of11
ActivityB:Teachers'ownexperiencesofformativeassessment
Whatdoteachersknowabouttheirstudentsandwhatactiondotheytakeasaconsequence?
Askparticipantstoworkinpairsforthisactivity.Askthemtothinkaboutthefollowingquestionsandtodiscusstheirresponseswiththeirpartners.
• Whatstrategiesdoyouusetofindoutwhatyourstudentsknowandunderstand?
• Thinkoftwostudentsinyourclass,onewhoisparticularlystrongandonewhoisfindingtheworkverydifficult.Takeitinturnstodescribethestudents'strengthsanddifficultiestoyourpartner,inasmuchdetailaspossible.
• Howdidyoubecomeawareofthesestrengthsanddifficulties?Onwhatevidencedoyoubaseyourjudgments?Testresults?Memoriesoforalresponsesduringlessons?Observationsofthestudentworking?Writtenwork?
• Inwhatwaysdoyourassessmentsofthesestudentsaffectyourlessonplanning?Giveexamples.
Whatdifficultiesdoteacherencounter?
IssueparticipantswithcopiesofHandout2:Difficultieswithformativeassessmentandaskthemtoworkthroughthedifficultiesonthehandoutinthesamepairs.Theycanmakeanoteoftheirresponsestothefollowingquestionsontheirhandouts.
• Howfararethedifficultiesonthehandoutvalidinyourcontext?
• Ifanyare,thenwhatmaybedoneaboutthem?
• Howwouldyouanswerateacherwhoasksthefollowing?Whatapproacheswouldyousuggestthattheyuse?
• “Iknowitmakessensetoassessstudentsaswegoalong,buthowcanI,inthemidstofalesson,knowwhateachofmy30studentsisthinking?”
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page5of11
ActivityC:Principlesandstrategiesforformativeassessment
IssueparticipantswithacopyofHandout3:Principlesforformativeassessment.Theideaspresentedherearealldrawnfromresearchintoformativeassessment.
• BearinginmindthedifficultiesdiscussedinActivityB,howwouldyousuggestthatyourformativeassessmentpracticesbeimproved?
• DiscusstheprinciplesandstrategiesoutlinedonHandout3.
• -Whichofthesedoyoucurrentlyuseinyourownteaching?-Whichdoyoufindmostdifficult?Why?
• Whatotherprinciplesorstrategiesdoyouthinkareimportant?
ShowtheteachersthevideofoundontheMathematicsAssessmentProjectwebsite3.Beforeyoudothis,tellthemthatyouwantthemtoconsider,astheywatch,whatformativeassessmentstrategiestheteacherused.Inparticular,askthemtofocusonhowteachersgatheredinformationabouttheirstudents’currentlevelsofunderstanding.
Video:Usingformativeassessmentstrategies
ThisvideodemonstrateshowsometeachersinEnglishschoolsusedarangeofapproaches,includingminiwhiteboards,postersandobservations,toassessstudentsinformally.
Holdadiscussionaboutwhatthegroupnoticedandaskthemhowwelltheythinktheseapproachesworkintermsofformativeassessment.Emphasise,however,thatgatheringinformationisnotformativeassessment;itisimportantthatteachersusetheirownknowledgeofmathematics,teaching,thestudents’learningtrajectoriesandknowledgeoftheindividualstudentstomakeinferencesaboutthestudents’understandingsandtousethisinformationtoinformteaching.
NOTE:ThemoduleTechnologyforFormativeAssessmentdiscussesnotonlythenon-digitaltechnologies(e.g.miniwhiteboards)showninthevideo,butalsosomedigitaltechnologiesthatcanbeusedtohelpmakethethinkingofthestudentsvisible.Youmightliketorefertothatmoduleatthisstage.
3http://map.mathshell.org/pd/modules/1_Formative_Assessment/html/videos_c1.htm
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page6of11
ActivityD:Analysestudents’responsestoproblem-solvingtasks
Inthisactivity,teachersareprovidedwithtwoproblemstogetherwithfourstudentresponsestoeach.Thetasksare:CountingTreesandCatsandKittens.Thesetasksuseavarietyofmathematicalcontent,butbothfocusonproblemsolvingandmodellingskills.Often,suchtasksprovemoredifficultthantheindividualelementsofmathematicalcontentwouldsuggest,asstudentsarerequiredtochooseandcombinetechniquesinnon-routineways.
Brieflydiscussproblem-solvingtaskswiththegroup,particularlypointingoutthatitisdifficulttoassesstheprocessskillsinvolvedinproblemsolvingusingtraditionalsummativeassessment.Usingformativeassessmentallowsteacherstomonitorstudents’progress,however.
Giveteachers:
Handout4:Problem-solvingintheclassroom(briefdiscussionaboutproblem-solvingandasummaryofwhatisinHandouts5,6and7);
Handout5:Countingtrees(aproblemsolvingtaskwithfoursampleresponsesandsomequestionsforteacherstorespondto);
Handout6:Catsandkittens(aproblemsolvingtaskwithfoursampleresponsesandsomequestionsforteacherstorespondto);
Handout7:Suggestionsforquestions(alistofgenericquestionsrelatedtothefourphasesinvolvedinproblem-solvingreferredtoinHandout4).
UseHandout4toexplainwhattheteachersshoulddonext.
Ifyouareworkingwithalargergroupofteachers,dividethemintosmallergroupstoworkthroughanddiscussHandout5,6and7.AskeachgrouptoreadthroughthetasksonHandout5andHandout6andthentochoosethetaskthatwouldbemostsuitableforaclasstheywillsoonteach.
• ConsiderthefourstudentresponsesinHandout5andHandout6.
• Whatdoeseachstudent’sresponsetellyouabouthisorhercapacitytouseeachoftheprocessesrequiredinproblemsolving:represent,analyse,interpretandevaluate,communicateandreflect?
• Whatquestionsyoucouldusetohelpthesestudentsmoveon?(RefertothegenericquestionsinHandout7)
Note:TheprofessionaldevelopmentmoduleImprovinglearningthroughquestioningalsoconsiders,insomedetail,waysinwhichteacherscanrespondtostudents’answerstoproblem-solvingtasks.ThelistofquestionsincludedonHandout7couldalsobeusedthere;youshouldchoosewhenyouwanttouseitandatwhichstageyouwanttoholdadiscussionaboutformativeassessmentandproblem-solving.
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page7of11
ActivityE:Observingformativeassessmentinaction
ExplaintothegroupthatyouwillbeshowingthemtwovideoclipsofthreeBritishteachers:Andrew,DominicandAmy.Theytaughtthelessonsreferredtoinpreviousactivities,CountingTreesandCatsandKittens.TheyalsotaughtalessoncalledSecurityCameras,whichcanbefoundontheMathematicsAssessmentProjectwebsiteatthisaddress:http://map.mathshell.org/lessons.php?unit=6305&collection=8.
Inanearlierlesson,theseteachershadaskedstudentstoattemptoneofthetasksindividually,withnohelp.Theythencollectedintheirstudents'responses,assessedtheworkqualitativelyandpreparedwrittenfeedbackintheformofquestions.
Inthefirstvideo4,theteachersdiscussthefeedbacktheygaveonthethreetasks,andalso,importantly,howtheyfeltandwhattheylearned.
Video:Teachersdiscussingfeedback
GivetheteachersHandout8:Formativeassessmentinaction,onwhichtheyshouldwritetheirresponsestothevideo.
• Theteachersdiscussthecommentsandquestionstheywroteontheirownstudents’work.
• Towhatextentdotheircommentsresonatewithyourexperience?
4http://map.mathshell.org/pd/modules/1_Formative_Assessment/html/videos_d1.htm
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page8of11
Thesecondvideoclip5istakenfromthefollow-uplesson.Inpairs,studentshavecomparedtheirworkandmosthavesolutionsthataredifferenttothoseoftheirpartners.Explainthatinthevideo,theywillsee:
• Andrewexploringhowstudentsrespondtohisfeedbackonthe"countingtrees"problem;
• Amylisteningto,thenquestioning,individualsastheytrytosharetheirideasandproducejointsolutionstothe"securitycamera"problem;
• Dominiclisteningtopresentationsfromstudentsontheirmethodsandreasoningforthe"catsandkittens"problem;
• Amyconcludingherlessonbyaskingstudentstodescribehowtheyhaveusedherfeedbacktoimprovetheirwork.
Askthemtolookoutforthedifferentkindsofassessmentsusedbytheteachers.
Video:ObservingFormativeAssessment
• Watchthevideoandconsiderthefollowingquestions:
• Whatdifferentkindsofassessmentcanyousee?
• Whatisthepurposeofeachkindofassessment?
• Whatdoboththeteachersandstudentslearn?
Holdadiscussion,referringtheteacherstothequestionsonHandout8,andaskingthemtowritedownsomenotestoeachofthequestions.Youmightliketorefertothefivekeystrategiesforformativeassessment(seeHandout3):
• Clarifying/Understanding/Sharinglearningintentionsandcriteriaforsuccess,
• Engineeringeffectiveclassroomdiscussionsandotherlearningtasksthatelicitevidenceofstudentunderstanding,
• Providingfeedbackthatmoveslearnersforward,
• Activatingstudentsasinstructionalresourcesforoneanother,
• Activatingstudentsasownersoftheirownlearning.5http://map.mathshell.org/pd/modules/1_Formative_Assessment/html/videos_e1.htm
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page9of11
ActivityF: Theeffectsoffeedbackonstudentlearning
Sofarwehavefocusedontheteachers’roleinprovidingassessmentfeedback,mainlyintheformofquestions,tostudents.Inthisactivitywewillconsidertheusestudentsmakeofdifferenttypesoffeedbackandtheimpactthishasontheirlearning.
Watchthevideo6ofAndrew'sstudentsastheydiscusstheimpactofassessmentfeedbackontheirlearning.Asktheteacherstomakeroughnotesabouttheirthinkingaboutwhatthestudentsaresaying.
Video:Studentsdiscussingimpactoffeedback
• Whichoftheircommentsstrikeyouasparticularlyimportant?
• Whataretheimplicationsoftheircomments?
DistributeHandout9:Theeffectsoffeedbackonstudents’learning.
ThishandoutpresentssomeresultsofresearchfromBlackandWiliam(1998)7intotherelativemeritsoffeedingbackassessmentinformationtostudentsindifferentforms.Inparticular,itcomparesthea)effectsoffeedingbackquantitativeinformationintheformofmarks,levelsandrankingswithb)theeffectsofofferingqualitativeinformationintheformofspecific,content-focusedfeedback.
Asktheteacherstoreadthehandoutandrespondtothequestions.
• Thedangersofgivingmarks,levels,rewardsandrankings
• Whataretheimplicationsofthisforyourpractice?
• Whatwouldhappenifyoustoppedgivingmarksorlevelsonpupils’work?
• Whyaresomanyteachersresistanttomakingthischange?
• Theadvantagesofgivingclear,specific,content-focusedfeedback
• Whataretheimplicationsofthisforyourpractice?
• Doesthiskindoffeedbacknecessarilytakemuchlongertogive?6http://map.mathshell.org/pd/modules/1_Formative_Assessment/html/videos_g1.htm
7Black,P.,&Wiliam,D.(1998).Insidetheblackbox:raisingstandardsthroughclassroomassessment.London:King'sCollegeLondonSchoolofEducation.
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page10of11
Inyourfollow-updiscussion,emphasiseagainthatresearchshowsthatstudentsbenefitmostfromfeedbackthat:
• focusesonthetask,notongradesorscores;
• isdetailedratherthangeneral;
• explainswhysomethingisrightorwrong;
• isrelatedtoobjectives;
• makesclearwhathasbeenachievedandwhathasnot;
• suggestswhatthestudentcoulddonext;
• offersspecificstrategiesforimprovement.
Concludethismodulebydiscussingsomewaysofapplyingwhathasbeenlearnedinthisprofessionaldevelopmentmoduletoothermathematicslessons.
SuggesttotheteachersthattheyplantheirownformativeassessmentlessonforaproblemsolvingtasksuchasCountingTreesorCatsandKittens.Iftheywantfurtherideasforproblemsolvinglesson,theycouldvisittheMathematicsAssessmentProjectwebsite,wherethereareaboutthirtyproblem-solvinglessons.(ThereisahyperlinkprovidedinthePowerPointaccompanyingthismodule).
Itisimportantthattheymakethelesson‘theirown’buttheymightliketobasetheirplanontheoneprovidedinHandout10:Aformativeassessmentlessonplan.Teachersshouldbereadytoreportbacktothegroupinthenextprofessionaldevelopmentsession.
FormativeAssessmentinScienceandMathematicsEducation
Page11of11
ActivityG:Exchangingexperiences
Aftertheteachershaveimplementedtheirplannedlessonsintheclassroom,meettogethertodiscusswhathappened.BeginbyaskingtheteacherstoanswerthefollowingquestionsonHandout11:Exchangingexperiences.
• Considerthefollowingquestions:
• Whatworkedwellandlesswellintermsofformativeassessment?
• Whatdidyoulearnaboutthestudents’understandingfromtheinitialactivity?
• Howdidthestudentsrespondtoyourfeedback?
• Whatworkedwellandlesswellintermsofproblemsolving?
• Whataretheimplicationsofthislessonforyourfutureteaching?
Thenaskteacherstosharetheirexperiencesofteachingaproblemsolvinglesson,focusinginparticularonhowtheyusedformativeassessment.Someteachersmaywanttosharetheirstudents’workasexamplestohighlightlearningprogressionsordifficulties.Forthisreason,makesuretoasktheteacherstobringinterestingstudentsolutionswiththemtothissession.
