Assessment for learning in everyday lessons

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• Assessment for learning in everyday lessons

Phil Smith FS Consultant Bury
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By the end of this session we will have

• A better idea of what we actually mean by
  assessment for learning in everyday lessons.
• Developed the idea that it is vitally important
  pupils understand what they are trying to learn
  and why.
• Keep a sharp focus on the BEST use of assessment
  for learning strategies
• Looked at alternative practical strategies that
  can be used in your classroom to help you judge
  the progress pupils have made from lesson to
  lesson

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Weighing pigs dont fatten themJohn Sallis on
the current preoccupation with testing
In other words testing pupils more does not
necessarily lead to a raising of attainment
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The questionable value of some assessments

• There is no evidence that increasing the amount
  of testing will enhance learning. Instead the
  focus needs to be on helping teachers use
  assessment, as part of teaching and learning, in
  ways that will raise pupils achievement.

Paul Black and Dylan Williams Inside the black
box
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OFSTED on assessment

• Overall, the purpose of assessment is to improve
  standards, not merely measure them.
• (OFSTED 1998)

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Assessment the loaded word!

• To diagnose learning needs
• To help students improve
• To compare student with student
• To compare school with school

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Assessment the loaded word!

• To measure school improvement
• To evaluate the success of a teaching programme
• To evaluate teachers
• To select students for Further or Higher
  Education

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But the mark book did look good!
Are you suffering from assessment overload?
But at what cost?
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You may feel like this towards assessment!
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Views on the role of assessment are also being
reassessed

• Some outputs follow,
• hopefully
• Pupils who are more
• knowledgeable and
• competent,
• Better test results,
• Teachers who are
• more or less satisfied
• and more or less exhausted

• Certain inputs from
• outside are fed in or make
• Demands which include
• Pupils
• Teachers
• Management rules and
• requirements
• (iv) Parental anxieties
• (v) Tests with pressures to
• score highly

The Classroom.
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But what is actually happening inside?
The classroom almost becomes like a black box.
Paul Black and Dylan Williams Inside the black
box
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Assessment does not just mean marking and
testing. Its meaning has moved onhave you?

• Times have moved on, for example

• There is more computer technology in a singing
  birthday card than existed in the entire world
  before 1950.
• A mobile phone has more computer power than was
  used in the first ever space launch
• Mercedes on-board computer has more power than
  the first space shuttle

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Successful Assessment for Learning requires the
MAFIA!

• Recognise the profound influence assessment has
  on the Motivation and Self-esteem of pupils
• Adjusting the teaching to take account of the
  results of an assessment
• There is effective Feedback
• Pupils are actively Involved in their own
  learning
• Pupils need to be taught over the course of KS3
  how to go about Assessing themselves and
  understand how to improve.

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"Everything has been said already but as no-one
listens one must always start again." Andre
Gide
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Dont know what would be a good bit of work,
really

• Low achieving students

• Motivation was highly dependent on context,
  liking the teacher and subject (I dont try hard
  iftheyre boring lessons)
• Tended to be more concerned with performance
  rather understanding and few had an attitude of
  learned helplessness.
• Demonstrated poorer understanding of assessment
  requirements than their peers
• Understanding of what to do for individual tasks
  was inconsistent-sometimes they could explain
  tasks clearly, with others they struggled
• Had little understanding of how tasks fitted into
  the big picture of the course (If I want to be
  a model none of it will be important.)

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Dont know what would be a good bit of work,
really

• Low achieving students

1. Were very dependent of teacher-set standards when
   judging the quality of their work
2. Rarely reported having opportunities to develop
   self-assessment skills
3. Were often confused by effort and attainment
   grades
4. Sometimes felt that their effort was not
   recognised by teachers
5. Preferred feedback that was prompt and delivered
   orally
6. Were often unable to use feedback effectively
   (Most of my teachers say I could improve on my
   presentation. Its not very helpful because
   theyve said it so many times)
7. Felt that the feedback was constructively
   critical helped improve their performance

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The two main principles behind assessment for
learning.

• Teaching and learning have to be interactive
• Teachers can find out about pupils strengths and
  weakness in a variety of waysfrom observation
  and discussion and from written work etc

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Assessment for Learning in everyday lessonsthe
PITFALLS!

1. Teachers assess quantity rather than quality
2. Marking/grading work and rarely (if ever)
   providing meaningful advice for improvement
3. Comparing pupils with each other
4. Teachers not always thinking carefully enough
   about next steps (ie Progression)
5. Asking closed questions that limit pupil
   responses and we fail to register how far they
   have understood
6. Teachers sometimes see assessment as something we
   do FOR pupils and TO THEM. Self-assessment may
   be viewed as a way of saving time rather than as
   a way of engaging pupils in their own learning

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Pupil often perceive assessment as The secret
garden of knowledge
The way the teacher arrives at their judgements
often remains a mystery
Sometimes I think Ive done really rubbish, but
sometimes Ive done better than I think. Year 10
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Sharing assessment criteria with the pupils

• A parent speaking to his daughter about getting a
  grade B for a piece of Geography coursework
• Whats wrong?
• I got a B for my geography coursework.
• Dont worry, a Bs a good grade.
• Oh, its not that. Its the reason I only got a
  B that annoys me.
• What do you mean?
• He (the geography teacher) told me that if I do
  this NEXT time I will get an A. I told him that
  if he had told me before we started that it was
  important, I would have done it FIRST time!

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Is there evidence that improving Assessment for
Learning raises standards?

• In a word Yes.
• Research showed that effective formative
  assessment can
• Improve pupil performance at GCSE by one to two
  grades
• Can raise average pupils into the top 35 of
  achievement

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Is there evidence that there is room for
improvement?

• The problems with just relying on end of unit
  tests

Effective learning may not occur because Negative impact
Tests encourage rote and superficial learning Giving marks and grades are over emphasised
The questions and other methods used are not discussed or shared with or between teachers. Pupils tend to see it as a form of competition rather than one of self improvement
There is a tendency to emphasise quantity and presentation rather than quality
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Is there evidence about how to improve
assessment for learning?

• The self-esteem of pupils
• Teachers that focus on
• gold stars,
• grades
• place-in-the-class ranking,
• will often see their pupils look for ways to
  obtain the best scores rather than focus on
  improving their areas of weakness

• However Assessment for Learning encourages
  teachers to focus feedback on
• (i) the particular qualities of his/her work,
• with advice on what he or she can do to improve
• avoid comparisons with other pupils

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Is there evidence about how to improve
assessment for learning?

• Self-assessment by pupils
• Trouble here is not the issue of reliability or
  trustworthiness but rather pupils can be too hard
  on themselves!
• Pupils can only assess themselves when they are
  clear what the targets of their learning are

• So if formative assessment is to be productive,
  pupils should be
• trained in self-assessment so that they start to
  see the main purposes of their learning and so
  grasp what they need to do to achieve
• This assumes our lesson objectives are clear!
  (See additional handout)

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Is there evidence about how to improve
assessment for learning?
The evolution of effective teaching Teachers who
try to bolt this on to a scheme of work will find
themselves overloaded with things to get
through!

• Therefore opportunities to express their
  understanding should be built into the teaching
• Quality of questions to get pupils to think about
  their work

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• We may marginally reduce the quantity of
  teaching in the interests of learning.
• Ruth Sutton
• Teach less but teach it better
• Phil Smith

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Assessment for learning 4 key characteristics

• 1. It is an essential part of teaching and
  learning and is not an added option
• 2. It involves sharing learning goals with the
  pupils so pupils can see the standards they are
  aiming for
• 3. Involves pupils in peer and self-assessment
• 4. Provides next-steps feedback

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Measuring the extent to which Assessment for
Learning takes place in your department

• Using Handout 1.1 work in pairs.
• List in the Teaching strategies column some of
  the strategies that are routine and part of the
  normal practice in your department.

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Lesson video

• The school is called Langley School
• It is an 11-16 mixed comprehensive school in
  Solihull
• It has just under 1000 pupils
• Serves a diverse community
• Year 7 Music lesson with a mixed ability group
• Filmed in mid-October so these pupils were fairly
  new to the school

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Lesson video

• Try and list some examples of the strategies
  being used in the video and their impact on
  learning (columns 3 and 4)
• You dont have to start writing straightaway,
  there will be a pause after a short while.

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Discussion of video

• What positive strategies did the teacher use?
• What impact might this have had on the pupils
  learning?
• Handout 1.2 also provides other possible points
  that could be mentioned

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What can I implement in my department?Handout 1.3

• Try and select two or three key characteristics
  in the list, which could be most usefully
  focussed on to enhance teaching and learning in
  your department.
• Complete the Context column by giving an
  example of how each of the strategies may be
  applied in specific lessons with particular
  classes.

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Summary

• Sharing learning objectives in a
  content-specific context with the pupils is
  crucial.
• Requires good planning (build it in dont bolt it
  on!)
• Make it part of an on-going routine

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Ready for more?

• Next half-term have a go.
• Step 1
• Focus on one or two strategies you have
  identified on handout 1.3 and use them in a
  series of lessons with a class
• Step 2
• Decide how and when to assess at the SAME TIME as
  you plan their work
• Step 3
• Aim to try and use a wider variety of assessment
  techniques
• Step 4
• Prepare and MAKE USE of MANAGEABLE systems for
  recording the progress of individual pupils