Motivation, assessment and learning…. a whole school approach

Share a memory from your days as a student at school that is in some way linked to assessment.

“Assessment can be both enormously constructive in teaching and learning, and also enormously destructive.” Pollard and Tann ASSESSMENT CAN BE DANGEROUS DO YOU USE ASSESSMENT TO SUPPORT PROGRESS OR TO IDENTIFY FAILURE?

PERFORMANCE Checking attainment and measuring progress, periodically “Every student knows how well they are doing.” “Every teacher equipped to make well- founded judgements about students attainment.” “Every school has in place systems for making regular, useful, manageable and accurate assessments of students and for tracking purposes.” IMPROVEMENT Helping students to learn and learn how to learn, day to day “Every student understands what they need to do to improve.” “Students get the support they need to be motivated, independent learners on an ambitious trajectory of improvement.” “Every teacher knows how to use their assessment judgements to forward plan, particularly for students who are not fulfilling expectations.” Assessment of Student Progress Assessment for Learning

be yourself make statements interrupt make mistakes agree or disagree ask questions enjoy yourself be honest Today it’s ok to…

“In this paper, the term ‘assessment’ refers to all those activities undertaken by teachers, and their students themselves, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged. Such assessment only becomes ‘formative assessment’ when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching work to meet the needs.” Paul Black and Dylan William ‘Inside the Black Box’ What do we mean by “assessment for learning”?

Gathering information about your learners’ learning Analyzing that information Using your analysis to inform your teaching to help your learners learn more effectively Assessment for learning is about three things…

Sharing learning outcomes: being clear about what students are expected to learn and that they know what they have to do to be successful Asking better questions: using questions that cause thinking and giving students more support to answer them Making feedback count: improving the quality of verbal and written feedback you give to students Promoting assessment by students: developing peer and self assessment to help students to give each other feedback as they are learning Four practical areas

Formative assessment has four crucial elements 1. Students being clear about what they know/understand or can do now – the current level of performance 2. Students knowing what they need to achieve – the desired level of performance 3. Teachers knowing what help they need to give to students so that they can bridge the gap themselves 4. Students actually using that help to bridge the gap for themselves

What does research tell us about assessment for learning?

Innovations which include the strengthening of formative assessment produce significant, and often substantial learning gains, over ages, subjects and countries. Many studies show that it benefits low attainers in particular. Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam ‘Inside the Black Box’ Finding one

Although there are exceptions, the everyday practice of assessment in classrooms is beset with problems and short- comings. Formative assessment is seriously in need of development. Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam ‘Inside the Black Box’ Finding two

There is a wealth of evidence about how to improve formative assessment. It means developing a culture of success, backed by a belief that all can achieve; it means improving the quality of interaction in the classroom; and it means a more effective use of peer and self assessment. Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam ‘Inside the Black Box’ Finding three

You need to start from where your learners are. Students will need to reconstruct or reconsider their existing knowledge, ideas and strategies, not just add to what they already know, understand or can do. Students must understand the learning intention, which includes what strategies they need to use to be successful as well as what constitutes a good quality end product. Students need to be active in the process: your job is to work with them so that the learning is done by them, you cannot do the learning for them or to them. Students need to be able to talk about their ideas, either in the whole class, in pairs or in groups. Feedback must focus on how students can improve not simply on how well they have done in relation to a target. (adapted from Mathematics Inside the Black Box) The five principles of AfL

We are learning to: be able to juggle three scarves Evidence of success: We can juggle three scarves cross throwing. We can do this for at least ten seconds. We can still do it after a period of time has elapsed.

Strategies for success: I held the scarves palms down. I started with the hand with two scarves in it. I concentrated on the throwing and said to myself ‘throw, throw, throw….” I kept time to the music. I threw across and flicked them high. I caught the scarves palms down. I caught the first scarf just before I threw the third one. I picked up the scarves I dropped and kept going.