Exploring Evidence

What is evidence?

The evidence of learning that is collected should enable teachers to make judgements about what individual students know, can do and understand in relation to the learning outcomes. In planning assessment opportunities, teachers should be aware of the individual needs of students.

Teachers could consider: the ways in which individual students communicate the time required for individual students to communicate the support and/or adjustments required to enable individual students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to the selected outcomes the suitability of one or more assessment strategies for the phase of learning and for the knowledge, skills and understanding that are to be assessed the criteria for assessment to be used to make judgements about what individual students know, can do and understand in relation to the outcomes.

Is there a difference between data and evidence?

How can we use evidence?

Evidence Process Central to this process is the belief that the critical examination of teaching and learning evolves most productively from the close examination of evidence that comes from an educator’s own work.

What counts as evidence? Evidence may be samples of student work, observations of students, curriculum plans, interviews with students, observations by colleagues, video & audio capturing student or teacher learning/reflections – anything that will help you get clearer about your question or focus. Ref: The Evidence Process. A Collaborative Approach to Understanding and Improving Teaching and Learning (Project Zero~ Harvard School of Education)

Evidence can be in any form, including: informal writings and reflections, videos, websites developed, negotiated tasks with negotiated assessment criteria, self assessment and reflection, group assessment, portfolios, learning journals, observations, presentations, demonstrations, peer evaluations, letters of recommendation from supervisors in an internship or community project, a journal you have kept, formal papers, programs you have participated in, self-analysis, the list of possibilities is endless. The presentation and format of the evidence are limited only by your own creativity.

Evidence in relation to what? Evidence that shows growth over time Evidence of impact of an action Evidence of learning in relation to your success indicators

Pre/Post comparisons Eg A Mind Mapping Tool For student success indicators: To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a concept/big idea Use at the beginning, middle and end of a unit to monitor growth over time For teacher success indicators: to demonstrate growth in understanding and use of a pedagogical practice Teachers will neeed to choose the most appropriate tool on what it is they are measuring, eg: understanding of a topic

Pre/Post comparisons Eg Thinking Routine; I used to think…….. But now I think….. and then to explain shifts in thinking. For a student success indicator: To demonstrate change in understanding of a concept/big idea or a way of learning Use at the beginning, middle and end of a unit to monitor growth over time For a teacher success indicator: to demonstrate growth in understanding of a key concept or pedagogical practice (How might you capture this….. as audio, video, annotated sample)

Audit Purpose: To determine the extent which particular professional learning structures or strategies are known and being used to enable learning.

Audit Purpose: To determine the extent which particular strategies are known and being used to enable learning and to measure change over time This tool is used to gather evidence in relation to a particular teacher success indicator. Teacher Success Indicator: Model and use feedback to promote reflection and learning for both teachers and students

Likert Scale Purpose: To self assess practice using a rating scale and to measure change over time. This rating needs to be supported by evidence. This tool could be used to gather base line data in relation Teachers Success Indicators The tool could also be adapted for students to self assess a particular skill, level of understanding

Frequency of Use Purpose: To determine how often particular practices, strategies or contemporary tools are used and to measure the change in use over time. This tool could be used to gather base line data in relation to the following Teacher Success Indicator Teachers will….Model reflective thinking routines and provide opportunities for students to use these routines to promote deep understanding.

Google Online forms Audit of contemporary tools Purpose: To gather baseline data and measure change over time in relation to the familiarity and use of particular contemporary tools (adapted to gather other kinds of data)

Wiki ~Ongoing reflections Purpose: Monitor growth and change in thinking and behaviour through ongoing teacher reflection through the wiki (** also could be used for students)

Understandings of performance Unit based assessments (of, for, as) provide evidence in relation to student success indicators. Captured: Annotated samples Video & audio formats On wiki, myclasses Reflections

Reflection Purpose: To gather evidence in relation to the following student success indicators: Students will use new language and apply their learning to new situations Students will use feedback to direct further learning ‘… the idea is not that one artefact from the classroom be shared as absolute proof of teaching or learning, but rather that a variety of artefacts collected over time could create a convincing argument that important learning is taking place and that a particular teaching practice is effective.’ (Ref: The Evidence Process)

Existing data School Improvement Planning data Surveys Existing literacy and numeracy data To show growth over time What other types of data do you gather in your school? How do you use it?