Combining Classroom Action Research and Classroom Assessment Techniques

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Combining Classroom Action Research and Classroom
Assessment Techniques
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Outline

• Define Classroom Action Research (CAR)
• Develop some ideas for CARs
• Define Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT)
• Examples
• How can we put the CAT in the CAR

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Personal Reflection
Empirical Research
CAR
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What is Classroom Action Research?

• Any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher
  researchers ... to gather information about how
  their particular schools operate, how they teach,
  and how well their students learn. (Mills, 2003)

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Action Research

• Helps develop the professional disposition of
  teachers
• An opportunity to model for students how
  knowledge is created
• Incorporates a reflective stance into a teachers
  daily routine

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Hopkins (1986)

• Teachers primary role is to teach
• Method of data collection should not be too
  demanding
• Methodology reliable enough to formulate
  hypothesis confidently
• Teacher committed to the problem studied
• Follow ethical procedures

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4 Step Process (Mills)

• Identify an area of focus
• Collect data
• Analyze and interpret data
• Develop an action plan

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7 Step Process (Mettetal)

• Ask a Question or Identify a problem
• Review the literature
• Plan a research strategy
• Gather data
• Make sense of data
• Make decisions about teaching strategies
• Share findings

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What questions will we ask?

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CATs

• Classroom Assessment Techniques

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1Background Knowledge Probe

• May require short answers or be multiple choice
• Provides a preview of what is to come
• Can be used pre and post
• Helps determine baseline knowledge level
• Memory skills, study skills habits

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The primary purpose of assessment is to provide
feedback to students and teacher so that learning
can be facilitated

• McKeachie (2002)

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Half-Minute paper 2

• Students take a minute to write down a question
  or an important point
• Share with the student next to them
• Then you ask for oral questions

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Your Question

• What are the characteristics of good classroom
  assessment?

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Characteristics of Classroom Assessment

• Learner centered
• Teacher directed
• Mutually beneficial
• Formative
• Context specific
• Ongoing
• Rooted in good teaching practice

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One-sentence summary

• Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?
• In a grammatical 1 sentence summary

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Analytic Memo(for Higher Order Thinking Skills)

• 1 to 2 page analysis of a specific problem
• Uses analytic and writing skills
• Can be used as a first draft of a graded
  assignment
• Time consuming

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Student Generated Test Questions(Discipline
Specific Knowledge and Skills)

• What do students think is most important
• Evaluate methods and materials
• Learn terms and facts

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Invented Dialogues(Liberal Arts and Academic
Values)

• Helps students synthesize their knowledge of
  issues
• 2 levels
• Use actual quotes
• Invent reasonable quotes

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Group-Work Evaluations(Work and Career
Preparation)

• Detects group problems early
• Helps students with management and leadership
  skills, working with others, ability to work
  productively
• Emphasis on process

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Punctuated Lecture(Personal Development)

• Stop in mid-lecture
• Have students reflect on their learning and
  listening behaviors
• Students take a minute to write down their
  reflection anonymously
• Follow up with a mini-lecture on metacognition

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Direct paraphrasing

• Helps with ones ability to translate highly
  specialized information into language clients
  will understand

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Application Cards

• On an index card list 1 real-world application
  for what we have learned

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Muddiest point 3(for Basic Academic Skills)

• Give students several minutes at the end of class
  to write about the muddiest point of the day

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Resources

• Cross, P., Angelo T (1993).Classroom Assessment
  Techniques A handbook for college faculty, San
  Francisco Jossey-Bass
• McKeachie, W. (2002). McKeachies Teaching Tips
  Strategies, research, and theory for college and
  university teachers