What is quality Assessment for Learning The spirit vs the letter

1
What is quality Assessment for Learning? The
spirit vs the letter

• Professor Gordon Stobart
• Institute of Education, University of London

6 May 2009
2
(No Transcript)
3
Learning theory has moved on

• Learning is A significant change in capability
  or understanding This excludes the acquisition
  of further information when it does not
  contribute to such changes. Michael Eraut
• Learning is most effective when it
• Builds on what we know
• Makes meaning - makes sense
• Is active and social

4
(No Transcript)
5
(No Transcript)
6
Making sense (2)

• The procedure is actually quite simple. First
  you arrange the items into different groups. Of
  course one pile may be sufficient depending on
  how much there is to do. If you have to go
  somewhere else due to lack of facilities, that is
  the next step otherwise you are pretty well set.
  It is important not to overdo things. That is, it
  is better to do too few things rather than too
  many. In the short run this may not seem too
  important but complications can easily arise. A
  mistake can be expensive as well.

7
Making no sense (1) Its not that I havent
learnt much. Its just that I dont really
understand what Im doing. (Y10) Harris
(1995) In my classes I'm in a lot with people
who are miles cleverer and teachers only explain
it once and I can't follow them. In maths
especially like (the teacher) just explains it on
the board and I don't understand what he's on
about but we've got a book and it explains it as
well. So me and my friend are reading through
this book because it explains better and by the
time we've read it he's on to the next chapter
and we don't know what we're doing. We just get
lost and everything. (Y10)
Rudduck et al, (1996)
8
(No Transcript)
9
Aligning assessment with learning

• What forms of classroom assessment will help
  effective classroom learning?
• Builds on what we know assessment that finds
  out where learners are in their learning
  (questioning, dialogue, analysis of what is
  known, of mistakes and misconceptions)
• Makes meaning - makes sense- makes clear the
  learning intentions, recognises success
  (modelling exemplars)
• Is active and social learners take part in
  their own assessment importance of classroom
  interaction (feedback) development of autonomous
  learners.

10
Assessment for Learning is based on these
principles

• Assessment for Learning is the process of
• seeking and interpreting evidence for use by
  learners and their teachers
• to decide where the learners are in their
  learning,
• where they need to go and
• how best to get there. Assessment Reform Group
  (2002)
• Quality AfL keeps learning principles central
  the spirit high organisation based on ideas.
• eg negotiated learning intentions dialogue
  learner autonomy - self-regulation
  self-monitoring.

11
AfL demonstrated
12
So when does the spirit give way to the letter?

• When processes become ritualised (learning
  objectives)
• When the quantitative replaces the qualitative
  (where the learners are in their learning
  tracking)
• When practices are used but not understood
  (feedback)
• When learner autonomy becomes procedural autonomy
  rather than personal autonomy

13
Spirit or letter? Learning Outcomes

• The school policy is that every lesson has a
  measurable outcome and that these should be
  measurable within the lesson by both the teacher
  and the student.
• Lesson on Richard III with Y9. The students
  watched a scene from a film version of the play,
  the teacher then explained the key events.
• The learning outcomes were
• I will be able to identify the key events in the
  meeting between Richard and Lady Anne (level 4)
• I will be able to identify the techniques
  Richard uses to persuade Lady Anne (level 5)
• I will be able to identify how Richard uses
  emotive vocabulary to persuade Lady Anne (level
  6) (McKeown)

14
The Goldilocks Principle

• The specification of learning intentions and
  success criteria has to be
• Not too vague (just dont really understand what
  Im doing)
• Not too detailed behaviourist micro-teaching
• assessment as learning, where assessment
  procedures may come completely to dominate the
  learning experience and criteria compliance
  come to replace learning (Torrance)
• But just right clarity of purpose, flexible,
  negotiated, allows some choice and personal
  autonomy

15
Spirit or letter? The AfL Strategy (1)

• every child knows how they are doing, and
  understands what they need to do to improve and
  how to get there. They get the support they need
  to be motivated, independent learners on an
  ambitious trajectory of improvement
• every teacher is equipped to make well-founded
  judgements about pupils attainment, understands
  the concepts and principles of progression, and
  knows how to use their assessment judgements to
  forward plan, particularly for pupils who are not
  fulfilling their potential
• every school has in place structured and
  systematic assessment systems for making regular,
  useful, manageable and accurate assessments of
  pupils, and for tracking their progress

16
Spirit or letter? The AfL Strategy (2)

• Good assessment for learning makes
• an accurate assessment knowing what the
  standards are, judging pupils work correctly,
  and making accurate assessments linked to
  National Curriculum levels
• a reliable assessment ensuring that judgements
  are consistent and based on a range of evidence
• School self-evaluation most developed phase
  enhancing
• A shared understanding of AfL continues to become
  ever more insightful
• All staff and pupils reflect critically about the
  ways of working and think outside the box if
  necessary i.e. flex change through learning
  from others to take intelligent informed risks

17
Second generation AfL

• Assessment for Learning is part of everyday
  practice by students, teachers and peers that
  seeks, reflects upon and responds to information
  from dialogue, demonstration and observation in
  ways that enhance ongoing learning
• Third International Conference on Assessment for
  Learning, Dunedin NZ 2009

18
The profile of the educational assessor

• High organisation based on ideas assessment
  literacy that will question and want to
  understand
• Personal and critical autonomy rather than
  procedural autonomy
• Preserving the spirit, and challenging the
  letter, of AfL