Conversations, Observations and Products of Student Learning
In order to engage students in authentic and meaningful learning opportunities, it is also imperative that conversations, observations and final products are authentic and representative of purposeful learning. “The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. As such it must be tied to meaningful, authentic tasks and activities. The intent of high quality assessment is to improve not just audit student performances of learning and understanding; therefore a range of authentic formative practices as well as the summative assessment are needed to develop a personalized learning picture for each student” (Galileo Educational Network, n.d). Evidence collected from student journals, project planning guides, conferencing and self-assessments will inform our evaluation of student learning. The organic and fluid nature of diagnostic and formative assessment allows for opportunities of authentic, timely feedback that students can use to revise their work along the way.
In discussing formative assessment in the inquiry-based learning environment, Kruse (2012) examines the partnership that is established between teachers and students as they work together sharing data. Based on these collaborative efforts, teachers are then able to use this assessment date to offer immediate feedback and plan further learning (p. 4). This partnership is extremely valuable as it promotes greater student understanding of expectations as they are given feedback and advice on how to improve their work. This allows the necessary opportunities to act on the feedback, as Tomlinson and McTighe emphasize, "to refine, revise, practice and retry" (p. 79).
Promoting Student Growth: The Importance of Feedback
“There is no reason why students should not be part of the feedback process” (Marzano, Pickering & Pollock, 2001, p. 101).
Ongoing feedback, informed by various formative assessments, will support learners throughout the project. Davies (2014) asserts that "teachers need to collect the products students create, observe them as they engage in the processes to be learned, and have conversations with them (through words spoken, written, or recorded) to better understand the meaning students are making as they learn. As students learn, teachers collect evidence from multiple sources over time to inform their professional judgement regarding student learning.” Individual and group conferencing will provide the opportunity for teacher and student to connect and develop next steps to guide the learning process. Marzano, Pickering and Pollock (2001) remind us that feedback should be corrective in nature, timely, specific to a criterion and that students can effectively provide some of their own feedback (p. 98-99). Feedback should therefore be fluid, ongoing, critical and offer concrete ways in which student can enhance their understanding. The most beneficial feedback is most often observed during performance based subjects (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 78). As a cross-curricular and integrated inquiry, art, drama, and musical options provide opportunities for increased performance based feedback. Opportunities for revision and reworking will be given to ensure students work towards a more complete and authentic understanding of new ideas and concepts. Final assessment of the learning journal will showcase student growth and will serve as an invaluable formative assessment tool. A final representation of learning, in a multitude of forms dependent on student choice and voice, will illustrate a cumulative understanding of the learning targets. Finally, students will use the I Can targets to self-assess their own understanding of the learning outcomes.
Promoting Student Growth
The Skill Building Tools Map illustrates a variety of tools that students will need to build upon skills and processes. This map is limited in that student choice and voice have not been taken into account, yet. In order to promote student engagement, their input will be added as needed to this document.
In order to engage students in authentic and meaningful learning opportunities, it is also imperative that conversations, observations and final products are authentic and representative of purposeful learning. “The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. As such it must be tied to meaningful, authentic tasks and activities. The intent of high quality assessment is to improve not just audit student performances of learning and understanding; therefore a range of authentic formative practices as well as the summative assessment are needed to develop a personalized learning picture for each student” (Galileo Educational Network, n.d). Evidence collected from student journals, project planning guides, conferencing and self-assessments will inform our evaluation of student learning. The organic and fluid nature of diagnostic and formative assessment allows for opportunities of authentic, timely feedback that students can use to revise their work along the way.
In discussing formative assessment in the inquiry-based learning environment, Kruse (2012) examines the partnership that is established between teachers and students as they work together sharing data. Based on these collaborative efforts, teachers are then able to use this assessment date to offer immediate feedback and plan further learning (p. 4). This partnership is extremely valuable as it promotes greater student understanding of expectations as they are given feedback and advice on how to improve their work. This allows the necessary opportunities to act on the feedback, as Tomlinson and McTighe emphasize, "to refine, revise, practice and retry" (p. 79).
Promoting Student Growth: The Importance of Feedback
“There is no reason why students should not be part of the feedback process” (Marzano, Pickering & Pollock, 2001, p. 101).
Ongoing feedback, informed by various formative assessments, will support learners throughout the project. Davies (2014) asserts that "teachers need to collect the products students create, observe them as they engage in the processes to be learned, and have conversations with them (through words spoken, written, or recorded) to better understand the meaning students are making as they learn. As students learn, teachers collect evidence from multiple sources over time to inform their professional judgement regarding student learning.” Individual and group conferencing will provide the opportunity for teacher and student to connect and develop next steps to guide the learning process. Marzano, Pickering and Pollock (2001) remind us that feedback should be corrective in nature, timely, specific to a criterion and that students can effectively provide some of their own feedback (p. 98-99). Feedback should therefore be fluid, ongoing, critical and offer concrete ways in which student can enhance their understanding. The most beneficial feedback is most often observed during performance based subjects (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 78). As a cross-curricular and integrated inquiry, art, drama, and musical options provide opportunities for increased performance based feedback. Opportunities for revision and reworking will be given to ensure students work towards a more complete and authentic understanding of new ideas and concepts. Final assessment of the learning journal will showcase student growth and will serve as an invaluable formative assessment tool. A final representation of learning, in a multitude of forms dependent on student choice and voice, will illustrate a cumulative understanding of the learning targets. Finally, students will use the I Can targets to self-assess their own understanding of the learning outcomes.
Promoting Student Growth
The Skill Building Tools Map illustrates a variety of tools that students will need to build upon skills and processes. This map is limited in that student choice and voice have not been taken into account, yet. In order to promote student engagement, their input will be added as needed to this document.
contributing author: Emily Van Eyk
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