For most of my life I have worked with young horses. About three years ago I started recording each ride and what I had accomplished with each horse. As I wrote down what I had done and whether or not I had reached the same point on each horse, it made it easier to set goals and know the destination that I hoped to reach with each horse. I have come to understand that learners need to understand goals, destinations and targets. When learners understand this, learning increases. Join with me as I share my learning related gathering evidence that reflects what students know.
Students learn best when students and teachers share a clear understanding of the desired learning outcome. Over the past two years, the staff at Cardston Junior High Teachers have worked to develop what we would call the essential outcomes. Essential outcomes provide a target that students can focus on and understand what it takes to reach that outcome. Teachers work to help build understanding by providing students with examples that show mastery level learning. When students know targets they understand how to reach the target.
Gathering of Evidence:
Assessment in the the 21st century requires that teachers build a strong body of evidence. Individual piece of evidence of learning may not reflect the true learning of a student. Appropriate assessment requires teachers to have a balanced collection of student work. This may come from a variety of methods. This then provides a more fair, reliable and valid assessment of the student.
Assessment data can by collected in these three ways:
Conversation - Conversations happen everyday in a classroom. Conversation allows teachers to ask questions and students to respond. Teachers are then able to understand the level of learning of the students. Teachers know by these conversations if students have been able to grasp the key concepts.
Observation - I have spent hours in observation of student learning. This may be one of the most powerful ways to determine student learning. Teachers are looking daily to see if students are showing growth in a given area. They look to see how students apply learned information in the real-world. Observation is a key to student learning.
The Products of Learning - The products of student learning may come in many forms. Students may communicate learning through products they created for a class. Products may include stories, or essays, for a language arts class. Presentations in a social studies class. Performances that take place in band, drama, or even our pop and rock class, or finished art products worked on in class are all examples of products used to determine learning.
Using each of these methods of evidence allows us to have a full picture of student learning. This is often referred to as triangluation of data.
I hope this also represents our growth as a teaching staff and is reflective in how we are trying to report student learning to our parents.
The following video links provide information about student self assessment and its use in a holistic assessment strategy.
Part of the triangulation requires teachers to use formative assessment. Dylan Wiliam talks about how teachers use formative assessment to improve student learning.
Please Continue learning with us as we share our journey to improve student learning.
