What is Assessment for Learning?
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 for Learning is also known as formative assessment (Assessment Reform Group, 2002). It is important to understand that Assessment
for Learning does not result in an evaluation. Information about what a
student knows, understands and is able to do is used by both the teacher and
the learner to determine where learners are in their learning and how to
achieve learning goals (Earl&Katz, 2006).
Assessment for Learning Strategies
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| Figure 1: (Stabosz, 2015) |
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| Figure 2: (Wirral Council, 2009) |
How to Use Assessment for Learning in the Classroom!
As future educators, we may wonder how to use Assessment for Learning in our classroom. After reading the Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner textbook, I have come up with some different ways one may using AfL in their classroom.
- Observation
- Asking whomever, whenever, rather than calling on a student who raised their hand
- Self/Peer Assessment
- Strategic use of questioning
- Effective teacher feedback
Why is Assessment for Learning Beneficial?
Assessment for learning is a powerful way of raising pupil’s
achievement. It is based on the principle that students will improve most if
they understand the aim of their learning, where they are in relation to their
progression and how they can achieve the aim (Knight, 2008). In addition to this, it seems to me that AfL could contribute to a students confidence level. If a student feels like they are part of their own learning process, they feel confident in their learning!
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| Figure 3: (Knight, 2008) |
Lets Look At My Personal Experience...
As future educators it is important to reflect on personal
experience when understanding a new concept or teacher practice. In this case,
I will reflect on a personal experience to better understand the concept of
Assessment for Learning. During my placement in second year, the Grade.7 teacher
used a Traffic Light activity to evaluate where her students were in terms of understanding
photosynthesis. She had all of her students sitting in their desks facing the
front of the classroom and asked them to hold up red, yellow, or green cards to
indicate their level of understanding. This helped both the teacher and the
student understand where they were at in their learning and where they still
needed to progress to in their understanding of photosynthesis. I think this is
a great example of Assessment for Learning! Do you have any personal stories
that reflect AfL?
A Quick Recap!
This video will recap how to use Assessment for Learning in the classroom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxLFTvodBBI
References
Drake, S. M.,
Reid, J.L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom
Assessment: Engaging the 21st
Century Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University
Education
Services Australia. (2002). Assessment for learning. Retrieved from http://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/default.asp
Knight, J.
(2008). The assessment for learning strategy. Department for Children, Schools and families, 1-21.
Stabosz, I.
(2015). Seven strategies of assessment for learning in action. Delaware
Technical Community College. Retrieved from http://forwardthinkingblog.com/2015/02/02/assessmentforlearningpart1/
Wirral Council. (2009). Assessment for Learning. Wirral Teaching Assistants’ Website. Retrieved from http://www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/TeachingAssistants/afl2.asp?thePath=jump
So it is great that you implemented your understanding and scholarly definitions of assessment for learning. Your personal experience relates well to the topic and shows a positive example on how to implement assessment for learning in a classroom. I feel as though you have given the information as is and did not expand to anything bigger, or narrowed in on any of the components to assessment for learning. There was no general issue either, everything was kept positive, and there was no indication on what goes wrong when a teacher does not implement the strategies in a classroom, compare other strategies. You used great resources; however, there was one picture you did not cite. Some of the pictures you included, though resourceful looked a bit blurry on my screen, so maybe enlarge and focus them before adding them next time would be best. There were some grammar errors that can easily be fixed. Overall I think this was very informative, clearly laid out, and organized.
ReplyDeleteHey Melanie! I really liked the picture you used of the seven strategies of assessment for learning. I found it informative and relevant to the topic :) Some of the ideas for ways to use assessment for learning in the classroom were great, such as observation and self/peer assessment. However, I did not really agree with asking whomever, whenever, rather than calling on a student who raised their hand. I find when I’m in the classroom observing, students who are shy do not appreciate this approach and it may not help them succeed in the classroom. I think your personal experience of assessment for learning was definitely a positive one that aligned to the definition of assessment for learning :) There were a few spelling/grammatical errors throughout the blog to look over. I also think it may have been helpful to add another YouTube or video clip, maybe something that made us readers question about assessment for learning, or a study that helped to prove some of your points. Overall great blog post, great organization of it as well :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey mel! Good job on your post, it was very evident what you wanted people to learn from your post about assessment for learning. Your pictures were relevant and helpful and so was your video. Next time make sure to add two videos in your blog but good citing to your pictures and articles. One thing I would suggest is to give a bit more of a personal perspective on categories such as benefits of assessment for learning. Still very informative but it could have given us a better idea of how you feel and who you want to be as a teacher.
DeleteI really liked your personal experience with the light colours. I think that is extremely helpful in making sure the students understand and it is a good reflective practice as a teacher. It is a good tactic as long as the teacher doesn’t center out any students and keeps students from embarrassment. Other than that good post and it was a great read!
Well done Mel! I really enjoyed the appearance and format of your blog, it was well-formatted making it easy to read an the well placed photos made it engaging. I feel as though you did a great job summarizing simply assessment for learning utilizing some outside sources and personal experience as support. Thinking about questions such as: Why is a given assessment for learning strategy effective? What are some potential pitfalls of assessment for learning? What are some solutions to these pitfalls? etc...would add more depth to your blog. Although the information you provided gives the reader a good grasp of assessment for learning, expanding further on the ideas you presented would take it to the next level!
ReplyDeleteKelsey,
DeleteA given assessment for learning strategy can be effective for teachers who are newly implementing this type of assessment into their classroom. This could guide teachers to the over arching question "how can I close the gap?" between where a student is going and where they currently are at. Although it seems that assessment for learning is an effective way of assessing students, there are definitely some pitfalls associated with it. One of these pitfalls might include teachings not wanting to pull away from the traditional style of assessing and teaching. This type of assessment is definitely newer in schools and teaches might feel resistance towards this change.
Yooo Melanie, super awesome blog. I found your writing style to be informative, yet progressive. It brought different forms of teaching styles to my attention that may just work in situations that I have not yet thought of. Your seven strategies outline was great, and the personal observational experience was even better! I'm finding this traffic light assessment to become more and more prominent in the classroom. There were some minimal grammatical errors here and there, but don't sweat it... I'm not here to judge your grammar HAHA LOL. I do wish to hear a little more on what your personal perspective is on Assessment for Learning and how it could be made encompassing and interesting for students of many calibres. I like to hear insights from my peers, evaluate and reflect upon it beside my own. You had a great use of your resources and gave a well-informed bout on the subject at hand. Overall well done! I liked your blog and hope to read more.
ReplyDelete