elsin 2013 presentation
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Assessment for Learning: challenges for full implementationTRANSCRIPT
ELSIN 2013Symposium
Effective use of Assessment for Learning (AfL) for Improved Learning
and Progress: Challenges for Educational Institutions
Dr Joanna GoodmanCromwell Consulting Ltd.
http://cromwell-consulting.com/
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Research Context
Findings based on:• a study into assessment practices in an
independent school for boys aged 2 ½ to 13 during a period of about 6 years
• observations of assessment practices during school inspections
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Research Focus
Classroom assessment aimed atimproving learning
“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 needs to go and how to best get there”. (AGR, 2002)
ASSESSMENT for LEARNING
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Assessment for Learning
Teaching
Learning
(Stobart and Gipps, 1997)
Part of the teaching and learning cycle
aimed at supporting student
learning
Assessment for Learning
“Any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting pupils’ learning.”
(Black et al., 2002)
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Effective Classroom Assessment
Embedded in everyday practice
Promoting learning through active engagement
Teacher feedback focused on feeding
forward
Self-assessment, peer-assessment
Pupils masters of their learning
Pupil engagement and
co-operative working
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
The Essence of Effective AfL Practice
Sharing learning
intentions
Long-term
learning independ
encePupil
engagementand
co-operative learning
Pupils masters of their learning
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
AfL: Learning Gains
AfL understanding AfL strategies Gain of 1 – 2 grades
Improvement in pupils’ learning = 0.4 – 0.7 effect size
“Effect size” is the ratio between the average improvement in pupils’ scores and the range of scores for typical groups of pupils on the same
tests.Effect size of 0.4 = improvement of 1 – 2 grades in public
examinations
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Challenges for the Teaching Profession
• Lack of in-depth understanding of the AfL strategies by the teaching profession
• Inconsistency in approach between schools and different departments within the same schools
• Inadequate training and poor understanding of what AfL involves
• Reluctance to change practice• Satisfaction from own ends of using tried methods• Poor implementation of the AfL principles• Confusion between monitoring progress and changing
teaching methods
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Disappointment with Poor Implementation of the AfL Principles
Dylan Wiliam (2012) on 14 years of government initiative:There are very few schools where all the principles of AfL, as I understand them, are being implemented effectively.
The problem is that government told schools that it was about monitoring of pupils’ progress; it wasn’t about pupils becoming owners of their learning.
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Issues with Implementation
Dylan Wiliam (2012):The big mistake that Paul Black and I made was calling that stuff “assessment” , he said. Because when you use the word assessment, people think about tests and exams. For me , AfL is about better teaching.
Key Conclusions from my Data Analysis
Focused Lesson Observation Data: interaction and feedback
Activity Number of Lessons
Explicit learning objectives 1
Teacher-led questioning/discussions 17
“No hands up” approach 0
Peer-interactionGroup workPeer-assessment
420
Self-reflectionSelf-assessmentOral evaluation
202
Summative activities 14
Sum. Formative Focus
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Proportion of Time Spent in Lessons on Different Interactions
Activity Average proportion of lesson duration
Questioning/discussion 21% of lesson timePeer-interaction 11% of lesson timeSelf-evaluation 4% of lesson timeGrading, scoring, ranking, percentages, tests with summative outcomes
29% of lesson time
Summative Formative
Focus Focus
12%
29%
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Lesson Observation Data Summary
• Teacher-led discussion as main form of classroom interaction
• More time devoted to class discussion in arts and humanities (average 30 % of lesson time) than in science and mathematics (average 16% of lesson time)
• Restricted peer-interaction (in 4 out of 20 observed lessons)
• In 14 out of 20 lessons teachers used assessment based on summative practice
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Key Conclusions from Lesson Observations
• Teaching mainly didactic in style• Teaching focused on activities, rather than
learning (lack of sharing learning objectives)• Limited peer-interactions• Limited engagement of pupils through self or
peer-assessment, or evaluation• Mainly summative practice with focus on
grades/marks/scoring/ranking
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Book Scrutiny Data
Marking/feedback strategies used:• Ticks• Grades or/and marks• Praise/ego enhancing comments – focused on person, rather
than task• Comments focused on presentational aspects• Grades and comments, e.g. ‘D’ This is not finished• Direct organisational instructions, e.g. Should be in the back of
book• Praise, e.g. Well done!• Little guidance on next steps in learning
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Book Scrutiny Outcomes
• Pupils rarely involved in self-assessment or evaluation
• Little evidence of independent work or note-taking• Little evidence of extended project work• Over-use of worksheets• Little opportunity to assess pupils’ reasoning• Inconsistence in marking strategies between
different subjects
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Teacher Views and Practice• “Pupils are programmed to need grades”• None agreed that comments without grades could be more
useful to future learning and motivation• Some teachers were not able to say if pupils evaluated their
work or examples of self-evaluation included: “Achieve a better % mark in assessment” or “Aim for a higher grade in the next test”
• Most teachers demonstrated reliance on test and examinations to assess attainment thus confirming the practice of measuring attainment for summative purposes
• No evidence of specific target setting focused ontasks
Pupils’ Views and Comments
All pupils agreed that the most useful feedback for them was formative guidance: “corrected and told us how to be done right”.
Teacher Data
Pupil Data
TENSION
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Pupils: Examples of Useful Feedback to Future Learning
Eric: When it tells me what I need to improve on.
Roman: Well…, when it tells me how I’ve gone wrong anywhere and where I can
improve. That kind of thing.Marc: When I know what’s right or wrong.
Yes, that’s helpful.Jason: It tells you what you have done
wrong and why.
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Developing Learning Sustainability: Challenges for Schools
Crucial Challenge
To develop strategies of working successfully within the system of high-stake tests, for certification purposes , and developing self-
regulated learners through formative practices.
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Learning SustainabilityEssential
•Self-regulation•Self-monitoring
Skills•Self-evaluation•Self-assessment
For Learning Sustainability•Motivation•Learning autonomy
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Pupils’ Involvement in Their Own Learning
The only kind of learning which significantly affects behaviour is self-discovered, self-appropriated learning (Rogers, 1991)
Part of being a self-regulated learner is to accept responsibility for learning, just as teachers must take responsibility for creating a context which helps learning (Stobart, 2008)
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
HE: some specific challenges regarding assessment
Cultural change
Clarity of communication
Student expectations: tutor feedback with grade
To encourage collaborative learning and group presentation (reluctance where roles are ‘fuzzy’)
Removing barriers: the older the students, the less they like self- and peer-assessment
Important to empower students to work with and understand qualifications and grades
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Conclusion: Assessment Practices in British Schools
Evidence from my study:• Teachers mainly used assessment for summative and
managerial purposes• Lacked in-depth understanding of AfL strategies• Saw little reason to change their practiceEvidence as observed by Black et al, 2003• Teacher feedback to pupils served mainly managerial
functions• Teacher tests encouraged rote learning rather than
developing understanding
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Key ReferencesAssessment Reform Group (1999). Assessment for Learning: Beyond the Black Box. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B., Wiliam, D. (2002). Working inside the Black Box: Assessment for Learning in the Classroom. London: nferNelson.Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment. London: GL Assessment.Goodman, J. (2011). Assessment Practices in an Independent School: The Spirit versus the Letter. London: King’s College London. Rogers, C. (1991). On Becoming a Person. Boston. MA: Houghton Mifflin.Stobart, G. (2008). Testing Times: The uses and abuses of assessment. Oxon: Routledge.
ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com
Dr Joanna Goodman
ELSIN 2013
Goodman, J. (2013). Developing Learning Sustainability: Focus on Effective Use of Formative Assessment for Developing Learning Autonomy.