mind the gap: (re)examining schooling, assessment and the theory/practice divide

Mind the Gap: (re)ExaminingSchooling, Assessing and the Theory / Practice Divide

Presented by: Jonathan Vervaet@jonathanvervaet

January 28th, 2015

“Stories matter. Many stories matter.”

- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“If students have not been told where they are going, it is

unlikely that they will arrive.” – Shirley Clark

Learning Intentions“I can find evidence of current

assessment research in my practice.”

Learning Intentions“I can identify ways to use

assessment to inform my instructional decisions .”

Learning Intentions“I can become curious about

something in the research I want to inquire further into.”

“Assessment is the beginning and the end of my teaching. It defines my culture, my relationships, my learning community, my values, and my beliefs about teaching and learning.” - Matt Rosati

Our Traditional System

• Students are penalized if the don’t learn fast enough... Even though we know learning is an individual / developmental process.

• What you do at the beginning of the course will always count against you... Despite the fact the student might now understand what they did wrong and how to prevent it in the future.

• Grades include all student attributes... Even though we know grades should reflect the student’s ability to meet PLOs.

The Paradigm Shift

• Learning vs. Teaching• Outcomes / Standards vs. Tasks• Quality vs. Quantity• If students learn vs. When students learn• Confidence vs. Anxiety• Practice vs. One Chance• Improvement vs. Coverage

Tom Schimmer

The Myth of the Average Student

In schools today, diversity is the norm….

Reflection: How is seeing ourselves as learners important for us as teachers?

Instructional Design

The Science of Learning


90% of what we know about the brain we have learned in approximately the last 2 years


The same will be true 10 years from now

Motivation 2.0

True or False:

Rewarding an activity will get you more of it. Punishing an activity will get you less of it.

Harlow (1949)

Radical finding, there was a third drive.

The performance of the task provided intrinsic reward.

The monkeys solved the problem simply because they found it gratifying to solve

the puzzle.

2Harlow (1949)

Rewarded the monkey with raisons.

“Introduction of food in the present experiment served to disrupt performance, a phenomena not

reported in the literature.”

The monkeys made more errors and solved the puzzles less frequently.

Deci (1969) – Carnegie Melon

Soma Block Experiment

Deci (1969)

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Group A No reward

CashReward

No reward

Group B No reward

No reward

No reward

Deci (1969) – Carnegie Melon

Soma Block Experiment

“When money is used as an extrinsic reward for some activity, the subjects lose intrinsic interest for the activity.” Rewards give you a short term boost, but the effect wears off and can reduce long term

motivation.

Commissioned vs. Non-Commissioned Art

Blood Donations

Rewards transforminteresting tasks into drudgery.

Offering an award signals that the task is undesirable.

Focus on Short Term vs. Long Term Benefits

When goals are imposed and incentivized…

Focus is narrowed on achieving only that goal.

and…

and…

Here’s the kicker…

It leads to unethical behaviour in an attempt to

reach the goal.aka..

Cheating…

When rewards do work…With routine and mechanical tasks.

You can’t undermine intrinsic motivation in

boring tasks.

If it is true that carrot and stick motivators don’t

work and often do harm, what are the implications for us as teachers in our grading and assessment

practices?

Formative Assessment:

5 Key Strategies…

sometimes 6!

Dylan Wiliam “Embedded Formative Assessment” (2011)

Formative Assessment:1.Learning Intentions and Success

Criteria2.Activities Designed to Elicit Evidence

of Learning3.Feedback that Moves Learning

Forward4.Peer Assessment5.Student Ownership of Learning

Carol Dweck (2006)

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset.

Fixed – Believe they have to work with whatever intelligence they have because it

can’t be increased.

They resist novel challenges if they can’t succeed immediately.

They’d rather not try than be perceived as dumb.

Carol Dweck (2006)

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset.

Growth – Believe intelligence can be built through life.

See working harder as a way to improve.

They persist and try a wide variety of solutions when given novel tasks.

Carol Dweck (2006)

Csikzentmihalyi (1990)

Flow Theory – The exhilarating moments when

we feel in control, full of purpose, and in the zone.

Csikzentmihalyi (1990)

Skill Level

Challenge Level

Daniel Pink (2009)

Autonomy –over task, time, team, and technique.

Mastery – Becoming better at something that matters.

Purpose

Formative

Assessment for Learning

Ongoing

To determine learning needs

Ungraded and Descriptive Feedback (uses

words)

Provides feedback to students and teacher to promote learning

Summative

Assessment of Learning

Occurs at the end of a learning progression

Graded to determine achievement level

and for reporting

Evaluative

Levels or Marks

Formative (for)

Examples:

-Oral questioning

-Draft work

-Reflections

-Portfolio reviews-Peer /self assessments

Summative (of)

Examples:

- Inquiry projects

-Presentations

-Grade conferences

-Portfolio reviews

-Tests and quizzes

Marks and Grading

THE MARK BOOK

Outline Signed by Parents 5 / 5

Wksht HW Check 0 / 5 Completed but it was copied

Homework Spot Check 6 / 5 Bonus marks for doing it!

Quiz #1 7 /10

Quiz #2 24 / 25

Quiz #3 0 / 33 Absent w/out a parent note

Binder Check 5 / 15 Missing Key Notes

Essay Rough Draft 0 / 12 HW Not Completed

Essay Peer Edit 0 / 10 Essay wasn't written

Essay Corrections 0 / 5 Essay still not done

Essay Good Copy 10 / 12 Got it!Particpation in Peer Edit Conference 0 / 5

Didn't have the essay written

Group Participation 5 / 5

Unit #1 Test 36 / 54Permission Slip for Field Trip Signed and Returned 5 / 5

The Benefits of Formative Assessment

Constantly weighing the pig won’t make it fatter...

The Latin root word for assessment is "assidere" which means to sit beside.

G.O.S.S.I.P. StrategyGo out and selectively search for important

points.

Strategy: Mining for Gold

A/B Partner – Mining for Gold

A – says what the most important idea was from the reading.

B – asks “Why is that important?”A – answers and explains.

B – again, asks “Why is that important?”

Do this until A can synthesize thought to a single word or phrase;

The NUGGET.Repeat for partner B.

Whip Around…

Principles for Classroom Assessment

Students should be part of the assessment process and involved in setting criteria, setting their own learning goals and designing demonstrations.

)

"We must constantly remind ourselves that the ultimate purpose of evaluation is to have students become self evaluating. If students graduate from our schools still dependent upon others to tell them when they are adequate, good, or excellent, then we’ve missed the whole point of what education is about.”

- Costa and Kallick (1992)

Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals who can go it alone.

- M. Wheatley

“I’m still learning.”- Michelangelo, Age 87

You must use the research to support your practice to avoid being a well intentioned “Enthusiastic Amateur.”

- Fullan and Hargraeves “Professional Capital”

Don’t come into the profession to replicate current practice. Strive for

excellence.

Teaching is not rocket science. It is, in fact, far more complex and demanding work than rocket science.

- Richard Elmore (Professor of Education Leadership at Harvard Graduate School of Education)

Contact Information

Jonathan VervaetEmail:

[email protected]

Twitter: @jonathanvervaetBlog:

jonathanvervaet.wordpress.com