I Got An “A”
Week 6 – EDUC471D100 – October 13, 2017
Yes… this course is about curriculum development and this week we discussed formative assessment and Assessment for Learning (AFL). As you can see, I tend to lean on the “practice” aspects of this course versus “theory.” That said, formative assessment is a key component to BC’s New Curriculum and I believe it’s future success. Formative assessment is helping students learn about their learning with immediate feedback. Formative feedback can come from the teacher, peers, or self. Deliberate practice depends on repetition but also immediate feedback with the intention to improve.
Differentiating between formative and summative feedback is difficult. Even practitioners are challenged by what is formative and summative assessment. In some circumstances, assessment that was summative can be formative, but it would have to be made into an opportunity of learning versus judgement. We had excellent in-class discussions trying to understand what formative assessment is and how it relates to curriculum (or it’s implementation). With BC’s New Curriculum, formative assessment is essential to help students to personalize learning, develop competencies, and differentiate learning.
I am passionate about assessment and how it influences student learning but also how curriculum is implemented. Although formative assessment was an integral part to the development of BC’s New Curriculum, those who continue to assess in ways that they did 10-15 years ago where learning equated to the accruing of marks and grades, the transformation of the BC’s Curriculum would be non-existent, misunderstood, or poorly implemented. This is scary considering that we as practitioners and students need to have a clear understanding of formative and summative assessment and how each affects student learning. Here are my responses to the journal questions:
Journal Reflection Questions – Formative Assessment
What is the difference between formative and summative assessment? Give examples.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT forms and informs learning… for the teacher and student. It helps the student get to the next stage of being. It is ongoing and immediate. There is no judgment and it’s not worth marks. In essence, it’s figuring out where the student is, where he/she needs to go, and how will he/she get there. The feedback should help the student understand what steps or strategies he/she needs to take to get better.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT indicates the end of the learning process. The conversation is one way and based on teacher judgement. Often it is indicated with a letter grade, percent, or score, but it can also be a comment like “good work” or “well done.” Summative assessment does not help the student get to the next stage of learning but rather tells them where they are and how they performed as student achievement.
How does formative assessment contribute to student achievement and life-long learning?
Because formative assessment is ongoing with the intent of helping student learn, but also helping the expert or teacher to determine how they will help the student learn… this feedback can only help students learn more about their learning and about what they are learning… student achievement can only improve with that mindset. Learning about your learning or METACOGNITION is key to lifelong learning. It helps the learner to be reflective but also vulnerable to receive feedback from others so that they can learn.
How does formative assessment connect with strength based learning and BC’s New Curriculum?
Formative assessment can help students understand their strengths because students would be more cognizant of their learning versus trying to get the right answer. Tests and other forms of summative assessments have a narrow view on what is worthwhile to assess and evaluate. Skills such as collaboration, creativity, or communication is difficult to assess, provide feedback on, or develop with a multiple choice test. Formative feedback (and possibly co-created rubrics) can help students hone their strengths and build confidence so that they can address other areas of their learning they may struggle with. This entails learning about one’s learning in the context of different curricular areas.
MY REFLECTION
We have turned a corner in this course. After 6 weeks, we have achieved the notion of collective efficacy as a learning community, we established trust, and we are picking up momentum. Why do I say that? I have the utmost respect for early adopters. They set the stage for the rest of the class. The are the first to received feedback from the teacher… and EVERYONE IS WATCHING. That takes a lot of courage and I say kudos to those who created a baseline for our class activities. They were good before, but now they are getting better. Students are more willing to take risks. They are more creative and they have embraced the idea of personalized learning and choice.
Student agency was the theme for this week… and once again, I could not have planned it any better. I say that but truly, I had no idea. I create the framework for my students and my students are asked to run with it with various student led activities. This week’s class started with a warm-up activity of drawing. We were asked to draw or doodle two images. She concluded the activity with her why, which was doodling helps her think and learn. She supported her claims with research. I was so impressed because she mentioned this to me on Week 1 and I was not convinced. She made her point. The warm-up activity was followed up with the oral presentations of the assigned reading and student derived questions were posted on the board for small group discussions.
The class concludes with two more activities… The TBA Activity and Wild Card Activity. I put TBA before the Wild Card on my PowerPoint, but the TBA student spoke up and requested to be at the end of class as the “closing activity.” Wow. “Yes, of course.” We switched the order. The Wild Card Activity is a collaborative effort. The two students created two presentations and had to choose one for the class. It was up to them which one they would present. They opted to present on right-brain/left-brain preferences. We did an online assessment and discussed the benefits of tests like these. It was an interesting discussion, activity, and presentation because they spoke about “strength-based learning” and so did I during class. Again, I could not have planned it any better.
Finally, the class concludes with the TBA Activity. YES!!! We go outside again (see picture above). The weather was great and I love going outside to learn (Thank you EDUC454D100). We were subdivided into groups of 6. In a circle, we grabbed hands of a person across from us but not beside you. The objective was to untangle yourselves and form a circle. It took my group a bit of time and “out of the box” thinking, but we did it. As each group made a circle, you’d hear cheering. It was a very fun and engaging activity. Then the student started to explain his why for the activity and what he had intended us to learn. It was so eloquent and succinct. I was so wowed with what he had to say.
This is a team building activity that focussed on communication, problem solving, and leadership. I loved how he said that we were all leaders in the problem solving process but how we lead is different. He goes on to say that because we all made a circle, we are all winners. Yes, I like that. Did this student meet my expectations? Yes he did!!! He got HIGH-FIVE from me… then he said, “I got an A.” This was so appropriate with today’s discussions about assessment. I said to the class (over and over again), meet my expectations and you will get an “A” in this course. There are no surprises. My job is to provide you with the formative feedback you need to help you succeed. Your job is to ask questions, take risks, and learn from your mistakes. I think they got it. Woohoo.