ASSESSMENT
Assessment is multifaceted, able to assess student understanding regarding content examined, the development of critical skills and interpret student data to understand the trajectory of learning and how this can be altered to cater for learners. (Harlen, 2006). Diagnostic assessment ‘as’ and ‘for’ learning determines students’ pre-existing understanding or level of knowledge and thereby enables teaching practices to be adjusted accordingly through understanding students and how they learn (AITSL, 1.1, 1.2, 2017). Formative assessment for’ learning’ occurs through students’ completion of informal and formal tasks and is provided with feedback concerning their achievements and progress in the learning cycle (Ramaprasad, 1983), a contrast to summative which is an evaluation of student learning at the conclusion of a lesson or course.
Formative assessment ‘for’ learning is crucial and useful when it is frequent, linked to real-world contexts and shapes subsequent learning experiences (Black and William, 1998). Meaningful learning is when students are able to move beyond memorisation to a deeper understanding of the issues and content. Thus, formative assessments in the form of think-pair-share, class discussions, debates, jig-saw tasks, PEEL paragraphs, multimodal presentations are some forms of formative assessments that promote student engagement, providing ample opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding in differing contexts. I believe that I should maintain a ‘constructive alignment’ design when implementing formative assessment as according to Biggs, “it is intended that students should learn and how they should express their learning is clearly stated before teaching takes place. Teaching is then designed to engage students in learning activities that optimise their chances of achieving those outcomes, and assessment tasks are designed to enable clear judgments as to how well those outcomes have been attained” (2001, pp. 5-6). Thus, through this, the reliability and effectiveness of the learning experience can be obtained. I can therefore utilise feedback i.e. exit slips more effectively within my professional development in order to scaffold lessons i.e. if collaborative group tasks did not ensure that students were all working in their groups, allocating students a role and monitoring their progression through observation may be effective in order to hold all learners accountable but consideration of differentiation for diverse learners is important.
Teachings in Education. (2016, December 18). Formative vs. Summative vs. Diagnostic Assessment [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-YgK-l4Sg
REFERENCES
- Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2017). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/standards
- Biggs, J. (2001). Perspectives on thinking, learning, and cognitive styles. Routledge
- Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2009). Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability,21(1), 5-31.
- Harlen, W. (2006). Assessment and learning. SAGE.
- Ramaprasad, A. (1983). On the definition of feedback. Behavioral science, 28(1), 4-13
- Teachings in Education. (2016, December 18). Formative vs. Summative vs. Diagnostic Assessment [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-YgK-l4Sg
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