creating challenging assessments:
"Informative assessment isn't an end in itself, but the beginning of better instruction" —Carol Ann Tomlinson (1999).
Formative assessments are a great way to gage a students’ understanding of what they are learning, and can be used throughout the lesson. I believe that they can also clue teachers in to how their students learn best so that the teacher can cater their help to each students’ needs.
According to Judith Dodge in her book 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom, she breaks down assessments in to four categories:
I have decided to focus on a 1st grade storytelling lesson. We will be focusing on the importance of a story’s specific and logical order, and making predictions about what will happen next in a story. With children this young, I believe it is important to make these assessments fun – something the children will enjoy doing.
I would begin with the “Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down” activity to have the students self-assess their understanding. Once the students feel comfortable in their initial understanding, we would move on to an activity that the children would complete on their own which would have them cutting and pasting pictures from the story and putting them in the correct order from beginning to end. They would also write a short sentence about what is going on in the picture. This would serve as an initial check for understanding for each student and would help me, as their teacher, figure out who needs additional assistance from the get-go. This same activity can then be used in different ways throughout the lesson. For example, the students can work together in small groups can come up with their own new version of the story by rearranging the pictures. They can then present their new story to the class. They are still focusing on the importance of a beginning, middle, and end of a story, but they are making it their own. “Since formative assessments are considered part of the learning, they need not be graded as summative assessments (end-of-unit exams or quarterlies, for example) are. Rather, they serve as practice for students, just like a meaningful homework assignment. They check for understanding along the way and guide teacher decision making about future instruction; they also provide feedback to students so they can improve their performance” (Dodge, 2009).
I, personally, am a very auditory and kinesthetic learner. Ever since I was young, these were my preferred methods of learning. For example, I have played violin since I was three years old. I used the Suzuki Method, which has you listen to the songs you are learning. I continue to use auditory learning to this day in my local acting projects. When I am cast in a show, I always listen to the soundtrack to begin learning my role. I am using kinesthetic learning now as I have started learning how to crochet. Reading through the books and looking at diagrams are not helpful to me. I prefer hands-on learning with my instructor. I know that, for me, I retain more information this way. I appreciate all of the videos that we have incorporated into our modules for this class, because although they are videos, I benefit by being able to listen to them.
Step One: Develop a formative assessment that you will use to assess the student’s prior knowledge on the skill(s).
Step Two: Administer the formative assessment.
The students were given the assessment on Thursday afternoon, and given half an hour to complete the activity. Once they were finished, I had the chance to take a look at the results. I was surprised by the results, and they gave me insight in to areas that needed to be addressed.
Step 3: Graph the results of the pre-assessment data to use to prioritize instruction.
When I began to graph the results, I had some difficulty. I was unsure as to how to translate the results of the assessments in to graph data. So, I did my best to try and interpret the data into something I could use to help build a rubric and get students to the end result. What I discovered was that students did a good job of defining the elements, but putting them into practice was where they needed additional help. They also needed a little work with explaining their predictions, and how they came to their conclusions.
Formative assessments are a great way to gage a students’ understanding of what they are learning, and can be used throughout the lesson. I believe that they can also clue teachers in to how their students learn best so that the teacher can cater their help to each students’ needs.
According to Judith Dodge in her book 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom, she breaks down assessments in to four categories:
- Summaries and Reflections Students stop and reflect, make sense of what they have heard or read, derive personal meaning from their learning experiences, and/or increase their metacognitive skills. These require that students use content-specific language.
- Lists, Charts, and Graphic Organizers Students will organize information, make connections, and note relationships through the use of various graphic organizers.
- Visual Representations of Information Students will use both words and pictures to make connections and increase memory, facilitating retrieval of information later on. This "dual coding" helps teachers address classroom diversity, preferences in learning style, and different ways of "knowing."
- Collaborative Activities Students have the opportunity to move and/or communicate with others as they develop and demonstrate their understanding of concepts. (Dodge, 2009)
I have decided to focus on a 1st grade storytelling lesson. We will be focusing on the importance of a story’s specific and logical order, and making predictions about what will happen next in a story. With children this young, I believe it is important to make these assessments fun – something the children will enjoy doing.
I would begin with the “Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down” activity to have the students self-assess their understanding. Once the students feel comfortable in their initial understanding, we would move on to an activity that the children would complete on their own which would have them cutting and pasting pictures from the story and putting them in the correct order from beginning to end. They would also write a short sentence about what is going on in the picture. This would serve as an initial check for understanding for each student and would help me, as their teacher, figure out who needs additional assistance from the get-go. This same activity can then be used in different ways throughout the lesson. For example, the students can work together in small groups can come up with their own new version of the story by rearranging the pictures. They can then present their new story to the class. They are still focusing on the importance of a beginning, middle, and end of a story, but they are making it their own. “Since formative assessments are considered part of the learning, they need not be graded as summative assessments (end-of-unit exams or quarterlies, for example) are. Rather, they serve as practice for students, just like a meaningful homework assignment. They check for understanding along the way and guide teacher decision making about future instruction; they also provide feedback to students so they can improve their performance” (Dodge, 2009).
I, personally, am a very auditory and kinesthetic learner. Ever since I was young, these were my preferred methods of learning. For example, I have played violin since I was three years old. I used the Suzuki Method, which has you listen to the songs you are learning. I continue to use auditory learning to this day in my local acting projects. When I am cast in a show, I always listen to the soundtrack to begin learning my role. I am using kinesthetic learning now as I have started learning how to crochet. Reading through the books and looking at diagrams are not helpful to me. I prefer hands-on learning with my instructor. I know that, for me, I retain more information this way. I appreciate all of the videos that we have incorporated into our modules for this class, because although they are videos, I benefit by being able to listen to them.
Step One: Develop a formative assessment that you will use to assess the student’s prior knowledge on the skill(s).
- (CCSS:SL.1.2) Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
- (CCSS.SL.K.5) Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional details.
- (CCSSL.1.4) Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly (Colorado Department of Education Unit of Academic Standards, 2010).
Step Two: Administer the formative assessment.
The students were given the assessment on Thursday afternoon, and given half an hour to complete the activity. Once they were finished, I had the chance to take a look at the results. I was surprised by the results, and they gave me insight in to areas that needed to be addressed.
Step 3: Graph the results of the pre-assessment data to use to prioritize instruction.
When I began to graph the results, I had some difficulty. I was unsure as to how to translate the results of the assessments in to graph data. So, I did my best to try and interpret the data into something I could use to help build a rubric and get students to the end result. What I discovered was that students did a good job of defining the elements, but putting them into practice was where they needed additional help. They also needed a little work with explaining their predictions, and how they came to their conclusions.
formative_assessments_graph.xlsx | |
File Size: | 19 kb |
File Type: | xlsx |
References
Dodge, J. (2009). 25 quick formative assessments for a differentiated classroom. Kindle Edition. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. (2013) The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Dodge, J. (2009). 25 quick formative assessments for a differentiated classroom. Kindle Edition. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. (2013) The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.