What is effective assessment for learning? Facullty of Education, McGill

What is effective
assessment for learning?
Facullty of Education, McGill
October 7, 2013
Presenter: Mike Pellegrin, MELS
+
Pedagogy
Disciplinary
content
Students
Adapted with permission, from Megan Webster
Workshop objectives
Address the question:
Why is assessment for learning a key
ingredient in effective teaching?
Workshop objectives
 Define AFL and roots in differentiation
 Discuss and try out some tools for AFL
 Participate in hands-on activities
 Set personal priorities in AFL
Turn and Talk
What is assessment for learning?
Time: 2 minutes
The word 'assess' comes from the Latin
verb 'assidere' meaning 'to sit with'.
In assessment one is supposed to sit
with the learner.
What is assessment for learning?
Classroom environment
 Wait time
 Open-ended and higher order questions
If you don’t ask the right questions...
Assessing deeper thinking
 Can you tell me more…?
 Why do you think that…?
 What would happen if…?
 How does you see that working?
 What do you notice?
Video?
 Built in to the daily teaching & learning
process
 Gathered from a from variety of instruction
strategies and techniques
 Fills in gaps, clarifies, misconceptions,
provides feedback.
 Provides information about what students
understand
 Engages students in their own learning
 Used to adapt our teaching
Gathering Evidence
 Assessment as trending
 Exemplars as goal posts
 Observations and conversations
 Conferencing
 Running records
Gathering Evidence
 Not marking: Damian Cooper
 Gradual release:
Writer’s Notebook
con’t
Gathering Evidence
 Portfolios
 Exit Cards
con’t
Assessment tools
 Providing Ongoing feedback
 Graphic Organizers
 RAN
 Always build in AFL in your planning:
When am I going to assess?
How will I know if they are understanding?
 Consider second language students
We are all intelligent, mature thinkers
with a lot of potential for greatness.
Kids are all intelligent, immature thinkers
with a lot of potential for greatness.
Don Tascott