Assessment for Learning – improving practice in the adult

classroom Coquitlam  Con,nuing  Educa,on  

February  18th,  2011  Faye  Brownlie  

www.slideshare.net  

Learning Intentions •  I  understand  what  is  important  in  designing  a  lesson  for  all  learners,  including  ESL  

•  I  understand  the  6  strategies  of  assessment  for  learning  

•  I  have  a  plan  to  build  to  use  at  least  one  of  the  strategies  in  the  upcoming  week  

Assessment for Learning Purpose   Guide  learning,  inform  

instruc,on  

Audience     Teachers  and  learners  

Timing     On-­‐going,  minute  by  minute,  day  by  day  

Form     Descrip,ve  Feedback  ¶what’s  working?  •what’s  not?  •what’s  next?  

Black  &  Wiliam,  1998   HaXe  &  Timperley,  2007  

Assessment for Learning

•  Learning  inten,ons  •  Criteria  •  Descrip,ve  feedback  •  Ques,oning  •  Peer  and  self  assessment  

•  Ownership  

Essential Lesson Components

•  Essen,al  ques,on/learning  inten,on/a  big  idea  •  Open-­‐ended  strategies:    connect-­‐process-­‐transform  •  Differen,a,on  –  choice,  choice,  choice  •  Assessment  for  learning  •  Gradual  release  of  responsibility  

Model Guided practice Independent practice Independent application  

Pearson  &  Gallagher  (1983)  

Communicating Mathematically

•  Sit  back  to  back  with  a  partner  •  Partner  A  observes  the  diagram  and  describes  it  to  partner  B  

•  Partner  B  draws  what  he  hears  Partner  A  describing  

•  Reflect:    what  worked  in  the  partnership?    What  didn’t?    How  can  it  be  improved?  

Chunking  Text  to  Respond  

•  Divide  a  poem  or  an  ar,cle  in  chunks,  several  lines  long,  and  place  these  on  separate  papers.  

•  In  teams,  learners  consider  one  chunk  and  respond  to  it.    Circle  challenging  vocabulary.  

•  Share  the  text  among  the  groups.  •  Learners  read  the  en,re  text  and  respond    – As  a  free  write  or  a  power  paragraph  –  To  create  a  found  poem  –  To  create  an  image  that  reflects  their  understanding  –  To  present  orally,  a  soundbite  on  their  understanding  of  the  text…  

Power Paragraphs •  Create a power structure: •  Power 1 – the big idea •  Power 2 – 3 big details about the big idea •  Power 3 – 2 more precise details/examples about the

2nd powers •  Together, write the paragraph, 1 topic sentence (power

1), and 3 explanatory sentences (powers 2 and 3) •  Reread for fluency •  Do several together, then learners can create their

structure, get feedback before writing, then write independently

               power  1  

power  2        power  2        power  2  

2  details              2  details  (power  3)  

References  

•  Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses –  Brownlie  (2005).    Portage  and  Main  Press.  

•  Student Diversity, 2nd ed (2006)  –  Brownlie  and  Schnellert.    Pembroke  Publishers  

•  It’s All about Thinking – Humanities, Social Studies and English (2009)  –  Brownlie  and  Schnellert.    Portage  and  Main  Press.  

•  Assessment Instruction of ESL Learners –  Brownlie,  Feniak,  McCarthy.    Portage  and  Main  Press.