Increasing Student Achievement through Meaningful

Increasing Student Achievement through Meaningful, Authentic

Assessment

Nathan Balasubramanian

Learning Outcomes

InstructionalActivities

Authentic Assessments

EvaluationStrategies

Nathan Balasubramanian [email protected] 2

Angevine – Classified as Low-Income (39%), Migrant (43%) & Average


Driving Questions

Leading Question

How might we engage (cognitively and affectively) middle-school students with authentic learning experiences in their classrooms that promote metacognitive and lifelong learning? ( a common theme in the mission of several schools)

Stop

Reflect

Think

Act


Driving Questions

Specifically:

1. Can students transcend the particulars in their technology classroom and transfer the learning of generic schemas to other classes (in particular, science and reading)?

2. How effective is the instructional strategy of moving from challenge to hands-on learning in promoting metacognitive learning?

Stop

Reflect

Think

Act


Learning Outcomes

Students spend just 14% of their time in school each year (Bransford et al., 2000).

Driving Question:

What is important for students to learn in the limited classroom instructional time available?


< 1/10th of 14%!!

Student’s school hours/yr = 8736 (=52 weeks x 7 days x 24 hours)

Contact time/yr/subject = 144 (36 weeks x 4 hrs)

Contact time %/subject = 144 x 100 = 1.6%

8736

Typical Student engagement = 28–56%(Jones, 1979; Zimmerman, 2001)

Available Instructional Time < 1/10th of 14%


Learning Outcomes

Four self-developed representations to illustrate students’ learning outcomes:

• 2-D Matrix based on Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Medal’s Podium Analogy (2-D Matrix Disaggregated)

• Problem-solving Process

• Systemic Thinking Graphic Organizer


Learning Outcomes –2-D Matrix

Levels of Thinking

Vs.

Types of Learning


Learning Outcomes –Lower Order Thinking

2. UNDERSTAND1. REMEMBER

– Students will classify different surfaces as good and bad reflectors

B. PROCEDURAL

KNOWLEDGE

Subject-specific skills, algorithms, specific techniques and methods

– Students will illustrate the laws of reflection using labeled ray diagrams

– Students will recall the expansion of LASER

A. FACTUAL

KNOWLEDGE

Terminology, specific details and elements

TYPES OF LEARNING

The Cognitive ProcessDimension

LEVELS OF THINKINGThe Knowledge

Dimension


Learning Outcomes –Higher Order Thinking

2. UNDERSTAND1. REMEMBER

– Students will summarize their learning experience with "Laser Challenges"

D. META-

COGNITIVE

KNOWLEDGE

Strategic knowledge and cognitive tasks

– Students will compare and contrast the reflection of lightfrom a laser with a bouncing ball

C. CONCEPTUAL

KNOWLEDGE

Classifications and categories; Principles and generalizations;TYPES OF

LEARNING



Dimension


Learning Outcomes –Higher Order Thinking

4. ANALYZE3. APPLY

– Students will analyze their graphs to discern a relationship between incident and reflected angles

– Students will measure angles accurately using a protractor

B. PROCEDURAL

KNOWLEDGE

Subject-specific skills, algorithms, specific techniques and methods

– Students will find the similarities between bike reflectors and lunar retro-reflectors

A. FACTUAL

KNOWLEDGE

Terminology, specific details and elements

TYPES OF LEARNING



Dimension


Learning Outcomes –Highest Order Thinking

6. CREATE5. EVALUATE

– Students will judge their own and their peers work based on five criteria: design, creativity, explanation, cost efficiency, and test-endurance

D. META-

COGNITIVE

KNOWLEDGE

Strategic knowledge and cognitive tasks

– Students will generate appropriate designs for reflecting light inall directions usingonly 3 mirrors

– Student will testtheir set up of a retro-reflector for the reflected light hitting the LASER with three mirrors

C. CONCEPTUAL

KNOWLEDGE

Classifications and categories; Principles and generalizations;TYPES OF

LEARNING



Dimension


Learning Outcomes –Problem-solving Process


Graphic Organizer to Facilitate Systemic Thinking across Subjects


Instructional Activities

Driving Question:

How does one plan and deliver instruction that will result in high levels of learning for large numbers of students?


Instructional Dilemma

How can teachers reconcile the dilemma of merely informing students through direct instructionor facilitating learning experientially through investigative practices in the classroom?


Instructional Activities

My Typical Classroom Practice:(Underlying Assumption – STRONG)

Hands-on InvestigationDebrief PretestChallenges – Hands-on

SummaryPreview ExemplarsGames & simulations

Direct InstructionMonetary MonitoringPretest

Instruction

Questioning

& Feedback

Kindle

Zeigarnik Effect

Summative Assessment


Instructional Activities - STRONG

STRONG is an acronym for STRuctured-scenario ONline Games


Instructional Activities STRONG Example

Game Mock-up at

http://www.GamesToLearn.us


Meaningful Authentic Assessment – Pre-test Stems

Easy to create these using the online communication and assessment tool SchoolFusion

www.SchoolFusion.com

FREE for first three teachers in any school in United States


Instructional Activities - Challenge

Using only 3 mirrors, can you build a reflecting device that will reflect a laser beam on itself, no matter where the laser beam comes from across a 40' wall?

Student Design of a Retro-reflector


Instructional Activities - Microeconomy


Instructional Activities – Hands-on


Meaningful Authentic Assessments

Driving Questions:

How does one select or design assessment instruments and procedures that provide accurate information about how well students are learning?

More importantly, how does one use this information to inform instruction year-long?


Core Assessments

Core Assessments I use

Self-evaluation(Preview Exemplars)

Post-tests

Reflection-in-action

Peer-evaluationPre-writes

Force Field AnalysisPre-tests

During/After Instruction(Summative)

Prior to Instruction(Formative)


Students’ Writing As Evidence inCore Assessments

Students’ writing can be analyzed for:1. Language – use of vocabulary/lack

thereof2. Language – illustrating complexity of

thought3. Ideas and Conceptual understanding4. Pre-Post ∆ in writing – demonstrating

applied knowledge5. Use of lengthy chains of reasoning


Core Assessments – Some Examples

A Common Sight

See more examples


Core Assessment – Pre-test Stems

Easy to create these using the online communication and assessment tool SchoolFusion

www.SchoolFusion.com

FREE for first three teachers in any school in United States


Core Assessment – Force-field Analysis


Core Assessment – Self-evaluation


Core Assessment – Peer-evaluation


Core Assessment – Reflection-in-Action


Core Assessment – Exemplars


Core Assessment – Post-test


Evaluating the Evidence

Driving Question:

How does one ensure that objectives/outcomes, instruction, and assessment are consistent with one another?


Evaluation Strategies –Three Approaches

Triangulation – Examining the evidence?

1. Reviewing Backwards Design to inform

learning outcomes

2. Testing Conceptual Model for

instructional use

3. Doing Action Research to inform

professional practice


Evaluation Strategy –Backwards Design

An outcomes-oriented approach of identifying desired learning goals and then working backwards to develop appropriate instructional activities and assessments to promote meaningful learning.


Evaluation Strategy –Nathan’s Dynamic Instructional Model

And uses meaningful, authentic assessment to

1. Verify what students really know, understand, and are able to do

2. Inform instruction

3. Facilitate effective investigative practices in the classroom

4. Increase student learning, understanding, and achievement

This model is based on tangibles that a classroom teacher has power and control over – N0 top-down push-downs or external factors dictating classroom learning

Heart Simulation


Evaluation Strategy –Action Research (Some Sound Bites)

WE CAN’T LIVE LIFE SHORT – when a team barely had money to see them through the Filtration Project, while one student was content, the other clearly was not

GEE! I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT –girl after a boy solved the letters getting inverted in the “Titanium Dioxide”cylindrical lens



THAT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE I WASN’T PAYING ATTENTION –students’ explanation for poor scores on pre-tests

OH NO! NOT BOOKS! – when a student observed me bringing books into my science class



I’VE LEARNED MY LESSON –students’ response to why he shouldn’t draw a thick line to cut

FIGURE OUT THE MATH FIRST – one students’ comment to another before buying stuff, because I would charge them $5.00 (token money) if they got their arithmetic wrong


MIREN. ESCUCHEN. APRENDANRelevant to Students or Teachers?

In conclusion, these slides show how a large number of student’s even in a “low-income, migrant and average”school are capable of exemplary performance

MIREN. ESCUCHEN. HAGAN. REFLECIONEN. APRENDAN (À la Confucius – I hear & I forget; I see & I remember; I do & I understand)


Questions?

? ?


Presentation Available Online

http://www.InNathansWorld.com/KART/dissertation_p3.htm

Documents

Increasing Student Achievement through Meaningful