Designing for Deep Understanding: Supporting Effective Teaching, Learning and Leadership

Website: www.galileo.org/pl

K-9 Learning Leaders

Review the following quotes from Embedding Formative Assessment:

“The research suggests that classroom formative assessment can have a significant impact on how much students learn. Indeed, the evidence suggests that attention to classroom formative assessment can produce greater gains in achievement than any other change in what teachers do.” (Wiliam, 2015, p.14)

“However, the most important takeaway from the research is that the shorter the time interval between eliciting the evidence [of learning] and using it to improve instruction, the bigger the likely impact on learning . . . the biggest impact happens in “short-cycle” formative assessment, which takes place not every six to ten weeks but every six to ten minutes, or even every six to ten seconds.” (Wiliam, 2015, p.9)

In light of the quotes above, what implications are there for the focus of your work as an instructional leader in your school?

What further insights did you have regarding your leadership work after reading the two chapters: “Why Formative Assessment Should Be a Priority for Every Teacher” and “Your Professional Learning?

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Clarifying, Sharing and Understanding Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Aspect of Formative Assessment Strategy 1 What it looks like in practice Examples from

your table group1. Provocation/ Hook

into the topic area: sometimes it is important to hook students into learning before sharing learning intentions

Physcial, play, prompt thinking, end game, leadership, sense of justice, emotions

2. Sharing learning intentions and success criteria Learn vs do,

accessible, context

Learning targets posted Learning intention on

handouts Saying to students “today

we are going to learn about…”

Reminding them of the key learning that you introduced the day before “We are continuing on with this same target…”

3. Clarifying learning intentions and success criteria Exemplars and

non-exemplars, inquire inot quality, rubrics

Unpack what key words in the learning target mean

Communicate quality by using exemplars and non exemplars first

Hold exemplars and non exemplars up side by side to inquire into quality

Use success criteria or rubrics to discuss quality with students

Students co-design rubrics4. Developing an

understanding of learning intentions and success criteria Unpack Check in with

students

Listen to students discuss in partners what they think the learning target means

Ask students to identify an example of what the learning intention is and is not

Asking a well crafted question to uncover anticipated misconceptions about the learning target

At the end of the a lesson, asking the students what they have learned

“What are you learning

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about today?” “What does a good ..… look

like?” (Timperley, 2011)

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Clarifying and Sharing Learning Intentions

1. Write down one thing that you will do over the next week to strengthen this assessment practice in your own classroom.

2. How might you invite colleagues to strengthen this assessment practice? What evidence might you look for to indicate that colleagues are monopolizing on this strategy to improve student learning?

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Reflection Checklist: Clarifying, Sharing, and Understanding Learning Intentions and

Success CriteriaI don’t do this yet

I do this sometimes

This is embedded

in my practice

I could support someone

elseI know what the learning intention of the lesson is, although sometimes I don’t tell the students at the start of the lesson(I sometimes engage them in the topic first)I ensure that the learning intention and success criteria have broader application beyond the specific lessonI communicate quality by contrasting exemplars and non-exemplars

I ask students what they think they are learning to ensure it aligns with my learning intentionsI use specific assessment criteria or rubrics to discuss quality with my studentsOther strategies/ techniques I use to help students identify:- what they know- how they know it- how they show it- what they need next

(Adapted from Wiliam, D. (2015) Embedding Formative Assessment)

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Individual Reflection: Question Analysis

Sort the questions that emerged during your meeting into the following three categories.

Questions about teaching

Questions about students Other questions

Into which column does the majority of questions fall? What does this tell you about the focus of this professional conversation?

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Inquiring into our Leadership PracticesIndividual Reflection

Please complete the chart below in light of the meeting when you recorded your questions. Which of the five enablers for professional conversations were present during that meeting? Keep in mind the meeting may not reflect all 5 enablers.

Enablers Evidence from the professional conversationResources in the form of tools

and expertise to help identify effective practice and relevant evidence

Relationships Of trust, challenge

and mutual respect to develop agency for improving outcomes

Processes Clear purpose and

structured processes that engage and test ideas and solutions about the possible causes of teaching and learning problems

Knowledge Develop and use

refined / revised / new actionable knowledge for practice

Culture An inquiry-focused

and problem-solving culture with collective responsibility for solving problems and making a difference

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Inquiring into Your Leadership Practices

Leadership Question/ Challenge Adjustment(s)In one meeting, the conversation was focused on students, not teaching- how do we move the conversation towards teaching practices?

LL will ask after each piece of evidence brought forward ‘What teaching strategies might help us move these struggling students forward?”

The evidence brought to one meeting did not give enough information about student learning needs. How can we move towards stronger evidence of student learning?

“I wonder if we need to get a stronger sense of where our students are at. Perhaps next time could we all bring a pre-assessment that we are using to determine what learning gaps students have around this topic?”

The teachers identified that some students are struggling around an identified learning intention. How might we adjust our teaching to accommodate for these students?

“I wonder if we need to look closely at the scaffolding we are using to help students around this learning need. Can everyone bring forward the different ways you have scaffolded learning for students around this area? We can then look at our options together.”

Your Challenge(s) Adjustment(s)

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Leadership Discussion

Timperley, H. (2011). Realizing the Power of Professional Learning: New York, NY: Open University Press.

Timperley, H. (2015). Professional Conversations and Improvement-Focused Feedback: A Review of the Research Literature and the Impact on Practice and Student Outcomes, prepared for the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership, AITSL, Melbourne.

Wiliam, D., Leahy, S. (2015). Embedding Formative Assessment: Practical Techniques for K-12 Classrooms, West Palm Beach, FL: Learning Sciences International.

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Next Steps:

1. Enact the next step you came up with today at your next meeting. Bring back a synopsis of what happened when you enacted your idea.

2. Read chapter 3. What new insights do you have about Clarifying and Sharing Learning intentions that might help you in your leadership work?

How might you bring colleague’s attention to the importance of clarifying, sharing and checking for understanding of learning intentions and success criteria?

What adjustments will be taking place to strengthen the professional conversations occurring at your school?