ASSESSING SCIENTIST NOTEBOOK ENTRIES

Writing in Science in Action – 6

Learning Objectives

1. Understand strategies for conferring with students and critiquing scientist notebook entries.

2. Plan for providing helpful feedback in scientists notebooks.

AgendaTIME ACTIONS9:20-9:40 Reflecting on Pre-Assessment Lesson (20 min)9:40-10:00 Critiquing Gavin’s Notebook Entries (40 minutes)10:00-10:40 Viewing and Discussing the Assessment I Video

Episode (40 min)10:40-10:45 Break10:45-11:45 Team Planning Conferences

Reflecting on Practice (20 min)

Meet with your teaching partner(s) and reflect together on a prior experience of providing students feedback. What was the purpose of providing

students feedback? How did you provide students feedback? How did your action of providing

students feedback improve your students’ learning and your teaching?

Providing feedbackREALTIME PAPER & PAPERLESS

Word-processedAudio/video recording

Screencasts

Peer - Anonymous

Face to Face Conference

Video Conferencing

Hand-written

Providing Students Feedback

The most powerful single modification that enhances achievement is feedback. The simplest prescription for improving education must be dollops of feedback.’

- John Hattie (1992)

Teach less. Provide more

feedback.Decades of education research support the idea that by teaching less and providing more feedback, we can produce greater learning. - Grant Wiggins

What is helpful feedback?

Descriptive information about how we're doing as we work towards achieving our goals. - Grant Wiggins

Good feedback causes thinking. Give feedback that moves your students forward . . . - what they need to improve - how to go about doing it that makes it clear that their abilities are incremental, not fixed. - Dylan Wiliam

Helpful feedback is different from praising, advising, & grading. - Grant Wiggins

Critiquing Notebook Entries (40 min) Read Gavin’s data table and conclusion in Figures 9–3

and 9–4 at the end of Chapter 9. Next, write notes about Gavin’s entry just as if he were

one of your students. After reading Figures 9–1 and 9–2 in Chapter 9, use

guidelines as you critique and write notes about Gavin’s entry.

Discuss the guiding question when you have finished. Finally, skim Tajinai’s entry (Figures 9–5 through 9–6c)

and Dorothy’s entry (9–7a through 9–8).

Viewing (15 min) and Discussing (25 min)

the Assessment I Video Episode Meet with your teaching partner and . . . Discuss the guiding questions.

Assessing Notebook Entries and Planning Instruction

Look at each entry briefly. Focus assessment on Three Key Elements. Follow the appropriate checklist for

Exemplary Notebooks Entries. See website. Click on Companion Resources - Checklist for Exemplary Notebook Entries.

Note Strengths, Weaknesses, Further Instruction.

Addressing a Strength

To address a strength, write a sticky note related to the one or more of the Three Key Elements.

Use checklists for exemplary scientist notebook entries. See website. Click on Companion Resources - Checklist for Exemplary Notebook Entries.

Addressing a Weakness – Area for Growth

To address a weakness – area for growth, write a question that a scientist might have about the entry . See Figure 8-1, p. 96 for questions to ask students about notebook entries.

Example of :

”Another scientist might wonder what you

observed about the soil in the water that

made you think it had the properties of clay

at first, but not later on.”

Selecting a Notebook Entry (10 min)

Meet with your teaching partner and…. Identify the science and writing lessons that

you can provide helpful feedback in their scientist notebooks.

Considering Next Steps (10 min)

Meet with your teaching partner and …. Go to Blackboard>My Course

Work>Providing Feedback in Scientist Notebooks. Download “Providing Feedback” file.

Discuss the guiding questions.

Prepare for Next WISIA Class Take notes on class notes – organize, connect. Re-read: Chapter 8 and 9. View Assessment 1 Video Episode a second

time. Provide helpful feedback in your students

scientist notebooks.