The Role of Formative The Role of Formative Assessment in Inquiry Assessment in Inquiry

Based LearningBased Learning

Gathering evidence Gathering evidence of student of student achievement and achievement and using it to enhance using it to enhance performanceperformanceby Richard Zahra

After this session you After this session you should be able to:should be able to:

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1. Define formative assessment

2. Explain the important role that formative assessment plays in Inquiry Based Learning

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3. Understand the role of evidence- gathering to assess student progress towards educational goal attainment

4. Analyse a chemistry collaborative activity and think of ways of gathering evidence of student achievement

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5. Translate educational objectives into observable and measurable student success criteria

6. Collaboratively plan an evidence gathering strategy for a specific goal within the observed chemistry classroom activity

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7. Appraise the benefits of using formative assessment as a powerful tool that both measures and enhances student achievement

8. Adopt a positive attitude towards trying out formative assessment in your chemistry classroom

Inquiry Based LearningInquiry Based Learning

IBL is a rich educational experience for students, that allows them to develop in all domains of learning:1.Cognitive (thinking)2.Psychomotor (doing)3.Affective (feeling)

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Inquiry Based LearningInquiry Based Learning

“Inquiry is central to science learning.”

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Education should equip students not with just more facts and skills, but with “the capacity to readily acquire new knowledge, to solve new problems, and to employ creativity and critical thinking in the design of new approaches to existing problems”

(President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, 1997).

Inquiry Based LearningInquiry Based Learning

Effective learning however can take place if the teacher knows where students are along the paths towards specific goals

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Start (where

student is)

Educational goal

(where you want student to

reach)

Inquiry Based LearningInquiry Based Learning

Without this info, teachers cannot identify the next steps that students are capable of taking towards the goal.

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Inquiry Based LearningInquiry Based Learning

The more students themselves are involved, the more likely it is they will be able—and will want—to take these next steps.

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Inquiry Based LearningInquiry Based Learning

These are the basic premises on which formative assessment (Assessment for Learning) is built.

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The Formative Assessment The Formative Assessment Process involves:Process involves:

gathering evidence about students’ skills, concepts, and attitudes relevant to the attainment of learning goals

interpreting this evidence in terms of progress towards goals

deciding the next stepsfinding ways of helping students

take the next stepsR. Zahra 12

Assessment for LearningAssessment for Learning

In summary, Assessment for Learning is a procedure for regulating teaching so that the pace of moving toward a goal is adjusted to ensure the active participation of the students.

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The Role of Evidence in The Role of Evidence in Assessment for LearningAssessment for Learning

All assessment involves gathering evidence, interpreting it, and using the result in some way.

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Evidence leads to FeedbackEvidence leads to Feedback

As with all regulated processes, feedback into the system is the important mechanism for ensuring effective operation.

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Role of FeedbackRole of Feedback

Feedback of information about learning helps ensure that new experiences are not too difficult or too easy for students. In the case of teaching, the feedback is both to the teacher and to the students. 

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Ways of obtaining evidenceWays of obtaining evidence

Observing students—listening to how they describe their work, their reasoning for the explanations they give, and so on

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Ways of obtaining evidenceWays of obtaining evidence

Questioning—using open-ended questions phrased to invite students to reveal their ideas and reasoning (e.g. “What do you think is happening when the sugar is put into the water?”)

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Ways of obtaining evidenceWays of obtaining evidence

Asking students to communicate their thinking through drawings, artefacts, actions, role playing, and concept mapping, as well as writing

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Ways of obtaining evidenceWays of obtaining evidence

Discussing key words and how they are being used

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Summary of SummariesSummary of Summaries

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Attainment of Goal

Starting level of student

1

2

3

4

5

Graded success criteria (Bloom)

Where I am

Where I want to reach

Our Common Goal:Our Common Goal:

Acquire proficiency in designing a formative assessment strategy (involving gathering of learning evidence) for a student-centred Chemistry lesson.

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“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.”

Oscar Wilde

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Thanks for your attentionR. Zahra 24

Many thanks to Ms Joanne Grima for her help in organising this training session and for providing much of the information on AFL