EDU 6613 - Reflection (Summer2018)

Course goals: 

1) to develop a sense of assessment vocabulary and conversation, and 2) to define and implement a strong understanding of sound classroom assessment practice and experiences within an authentic classroom context.

Teacher Leadership Standard:

Standard 11: Utilize formative and summative assessment in a standards-based environment

Response:

Prior to EDU 6613 I knew my assessment practices needed some adjustments.  The school in which I work, already uses standards-based grading, and we have received quality instruction prior to implementation, on how best practice principles regarding this assessment style however I still did not feel confident in the ways I assessed students.  Even though the two areas of weakness come before and after the assessment, these two areas of improvement are apart of the larger assessment field.  These two areas are: 1) Communicating learning expectations to students. 2) Giving effective feedback in diverse ways. 

Students in my class have voiced their concerns on “why do we need to know this?”.  Something I put in the back of my mind is unpacking what the learning target or unit goal is and what it is asking of the students.  Sharing the learning expectation is crucial for student engagement but it also sets up the assessment at the end.  By clearly defining and communicating the learning expectations, the students know what it is their doing, but more importantly what it looks like to be successful with their learning.  This unpacking creates a clear path for the students to walk down.

         Second, effective feedback was addressed in module four as well as my “Assessment into Action” paper.  Through my interaction with peers in the discussion board, as well as the research process, I discovered many useful strategies and ideas to implement into my classroom.  From John Hattie (2007), I learned three essential questions in which all feedback should answer: “Where am I going? How am I going? Where to next?” (p. 86). These three questions should be used as a rubric for the teacher to assess their own feedback to the students, ensuring the information communicated thoroughly addresses all aspects of student learning.  Another resources entitled, “Developing an Effective Teacher Feedback System” communicated the importance of developing a culture of feedback.  Within this culture students are exposed to a high amount of feedback that is built upon respect and trust. “Research has shown that individuals are more likely to absorb feedback if they believe it is for their development and growth, rather than seeing it as strictly for judgement” (Park, Takahashi, and Taylor, 2014, p.7).  Lastly, and probably most important is the principle provided by Grant Wiggins in which “less teaching plus more feedback is the key to achieving greater learning” (2012.).  Good feedback is essentially what does the teaching.  This is the tool for leading students to learning and uncovering the material for themselves.  Quality and effective feedback is the main driver of forward progression in the classroom. 

        These two takeaways meet the expectations of the course goals.  By deepening my understanding of sharing learning expectations, I am developing a stronger sense of the assessment practice.  What happens prior to the assessment is important to the assessment itself.  Similarly, effective feedback is focused on the area after the assessment, which is just as important. Assessment must be seen as a larger entity, not just a score in the grade book.  Both takeaways extend my view and understanding of what it means to implement sound assessment practices.  

         In the future I will implement my learning’s in regards to the sharing of learning expectations and quality feedback practices.  First, I will set aside the necessary time to communicate, orally and/or visually, the learning expectations.  I will also engage students in quick discussions on what that means to them.  “What is your job as a student?  How do you think you might accomplish this goal? What skills are needed to complete this task? What challenges do you think you’ll face? What do you think we’ll do with this learning?”  These questions are meant to probe their thinking about the task at hand.  In regards to feedback I will use “Plickers” to gather assessment data as well as implement my action plan as stated in my research paper.  “Plickers” will be used sparingly as it takes significant time, however it is a wonderful tool for assessing students in a fun and engaging way.  The action plan of my research paper outlines three concrete steps I will take to deepen my feedback.  In summary the three steps of my action plan are as follows:

1. Implement “Quick-and-Quiet” feedback to challenge or praises a student’s ability and understanding

2. Build a classroom culture of continuous feedback 

3. Utilize assessment data to deliver whole group feedback that successfully answers the three questions of “Where am I going? How am I going? Where to next?”

Resources:

Plickers tutorial:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bejiz2HzUz8

Assessment into Action paper:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VU-dtr_iVOM8V8oeTX-8w2q0O_d53w1DuP_j30F2LuM/edit?usp=sharing

Learning Progression:
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1SLNe3HccPf9vrYQPqdOLQuvV9G51UlykdzHJFHsutko/edit?usp=sharing

Sources:

Hattie, J. & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77, 81-112. doi 10.3102/003465430298487

Park, S. & Takahashi, S. & White, T. (2014). Developing an effective teacher feedback system. Retrieved from https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/CF_Feedback_90DC_2014.pdf

Wiggins, G. (2012). Seven keys to effective feedback. Educational Leadership, 70. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/seven-keys-to-effective-feedback.aspx