Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A belated Happy NewYear!! My intentions were good.
The more I read and study the more one term keeps showing up in everything I look at and that term is "formative assessment". Cited over and over again as "…one of the most powerful weapons in a teacher's arsenal." (Marzano, 2006), formative assessment is much more than a single act or activity, it is an "active and intentional process that partners teachers and students to continuously and systematically gather evidence of learning with the express goal of improving student acheivement( Moss and Brookhart, 2009).
Effective formative assessment assumes that learning goals (based on standards) have been established and summative assessments have been created with those goals and standards in mind. Formative assessment allows teachers and students to respond to the following three questions in relation to any particular learning goal or goals in the curriculum:
Based on the learning goals for this lesson/unit :
Where am I (the student) now? I get it, I don't get it, I already had it.
Where am I going? Am I ready to move forward? Do I need more practice, do I need more skills to understand material at this level? I could move on to more complex thinking about this topic.
What strategies will help me get where I need to go? This is the stage at which students engage in self assessment and with the teacher's support set goals for their learning. Understanding this helps teachers to plan to meet students' needs both during and outside of instruction.
Formative assessment can take many forms and functions, but the important thing to remember is that it serves as an assessment for learning learning rather than a measure of learning that generally signifies the end of a lesson or unit and culminates in a grade. Formative assessment can be viewed as part of the journey for students, providing them opportunities to give and receive feedback about their progress and the progress of their classmates. It should be part of the journey for teachers as well, allowing for opportunities to adjust instruction to meet individual needs within any particular unit of study.
As we continue our work in RtI , formative assessment and our response to the feedback we give and recieve about students' progress could be a very powerful tools at the Tier 1 and Tier 2 level. The resources below provide some basic information about formative assessment as well as some ideas about incorporating this structure into your planning and teaching.
As always I look forward to your feedback on this topic and would welcome the opportunity to discuss it further with individuals or groups who are interested.
http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExclusive/Assessment/tabid/1120/Default.aspx
The more I read and study the more one term keeps showing up in everything I look at and that term is "formative assessment". Cited over and over again as "…one of the most powerful weapons in a teacher's arsenal." (Marzano, 2006), formative assessment is much more than a single act or activity, it is an "active and intentional process that partners teachers and students to continuously and systematically gather evidence of learning with the express goal of improving student acheivement( Moss and Brookhart, 2009).
Effective formative assessment assumes that learning goals (based on standards) have been established and summative assessments have been created with those goals and standards in mind. Formative assessment allows teachers and students to respond to the following three questions in relation to any particular learning goal or goals in the curriculum:
Based on the learning goals for this lesson/unit :
Where am I (the student) now? I get it, I don't get it, I already had it.
Where am I going? Am I ready to move forward? Do I need more practice, do I need more skills to understand material at this level? I could move on to more complex thinking about this topic.
What strategies will help me get where I need to go? This is the stage at which students engage in self assessment and with the teacher's support set goals for their learning. Understanding this helps teachers to plan to meet students' needs both during and outside of instruction.
Formative assessment can take many forms and functions, but the important thing to remember is that it serves as an assessment for learning learning rather than a measure of learning that generally signifies the end of a lesson or unit and culminates in a grade. Formative assessment can be viewed as part of the journey for students, providing them opportunities to give and receive feedback about their progress and the progress of their classmates. It should be part of the journey for teachers as well, allowing for opportunities to adjust instruction to meet individual needs within any particular unit of study.
As we continue our work in RtI , formative assessment and our response to the feedback we give and recieve about students' progress could be a very powerful tools at the Tier 1 and Tier 2 level. The resources below provide some basic information about formative assessment as well as some ideas about incorporating this structure into your planning and teaching.
As always I look forward to your feedback on this topic and would welcome the opportunity to discuss it further with individuals or groups who are interested.
http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExclusive/Assessment/tabid/1120/Default.aspx
http://www.highlandschools-virtualib.org.uk/ltt/inclusive_enjoyable/formative.htm
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cornell Notes Revisited
I wanted to share a powerpoint resource that was shared with me recently. It is a great discussion of Cornell notes and took my understanding to a higher level re: how we might use them more effectively as thinking tool as well as an organizational tool. This "expanded view" could facilitate the use of higher level thinking, higher level questioning, thinking maps, diagrams and other visual resources in addtion to the text we typically incorporate in note taking.
Take a moment and look at the powerpoint attached below. I would be interested in any thoughts, comments etc. that you have.
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/lret/avid/resources/Cornell_Notes-presentation.ppt
Thanks!
Becky
Take a moment and look at the powerpoint attached below. I would be interested in any thoughts, comments etc. that you have.
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/lret/avid/resources/Cornell_Notes-presentation.ppt
Thanks!
Becky
Monday, November 9, 2009
So much information, so little time..
Every time I go to a workshop or conference, I can pretty much count on the presenter or others at the event commenting "Have you read... ? or "In _____'s book _______ there's a great discussion of _________. or "_______ is a great resource for______." - not to mention the everpresent - "In my new book ________, coming out in ________..."
... and as much as I would like to read each and every one of those books ( I currently have post-its in at least 3 or 4) , who's got the time? or for that matter the money to purchase all of them?
The following may be a partial solution:
On the BOCES website (http://www.ocmboces.org/) Click on Instructional Support Services and you will find information on how to access the ASCD Collection of books.
(http://www.ocmboces.org/teacherpage.cfm?teacher=987) Once on this page it is worth it to listen to the 2 minutes of instruction ( Just Click! )to understand how to access either entire books or only topic related resources.
I find the topic related resources invaluable as they allow me to access what I want to know without having to read or skim through multiple texts. I can find out what several researchers have to say about a topic without having to read the whole book. Topics such as formative assessment, differentiating instruction, classroom management and curriculum design are addressed by researchers that include Carol Tomlinson, Robert Marzano, Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe and Doug Reeves among others. These resources are up to date, and by best practice authors, so I know that what I am reading will be consistent with our goals as a district.
The list of books available is by no means exhaustive, but certainly represents a good cross section of what's current and available.
Check out http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/facts/GML13209GVRL_ASCD_Bundle.pdf for a quick description of the books available.
A final note - ASCD is a great organization with a focus on programs and literature for professional development. We do have a local chapter here and all are encouraged to join and participate. Our next event will be a "Technology Fair" where participating districts will show off what teachers are doing with technology. At this time this event is scheduled for January 20, 2010 at West Genessee High School. If you would like more information, please let me know.
Happy reading.
Becky
... and as much as I would like to read each and every one of those books ( I currently have post-its in at least 3 or 4) , who's got the time? or for that matter the money to purchase all of them?
The following may be a partial solution:
On the BOCES website (http://www.ocmboces.org/) Click on Instructional Support Services and you will find information on how to access the ASCD Collection of books.
(http://www.ocmboces.org/teacherpage.cfm?teacher=987) Once on this page it is worth it to listen to the 2 minutes of instruction ( Just Click! )to understand how to access either entire books or only topic related resources.
I find the topic related resources invaluable as they allow me to access what I want to know without having to read or skim through multiple texts. I can find out what several researchers have to say about a topic without having to read the whole book. Topics such as formative assessment, differentiating instruction, classroom management and curriculum design are addressed by researchers that include Carol Tomlinson, Robert Marzano, Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe and Doug Reeves among others. These resources are up to date, and by best practice authors, so I know that what I am reading will be consistent with our goals as a district.
The list of books available is by no means exhaustive, but certainly represents a good cross section of what's current and available.
Check out http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/facts/GML13209GVRL_ASCD_Bundle.pdf for a quick description of the books available.
A final note - ASCD is a great organization with a focus on programs and literature for professional development. We do have a local chapter here and all are encouraged to join and participate. Our next event will be a "Technology Fair" where participating districts will show off what teachers are doing with technology. At this time this event is scheduled for January 20, 2010 at West Genessee High School. If you would like more information, please let me know.
Happy reading.
Becky
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thoughts about using questions more effectively
As teachers we ask questions all the time . Research suggests that the questions we ask the most often require students to simply give back a discreet bit of information, a fact or detail. These are questions that would fall at the "knowledge" level of Bloom's taxonomy. By changing how we frame a question, it is possible to use questioning as a way to further higher level thinking among our students and as a way to assess their understanding at that higher level.
Below are some question stems that are organized by their level in Bloom's Taxonomy (old version). For our purposes, I have only listed the three highest levels of Bloom's. Think about incorporating these question types as you plan your lessons and units. Think about how you could use questioning as formative assessment.
Analysis
- subdividing something to show how it is put together
- finding the underlying structure of a communication
- identifying motives
- separation of a whole into component parts
- what are the parts or features of ...?
- classify ... according to ...
- outline/diagram ...
- how does ... compare/contrast with ...?
- what evidence can you list for ...?
Synthesis
- creating a unique, original product that may be in verbal form or may be a physical object
- combination of ideas to form a new whole
- what would you predict/infer from ...?
- what ideas can you add to ...?
- how would you create/design a new ...?
- what might happen if you combined ...?
- what solutions would you suggest for ...?
Evaluation
- making value decisions about issues
- resolving controversies or differences of opinion
- development of opinions, judgements or decisions
- do you agree that ...?
- what do you think about ...?
- what is the most important ...?
- place the following in order of priority ...
- how would you decide about ...?
- what criteria would you use to assess ...?
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/questype.htm
Below are some additional websites that may be useful. I would also encourage you, if you haven't already, to view the videos attached to my last blog as they provide some great classroom examples of questioning and the reasons for using questioning as formative assessment.
A new (updated) Bloom's taxonomy chart
http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm
http://teachers.net/gazette/JUL09/guruprasad/
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm#questions
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4009/is_200710/ai_n21033479/
http://www.grrec.ky.gov/MathAlliance/Questioning%20Techniques%20For%20the%20Classroom.pdf
P.S.
I am hoping to begin some group discussion/exploration on the topics of challenge based learning and a group on Formative assessment later this month. Please email me if you are interested or have any questions. The goal of these groups would be primarily to share information and ideas and perhaps do some reading on the topics.
Hope to hear from you soon! :) Becky
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Welcome back!!
I hope everyone had a relaxing summer. Mine was very busy, both at home and at school. I was able to attend several training workshops as well as provide some training that has really helped me better understand some of the initiatives that the district is supporting.
To begin with, I was able to develop and present a half day workshop on formative assessment with Kathy Southwell. In preparing for this presentation I was able to understand some of the layers of this topic in greater detail and to see how the idea of formative assessment fits so well with other best practices that we support in this disrtict. Using formative assessments not only allows us to gather data prior to a unit test, but also allows us to provide students with authentic, relevant feedback about their progress and shows us where to make adjustments for students proactively to better insure their success. As the year progresses I will be presenting this information for staff either in department meeting or as an afterschool workshop. I would also be willing to work with any groups or individuals on incorporating these strategies into their planning and teaching. Take a few minutes and view the attached videos.
I was also able to attend the Covey training and to refresh my skills and knowledge regarding the "seven habits" . Once again, it was interesting how incorporating these habits into our daily practice weaves right into the fabric of what we have all been doing.
A third focus for me this summer was sharing ideas with teachers and support staff regarding proactive behavior management at a workshop facilitated by David Karem from OCM BOCES. We were able to look at the basic values of PBIS , as well as other behavioral dynamics, and become better able to support those values in our respective schools and classrooms. It is our plan to continue working with this core group as the year progresses.
So - as I said- busy!! Don't get me going about yard work and home repair!!
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like more information and /or support with the above topics.
Take a few minutes and have a look. Let me know what you think.
http://www.teachers.tv/video/565
http://www.teachers.tv/video/566
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Using the Active Engagement Strategy of Classroom Discussion to Work Towards a 21st Century Classroom
What skills will guide our students into becoming 21st century thinkers?
Ironically, one of the skills that a 21st century student should show proficiency with is one with which most students already have a great deal of experience, but are frequently asked not to do in the classroom. I'm sure it wouldn't take all three guesses to figure out what that skill is...TALK!
There is quite a bit of research to support the positive effects of letting students have a voice in the classroom. Students need to discuss what they learn. They need to develop and defend a point of view. They need to ask thoughtful questions, find answers to those questions and generate good questions for other students to answer. They need to have a voice in designing and assessing their curriculum as well as their own progress through that curriculum. When students have these kinds of experiences while engaging with the content, they tend to perform better in the classroom as well as on high stakes assessments.
The links below represent a sample of activities and discussion on this topic. Some are “old friends” we can take one step further and some may spark new thoughts and ideas about how we will teach in the future as we continue our journey in the 21st century (too hokey? Sorry about that!).
The links below represent a sample of activities and discussion on this topic. Some are “old friends” we can take one step further and some may spark new thoughts and ideas about how we will teach in the future as we continue our journey in the 21st century (too hokey? Sorry about that!).
As always, I would appreciate any thoughts or comments you would like to share and would be more than willing to help with new ideas you would like to try.
Activities
http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/alex/student_led1.pdf
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/3117
http://web.grcc.cc.mi.us/CTL/faculty%20resources/ten_techniques_for_energizing.htm
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/SocraticSeminars/facilitatingthoughtfuldialogue.htm
Articles
http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/alex/student_led1.pdf
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/3117
http://web.grcc.cc.mi.us/CTL/faculty%20resources/ten_techniques_for_energizing.htm
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/SocraticSeminars/facilitatingthoughtfuldialogue.htm
Articles
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