Formative Assessment Design 3.0 I would like to strengthen my assessments in social studies to better measure student growth. I have created a weekly activity for students to read one of three News ELA articles that I post to my classroom website. I then require students to identify the main idea and answer an open ended question that I have posted related to the article. With their assigned partner they are required to give feedback to another group that was chose the same article. The culmination of this assessment is a combination of a self assessment/teacher feedback questions in SeeSaw. My goal is to create a more efficient and reflective formative assessment. The purpose of this assessment is to work on summarizing, interacting/comprehending current events, and improve critical thinking. Many of my third grade students struggled with the concept of summarizing, so this activity is a good way of reinforcing the skill. The skill of summarizing in third grade is established using a framework from Lucy Calkins (reading and writing curriculum). The skill of summarizing is scaffolded by using stories from different genres and repeating the process of reading passages and identifying key details until students are able to build those details into sentences forming a summary. By incorporating this skill in another subject area, it is my goal to make the skill of summarizing more meaningful. Interacting with news, especially today, is an important skill to develop no matter the age. Current events are also a great, engaging way to develop critical thinking skills. After considering the feedback that was given on my last FAD 1.0, I have decided to move away from using Google Form. I realized that it was far more summative than formative which is supported by Shepard (2000) in making assessment an active and ongoing process in student learning. It is also harder to give feedback. While the integration may have made grading more efficient, it wasn’t as interactive and reflective as it could be. I have chosen to instead format the formative assessment in Google Slides. Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe made me think differently about the way in which I was assessing my students and showed me that I need to be thinking with the end in mind. My ultimate goal for spending time on current events, besides addressing the Teaching Tolerance Framework and Illinois State Standards for Social Studies, is to have students begin collaboratively discussing their critical thinking process. By changing the format, this assignment becomes interactive (more of a group study model), form of a portfolio (continuously working within the same document allows for students to look back), feedback is streamlined (using Slides commenting feature), and finally it is well organized. After receiving feedback in FAD 2.0 about how this is informing my teaching, I decided to incorporate an element of both teacher feedback and self-reflection piece as the final part of this assessment on SeeSaw. I have shown an example (from the teacher view) of SeeSaw below: By adding this to the assessment I will be able to have students reflect on their learning while also informing my teaching so I can make changes for the future. The benefits of using SeeSaw is two-fold, one this will give them the ability to respond independently if they are having concerns (Google Slides feedback is not as private) and two they will be able to reflect back thanks to its portfolio style features. By using SeeSaw, I also incorporate the use of a content management system and my second form of digital technology for assessment
One initial concern is whether or not 3rd graders would be able to handle this type of collaboration. From previous experience working with Google Slides some students found it difficult to be working on the same document with things getting accidentally deleted and things on the page jumping around. I also feel that designating a particular group to each slide would be more manageable for the age group then using something like a running Google Doc (possibility of more jumping around). With the right classroom culture and scaffolding around feedback, this type of assessment could be achieved. To make this assessment as successful as possible and not knowing what next years class will be ready for, I would choose to wait at least a month into the school year to ensure a positive classroom culture has been established before peer feedback. I would then begin scaffolding the assignment itself by having students do an article on their own. We could then try an article with a partner. Once this has been established we could start to incorporate the technology aspects of the assessment and peer feedback. It would be important for me to scaffold peer feedback in a way that is appropriate for 3rd grade, in the form of a “I do, You do, We all do” strategy. This would start by showing them what it looks like to give myself (the teacher) my own appropriate feedback, referencing The 7 Principles of Good Feedback by Nicol and Macfarlane, using an example of an article and my own answers to it. Then when having students perform an article summary and answer to a question as an example, I will model an appropriate reflection of my own and have them replicate it for theirs. Based on how they are able to make their own reflections after seeing mine will determine whether they are ready to move to peer feedback. While I could see being able to jump in more quickly in a middle school or high school classroom, easing into this type of complex assessment feedback would be more appropriate for 3rd grade. Instructional changes that I would make based on the students performance on week’s 1 assessment would be to push students further or go back and emphasis something an individual or the whole class need to work on for week 2. I am interested in this type of assessment because it would truly being an ongoing assessment, making slight changes each time will allow me to meet the needs of either the class or the individual student or both. For example, if I notice that the class is struggling to summarize because of a lack of prior knowledge of the subject matter, possibly the topic of politics, then as a class we can have a discussion about what they find difficult or address it in a stand alone lesson. The end goal is for both the class and individual students is to improve in the areas of summarizing, critical thinking and exposure to current events which may look different from student to student and week to week. By using the commenting feature in Google Slides and SeeSaw, I will be able to give quick, constructive feedback to groups or individuals by clarifying good performance, encouraging dialogue around their learning, providing positive motivational beliefs and provide opportunities to close the gap between learning goals and current performance (Nicol and Macfarlane, 2006, p. 205). But also by Google Slides having the capability for multiple people working within the same document, it will allow students to provide seamless peer feedback. Since I am not seeking to produce a one off assessment, but to create a classroom routine around this assessment, I will be looking for students to improve on their critical thinking and summarizing skills. Instructions: Answer the following questions in response to the article. This article can be found on the News ELA page of our classroom website: https://macleodsclassroom.weebly.com/current-events.html. (just as an example)
Let me know if you have any questions. Google Doc: Formative Assessment Design Document 3.0 Google Slide Document: Formative Assessment Design 3.0 - NewsELA Group Template References Nicol, D., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199–218. Shepard, L. (2000). The role of assessment in a learning culture. Educational Researcher, 29(7), 4-14. Wiggins, G.P. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from http://p2047-ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=133964&scope=site
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Portfolio Self Assessment
Reflecting back on the 3 Important Aspects of Assessment from the beginning of the course, many of my initial important aspects of assessment were on the right track but did not encompass everything that is needed for a successful assessment. Formative and summative assessments, growth and potential, and reinforcing and challenging student learning are all important, but after CEP 813 I find myself making changes to what I thought was important. A few elements that I do feel I was lacking in my earlier version are the importance of learning goal/standard alignment, being meaningful to the learner and providing construtive feedback. Beginning of the course beliefs on assessment: Formative and Summative Assessments
Growth and Potential
Reinforcing and Challenging Student Learning
New Beliefs Formative and summative assessments are essential for successful teaching but I would now place a greater emphasis on formative assessments. Drawing on learning from module 1, Shepard explains the need for assessments to be a continuous and active process. Formative assessments have a great potential for both informing teaching and providing an easier transition to a growth mindset. There is still a place for summative assessment but should be used sparingly. With this change in emphasis it also provides a greater chance of giving constructive feedback, providing students with the opportunity to realize and correct any misconceptions. This is drawn from module 3, in The Seven Principles of Good Feedback by Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, they describe many key characteristics that should be found in good feedback from feedback clarifying good performance to helping shape your teaching. The use of constructive feedback was not an important consideration for me initially. I always found it to be an aspect of assessment but to be more reflective in nature. After taking CEP 813, I realize that I should have been looking at constructive feedback as a way of furthering a students knowledge rather than just reflecting on it. When completing the Critical Review of a Content Management Systems, I found the systems ability to leave direct, constructive feedback to be crucial. I also saw my attitude change towards the ability to give feedback in the Formative Assessment Design assignment. The ability to give direct feedback in Google Slides, a key area of the assessment, was a clear advantage that I previously would not have realized as a great importance. I stand by my initial statement on the benefits of a well planned assessment having the ability to provide evidence of a student’s growth and potential. While the importance of this aspect of assessment has not changed for me, this course has helped me identify more details to support this statement and ways to more effectively implement it in my own classroom. In module 1, we took a critical look at Knowing What Students Know: The Science and Design of Educational Assessment by the National Research Council and it helped me establish some fundamental ideas about assessment. It supported the importance of establishing accurate measurements in my assessments by explaining necessary elements that should be included such as cognition, observation and interpretation. In module 5, taking a critical look at the constraints and affordances of content management systems was a great chance for me to look more seriously at using their assessment features to both effectively incorporate digital technology and make it more efficient in my classroom. The fluidity of systems like Google Classroom, which I did a critical review on, have great potential for creating assessments that show a students growth and potential. Through the use of Google Form, within an assessment that I created for Google Classroom, gave me the affordance of quick, seamless data on student learning. In module 6, I have always enjoyed games, especially video games, and had always wondered how I could successfully implement this, while still being taken seriously by my peers. I found the concepts of semiotic domain and procedural rhetoric to be a very helpful way of articulating a game’s educational benefits. This could not be more true than in Bogost’s example of the game Oregon Trail and the difference between it’s semiotic domain and procedural rhetoric. It’s examples like this, which I have seen used in classrooms, that caused personal hesitation for using games in my classroom. I now feel that I can weigh the affordances and constraints of a games educational value and articulate them to my peers with the help of creating both my Game-Based Assessment Plan and my own Twine game on Jane Addams. While I still believe that an assessment should reinforce and challenge student learning, by framing this in the idea of using appropriate standards and learning goals will ensure that student learning is naturally reinforced. In module 4, the Universal Design for Learning guidelines by Meyer and Gordon, they stress the importance of an assessment being construct relevant. Without appropriate learning goals and standards, the assessment will neither reinforce the content nor accomplish the intended objectives of a lesson and/or unit, rendering it a waste of time. This idea became more clear when in module 2, while reviewing Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design framework, I came to the realization that by taking the idea of “beginning with the end in mind” and framing a unit by establishing an assessment first, naturally lends itself to reinforcing student learning. Following these ideas, if done correctly, will also naturally lead to deeper levels of understanding. While ensuring an assessment is rooted in appropriate standards and learning goals is very important, I also must mention the aspect of assessments needing to also be meaningful. This can serve as a great way of making content relevant and keeping students engaged in their learning. In module 1, Shepard explains the importance of learning being “authentic and connected to the real-world”, which is something that was profound to me. Looking at assessments through a lense of being meaningful and aligning to standards/learning goals helped in the creation of my Game-Based Assessment. When thinking about a way of incorporating Twine into my 3rd grade social studies curriculum I had many Chicago history topics that would have fit into appropriate standards and learning goals, reversing the Chicago river, the Great Chicago Fire, etc. But after considering the semiotic domain and procedural rhetoric, it would have been difficult to make these topics meaningful to my students within the context of Twine. Then I came to the narrative of Jane Addams, by having students interact with her story using Twine, it would both align with appropriate standards and learning goals but also be a meaningful way of exploring her personal story. Overall I feel that I have been able to take a lot away from the content and assignments of CEP 813. Having made assignments relatable to my classroom makes me excited for the 2018-19 school year. I look forward to using my new found tools to better assess my students. References Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive games: The expressive power of videogames. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Meyer, A. Rose, D.H., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal design for learning: Theory and practice. Wakefield, MA: CAST. National Research Council. 2001. Knowing What Students Know: The Science and Design of Educational Assessment. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10019. Nicol, D., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199–218. Shepard, L. (2000). The role of assessment in a learning culture. Educational Researcher, 29(7), 4-14. Wiggins, G.P. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from http://p2047-ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=133964&scope=site GOOGLE DOC Game-Based Peer Assessment for Joe Shelley
Joe Shelley’s Phishing Email Game Pause and Reflect The semiotic domain of the assessment on phishing emails is introductory cyber security. I am familiar with the concepts but would not consider myself an expert. I have done some professional development through my school district on the topic but beyond that I actively stay current in good cyber security practices for my own safety. I really enjoyed the currency perspective of the assessment and the justification behind this philosophy. The idea that your identity, financial security, passwords, etc. are all something to lose and that most people don’t look at phishing emails through this lens. Everyone has something to lose by not being aware of the lasting negative effects of accidentally succumbing to phishing scams. Play and Ponder The assessment was filled with great information about phishing and malicious emails. The assessment assumes students have been introduced to the introductory concepts of cyber security through “lectures, assignments and other assessments.” The assessment is written at an introductory level to cyber security/phishing scams. A couple of notes as I was going through the game are its embedded integration with Quizlet, point system, email example navigation, and youtube integration. I found the embedded Quizlet application in the game to be awesome and allowed students that may be struggling with concepts the ability to have different ways of reviewing before having to apply their knowledge. I found the point system to have great potential for being used to measure student success with the material. Knowing what was to be expected when navigating through the example emails was a bit difficult. Finally, the YouTube integration was a nice touch and I appreciated the humor. Looking at the assessment using my Assessment Design Checklist: Is the assessment meaningful? This formative assessment on phishing emails is meaningful in everyday life. In this day and age it's not a question of if you will be exposed to a phishing email, it's a question of when. Knowing that you will be exposed to this at some point, you need to know how to correctly handle this because making a mistake can cause a huge headache. Is the assessment informing teaching? In order for this assessment to inform my teaching you will need some way of measuring students success with the content. The points system has the potential to help inform teaching but only if there are a limited number of attempts to gain more points from Quizlet for example, based on student performance the games point system you would be able to know if you need to reteach or move on to your next lesson/unit. Does the assessment align to learning goals? The assessment does align to both becoming knowledgeable of basic security concepts related to phishing and learning to spot suspicious elements in emails that might suggest phishing. Through both examples of emails and vocabulary within Quizlet. Does the assessment provide opportunities for constructive feedback? Provided there was a better way to track point accumulation through something like posting a screenshot of their final score to a CMS. This would give you the ability to give direct student feedback. Is the assessment measuring what students know and understand? Through the point system of the game, with some tweaking, this assessment could give you a fairly accurate representation of what your students know and understand. Constructive Advice Most of my constructive advice comes from aspects that Joe Shelley already identified in the Wrap Up section of his blog post. But to reiterate, by getting a better handle on point accumulation will give far better insight into how successful students are with the assessment. Providing more email examples and different aspects of those emails (not just name and attachment) will help make for a more well rounded experience. Overall I felt that this was a great way of using Twine as a formative assessment and the integration of Quizlet will be something that I am excited to try in my own classroom in the future. Google Doc Game-Based Assessment Plan for Twine
Semiotic Domain: Chicago History
Internal Grammar: Knowledge of historical events
External Grammar: Analyzing the interpretation and implications of historical events
Brainstorm a Game Using Twine I will create an assessment where students make decisions along a storyline of Jane Addams life. The goal of the game is to correctly navigate her life’s work. By navigating the choices she made throughout her life, students will see how her positive impact created opportunities for great social change. For example, students will need to correctly identify the correct narrative for Jane Addams establishment of the Hull House and its impact in social reform. Only by completing the narrative and identifying where they (the student) ended in the story, will students be able to know if they have successfully navigated the correct storyline. The culmination of the assessment will be a reflection of how they felt they did navigating the storyline and by identifying one event in the storyline that was the most powerful to them. Plan an Assessment I will need a true storyline and some fictitious details too. Culminating in a way for students to view the correct storyline once they have completed the assessment in its entirety, through cutting and pasting the sections of the correct storyline into a Google Doc that will be linked. By having students post a screenshot of a final task in the story to SeeSaw(my school’s current CMS), I will be able to assess whether or not they navigated the narrative correctly by a students successful posting. The procedural rhetoric will align with the semiotic domain in the way that students make correct or incorrect choices in the story. By answering a question correctly students will be taken to the next “level” of the narrative on Jane Addams life. While answering a question wrong may give an interesting fact about the time period, it will force the student to go back to the previous section of the narrative and try answering the question again. This will be a formative assessment, but will not be the first time that students are interacting with the content. (After working with Twine further I felt that it would be better not to have this as a summative assessment but an ongoing way of assessing and exploring the content) By making this a formative assessment I will have the opportunity to reteach or re-frame content in Twine to guarantee my students are grasping the correct concepts. Students will be introduced to the overarching ideas around Jane Addams and the Hull-House but this activity will allow them to dive deeper into her narrative. I would like to look at this assessment as the first of several, each capturing a different aspect of her life. A few of the questions from my Assessment Design Checklist that align with this assessment are:
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AuthorMy name is Ryan MacLeod and I live in Seattle, WA. I am currently a K-8 Lab Coordinator. I have a passion for educational technology integration and curriculum design, especially when it comes to the social sciences. Archives
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