Learning Dialogue

Learning Dialogue

Assessment and Communication in the Information Age

Rob [email protected]

Denver Public Schoolsrobertbeam.edublogs.org

Stevan [email protected]

Council on 21st Century Learningwww.C21L.org

Great Teachers for Our City Schools — May 1, 2008

Council on 21st Century LearningDenver Public Schools

ThesisHow we assess and how we communicate reflect and reinforce how we learn.

From Industrial Age schooling to Information Age learning

Primary themes Assessment for learning Communication for learning

3


Industrial Age Artifacts

School

School

School

Factory

Prison

Prison

Warehouse

School

“No other institution in our society, except possibly prisons, requires so many people to spend such long hours in such close contact with so little privacy or freedom to pursue personal interests and goals.”

William Spady & Douglas Mitchell,Authority and the Management of Classrooms (2000)

1 2

4

5

6

7


Industrial Schooling Uniform curriculum Emphasis on basic skills Assurance of continuity Standardized measures of achievement External motivations for learning Teachers dispensing knowledge Hierarchical structure

“Built on the factory model, [schools provide a] ‘covert curriculum’… of three courses: one in punctuality, one in obedience, and one in rote, repetitive work.”

Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave (1980), p. 29

Deborah Walker, The Constructivist Leader (2002), p. 15


Industrial Assessment Measurement for quality control Emphasis on sanctions —

rewards & punishments Separated from the learning process

& the learner

Industrial Theory of Learning Learning externally molded Presented in ordered chunks Knowledge acquired in

hierarchical progression Students motivated by

rewards & punishments Student behaviors calibrated

based on normalized classifications

Behaviorism (~1900-1960) — Learning = connections between stimuli and responses

National Research Council, How People Learn (2000), pp. 6-12 Linda Lambert, et al., The Constructivist Leader (2002), pp. 11-14


Industrial Communication Hierarchical

Chain-of-Command structure Reliance on “Experts” for

info & solutions

Terminal Communications time-

boundaried (synchronous) “Conversation” ends when you hang up

Closed No transparency Not all voices are heard


Challenges & Opportunities

“The future ain’t what it used to be.”Yogi Berra

Networked Economy Matrix Organizations Virtual Communities


More than 5 exabytes of new info per year (5 billion-billion [1018] bytes = all words ever spoken)

Information OverloadIn 2002…

30% increase in info per year— and rate accelerating

170 terabytes (1012 bytes) of info on “surface” Web

– 17 times the Library of Cong.– 3 to 5 times larger than in 2000

Images: Plus, plus.maths.org/issue23/editorial/; Rich East HS student gallery (inactive) www.richeast.org/about/artgallery/wirehead.html

Source: How Much Information? 2003, by Peter Lyman & Hal Varian, www.sims.berkeley.edu/research/projects/how-much-info-2003/


Information Acceleration

2006 2008

2010

One mouse brain

Assumption: Constant Rate of Increase = .3

2004200220001998

40 Exabytes per Year


How Much Information? 2003, by Peter Lyman & Hal Varian


10 Exabytes per YearA

nnua

l Cre

atio

n of

New

Info

rmat

ion

2010

2002: 5+ Exabytes


Catch the “Wave”

Characteristics of Third Wave:

Pre-”Wave” — Hunter-Gatherer

First Wave — Agriculture 4,000 BC

Second Wave — Industry 1650 AD

Non-linear organization Individual within mass Matrix organization

Interconnected “glocalities” Multiple “centers” of information Digital/graphical communication

The Third Wave, by Alvin Toffler (1980)

Third Wave — Information 1955 AD

“Taking McLuhan and ‘Medium Theory’ Seriously”, by Joshua Meyrowitz (1996)


Use technology to access, manage, integrate and evaluate information, construct knowledge, and communicate with others

Source: Partnership for 21st Century Skillshttp://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=254&Itemid=120

Core Subjects & 21st Century Themes

Learning &Innovation Skills

Life &Career Skills

Information, Media, &

Technology Skills

Standards &Assessments

Curriculum & Instruction

Professional Development

Learning Environments

• Information Literacy• Media Literacy• ICT (Information, Communications,

& Technology) Literacy

• Flexibility & Adaptability• Initiative & Self-Direction• Social & Cross-Cultural Skills• Productivity & Accountability• Leadership & Responsibility

• Creativity & Innovation• Critical Thinking & Problem

Solving• Communication & Collaboration

Where We Could Be


American Association of School Librarians, Standards for the 21st Century Learner, www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfm

What’s Essential? HABITSAASL Standards: 21st Century LearnerLearners use skills, resources, and tools to:

1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.

2. Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.

3. Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.

4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

Within each area:

• Skills

• Dispositions in Action

• Responsibilities

• Self-Assessment Strategies

Information Theory of Learning Learning internally developed Acquired in context, based

on existing frameworks Knowledge assimilated

through schema Learner motivated

intrinsically and through socialization

Learner supported through assessment and feedback

Constructivism (1950-…)— Learning = building new knowledge based on what is already known

National Research Council, How People Learn (2000), pp. 6-12 Linda Lambert, et al., The Constructivist Leader (2002), pp. 11-14

What Do You Think?Think-Pair-Share: Would you characterize your school or

district’s assessment practice as “industrial” or “informational?” Why?(Consider both assessment of students & assessment of teachers.)

So what?

From Students to LearnersStudent Engages in activities Receives grades or

evaluative comments Negotiates for grades

Learner Identifies learning focus Describes performance in

relationship to proficiency Receives/applies feedback

on work & learning Self-assesses Monitors progress towards

learning goals Dialogues about learning

progress


Assessment for DialogueAssessment of learning:

How much have students learned at a point in time? Rank Sort Certify competence Grade Assure accountability

Teacher/Institution to student

Assessment for learning:Where is the student on the journey to the learning goals? Determine strengths Identify needs Devise strategies Provide feedback Motivate

Teacher & student in learning community


Impact of Assessment for…Fullan: “Highest Yield Reform”

Study Standard Deviation GainsBloom (1984) 1.0 to 2.0Black and William (1998) .5 to 1.0Meisels, et al. (2003) .7 to 1.5Rodriguez (2004) .5 to 1.8* Rivals one-on-one tutorial instruction** Largest gains for low achievers

1.0 Standard Deviation Score Gain Equals: 35 Percentile Points 2-4 Grade Equivalents 100 SAT Score Points 5 ACT Composite Score Points


Examples of Assessment for… Rubric-based self-assessment Assessment Cards Short-Constructed Response Reading Letters Reflection at end of

assignments Reflection at end of class Traffic Light Thumbs up/thumbs down

Handheld response systems (clickers)

Highlighting rubrics Comparing work to

exemplars Logs or journals Sorting work examples

into categories of performance

Writer’s notebook Conferencing


Example: Progress MonitoringLearning Targets No Idea Need

PracticeI got it I could

teach itReflections

School Language:

My language:

School Language:

My language:

What Do You Think?Think-Pair-Share: How can assessment for learning change

the classrooms and schools? What support systems are needed to

implement a comprehensive practice of assessment for learning?


Communication for Learning No Hierarchy

Peer-to-peer Shared expertise

Asynchronous Time independent The “conversation”

continues over time

Open Transparent & multi-leveled All voices all access Reflection Image: Map of a Website,

from Gallery of Network Images, by Mark Newman; wwwpersonal.umich.edu/~mejn/networks/


Knowledge Management Groundhog Day practice —

Use it & lose it How did we do that last time? How did they do that? Goodness, we’ll miss you when you’re gone!

KM practice —Compilation through reflection Whole greater than sum of parts Time invested creates time saved


Reflection & Application Make notes: Reflect on what you’ve heard today. Share with a colleague:

How do these ideas connect with other ideas you’ve heard at the conference?

and/or How do these ideas apply to your work?

Groups of 4-5: Discuss common ground and/or elements of this session that generate disequilibrium.


Recommended Reading Anderson, L., et al. (2000). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision

of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. and Wiliam, D. (2003). Assessment for learning: Putting it into practice. Clarke, S. (2005). Formative assessment in action: Weaving the elements together and Formative assessment in the

secondary classroom Map of Future Forces Affecting Education, by The Knowledge Works Foundation and the Institute for the Future,

www.kwfdn.org/map/ “Framing Reform for the New Millennium: Leadership Capacity in Schools and Districts,” by Linda Lambert. In

Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy (April 12, 2000) Lambert, L., et al. (2002). The constructivist leader. Marshall, S. (2006). The power to transform. National Research Council (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. O’Reilly, T. (2005). “What is Web 2.0 — Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software”

(9/30/05) www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

Popham, W.J. (2008). Transformative assessment. “Teaching and Learning in the Educational Communities of the Future,” by Margaret Riel. In Yearbook of the

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (1998), Chris Dede, ed. Toffler, A. (1980). The Third Wave Wheatley, M. (1999). Leadership and the New Science

robertbeam.edublogs.org [email protected]@C21L.org

Documents

Learning Dialogue