Assessing Along the Way

Using Assessment to Validate Your Curriculum

Good Teaching is Dependant

upon Good Curriculum Design

Teaching for understanding is not the same as teaching for skill development or teaching for recall!

Different teaching purposes demand different teaching designs

Teaching for Understanding Requires:

Routinely using teaching methods from all three general types Didactic: Direct instruction (used to

dispense factual information) Coaching: Teachers providing feedback

and guidance to students as they work Constructivist: Allowing the student to

“construct their own learning” by solving their own problems.

Teaching TypesWhat the Teacher

UsesWhat Students Need

to Do

Didactic/Direct Instruction• Demonstration/

modeling• Lecture• Questions/convergent

Coaching• Feedback/

conferencing• Guided practice

Receive, take in, respond:• Observe, attempt, practice,

refine• Listen, watch, take notes,

question• Answer, give responses

Refine skills, deepen understanding:• Listen, consider, practice,

retry, refine• Revise, reflect, refine, recycle

through

Teaching TypesWhat the Teacher

UsesWhat Students Need

to DoFacilitative/Constructivist/Reflective• Concept attainment• Cooperative learning• Discussion• Experimental inquiry• Graphic representation• Problem-based learning• Questions (open ended)• Reciprocal teaching• Simulation (e.g., mock trial)• Socratic seminar• Writing process

Construct, examine, extend meaning:• Compare, induce, define, generalize• Collaborate, support others, teach• Listen, question, consider, explain• Hypothesize, gather data, analyze• Visualize, connect, map relationships• Questions, research, conclude,

support• Pose/define problems, solve, evaluate• Answer and explain, reflect, rethink• Clarify, question, predict, teach• Examine, consider, challenge, debate• Consider, explain, challenge, justify• Brainstorm, organize, draft, revise

Assessing While We Teach

UBD requires thinking like an assessor

Effectively assessing how the lesson is working while we teach

Are the students beginning to understand the big picture?

Constant Assessment Understanding is more likely if we

are doing constant assessments Formal and informal

Rather than only end-of-unit assessments Finished projects, final exams, etc.

Assessments-in-progress Ferret out apparent from genuine

understandings

Correct Answers = Understanding

Students want teachers to believe that they understand Even, when they don’t

How else can you explain kindergarten students raising their hand when they don’t know the answer!

If I Said it Clearly… They must have understood it!

A common misconception Remember…

Less teaching = Better learning (often)

However, we must require understanding (How?)

We can’t just hand it to the students (Examples?)

Techniques to Check for Understanding

Index card summaries: Periodically, distribute index cards

and ask students to:1. summarize a big idea that they

understand on one side, and 2. identify something that they

don’t fully understand on the other side of the card

Techniques to Check for Understanding

Question box:Establish a location where students can leave or post questions. Students who will not speak in class may respond in written form.

Techniques to Check for Understanding

Analogy Prompt:Periodically, present students with an analogy prompt.(A designated concept, principle, or process) is like _______________ because _______________________.

Techniques to Check for Understanding

Visual representation (concept map)Ask students to create a web, concept map, flow chart, or timeline to show elements or components of a topic or process.

Techniques to Check for Understanding

Verbal questioning:Sample questions

How is _________ similar to/different from _______?

What are the parts of ______________? How does ____________ relate to

_____________? What is wrong with ________________? What evidence supports ______________? What alternatives should be considered

__________?

Techniques to Check for Understanding

Why? How do you know? Do you agree? Explain. Give your reasons. But what about ____?

What do you mean by ____?

Could you give an example?

Tell me more. What data support your

position? Can you find a reference

to support that?

Follow-up probes

Techniques to Check for Understanding

Misconception checkPresent students with common or predictable misconceptions about a designated concept, principle, or process. Ask them whether they agree or disagree and explain why.