Tools for Evaluating Your Teaching Technique

By Renee MacdonaldUniversity of Central Florida

ECT 4384 - Professor Robin Weber

Objectives

At the end of this presentation, teachers should be able to:O Describe summative and formative assessment.O Explain the key parts of a rubric.O Identify tools for evaluating the effectiveness of

a teaching technique.O Summarize the steps of Gagne’s “Nine Events

of Learning”.

University of Florida, Center for Instructional Knowledge and Training. (10/3/2011). Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction. Retrieved Oct 12, 2012 from:http://www.citt.ufl.edu/toolbox/toolbox_gagne9Events.php

Did your teaching technique work? What worked and what needs improvement?How do you evaluate learning outcomes?

Tools for evaluating your teaching technique: 1. Instructional Design Checklist: Gagne’s 9 Steps of Learning 2. Summative (Traditional) Assessment. Examples are multiple choice, fill-in-the blank, true/false, short answer and essay questions. 3. Formative (Alternative or Authentic) Assessment. Examples are project-based, portfolio, checklists, rating scales, rubrics, and teacher observation. 4. Marzano’s “Evidence” of Learning.5. Kilpatrick’s Revised Evaluation Model

Gagne’s 9 Steps of LearningEffective teaching begins with effective lesson design, which benefits from the research about how people learn. Utilizing Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction provides a guide to developing a successful lesson and a logical way to evaluate teaching strategies.

.Gagne’s theory is used today to design instruction for

the military, medical and engineering fields.

Step 1: Gain Student’s Attention

Examples of ways to present new knowledge:

One-minute headlinesWebquestsBelieve it or notGuest speakersPowerPoint presentationVideo or movieScavenger Hunt

Ask students what they need to know or be able to do when they finish their training?

Step 2: Inform Students of GoalsAn effective teaching technique provides clear learning goals. Identify state or employer standards and goals.Student will be able to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Example: Post learning goals for students to view. Use a syllabus, lecture slide, or handout.

Review the goal of the lesson (from Step 1) in simple language.

Step 3: Connect Prior Learning to New Knowledge

Engage students in activities (scaffolding) that help them link previous knowledge to new material and facilitates learning.

Examples:Preview questionsOvert linkagesConcept mapsGraphic Representations

Ask students to recall prior relevant learning and skills.

Step 4: Present the New Material Effectively

O Present new knowledge in small chunks or “digestible bites” for students.

O Review Skinner’s “Sequenced Learning Events” and Bloom’s Taxonomy to sequence the lesson.

Examples:O Present key ideas or brief summary of materialO Skim material with studentsO Provide guided discoveryO Use graphic organizers, K-W-L strategy (Know, Want

to Know, Learn)O Assign individual and group researchO Use blogs, wikis, podcasts or YouTube to present

material

Step 5: Provide learning guidance.

Help students process, elaborate, record, reflect, and reinforce new knowledge. Give instructions to students on how to learn.

Examples:Process: Collaborative learning activities, role playElaborate: Probing questions, compareRecord: Graphic organizers, diagramsReflect: Reflective journals, logs, two-column notes

Step 6: Practice, Presentation and Performance

Provide students with the opportunity to use and reinforce what they have learned. Give students a choice to work by themselves or with a partner or group.

Examples: O HomeworkO Cooperative learning activitiesO DemonstrationO Practice quiz or exerciseO Think-pair-shareO Observation and Modeling, Bandura’s “Social Learning

Theory”Practice makes perfect.

Step 7: Provide Feedback

Monitor student actions and learning closely for errors and misunderstandings. Be specific.

Examples:O Frequent practice prior to testing, quiz, verbal

commentsO Provide examples of correct procedure or skillO Review sessionsO Peer feedbackO Provide resources and guidanceO Change tracking

Tell students why they are doing a good job.

Assessment

Step 8. AssessmentThe effectiveness of a teaching technique is evaluated in terms of improving student achievement and identifies causes of success or difficulty. Assessments help teachers adjust their teaching practice for individual students and for the class as a whole.

Example: Standardized tests are an example of summativeassessment.

Test to determine if the lesson has been learned.

Formative assessment is self-monitoring, encourages students to improve and promotes life-

long learning.

Formative assessment is interactive during the learning process in order to modify teaching and provide frequent feedback to students.

http://www.khanacademy.org

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Examples of Formative Assessment

O Checklists, Rating Scales, RubricsO Project, Collaborative LearningO Experiment or ProblemO Development of a ProductO Performance or PresentationO Community Based Experience, Service LearningO Case Study or Clinical EvaluationO Interview or SurveyO Portfolio, Reflective Journal

Rubrics explain to students the criteria against which their work will be judged or the

“scoring rules”.

Rubrics deliver both a grade summative and formative feedback

to improve future student learning.

Parts of a Rubric

O Criteria –Define the goals (content objectives) to be met and describe the criteria for judging the task or project (process objectives), what you want graded. (Left column of rubric)

O Scale-Levels of competency-Set the scale for student’s competency from successful to unsuccessful or excellent to poor, for each required criteria. (Top row of rubric)

O Assignment of value-Describe the characteristics of behavior, assignment or project to be completed and assign a numeric or grade for each level. (The rows)

Step 9: Retention and Transfer

Make the link to the real world or workplace by applying new knowledge to real life connections which increases retention by personalizing information.Examples: Provide opportunities to practice work place knowledge and skills.

Authentic learning provides experiences that demonstrate real-life connections between lessons and the world.

Teaching Evaluation TechniquesUse checklists, student assessments, student

surveys, videoing your teaching, and peer coaching to evaluate your teaching.

Peer Coaching: Teaching Observation and Discussion

Watch Videos-Teachers watch videos of other teachers in pairs or small groups and look for instructional techniques that work and don’t work to discuss. (Examples: Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society)Coaching Colleagues-Teachers observe each other and meet together for suggestions and feedback.Instructional Rounds-Organized teacher observation to observe colleagues and reflect on their own practice.

Marzano, Robert J. (with Tina Boogren, Tammy Heflebower, Jessica Kanold-McIntyre and Debra Pickering). ( 2012). Becoming a Reflective Teacher. (pp. 75-81.) Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.

Learning assessment is an ongoing process. When students succeed in achieving goals and objectives, you might assume that your teaching technique worked.

Make ChangesWhen students do not achieve goals and objectives, changes should be made in teaching and learning process. Reevaluation after changes are made will ensure that the changes were helpful to student learning.

Three Quick and Easy Classroom

Assessment Techniques1. Muddiest Point-ask students to jot down a

quick response to one question.2. One Sentence Summary-challenges

students to answer questions about a given topic.

3. One Minute Paper-What was the most important thing you learned during class today?Visit: http://www.marzanoresearch.com/classroomstrategies

Marzano’s Evidence of EffectiveTeaching and Learning

O Students can explain the learning goal and how their activity relates to the goal.

O Students can explain the levels of performance communicated in the scale or rubric.

O Students are working on task.O Students can provide a purpose for what they are doing and

are actively engaged.O Students provide explanations and confirmation of what they

learned.O Students can explain main points of the lesson and summarize

what they learned from the activity.

O Marzano, Robert J. (with Tina Boogren, Tammy Heflebower, Jessica Kanold-McIntyre and Debra Pickering). ( 2012). Becoming a Reflective Teacher. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory. www.ascd.org

Kilpatrick’s Revised Evaluation ModelGoals (Planning) Level of Evaluation

What is the objective (to improve organization or business)?

ResultsWhat is the desired outcome?

What must the learners be able to perform in order to achieve objective?

PerformanceDid they transfer their skills to the workplace or organization?

What new knowledge, skills, and resources do they need to perform?

LearningDid the learners acquire the needed skills?

What must the learners perceive in order to learn or perform?

MotivationAre they motivated to learn and perform?Big Dog & little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition. (2012). Kilpatrick’s Four Level

Evaluation Model. Retrieved October 16, 2012 from: www.nwlink.com/-donclark/hrd/lsd/kirkpatrick.html

Checklist for Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Lesson/Teaching Technique

Yes No

1. Student’s attention is focused on learning activity.

2. Goals are clear and significant to students and meet content standards.

3. Student’s relate previous information to current topic.

4. Lesson is presented in meaningful and relevant way.

5. Students are guided through problems and examples.

6. Students are engaged and actively involved in authentic learning.

7. Students receive appropriate feedback. 8. Students are checked for understanding using

rubrics and formative assessments. 9. Students identify important concepts and skills

they learned from the lesson.

Reflection: What teaching technique was most effective?What would you do differently to make the lesson more effective?

RMC Denver (n.d.) “Evaluating the effectiveness of the lesson.” Retrieved October 12, 2012, 2008 from http://www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/lessons/eval.htm &”Have You Thought About This?" http://www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/lessons/anita.htm

The End

ReferencesO Brookhart, Susan M. (2010). How to Assess Higher-Order

Thinking Skills in Your Classroom. Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

This book describes methods for assessing analysis, logic and reasoning, judgment, problem solving and creative thinking.O Dodge, Judith. (2009). 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a

Differentiated Classroom. USA: Scholastic.O Fisher, Douglas and Frey, Nancy. (2007). Check for

Understanding. Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom. Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

O Marzano, Robert J. (with Tina Boogren, Tammy Heflebower, Jessica Kanold-McIntyre and Debra Pickering). ( 2012). Becoming a Reflective Teacher. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.

O Wiggins, Grant and McTighe, Jay., (2005). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.