Assessment and Evaluation

Strategies for Assessment and Evaluation

Assessing student outcomes - the merits of a test.

I have said in the discussion, and in many of the pages in this site, that I believe many of the elements of the learning in this situation are difficult to assess. The acquisition of knowledge is easier to measure. If there are explicit knowledge requirements specified at the beginning of the process, and testing of these shows improvement, learning has occurred. The 'Maths' style test is familiar ground and will determine vocab knowledge. It will also inform parents, in a familiar way, that their son or daughter has 'got it' and is progressing. If the language of class discussion has included such vocab, and the on line exploration has reinforced concepts, then all students would be expected to succeed in this task at the end of the unit. (Not really cheating!) I also believe that the utilisation of available resources - such as using the displays the children have created around the room, to find the information - shows initiative and skill in information retrieval. Students are more able to find the knowledge they need to succeed. Well done! top

Peer Assessment

Evaluation  and Assessment that is more effective and meaningful should include student participation in the development of criteria, which explore levels of exemplary products, that are indicative of effective learning processes. With student assistance in this process, the development of an assessment rubric should be an informed and collective endeavour. If this is developed in consultation before the creation of the presentations, students will know what is expected of them and can work together to achieve the desired broader outcomes inherent in such a rubric. If students are guided through such a process regularly the need for scaffolding in this area is lessened. Students also need to justify their judgements of others against set criteria. The ability to be constructively and specifically critical about the work of others leads to improved outcomes for all. Students are also quite firm on those who have not met various criteria and if managed well, are willing to support their peers in ways to improve their process and product. top

Evaluation of the unit 

What is it that will determine improved student learning? Have the outcomes been achieved? Are Higher Order Thinking Skills being utilised? The learning managers in this process take some responsibility for recording information about how the students are working together and weather this unit of work is generating healthy questioning amongst the group. Monitoring the success of the unit of work as well as the success of the students is important. We should not always expect answers but can look forward to improved learning, leading to more questions. The teachers in such a unit are also students participating in their own learning processes. Perhaps we should value this learning too in a successful unit of work. The love of and enthusiasm about learning that teachers show, is very important in their participation in the learning environment. The learning managers will need to find ways to improve and extend the unit and the students.

In the implementation of this unit we discovered collectively that we may need better drawing software to achieve better results - PowerPoint and Word tools were frustrating as drawing software, as shapes WILL NOT always line up. Together we were involved in trouble-shooting solutions to the problems

zooming in for more accuracy in closer work - not very successful

adjusting sizes to regular shapes by using exact numbers - not very successful

adjusting rotations to exact numbers of degrees - not very successful but students learnt a lot about angles!

None of these solutions was particularly successful but the learning that was occurring, around the trying, was fantastic. Students learnt that many software applications were good for one purpose but not good for others. They learnt that to combine a range of applications to achieve goals was often more successful. Some of the students had greatest success by beginning their drawing in Word, moving it to Paint for adjustments and eventually embedding it in PowerPoint. Learning occurring about the best tools for a task, and making evaluations about the faults in some software applications, required higher order thinking.          top

I believe that the real success of this unit is best measured by the enthusiasm of the students for participation in a learning environment which uses the technology effectively. 

All students will have access to educational programs that provide a technology-rich experience and environment for developing required skills and attitudes for lifelong learning. Education Network Australia (2000)

Although all students will more than likely get full marks for the 'vocab' questions at the end of the unit - I look forward, in particular, to the final quiz question which really does not have an answer! Jamie McKenzie's first sentence in his 2000 text - Beyond Technology says

Questions and questioning may be the most powerful technologies of all 

He also suggests that 

It is time to emphasize questions that challenge students at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy. We launch projects that require: explanations, problem solving, choices and decision making. (McKenzie, J. 2000)

Is tessellation art or maths?

I am thrilled to say that this question has proven provocative enough to generate healthy discussion amongst the students, and is leading to more and more questions rather than answers. This is improved learning!