"When the cook tastes the soup thats formative assessment, when the customer tastes the soup, that summative assessment."

During one of my University sessions we as a class talked and discussed different forms of assessments.  Firstly, we talked about formative assessment and formative practice. Below I have include the key points that have come up.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT/FORMATIVE PRACTICE.
What is formative assessment?
Here are some key aspects of formative assessment that I have come up with as per below:

• Helps with goal setting. 
• Low stake-Not as much pressure as summative. 
• Teacher instruction to improve student learning. 
• Forming next steps in learning. 
• Part of the learning process. 
• Observations. 
• Self assessment/peer assessment. 
• Questioning 
• Student record keeping. 
• Student voice 
• Helps with forming teaching strategies.
• Drivers licence.
• Helps with forming OTJ.
• Visible learning. 

We also looked at  self assessment and peer assessment. Here is a quote that I really liked which took my fancy: 

Black and William (2000)

"Pupils can only access themselves when they are a sufficently clear picture of the targets that their learning is meant to attain. Surprisingly and sadly, many pupils do not have such a picture and appear to have become accustumed to recieving classroom teaching as an arbitrary sequence"

We together as group looked at an article called "In the drivers seat" in groups of 4-5. We then had a follow up task where we had to underline or highlight a section that we really agree or disagree with.

We worked and collaborated our ideas together.
Below I have included a definition of what Self assessment is. 

SELF ASSESSMENT (Definition)

Students are able to reflect on what they have learned and judge their learning against a set criteria.

WALT: To understand what self assessment what self assessment is and how we can implement it in the classroom. 

SUCCESS CRITERIA:

I can:

• Name some motivating factors for learning for myself. 
• Implement some self assessment strategies in a classroom context.
• Assess sites for self assessment. 

Self regulated learning is a pivot upon which student achievement turns (Butler and Winne-1999).

In regards to my classroom and assessment I have used a range of assessment. Since my classroom is fully digital the students in my class work together and give each other feedback and feedforward in terms of their learning. This is done on google where they can leave comments on the side of a friends presentations. Here are some of the reasons peer feedback is important and why students do it.   As we are also a blogging School children leave blog comments not only on our school blogs but also on the cluster school blogs.

• To help students learn more about writing for different purposes and audiences.

• To help students connect and communicate positively with others.

• To develop a positive digital footprint

This is what the students need to keep in mind when they are leaving comments on their fiends work as well as cluster school blogs. This is used as a criteria for them-they go back and refer back to it making sure that they have met these.

I believe self reflections and feedback are very important in terms of learning. We can not only learn from each other but also when we self reflect on a daily basis we knew which areas we need to work on , which areas we need help on etc. I make sure that I encourage this in my classroom.

Feedback is also given in terms of group conferences with the teacher in groups. Where students reflect on set goals for themselves. 

[The] results reveal reflection to be a powerful mechanism behind learning, confirming the words of American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer John Dewey: “We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience.” … In fact, these beneficial effects seem to be lasting.

…

Why do reflection efforts generate an improvement in problem-solving capacity? We propose that the link between learning-by-thinking and greater performance is explained by self-efficacy, or a personal evaluation of one’s capabilities to organize and execute courses of action to attain designated goals…

Digital Tools for knowing your learner

I had the great opportunity to attend a U learn breakout on "Digital Tools for knowing your learner".
To begin with the presenters introduced themselves and go us to do a task using an online app called "Answer Garden". The question that we had was "What are 3 words that come to mind when you hear the word assessment".
We as a group collaborated out thoughts and ideas using Answer garden. I was really amazed and very excited about this new app as this was the first time that I can come across it and for all of in to be able to use our own devices and collate our ideas together on this one page was amazing and very exciting. I had the mindset of a student: I felt really engaged as well as excited not only to share my ideas but also being able to see my idea pop up on the projected screen when I wrote my answer.  I was also very engaged in finding out what other teachers would put down.  This is a tool that I will most def. implement in my classroom as I can see that the children would be very engaged and very responsive.

Some of the Questions that also come up during this breakout were:

• What is my actual purpose here?-Why am I using these tools in my classroom. What is the reason behind it.
• Am I asking the right questions? How do I structure these questions so that I get the answers that I need:  Asking of rich key questions. 

We also went through a range of other app which I also found fascinating. One was using Kahoot! This app can be used not only on iPads and netbooks but also on phones which is just wonderful!

There are many purposes of this tool. You can use it for reading, writing, maths, inquiry and many ore. 

I have the great pleasure of using this in many forms in my classroom. 

In the first week back at school to have fun with the children as well as engage the children I did quiz with them. These were quiz based on learning as well as general knowledge questions and building relationships with the children after a 2 week break. 

I found that the children were very excited and engaged. They stimulated and had an adeline rush just because they knew that the timer was on and they had only 20seconds to answer a question. 

I found that in regards to my classroom climate it had a great team nature to it. The children worked well in their teams, they were all cheering, suing positive praise for the teams that got the correct answer. It was just a great atmosphere to be in seeing that the children were engaging and having fun with their learning as thats what learning is all about. Through participation and engagement is how we learn.

We also looked at using google forms and how this can be used to gather data as well as can be used for reading and writing.  This is a great tool I find even for Inquiry.

Below is an example of two types of forms that can be used to gather information/data. Google forms

Google Form Quiz - uLearn          Quiz- Maths
These forms can also be used for spelling.


One other App that the presenters talked about that REALLY took my fancy and just can't wait to implement in my classroom was Socrative tool. This app is very popular in schools not only in New Zealand by also around the world in regards to using is for writing. You can insert a picture prompt and students can work collaboratively and write about the picture prompt. You can print off the students work also to share with the class.


Im really looking forward to implementing more of these tools during Term 4. 

Tuakana Teina Data Discussion Day

Today on the Wednesday 2nd March the Kia Manawanui (Senior Syndicate) met for Data assessment meeting looking at current data and discussing target students and how we are going to shift these children to where they should be at by the end of the year.

Today we talked about setting Syndicate Inquiry goals. (Collaborative Team Inquiry Goal).

Refers to Maori and pacific children and children with special needs and children from low income families-priority.

1. Boys writing
2. Girls maths
3. Accelerated progress in the first two years of school

Setting SMART goals for learning.

Priority Learners - priority learners refers to Māori and Pacific students who are not achieving success fully at school; students with special learning needs; and students from low income communities, who are below or well below the literacy and mathematics National Standards.

The focus is on improving outcomes for key priority groups by accelerating their progress. Progress is considered to be accelerated when a student moves from well below to below, at, or above the National Standard, or when the student moves from below the National Standard to at or above. This means that these students need to make more than one year’s progress in a year in order to achieve at the expected level of acceleration.

The children need to know where they should be at and what their goals are.

Goals should be set with an optimum level of challenge for teachers and students

1. low enough to seem achievable
2. high enough to make a real difference

Goals and targets need to create maximum visibility and alignment with the whole school goals.

Mathematics should be done everyday of the week for target children to be able to accelerate in their learning and meet children's target children's goals. 

This data assessment session was very informative for myself. It was really good sitting alongside my team and collaborating and coming to an agreement on our goals for our targeted group and how we would be able to achieve the results and get the children to the level that they should be at.