I did not realize how inextricably linked planning and assessment are. So much of our planning needs to be considerate of the diagnostic and formative assessment we continually carry out to get to know our students better. Assessment should be cyclical in nature.
A stand out learning experience and a-ha! moment during this course was actually the clapping exercise we performed. I was selected to be a judge and was told to assess three students based on their clapping performances. We focused a lot on how students fair without clear learning goals and success criteria, but after reflecting on the exercise I realized that the teacher's floundered too when we didn't really know what we were doing! If we don't have clear expectations and a well crafted assessment tool it is easier to base your assessment on the best product or performance. Instead of developing a clear standard and scaffolding the process to meet those goals for your students, you are left to rank the students from best to worst, basing your assessment instead on a standard that was created by your students.
In regards to summative tasks, if you are crafting learning experiences or products that are evidence based in nature, it is much easier to give a clear "correct" or "incorrect" check. This area starts to grey when the products students are producing
One of my favourite strategies that we were exposed to during this class was the "bump it up boards." I have always appreciated being able to evaluate exemplars based on the rubric and instructions we received as young students. I liked the prospect of creating objective, anonymous bump it up board exemplars for students to reference when looking for how to improve their assignments.
I am a firm believer in second chances. I have had many chances in my life to redeem my mistakes. I think that by providing student's enriching formative experiences this can positively impact their self efficacy as learners. This is probably why I don't like summative and final products as a final and formal reflection of a student's learning. If students fail when it really "counts," how can they truly believe they can succeed when we leave them behind and they haven't grown and improved in developing foundational skills?
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Connecting Growth Mindset and Assessment
This is one of the resources I discovered when completing my AER strategy form. Assessment is only part of a student's learning experience. It is a tool with great potential, but students and their guardians need to understand and be taught how to use it effectively. There is real power in effective "as" learning experiences for students, we need to teach them to think critically of what they are creating and teaching them to assess themselves and how they can continue to grow and evolve. Giving students a mindset that they can improve and a hope in themselves as learners could help them choose a path of ongoing education and learning.
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