Check back here for ideas on how to easily and efficiently inform instruction by formatively assessing student mastery throughout the learning process.
If You Don't Try It, You'll Never Know (Part 1)
Submitted by Jenna McKeel, Director of School Improvement
My role is to support school and district personnel in their strategic planning and improvement efforts. In this role, I emphasize the importance of gathering formative progress along the way.
Many of our schools are embarking on an instructional shift towards personalization (as some already are well aware). So schools are trying new things and asking for help with monitoring progress. Progress, that is, on a different approach to instructional delivery. A type of instruction that Isometimes rarely never approached as a classroom teacher.
I left the classroom in 2012 to go into school administration. Since then, I've been in a number of classrooms over the past 5 years and I knew a lot had changed… But I did not really know how much... until recently.
Kaitlin Tart, A 5th Grade Math and Science Teacher at Benson Middle School graciously allowed me to impose upon her class for a couple of days. I am so glad she was willing to risk allowing me to have that time with her students. We met beforehand during her planning period. I shared with her my need to get TRULY re-connected with the REAL classroom. She shared she was interested in trying some formative strategies that could lead into personalization. I, in turn, shared with her that it would be great to get to know her students more before designing lessons of a more personalized nature.
I talked with her about the True Colors Personality Test (for kids). Her exact words were “Do you want to do this with my next block?” If you recall the face Macaulay Culkin made in the movie Home Alone after putting on his dad’s aftershave… that was my response.
After the initial shock, I agreed to facilitate True Colors with her next block.
Kids are unique. We all know there is no one size fits all instructional approach. But my epiphany came when reviewing how different students like to receive praise (see chart below). For years, I used the phrase “good job” regularly to provide informal feedback to my students. Multiple years into my career, I began to see the importance of specific feedback. I never once considered how my students received feedback best. I never once framed feedback for the individual. So while I knew there was no one size fits all approach to instruction, I was taking a one size fits all approach to feedback.
John Hattie, Professor of Education and Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia, says that "students want feedback just for them, just in time, and just helping nudge forward." He also says to "worry more about how students are receiving your feedback . . . than increasing how much you give." This speaks so loudly to me. In my own role, I have a hunger for feedback around process and impact. When I receive it sparingly, my bucket is full and I am fueled with specific next steps for my work. But when I am told regularly that I am doing a great job, the “hunger pain” for more feedback is still there.
Point of Reflection, Reader: How do YOU like to receive praise and feedback?
When you think about the feedback students get on a summative test, or any paper/pencil test, it is often too late. What is even more unfavorable about this feedback, is it is completely impersonal. Troy Hicks, Director of the Chippewa River Writing Project at Central Michigan University, states that “feedback needs to be personal, and it needs to be fast.”
This year, we are challenged to be innovators and risk takers. For some, there may be an underlying fear of what will happen on the test at the end of the year as a result of our risks. But a culture of formative assessment, specifically formative feedback, can ease your fears. By providing non-evaluative and personal feedback, we are better able to inform our students of their progress and provide individualized steps for each of them to move forward with their learning. As an added bonus, modeling this type of feedback provides students with a different understanding of the feedback you would like for them to provide to each other.
Still not sure? I wasn't either. But after hearing students' responses of how they most wanted feedback, I'm willing to take the risk. Maybe you'll consider joining me on the journey...
Many of our schools are embarking on an instructional shift towards personalization (as some already are well aware). So schools are trying new things and asking for help with monitoring progress. Progress, that is, on a different approach to instructional delivery. A type of instruction that I
I left the classroom in 2012 to go into school administration. Since then, I've been in a number of classrooms over the past 5 years and I knew a lot had changed… But I did not really know how much... until recently.
Kaitlin Tart, A 5th Grade Math and Science Teacher at Benson Middle School graciously allowed me to impose upon her class for a couple of days. I am so glad she was willing to risk allowing me to have that time with her students. We met beforehand during her planning period. I shared with her my need to get TRULY re-connected with the REAL classroom. She shared she was interested in trying some formative strategies that could lead into personalization. I, in turn, shared with her that it would be great to get to know her students more before designing lessons of a more personalized nature.
I talked with her about the True Colors Personality Test (for kids). Her exact words were “Do you want to do this with my next block?” If you recall the face Macaulay Culkin made in the movie Home Alone after putting on his dad’s aftershave… that was my response.
After the initial shock, I agreed to facilitate True Colors with her next block.
Where Things Failed
- I allotted only 3 minutes for students to draw a somewhat complex chart on their paper with little instruction, and...
- The assessment was delivered whole group, question by question, and...
- Students did not have enough time to explore their personalities and the personalities of their peers.
What I Learned from My Failures
- Explicit instruction is crucial. But more importantly, the lesson was not on drawing charts. If I wanted to spend time on what was most important (exploring and understanding our personalities), I should have just provided the chart to students.
- I needed to spend less time preparing a fancy presentation where I do most of the talking, and rather, spend more time brainstorming options for creating idealistic learning/assessment environments for kids.
- The goal is student ownership… If students do not get to experience it, they are not going to own it.
Take Aways
Kids are unique. We all know there is no one size fits all instructional approach. But my epiphany came when reviewing how different students like to receive praise (see chart below). For years, I used the phrase “good job” regularly to provide informal feedback to my students. Multiple years into my career, I began to see the importance of specific feedback. I never once considered how my students received feedback best. I never once framed feedback for the individual. So while I knew there was no one size fits all approach to instruction, I was taking a one size fits all approach to feedback.
John Hattie, Professor of Education and Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia, says that "students want feedback just for them, just in time, and just helping nudge forward." He also says to "worry more about how students are receiving your feedback . . . than increasing how much you give." This speaks so loudly to me. In my own role, I have a hunger for feedback around process and impact. When I receive it sparingly, my bucket is full and I am fueled with specific next steps for my work. But when I am told regularly that I am doing a great job, the “hunger pain” for more feedback is still there.
Point of Reflection, Reader: How do YOU like to receive praise and feedback?
To Consider: Feedback as Formative Assessment
When you think about the feedback students get on a summative test, or any paper/pencil test, it is often too late. What is even more unfavorable about this feedback, is it is completely impersonal. Troy Hicks, Director of the Chippewa River Writing Project at Central Michigan University, states that “feedback needs to be personal, and it needs to be fast.”
This year, we are challenged to be innovators and risk takers. For some, there may be an underlying fear of what will happen on the test at the end of the year as a result of our risks. But a culture of formative assessment, specifically formative feedback, can ease your fears. By providing non-evaluative and personal feedback, we are better able to inform our students of their progress and provide individualized steps for each of them to move forward with their learning. As an added bonus, modeling this type of feedback provides students with a different understanding of the feedback you would like for them to provide to each other.
Still not sure? I wasn't either. But after hearing students' responses of how they most wanted feedback, I'm willing to take the risk. Maybe you'll consider joining me on the journey...
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