Assessment and Feedback

Assessment as and for learning are central contemporary pedagogical practices and serve to deepen learning making it more effective. A focus on asset/strength-based assessment versus deficit-based assessment builds learner confidence and motivation. Micro-assessments can provide multiple opportunities for practice and feedback, as well as reduce anxiety. Assessments should be aligned with outcomes and learning activities.

Informal/Formative Assessment

CCQs (Concept-Checking Questions) - focus on both LOTS (Lower Order Thinking Skills - Remember and Understand) and HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills - Apply, Analyze, Evaluate and Create)
Write a one sentence summary of a concept
Choose one word that represents a theme/concept and write a paragraph describing why
Practical applications: Learners explain how they will use this knowledge/skill/course outcome outside of class. This connection to target/authentic tasks is motivating and meaningful
Learners write quizzes for one another: This scaffolds learning and provides valuable opportunities for practice.
Use other senses/mediums to demonstrate understanding: act it out, create an analogy, draw a mind map/graphic organizer, write a poem, draw a picture, make a collage, write a creative social media post, etc.

Assessment and Metacognition

Reflecting on learning allows for deeper engagement with content/skills, as well as for learners to process the experience, but this requires guidance and training.
Having learners identify exemplars of success and contribute to/give feedback on rubrics/assessment criteria increases engagement with assessment criteria.
Examples/models of strong work provide learners with a clearer understanding of expectations.
Approaching learning and writing as a process demystifies it, and making this explicit is key.
Personal anecdotes of challenges and successes in learning, writing and professional development provide tangible examples for learners.
Making learning visible by showing growth and development over a term helps increase learner self-compassion and patience. Examples from previous terms and learners can be used.

BC Articulation Literacy Assessment Criteria (p. 55-61)

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/post-secondary-education/adult-education/abe_guide.pdf

Writing Rubrics

English 12

ELD (English Language Development)

Differentiating between impeding/intrusive and non-impeding/non-intrusive errors is useful. A mastery approach benefits learners in that it is systematic, structured and is built on a solid foundation, although learning is not always linear. Using a process-based approach to writing allows for consolidation and transfer of feedback. It is important to differentiate between form and content/function, although in effective written communication both are necessary.

Feedback

Feedback should be timely, focused, meaningful, on-going (when possible) and specific. Transfer is a perennial problem in education, and feedback should "feed forward" and be designed and delivered to promote future development. Feedback should be personalized. It is also useful to elicit what areas learners want feedback on and address this. Technology is allowing us to give feedback in different ways, and I use video/audio to give feedback on draft essays.

Learner Feedback

Getting learner feedback at the end of the class, week and term is beneficial in many ways. It allows learners to feel heard, the instructor to adapt classes. There are many ways to do this:

Exit Slips: Learners submit feedback before they leave the classroom.

Colour system/traffic lights: green: understand; orange: still have questions; and red: unclear
Shapes: circle: strong understanding; square; still learning and triangle: need more clarification.
Sentence stems (I feel confident about..., I still need help with...) can also
Useful/not useful: This can also be completed on post-it notes that learners stick on the door before leaving. For more focused questions, use colour-coded pieces of paper with a specific envelope.
SWOT (Strengths (internal), Weaknesses (internal), Opportunities (external - within/outside the class) and Threats (external - within/outside the class)
RSQC2: Remember, Summarize, Question, Connect and Comment (From Cross and Angelo (1988) Classroom Assessment Techniques. Jossey-Bass.)