Differentiated Instruction

This blog examines the use that technology can have in the area of assessment.

Using technology to differentiate instruction across grade levels. Julia Kara-Soteriou. New England Reading Association Journal; 2009; 44, 2; ProQuest Education Journals
pg. 86

Not all students learn the same. This is a fact that is well known. I have been doing a lot of reflection lately as to how students of the 21st century learn. It started when I watched a YouTube video titled “A Vision of K-12 Students Today” I have embedded the video below.



In this article, there are a few things that stuck out to me as being realistic and usable in the classroom, some of which I have seen in action.

The first is what is commonly known as “The Clicker”. The author, Julia Kara-Soteriou, talks about how a colleague introduced you to the idea of using the clicker in her classroom. Students in the classroom each get a handheld device about the size of an iPod or mobile phone. When used with a specially created Notebook presentation (the same as Powerpoint, but with more options for SMARTBoards), students are able to do everything from answering polls, to comprehension tests, to full exams. It gives real-time feedback to the teachers about how many students in the class are understanding the content. And, because each student logs in to their clicker, teachers are able to see at a glance who needs more help with a specific concept.

While on my internship, one of the grade seven math teachers employed the use of clickers. His students loved them. They would complain if they had a math class without them. It not only helped their motivation in math, they also were able to share instantly with the teacher how they were doing, a bonus for those students who were too shy to raise their hand in front of their classmates. I had the opportunity to attend a training session on “the clicker” and believe that its use would definitely be a benefit if integrate into a classroom appropriately. They would not work for everything, but for a subject such as math, they were quite beneficial.

Another very interesting topic that I came across while researching technology and differentiated instruction is the creation of “Wikis”. A wiki is “a page or collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki accessed March 15, 2009). Wikis allow students to collaborate on projects online. For example, if a group is working on a report, they could publish it to a wiki, and then each could edit it online, on his or her own time. They can also release it to the world and see what others might contribute to it, helping them to further synthesize their learning with that of others. I have spoken with teachers who have used wikis in their classroom to this extent, and they shared that people from across the world who, for some reason or another, had an interest in the subject reported on by their students were editing it, and sharing their knowledge with the students.

Technology is difficult to incorporate into the classroom because of funding. Items like the clickers can cost a few thousand dollars for a class set. Often school divisions offer grants for technology and it’s implementation into the classroom. Our students today are growing up in a world where technology rules. Why should they have a classroom that doesn’t follow suit? Technology, such as Clickers or wikis help us, as teachers to monitor students progress, in real time. We can offer suggestions online as they are working on a project, we can upload our rubrics, lessons, etc. to the World Wide Web for students to download if they were sick, or need to read through them again to study. Technology opens a lot of doors in the world of assessment, and it is up to us as the future educators to take a chance and walk through them.



Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction Across Grade Levels

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Blooms Taxonomy

This article examines Bloom's Taxonomy and possible implementations of it.


http://learningandteaching.dal.ca/bloomact.html

http://elibrary.sd71.bc.ca/teacher_resources/pedogogical_links/blooms_taxonomy.htm
We have all heard of Bloom’s Taxonomy. For me, it was a topic of constant discussion during my internship. We had the poster of the ladder in the classroom with each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy represented by a different rung on that ladder. The problem is, despite the face that we all hear about Blooms, and can recite the different levels, what do we actually do in the classroom to implement it and make sure that we are trying to work through all of the different levels.

I have found two different resources that I have found to be very useful. The links are at the top of this Blog, and I have embedded a PDF of each at the bottom.

The first PDF, from Courtenay Middle School Teacher Resources page is the typical Bloom’s taxonomy sheet. Teachers are able to reference it and see what students should be doing at each level. It also gives “question cues” for each level which are very handy when designing rubrics, or trying to think about how to create test questions.

The second PDF, entitled “Activities and Corresponding Bloom’s Level” was very interesting to me. I am an advocate for project-based learning, and evaluations in ways other than just testing. I think it stems from personal test-taking anxiety. To this day I would much rather work on a project than sit down and write a test. It is one to use the first PDF that I referenced to finding wording for each level to create questions to fill a particular subject for a test. I do not find this extremely difficult. Creating a project, however, or using ongoing formative assessment that works through all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy I find to be more difficult. Here is where this article comes in handy.

It breaks down Bloom’s Taxonomy to include project ideas for each level. For example: “Knowledge” includes activities like workbooks, and memory games while “Application” includes interviewing, and conducting experiments, and “Evaluation” includes evaluating one’s own products and ideas. For each step of the way it offers a variety of different projects that can help your students to demonstrate their learning at each level.

As always with Bloom’s Taxonomy, I realize that not all students will always be able to achieve to the highest levels. Some students may be able to reach synthesis in some subjects, while struggling for application in another subject. However, by integrating different levels into different projects, or even tests, it allows teachers to see where their students are. If, for example, students were having a difficult time applying their knowledge in a particular topic, you could work on role-playing or creating models to help them to solidify their knowledge. These two charts offer a variety of ideas, and insight into how to better understand and use Bloom’s Taxonomy in your own classroom.

CMS Blooms Taxonomy

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TA Tips-Activities Based on Blooms Taxonomy

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Choosing Assessments

Artifact three is an article titled "Choosing Assessments That Matter", and attempts to answer the questions of how teachers can choose between all of the assessment options available to them.


“Choosing Assessments That Matter”. Debbie Abilock. Knowledge Quest; May/Jun 2007; 35, 5; ProQuest Education Journals.

While searching for articles on different forms of assessment, I came across this one. It is titled "Choosing Assessments that Matter". I found this article very interesting, as it is a question that I have been silently holding on to for some time now. There seems to be nearly endless options to choose from when designing assessments for the classroom. Formative and summative. Unit tests, quizzes, multiple choice, short answer, essay questions, high stakes testing. Rubrics, ChecBrics, checklists, rating scales. Teacher-assessment, peer-assessment, self-assessment. Anecdotal, question and answer, oral testing. The list goes on.

With all of these options to choose from, how do we choose the most effective method of assessing?

In her article, "Choosing Assessments That Matter", Debbie Abilock examines this question.

Summary

Abilock brings forward two key points within the first few pages. First, whether the assessment is formative or summative, backwards design is essential. Second, The type of assessment should match the kind of knowledge being assessed. She goes on to describe online learning tests that prepare students for some of the high-stakes testing in the states, but that is not quite relevant in Canada.

The article cites a book by Barry Schwartz titled, The Paradox of Choice. In the book, Schwartz tells of a study where 24 types of jam were available for purchase in two stores. In one shop people were allowed to sample only six, and the other where they could sample all of them. The shop that allowed only six to be sampled outsold the second, which was selling the exact same jams, by 10 times. The research stated that the more choice people had, the more difficult time they had making a decision, and opted to not buy any at all. Abilock then likens this to education. With a nearly overwhelming array of assessment tools being thrown our way, how to we, as educators, sift through them and select the best one? She outlines a six-step plan to help guide the decision making process, which includes matching it to your objectives and evaluating its effectiveness.

The article also addresses what she describes as “the echo chamber”(p 4). This effect refers to what happens when you hear the same story everywhere you go. It seems that people everywhere are proclaiming the greatness of a particular type of assessment. Because you hear it repeatedly, you are more likely to repeat it to others, and it promotes the passing on of possibly inaccurate information.

Lastly, Abilock offers her advice to find quality assessment tools:

"Read widely beyond our professional literature. Then experiment. Pick a few goals and match your assessment to them…choose assessments that are engaging, include prompt feedback, test judgment, and aim for understanding rather than recall." (p 5)

Abilock encourages teachers to try new things, but to be ready to revert to tried, tested, and true techniques - just in case the new attempts fail.

Evaluation

I found this article to be very helpful. I personally have been feeling a little bit overwhelmed by the variety of options and techniques. The list of all of the tools that are "effective" seems to be never ending. I appreciate the advice that Abilock offers, especially as a frightened, soon to be first year teacher.

I have witnessed what happens when teachers are immobilized by the amount of choices that are coming their way. During my internship I encountered three types of teachers. The first type were the ones that denied change. They did not want to hear about new types of assessment. They have been teaching for a long time, and have decided that what has always worked for them will always work for them, and they aren’t looking for something new and confusing to mess with their flow.

The second type of teachers were teachers who jumped on the bandwagon. I can see now that they were subject to what Schwartz’s “echo chamber” idea. They go to conferences, listen to guest speakers, read books, discuss with colleagues, but don’t pause to reflect on any of the different assessment tools. They take each one and say, “That sounds great!” and try to work it in to their next lesson or unit. Before they have even implemented the tool and tested its validity, they are already telling others how great it is, and how they should try it too.

The third type of teacher that I encountered are those that accept new ideas, but not without question. They have a set of assessment methods that work well for them, but they aren’t afraid to work in some new ones to test out the waters. They understand that all methods won’t always work, and that just because they work well with one class, they might not work as well with another.

So how do I fit in? “Easy!” I say as I write this reflection, “I’ll be the last kind of teacher.” Realistically, I don’t think that it will be as easy as that. I think that there will be times when it is necessary to just get things done and use assessment tools that you know will work. But I would like to think that, when I have time to evaluate and think about new techniques, I will attempt to incorporate them in small doses to do my own studies of how well they are received by the class, and by myself. It will be hard at times to not jump on the bandwagon. Those around me influence me when I am unsure of myself. As a first year teacher, it will be difficult not to be sucked in by every new technique that comes along, especially if it is recommended by more senior teachers. The trick will be moderation. Welcoming new ideas, but take the time to evaluate them before they are implemented, and also re-evaluate them once they have been used in the classroom.

I really like the advice that Abilock offers in the end of the article. Student engagement and prompt feedback should be in all assessment. If I, as a student, do an assignment and receive it back a month later, I might check the grade and toss the paper, unless I think that I can hold on to the old notes and maybe use them as an example, or sell them as a study guide to a student taking the class later. If the feedback is prompt, I can reflect on it, make changes, understand why I got the mark I did, and decide upon how to improve for the next time.

It was reassuring to find an article to tell me that I wasn’t alone in being nervous about assessment. I found Abilock’s advice to be refreshing and definitely helpful in my quest to find my own professional identity in the classroom.


Choosing Assessments That Matter

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Student Led Conferences

The artifact in review is the book Knowing What Counts: Conferencing and Reporting by Anne Davies, Kathleen Gregory, and Caren Cameron.

Reference in Question:
Knowing What Counts: Conferencing and Reporting. Kathleen Gregory, Caren Cameron, Anne Davies. Connections Publishing. BC, Canada.2001.
https://www.connect2learning.com/cp/product.php?xProd=7

Synopsis

I have had the “Knowing What Counts” series sitting on the side of my desk for a while now. They are on loan to me from a friend of mine who says that they base a lot of their classroom on the teachings of Anne Davies. At the risk of jumping on a bandwagon, I agreed that this was pretty high praise, and worth my time to look into. I have been looking into “Conferencing and Reporting” for this review.

The thing that I found particularly interesting about this book is that it is not solely on student-parent-teacher style conferences. Anne Davies breaks it down to have many, informal conferences throughout the year, led by the students. They are not teacher directed end of term style interviews, but an on going process involving students, teachers, peers, family, and anyone who is interested in the student’s learning. In these conferences, as Davies points out, students take a lead role in demonstrating their learning. They are informally examining the “depth, detail and range of their learning.” (p ___)

The reasoning behind this is that when students are involved in assessment process and learning to articulate what they’ve learned and can improve on, their achievement improves. Students are given choices; choices on different methods of demonstrating their learning, of ways to analyze their thinking, of who to conference with and what to conference about. Choices, according to Davies, equal motivation.

This is not without working with the students. This style of conferencing requires that teachers talk with students about keeping variety of their work for portfolios. Teachers need to provide a variety of examples of ways to get students to compile work for conferences. Students then choose examples, commenting on why they chose them, and asking for input from others as to what they see, what they like, how they would improve the piece of work.

Davies utilizes things she calls “goal envelopes”. Students, in their conferences with the teacher (and parents, etc) will choose an achievable goal for themselves and write it on the outside of a large envelope. They then keep work that shows movement toward goal and track it in the envelope. Once they have achieved the goal, they create a new envelope with a new, presumably more advanced, goal.

Class time must be devoted to preparing students to take a lead role in the conferences, and helping them to assuming responsibility for their own learning and reporting. This sounds like a daunting task. Davies recommends that teachers start with small steps such as sending home student work samples, beginning conferences in only one subject and then permeating out from there. She recommends talking about conferencing in the school or class newsletter to raise awareness of it to avoid surprising parents.

Davies concludes that, “when teachers involve students in assessment practices, ‘the gains in achievement are the largest ever reported for educational interventions’” (Black and William (1998, p. 61) in Conferencing and Reporting). It seems to make sense. Students are involved, they’re evaluating their own learning and trying to poke holes in what they’ve done and try to better themselves. It definitely sounds good.

Evaluation

There are a few things that really surprise me about this book. The first is the informal approach to conferencing. It is something that has never occurred to me before. At least, not in an organized thought kind of way. I like the idea of having students taking time to analyze their own work, find something that maybe they’re quite proud of and something that they know they didn’t do their best on and sharing that. I think that it provides a great opportunity for learning, and understanding where students are coming from. Particularly if students might not be as gifted in writing. If a student has learned the material, and can apply it to life, but cannot seem to express themselves through the medium of the task, conferencing can help the teacher to understand where that student is at more clearly.

I am definitely a supporter of student leadership. Students need to learn skills of self-advocacy and self-reflection. Conferences in the way that Davies describes them will help them get to this place, but what happens if their support system is not very strong? It is good of Davies to say that they should be conferencing with teachers, parents, grandparents, uncles, coaches, etc., but what if that person does not want to take the time to help them, or does not have the time to go through it with them? This could be potentially problematic and hurtful to the students. I think that this is just something that needs to be addressed on a class-by-class basis. Perhaps students could be paired with a class in an older grade and they could help them to assess how to improve their work. I think it is just a consideration that teachers will need to keep in mind when they say, “take this home and share it with your parents or family or someone who cares about your school work”. Not that I am so pessimistic to think that children might not have anyone who fits this description, just that occasionally, they might have a tough time sometimes.

On the flip side of that, I think that this could be a good self-esteem builder for students that are typically low achievers. It gives them the opportunity to take home an example of their work to their parents to show them something that they are proud of, and explain to their parents why. It will give parents a way to monitor the growth of their child as they progress through the year.

My final concern is one that was brought up in classroom discussions. Time. This type of conferencing will consume a significant amount of class time in both the preparation stage, as well as the actual conferencing stages. However, I do believe that it will have a very good return on investment. By putting in time at the beginning of the year to prepare students for this type of work, it will only become easier as the year goes on, and I believe that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Overall, this book has excited me. It provides the answers to many questions that I see within its pages, and the authors realize that it is unrealistic to utilize all of the techniques in the book. They merely provide a large sampling of ways to implement conferencing, and leave it to each teacher to use them in whichever way they feel comfortable. Anne Davies’ thorough explanations are definitely a welcomed resource to any new to profession teacher.

Anne Davies

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The ChecBric

Artifact two is The Checkbric, and its place in student assessment.

http://www.larrylewin.com/teachingresources/checbrics.html

ChecBric examples are attached at the bottom of the review.

Summary

The rubric has become the common assessment tool in the classroom. I have heard teachers praise the rubric because it "makes assessment objective". I don't think that any tool can completely achieve that feat. While I was on my internship, I was introduced to a grade nine English team that has adapted the rubric to include a checklist. This idea was introduced to them by Larry Lewin, and has been affectionately dubbed "The ChecBric". While on internship I accepted this tool with open arms and spread praises of the ChecBric. I’ll describe it more clearly.

The ChecBric promises to make assessment more transparent and easier for the students to understand. Students, say proponents of the ChecBric, have long complained about the difficult “teacher wording” of rubrics. They have a difficult time understanding what is a 3 and what is a 5. They prefer checklists that tell them exactly what to do in order to do well. One of the downfalls to using only a checklist as an assessment tool is that there is no value easily assigned to a checklist. This causes a larger gap for teacher bias to effect the assessment. To combat this, Larry Lewin combined the checklist (in student language) and the rubric (in teacher language). This addresses both the questions of “What should I put in my project?” and “How can I mark this?”.

By it’s explanation, the ChecBric sounds wonderful. But let’s examine it a little more closely.

Evaluation

First of all, let’s look at the benefits of using a ChecBric. The checklist side is created using “I statements” (i.e. I have had my essay peer edited), which helps the students take ownership of the assessment, as well as reminds them to complete parts of the task that they may have forgotten. The students can easily check off the required elements of the task as they go along, helping them to manage their time better and create”to-do” lists for what still needs to be completed. The requirements checklist gives students clarity in what is required of them. The checklist is there, it’s clear, and students know what to expect. Match that to the rubric that lets a teacher easily and confidently assess the task, and it sounds like a winner. Let’s look at the cons.

The biggest deterrent in the usage of ChecBrics is the time that needs to be invested in them. Teachers have to, in essence do double the work. They must create the task to be assessed by the ChecBric. Then they must create a rubric that explains the criteria for the task, and how each of the criteria will be scored. After that, a checklist must be created that includes everything that students should consider, and include in their projects. During my internship, often my cooperating teacher and I could spend an entire evening developing a ChecBric. Examining the criteria, discussing what should be included, looking for examples online for ideas, searching for the correct wording to use for descriptors, creating a draft, revising it, and finally coming to a finished product can be very time consuming.
On the plus side, a well-designed project and ChecBric can be used again in years to come once it has been created. Putting in time at the beginning can result in time saved later in our teaching careers.

While this is good, and I do agree with the use of ChecBrics, and employ them in the classroom, there is a question that is lingering in my head. Are they necessary? ChecBrics were explained to me as a way to bridge the gap between “student language” and “teacher language”. If we, as teachers, put time into developing our rubrics, ensuring that they are clear, concise and in language that students understand, do they need an accompanying checklist? Throughout our research for our “Rubrics” presentation, all resources stressed that rubrics should be clear, and in language that students understand. We should go through the rubrics we use with our students, and ensure that they understand them. We need to provide exemplars and grade them as a class, so that students are able to distinguish between an “A” assignment and a “C” assignment. If we do these things, do we need to go to the trouble of creating the ChecBric? Or will all of that take more time than it does to create one?

There is not much research on the ChecBric, as it is a relatively new concept. I think the answer to these questions will come through trial and error. I will definitely use the ChecBric in my classroom, but I will also try to create well-written rubrics and see if they can have the same effect.


The following are examples of the assessment tools questioned in this review.
Textbook Rewrite ChecBric

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The Bridge Builder Checkbric

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Homework

Artifact one is from the February 2009 issue of American Teacher, and questions the use of homework.

Artifact:
“Research on homework remains a mixed bag” American Teacher; Feb 2009; 93, 5; ProQuest Education Journals pg. 7

Synopsis

The article “Research on homework remains a mixed bag” analyzes a recent review from Edvantia for the Center for Public Education. The main claim of the article is that “homework is not a strategy that works for all children”. In addition to this claim, the article questions the effectiveness of homework.
Homework can be beneficial, however there are highly varied results. Students of a lower socio-economic status may not benefit from homework, due to lack of resources. This includes both the physical (i.e. computer) and the affective (i.e. support from family) aspects of homework. Homework can be helpful when students are at an older age, and able to practice skills learned in class to solidify their learning.
There is, and probably always will be, a question as to how much homework is acceptable to give. The study states that 1.5 – 2.5 hours per night is best for high school students, one hour for middle school students, and less than that for elementary school students.


Evaluation

Homework should not be used for assessment that will go onto a report card. Period. By giving homework, with the threat that it needs to be done because it will be marked, we are only broadening the gap between those students who finish their homework and those that don’t. Is our assessment designed to assess the actual ability of the student to complete their homework? If not (hopefully), we cannot take in homework for grades to be used on a report card.
How much homework should be given out? During my internship I had parents asking: “Are they getting enough homework?”, “Should you be giving out more homework?”, “Are they getting all their homework done in class?”. I remember my mother asking the same questions in my parent-teacher interviews. When my parents went to school, they came home laden with homework and assume that it should be the same for their children. Homework takes time. The article suggests that students in high school should have 1.5 – 2.5 hours of homework a night. Does this take into account that many of our high school students are involved in various activities around the school, including sports, extra-curricular activities, performing arts, and student council to name a few. These same students are also likely involved in extra-curricular activities outside of school, trying to hold down a part time job, and dealing with issues amongst family and friends. Adding an additional 2.5 hours a night, or 12.5 hours a week will only add to this stress. If students are up late hours completing their homework, it is not fair for teachers to expect them to be alert and ready to learn in class the next day.
Is homework necessary? Sometimes. Homework should only be given as a natural consequence. Enough time needs to be given in class for the students to complete the task. If students use their time wisely, they will have completed the assignment. If they are off-task, they may find themselves with some homework at the end of the night. The difference is that this homework is a direct result of the student’s own behavior.
My final concern with homework is the question of who is really doing it. Just as with the science fair example at the beginning of our course, I question who is responsible for the grade, if we are giving marks based on homework. Have the students copied each other’s notes? Do they have the notes of someone who previously took the course? Did they copy and paste from the Internet? Did their parents do the homework? All these questions come forward. The bottom line is that homework, if it is given, should enhance the student’s learning. As teachers we need to think about whether it would be better for the learning of our students to give them constant homework to complete, or whether it would be more beneficial to have an extended work period during class time to allow everyone to succeed by their own account.
Homework can be effectively used as formative assessment. By taking in or looking over assigned work, the teacher is able to assess what the level of understanding is for that particular student. This will help the teacher to gauge where the class is at, and identify areas that need to be re-taught. If it is used effectively, homework can help further student learning. Teachers just need to ask themselves whether or not it is really necessary.


The following is the article used for this review.
Research on Homework Mixed Bag

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Welcome!

Welcome to the Assessment E-Folio!

This blog represents a small chunk of my journey into the world of Assessment. While toying with the question of whether to go broad, or whether to examine one aspect of assessment in depth, I bounced back and forth. In the end, I came to the decision of focusing on a broad range of topics. This, hopefully, will have a two-fold affect. First, I will be able to examine a few areas of assessment that I am interested in, but have not yet the opportunity to look at more closely. Second, I will have a chance to sort through the hype and the fact between a few more commonly used assessment tools.

I look forward to the opportunity to explore, examine, and evaluate.

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