Assessment and Inquiry Learning

Apologies to all that this is a little late...

Live blogged from our Hills ICTPD Cluster seminar with Kath Murdoch 5th September.

Clear, explicit learning intentions (know how, do and be)

The Essential Question - Provide a lens or funnel for the inquiry, prompts investigation and models an inquiring disposition.
These may be teacher constructed or co-constructed with kids.
They should capture the essence of the inquiry
They should be broad with opportunities for multiple 'answers'
They should matter -  to more than the students themselves
And they should contain significant concepts.

Clarify your intentions - what do you want students to understand through this inquiry?
A good understanding will be open and complex. eg: Although people are very different, there is a lot about us that is the same.
Avoid values in your understandings.
Understandings should be developmentally appropriate, inclusive of transferable concepts, demonstrable, 'Universal' (is it true for everyone?), and student friendly.
Remember, teaching intentions are assessment intentions. Take time to develop understanding and skill goals. Link these to the curriculum framework and make these expectations clear to students.

Explicit and co-constructed success criteria

Low achievement is often due to students not really knowing what is expected of them.
Co-constructing success criteria with your students helps them to build understanding and means a more valid assessment.
Show examples of both high and low quality product and have the students analyze the elements of each.

Careful Focus on prior learning and subsequent planning

It is important early in the inquiry to gather some baseline data to enable a valid assessment of growth.
This data should reflect both the understanding and skill of the students.
More than one tuning in strategy is preferable
Keep records to assist you with monitoring the students progress and for self assessment, and it is an important source of information for teacher planning. Lots of use of graphic organisers etc.

Pedagogy that encourages continual 'revelation' of thinking and understanding (especially through strategic questioning)

Time to rehearse answers,
Fish bowling: Group of students engaged in activity are observed by rest of class.
Think Pair Share
Assessment through play at junior level...be open to it at all times!

Formative and summative assessment - tasks embedded in the unit - assessment AS learning.
When well developed
Self and peer assessment - as well as teacher led.

Website find of the day: http://www.inquiryschools.net