1. AifL Workshop 3

2. Video
A clip from Britain’s Got Talent will play here. The feedback given by the judges is NON-CRITERIA BASED. It gives no information about strengths and development needs. When the act re-performed at a later date, (arguably) it was less entertaining. It had lost many of the elements which had made it good the first time round, and it hadn’t developed into anything new.

3. Overview Learning outcomes Success criteria Criteria based feedback
Strengths and development needs
Self and peer assessment
Report writing
The AifL group has offered previous workshops on LOs and SC, and criteria-based feedback. A theme of the previous workshop was the importance of good success criteria, without which specific feedback leading to directed learning is not possible. This workshop will explore the relationship between success criteria and feedback further, linking criteria-based feedback to its use in self and peer assessment, and report writing.

4. Definitions LEARNING OUTCOMES SUCCESS CRITERIA
Simple, specific statements which should derive from programmes of study.
What teachers want pupils to have learned or be able to do by the end of a lesson or series of lessons.
SUCCESS CRITERIA
Statements of standards from which success in an activity can be measured.
They are summary statements which illustrate exactly what it is that pupils must know/be able to do to achieve the learning outcome.
The definitions are key because everything which follows – criteria-based feedback, self and peer assessment, report writing – links directly to the success criteria.

5. Deriving Success Criteria
Success criteria need to be chosen carefully.
They need to be specific and focussed.
This leads to specific and focussed feedback which can direct learning.

6. Example Learning outcome Understand why gases expand when heated.
Some staff have expressed an interest in revisiting HOW to derive success criteria from learning outcomes. While there will be variation as how best to do this across subject areas, a useful guide is to first form what you see as a model answer and then derive the success criteria from that.

7. (Possible) model answer
Heat energy is transferred to the particles causing them to move faster and collide with each other harder. As a result, the particles move further apart and the substance expands.
KEY POINTS
The actual process of deriving the success criteria is very useful in itself. This can be done by individual teachers but lends itself to healthy discussion between members of a department. Pupils could be involved in the process, for example, working in groups to come up with what they think are the most important criteria, with the teacher then bringing this together on the board to form a definitive list.
It is NOT necessary (nor indeed appropriate) to use success criteria in all lessons with all learning outcomes. Rather, they should be used where they are deemed to add value to the learning and teaching experience, ultimately leading to an increase in attainment.

8. (Possible) derived success criteria Heat energy.
Learning outcome
Understand why gases expand when heated.
(Possible) derived success criteria
You can explain, using the following points:
Heat energy.
Particles moving faster.
Particles colliding harder.
Particles moving further apart.
Using such specific criteria, pupils are now in a position to be able to self and peer assess, for example, using criteria-based feedback.

9. Task 1 Writing criteria-based feedback
This is a continuation of the final task from the previous workshop. Evaluations indicated that staff had found this a useful exercise and would like to spend more time on it (around 15 minutes).

10. Example of use in the classroom
Learning Outcome
Draw a bar graph of experimental data.
Success Criteria
You used a ruler.
You used a pencil.
There are correct labels on each axis.
The bars are all the correct height.
The bars are all the same width.
There are spaces between the bars.
The spaces between bars are the same size.
All numbers start at 0.
The numbers go up in a pattern.
There are correct units on each axis (if appropriate).
There is a title.
The graph takes up at least half of the graph paper.
This was used with an S1 Science class (second set).

11. Methodology
Pupils drew bar graphs with access to the success criteria.
They swapped over.
Using the same criteria, they wrote criteria-based feedback and gave the graph a colour (red, orange, green).
The graphs were passed back and then redrawn, taking on board the feedback.
The exercise was repeated several times across the topic.
The colours were used in place of a mark, because a lot of pupils like getting a mark, possibly because it is something definitive.

12. 14 out of 16 pupils (88%) achieved full marks for their bar graphs in the end of topic test.
Success criteria are not always appropriate to a task, but in certain situations, used correctly, they can play an important role in increasing attainment.

13. Examples of self and peer assessment strategies across departments…

14. Self
Peer
Teacher
Success criteria
Emily/Derek should discuss this template e.g. how it was created, how it is used effectively etc.

15. Ken should discuss this template e. g
Ken should discuss this template e.g. how it was created, how it is used effectively etc.

16. Bruce should discuss the use of the above methodology.

17. In subjects such as Science where there are a large number of learning outcomes covering a wide range of topics, it is often not appropriate or practical to have analyse each learning outcome with success criteria. Instead, learning outcomes can be grouped together (for example into topic areas) and self and peer assessment strategies can be used to get an overview of performance in this area, after which there can be a more specific focus on areas identified as requiring development. A template like the above can be used to highlight specific strengths and development needs. This can then be used to inform report writing.

18. Relationship to report writing
Participants should critically analyse the following “snapshots” of report writing.

19. Strengths
You have achieved a General grade in your third year exam, which is very good. You deal effectively with feedback from self-assessment and group work and this has contributed in no small measure to your success.

20. Strengths 2
Your writing is progressing satisfactorily. Your narrative structure is strong and creative: you are particularly skilled in your use of captivating openings; your turning points are always surprising and your endings are unusual and effective. Well done! In your Critical Essays your strengths lie in your choice of effective quotations and the focus of your topic sentences.

21. Strengths 3
Your third year exam has highlighted your knowledge and understanding of Topic 1: “Substances” as a particular strength. Specifically, you have a good understanding of atomic structure and isotopes and you are very competent at answering questions in these areas. Your other strengths are in moles calculations and drawing graphs.

22. Development needs
You should revisit essays you have written for the purposes of revision in the lead-up to the Prelim. Look carefully at past paper questions for every topic so that you are familiar with how questions are worded.

23. Development needs 2
Both in creative writing and in writing Critical Essays you need to improve your sentence structure. At times you fail to link simple sentences with a conjunction or appropriate punctuation and when you use conjunctions they are limited in their range. Try using conjunctions like “who”, “which” and “however”. You also need to develop a range of vocabulary so use your class thesaurus and do not be afraid to use unfamiliar words in your writing.

24. Development needs 3
Your knowledge and understanding of Topic 3: Reaction Rates needs to be improved. Specifically, you have problems at solving rate calculations and interpreting rate graphs. You need to practice such calculations using the appropriate formulae and working and revisit examples of rate graphs so that you can build your confidence in interpreting these.

25. Questions?

26. Derek should discuss this slide.