1. Some Questions? What is Assessment for Learning?
Where has it come from?
Why should it interest us?
How do we make it part of every lesson?
How do we take it forward whole school?

2. A fresh look at Assessment…
1998 Black and William commissioned to find out whether formative assessment could be shown to raise levels of attainment…
They embarked on a year long trawl through all studies since 1988 which involved any aspect of formative assessment e.g. sharing learning goals, pupil self assessment, etc – many studies were rejected through lack of rigour. They decided only to take account of studies where a control group had been set up and children had been tested both before and after the trial so learning gains could be measured and compared.

3. Why should this be of interest to us ?
What’s on radio W.I.I.F.M.
Tonight?
Why should this be of interest to us ?
Very well researched and shown to have a dramatic impact on attainment at all levels
Fits in well with what we already do.
Involves students more closely in the learning process – partners in learning
Teaching students how to be involved in their own assessment cuts down workload for teachers – more students get it right first time, peer and self assessment becomes part of process.

4. Inhibiting factors identified included
A tendency for teachers to assess quantity of work and presentation rather than the quality of learning
Greater attention given to marking and grading, much of it tending to lower the self-esteem of pupils, rather than to provide advice for improvement
A strong emphasis on comparing pupils with each other which demoralises the less successful learners
Teachers’ feedback to pupils often serves managerial and social purposes rather than helping them to learn more effectively

5. Effective Teacher Feedback
Describes why an answer is right or wrong in specific terms that students understand. Students can even generate their own feedback by comparing their work with teacher generated exemplars or posted samples. They can then compare their own feedback with that of the teacher.
Teacher feedback should provide clear ways for students to improve in clear constructive language.
Teacher feedback happens throughout the learning process.

6. How Do I Close the Gap? Comment only marking!
Written feedback should include prompts for improvement
Students should get opportunity to respond to feedback immediately
Students should have frequent opportunities to peer and self assess against agreed quality criteria

8. Creating the learning Environment
Create the learning environment by:
Smiling
Using “we” language
Language focussed on learning Intentions
Affirmation posters on the wall
Making your room a No Put Down Zone
Having a colourful and stimulating and relevant display on the walls
Arranging the furniture to facilitate the learning
Playing music to set a particular mood

9. Connect the Learning
Teacher might use this feedback to spend time at beginning of lesson looking again at questions students have raised
Connect the Learning by:
getting students to write down the 3 most important things they learned from the previous lesson - then pair share it with a friend and try to make it up to 5
Getting students to solve anagrams of keywords from previous lesson
Teacher may give back pieces of work he/she has marked and allow response time
“You only understand information relative to what you already understand”

10. “Can’t do a jigsaw without looking at the picture on the box”
Big Picture First
Unsure how to show the Big Picture:
Use Big Pictures - post images relating to the whole topic around the room
Use module maps
Make a keyword display and get students to add to a keyword glossary each lesson
Make reference to how work will be assessed
“Can’t do a jigsaw without looking at the picture on the box”

11. Share the Learning Outcomes
Let students know what “they will be able to do by the end of the lesson that they could not do before
Write learning outcomes clearly in a prominent place in the classroom so students can see them
Refer to learning outcomes throughout the lesson
“Do your pupils have a clue as to why they are learning what they are learning - have you told them”

12. WILF AND TIBS
What I’m Looking For….Is for you to be able to use a range of graphic organisers to note down information quickly and easily. You will begin to think about how you organise information.
This Is Because…We are often asked to deal with a large quantity of information and to make sense of it quickly and easily – graphic organisers will help you to do this.
this

13. Our Success criteria are…
And
Our Success criteria are…
We’ll be able to use our completed sun burst organisers to tell somebody else the details of both “Mauro’s” story and the audio tape story
We’ll Know we’ve achieved this because…

14. Learning Outcomes
“To understand the difference between 4 different elements of fitness”
“To be able to explain how metamorphic rocks are formed”
“All students must be able to list the factors that have led to an increase in the use and variety of food packaging in society”
“To understand what happens in Act 3 sc1 lines 1-99”
Discuss what “success criteria” you would attach to the
above learning outcomes

15. Clear learning outcomes – these should be displayed in a prominent position in the classroom and referred to throughout the lesson.
It is explained to students how the learning outcomes are relevant and of use to them.

16. What does success “look” like
What does success “look” like? – arrived at through discussion with class
Teach students to recognise quality
Discuss exemplar pieces of work – get students to rank pieces of work and explain their thoughts
Agree quality criteria
Feedback/marking should refer to quality criteria

17. Introduce Information
Introduce new information through V A K
See it
Hear it
Touch it
and if possible
Taste it
Smell it
Teacher may get students to look at a gallery of exemplar work at different levels and get students to rank work against quality criteria

18. Activity Create a culture of Questioning in the classroom Body Bop
Frequent opportunities for discussion
Allow “Think” time
Key opportunity for Questioning in the classroom – both asking students open ended questions and encouraging students to ask questions of each other.
Adopt a “Hands” down policy
Language in classroom is focussed on learning outcomes
Body Bop

19. Demonstrate new Understanding
Students show they understand by:
Give students some answers that are clearly wrong and ask them to correct them
Students mark a piece of work against a mark scheme
Why not get students to demonstrate their understanding by setting tests or quizzes for each other – ask your friends some really challenging questions –but you need to know how to explain it yourself!
Students create a summary of what a “A” grade student would need to know

20. Review Review not just what you learned but how you learnt it:
Use the “question wall”
The block it review - 3 things I leaned, 2 questions I still want to ask, one thing I already knew
Key opportunity for peer feedback against “success” criteria
Key opportunity for individual target setting
Key opportunity for self assessment and review

21. Part of our Planning
Assessment for learning needs to be a planned part of our Schemes of Work – lesson plans need to make specific reference to how Assessment for learning is being addressed in the lesson

22. We will know we have been successful when…
…Learners are able to make sense of where they are in their own learning, where they are going, and how to improve
Autonomous learners engaging in Assessment for Learning for themselves