You may want to view my original thoughts and plan on my blog here before you proceed to read this update on how I've tried to have a dialogue that scaffolds students' understanding of knowledge.
Also keep in mind the following:
Reflecting on the Changes I have made for this Year:
The assessment dialogue form that I have created has proven pretty useful. I have used it as an attachment to formative assessments and have included it in many of my summative assessment rubrics. I have even modified to be even simpler, at times just asking students what they need to do now with their assessment.
Students at first did not know how to answer the questions about their strengths and weaknesses. But after modeling and repetition they've become much better at using the assessment dialogue form.
The Request to Retest form has also helped students take responsibility for their learning. Students are accountable to plan ahead to retest, and it helps me plan for a time to plan reteaching opportunities, as well.
Students at first did not know how to answer the questions about their strengths and weaknesses. But after modeling and repetition they've become much better at using the assessment dialogue form.
The Request to Retest form has also helped students take responsibility for their learning. Students are accountable to plan ahead to retest, and it helps me plan for a time to plan reteaching opportunities, as well.
So What's the New Plan?
I intend to continue using the assessment dialogue form with my assessments. It's not as teacher friendly as I'd like though, especially in paper form. I plan to make a google form for the formative assessments instead of attaching a paper version. It will take a little bit of time to get used to, but it will help me sort students by class more easily so that i am able to make reteaching groups much more quickly. Chappuis (2012) says that "effective feedback points out strengths and helps target problem areas to address, in addition, this protocol offers guided practice in self-assessment." Descriptive feedback is the aim here, we want students to be able to describe their own work without judgment. By asking for their strengths and weaknesses they are able to observe their and describe their understanding through what they've done well, and what they need to work on. Brookhart (2008) says that feedback coming from the teacher, and feedback coming from the student, as in a self-assessment, affects students' knowledge and beliefs, which helps students practice self-regulation. Students can focus on "deciding their next learning goals, devise tactics and strategies to reach them, and producing work" (2008).
I also intend to change the request to retest form so that it is much more student friendly. This could also be in a google form, although students would not be able to attach their proof that they have worked towards mastery of a learning target. There are parts of the retesting form that trip students up every time, so I will reformat it so it's much easier to fill out, and on a smaller half sheet of paper, so that I may conserve.
I also intend to change the request to retest form so that it is much more student friendly. This could also be in a google form, although students would not be able to attach their proof that they have worked towards mastery of a learning target. There are parts of the retesting form that trip students up every time, so I will reformat it so it's much easier to fill out, and on a smaller half sheet of paper, so that I may conserve.