Increasing Student Achievement through Meaningful, Authentic
Assessment
Nathan Balasubramanian
Learning Outcomes
InstructionalActivities
Authentic Assessments
EvaluationStrategies
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Angevine – Classified as Low-Income (39%), Migrant (43%) & Average
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Driving Questions
Leading Question
How might we engage (cognitively and affectively) middle-school students with authentic learning experiences in their classrooms that promote metacognitive and lifelong learning? ( a common theme in the mission of several schools)
Stop
Reflect
Think
Act
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Driving Questions
Specifically:
1. Can students transcend the particulars in their technology classroom and transfer the learning of generic schemas to other classes (in particular, science and reading)?
2. How effective is the instructional strategy of moving from challenge to hands-on learning in promoting metacognitive learning?
Stop
Reflect
Think
Act
Nathan Balasubramanian [email protected] 5
Learning Outcomes
Students spend just 14% of their time in school each year (Bransford et al., 2000).
Driving Question:
What is important for students to learn in the limited classroom instructional time available?
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< 1/10th of 14%!!
Student’s school hours/yr = 8736 (=52 weeks x 7 days x 24 hours)
Contact time/yr/subject = 144 (36 weeks x 4 hrs)
Contact time %/subject = 144 x 100 = 1.6%
8736
Typical Student engagement = 28–56%(Jones, 1979; Zimmerman, 2001)
Available Instructional Time < 1/10th of 14%
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Learning Outcomes
Four self-developed representations to illustrate students’ learning outcomes:
• 2-D Matrix based on Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Medal’s Podium Analogy (2-D Matrix Disaggregated)
• Problem-solving Process
• Systemic Thinking Graphic Organizer
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Learning Outcomes –2-D Matrix
Levels of Thinking
Vs.
Types of Learning
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Learning Outcomes –Lower Order Thinking
2. UNDERSTAND1. REMEMBER
– Students will classify different surfaces as good and bad reflectors
B. PROCEDURAL
KNOWLEDGE
Subject-specific skills, algorithms, specific techniques and methods
– Students will illustrate the laws of reflection using labeled ray diagrams
– Students will recall the expansion of LASER
A. FACTUAL
KNOWLEDGE
Terminology, specific details and elements
TYPES OF LEARNING
The Cognitive ProcessDimension
LEVELS OF THINKINGThe Knowledge
Dimension
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Learning Outcomes –Higher Order Thinking
2. UNDERSTAND1. REMEMBER
– Students will summarize their learning experience with "Laser Challenges"
D. META-
COGNITIVE
KNOWLEDGE
Strategic knowledge and cognitive tasks
– Students will compare and contrast the reflection of lightfrom a laser with a bouncing ball
C. CONCEPTUAL
KNOWLEDGE
Classifications and categories; Principles and generalizations;TYPES OF
LEARNING
The Cognitive ProcessDimension
LEVELS OF THINKINGThe Knowledge
Dimension
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Learning Outcomes –Higher Order Thinking
4. ANALYZE3. APPLY
– Students will analyze their graphs to discern a relationship between incident and reflected angles
– Students will measure angles accurately using a protractor
B. PROCEDURAL
KNOWLEDGE
Subject-specific skills, algorithms, specific techniques and methods
– Students will find the similarities between bike reflectors and lunar retro-reflectors
A. FACTUAL
KNOWLEDGE
Terminology, specific details and elements
TYPES OF LEARNING
The Cognitive ProcessDimension
LEVELS OF THINKINGThe Knowledge
Dimension
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Learning Outcomes –Highest Order Thinking
6. CREATE5. EVALUATE
– Students will judge their own and their peers work based on five criteria: design, creativity, explanation, cost efficiency, and test-endurance
D. META-
COGNITIVE
KNOWLEDGE
Strategic knowledge and cognitive tasks
– Students will generate appropriate designs for reflecting light inall directions usingonly 3 mirrors
– Student will testtheir set up of a retro-reflector for the reflected light hitting the LASER with three mirrors
C. CONCEPTUAL
KNOWLEDGE
Classifications and categories; Principles and generalizations;TYPES OF
LEARNING
The Cognitive ProcessDimension
LEVELS OF THINKINGThe Knowledge
Dimension
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Graphic Organizer to Facilitate Systemic Thinking across Subjects
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Instructional Activities
Driving Question:
How does one plan and deliver instruction that will result in high levels of learning for large numbers of students?
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Instructional Dilemma
How can teachers reconcile the dilemma of merely informing students through direct instructionor facilitating learning experientially through investigative practices in the classroom?
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Instructional Activities
My Typical Classroom Practice:(Underlying Assumption – STRONG)
Hands-on InvestigationDebrief PretestChallenges – Hands-on
SummaryPreview ExemplarsGames & simulations
Direct InstructionMonetary MonitoringPretest
Instruction
Questioning
& Feedback
Kindle
Zeigarnik Effect
Summative Assessment
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Instructional Activities - STRONG
STRONG is an acronym for STRuctured-scenario ONline Games
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Instructional Activities STRONG Example
Game Mock-up at
http://www.GamesToLearn.us
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Meaningful Authentic Assessment – Pre-test Stems
Easy to create these using the online communication and assessment tool SchoolFusion
www.SchoolFusion.com
FREE for first three teachers in any school in United States
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Instructional Activities - Challenge
Using only 3 mirrors, can you build a reflecting device that will reflect a laser beam on itself, no matter where the laser beam comes from across a 40' wall?
Student Design of a Retro-reflector
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Meaningful Authentic Assessments
Driving Questions:
How does one select or design assessment instruments and procedures that provide accurate information about how well students are learning?
More importantly, how does one use this information to inform instruction year-long?
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Core Assessments
Core Assessments I use
Self-evaluation(Preview Exemplars)
Post-tests
Reflection-in-action
Peer-evaluationPre-writes
Force Field AnalysisPre-tests
During/After Instruction(Summative)
Prior to Instruction(Formative)
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Students’ Writing As Evidence inCore Assessments
Students’ writing can be analyzed for:1. Language – use of vocabulary/lack
thereof2. Language – illustrating complexity of
thought3. Ideas and Conceptual understanding4. Pre-Post ∆ in writing – demonstrating
applied knowledge5. Use of lengthy chains of reasoning
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Core Assessments – Some Examples
A Common Sight
See more examples
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Core Assessment – Pre-test Stems
Easy to create these using the online communication and assessment tool SchoolFusion
www.SchoolFusion.com
FREE for first three teachers in any school in United States
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Evaluating the Evidence
Driving Question:
How does one ensure that objectives/outcomes, instruction, and assessment are consistent with one another?
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Evaluation Strategies –Three Approaches
Triangulation – Examining the evidence?
1. Reviewing Backwards Design to inform
learning outcomes
2. Testing Conceptual Model for
instructional use
3. Doing Action Research to inform
professional practice
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Evaluation Strategy –Backwards Design
An outcomes-oriented approach of identifying desired learning goals and then working backwards to develop appropriate instructional activities and assessments to promote meaningful learning.
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Evaluation Strategy –Nathan’s Dynamic Instructional Model
And uses meaningful, authentic assessment to
1. Verify what students really know, understand, and are able to do
2. Inform instruction
3. Facilitate effective investigative practices in the classroom
4. Increase student learning, understanding, and achievement
This model is based on tangibles that a classroom teacher has power and control over – N0 top-down push-downs or external factors dictating classroom learning
Heart Simulation
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Evaluation Strategy –Action Research (Some Sound Bites)
WE CAN’T LIVE LIFE SHORT – when a team barely had money to see them through the Filtration Project, while one student was content, the other clearly was not
GEE! I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT –girl after a boy solved the letters getting inverted in the “Titanium Dioxide”cylindrical lens
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Evaluation Strategy –Action Research (Some Sound Bites)
THAT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE I WASN’T PAYING ATTENTION –students’ explanation for poor scores on pre-tests
OH NO! NOT BOOKS! – when a student observed me bringing books into my science class
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Evaluation Strategy –Action Research (Some Sound Bites)
I’VE LEARNED MY LESSON –students’ response to why he shouldn’t draw a thick line to cut
FIGURE OUT THE MATH FIRST – one students’ comment to another before buying stuff, because I would charge them $5.00 (token money) if they got their arithmetic wrong
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MIREN. ESCUCHEN. APRENDANRelevant to Students or Teachers?
In conclusion, these slides show how a large number of student’s even in a “low-income, migrant and average”school are capable of exemplary performance
MIREN. ESCUCHEN. HAGAN. REFLECIONEN. APRENDAN (À la Confucius – I hear & I forget; I see & I remember; I do & I understand)
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Presentation Available Online
http://www.InNathansWorld.com/KART/dissertation_p3.htm