Seeing Students Learn Science Integrating Assessment and Instruction in the Classroom (2017) / Chapter Skim
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3 What Can I Learn from My Students' Work?
3 What Can I Learn from My Students' Work?
Pages 51-70
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From page 51... ...
USING A FAMILIAR ACTIVITY AS AN ASSESSMENT In this example designed for middle school students, sixth graders in the midst of a unit on the nature of matter are given time to discuss what they are learn ing. The teacher uses the discussion itself for both instructional and assessment purposes.
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From page 52... ...
Crosscutting concepts asso ciated with energy flows and systems come into play as the students work out their explanations. Like the two examples we saw in Chapter 2, this learning activity is embedded in a unit -- in this case the assessment is not the tasks the students perform but a discussion the teacher uses to collect information about their thinking.
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From page 53... ...
They have learned from earlier teacher-led class discussions that simply stating that the gas changes "density" does not solve the problem -- it just gives it a name. They recognize that they need to figure out what actually makes it possible for differing amounts of gas (air)
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From page 54... ...
FIGURE 3-2 "wind" as the force moving the air particles; Models 3, 4, and 5 appear to show empty space between the particles. Class Discussion as an Assessment Exactly what, if anything, is in between the air particles emerges as a point of contention as the students discuss their models.
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BOX 3-1 STUDENT–TEACHER DIALOGUE Haley's objection: air is everywhere Ms.
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[Ms. B draws the air particles touching one another in another representation, not in the consensus model, since it is Haley's idea.]
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Hearing the disagreement that emerges from the discussion helps her shape a question that will move the students forward. The discussion gives the teacher insights into what the students were think ing that she couldn't learn from their written (and drawn)
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From page 58... ...
NEW WAYS TO SCORE AND EVALUATE STUDENT WORK Using activities such as class discussions for assessment purposes requires new ways to evaluate student work. You are probably very used to learning things from class discussions and many other activities.
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From page 59... ...
"Measuring Silkworms" illustrates how a rubric serves the design of the assessment. E X A M P L E 4 Measuring Silkworms Level Grade 3 Assesses PRACTICES -- Asking questions; Planning and carrying out investigations; Analyzing and interpret ing data; Using mathematics; Constructing explanations; Engaging in argument from evidence; Communicating information CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS -- Patterns DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEAS -- Structure and function: Organisms have macroscopic structures that allow for growth [LS1.A]
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From page 60... ...
. This kind of table is one way to structure a scoring rubric: for each level there is M a clear description of what students demonstrate they can do, P along with an example or two illustrating what that level response L The process of describing looks like for third-grade students.
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From page 61... ...
Student creates display by ordering data as a list or case-value graph. E Interpret data displays as collections of Student identifies maximum and minimum values.
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62 Seeing Students Learn Science
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From page 63... ...
FIGURE 3-5 3-5 Student-invented representation using the measurement scale for silkworm larvae FIGURE growth. SOURCE: Lehrer (2011)
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From page 64... ...
This idea helps them begin to think beyond individual organisms and consider what is happening to the whole population of silkworms. This activity could also be used for a summative purpose, after students have had more experience with the core ideas in this unit and practice with ways of structuring data displays and thinking and talking about what they show.
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From page 65... ...
As researchers and practitioners con tinue to collect student work and develop descriptions of learning progressions, there will be more resources to draw on. By collaborating with your colleagues in developing descriptions of performance levels and reviewing the kinds of responses your students come up with, you can refine and improve your "maps" of what your students can do.
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From page 66... ...
The teacher gives the students a model of Earth and a lightbulb to represent the Sun and encourages them to explore what happens to the lengths and intensity of sunlight at different locations in the Northern and Southern hemispheres as Earth follows its orbit and tilts toward the star Polaris. 66 Seeing Students Learn Science
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From page 67... ...
Table 3-3 lays out the range of expected responses using precise descriptions of each level, together with sample responses, to illustrate what each can look like. Collecting these sorts of details about the students' reasoning allows the teacher to address the understanding students demonstrate between the lower and upper anchors in the performance expectations for the unit.
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From page 68... ...
They also provide tools for helping the teacher decide what to do next or for assigning scores to individual students. 68 Seeing Students Learn Science
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From page 69... ...
You can use that, together with examples of students' responses to the task, to develop a scoring rubric. • To use an informal activity such as a class discussion or a collaborative data modeling exercise as an assessment, you need to structure it ahead of time, based on what you know about the misunderstandings students are likely to have and the specific goals you want the students to accomplish.
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