Teaching K-12 Science and Engineering During a Crisis (2020) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
6 Monitoring Learning for Continuous Improvement
6 Monitoring Learning for Continuous Improvement
Pages 87-100
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 87... ...
When student learning expe rience centers on explaining phenomena and designing solutions, embedded for mative assessment becomes a natural way to support learning progress.2 Focusing on continuous improvement is also important for the entire educa tion system at this time: educators are not expected to immediately implement all changes to instruction and assessment needed to adjust for the ongoing changes to learning environments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The process of implementation during the pandemic will be iterative and will require care ful monitoring so that adjustments can be made along the way, in a manner very similar to that used to support ongoing student learning.
|
From page 88... ...
As students engage in learning activities, teachers can look for evidence that students have the background knowledge and skills they need to engage with the grade level material. Using effective formative assessment, they can determine students' individual, immediate needs in each lesson and instructional unit to help them continue to build along learning progressions4 toward the targeted learning in each of the three dimensions of learning: disciplinary core ideas (DCIs)
|
From page 89... ...
As defined by the Council of Chief State School Officers:5 [Formative assessment is] "a planned, ongoing process used by all students and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to improve student understanding of intended disciplinary learning outcomes and support students to become self-directed learners." Although formative assessment processes are foundational components of research-based teaching and learning, using them explicitly is still new to many teachers and requires deep pedagogical and assessment skills.
|
From page 90... ...
Student writing and discourse can also provide evidence about student thinking, and real time discourse can provide opportunities for teachers to probe more deeply to get more information or to gently add guiding questions that help students challenge their own thinking.12 As discussed in Chapter 4, to ensure this process is equitable and culturally responsive, classes will need to create explicit norms and guidelines for maintaining respect and understanding different students' perspectives and pat terns of participation.13 8For more information, see Guide to Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards. Available https://www.nap.edu/read/18802/chapter/5#34.
|
From page 91... ...
To support special education students in writing, Michelle often used word banks that included key terms related to the students' investigations, such as speaker, tuning fork, siren, and sound. In the virtual classroom, she placed word banks on Google slides and dis played them on a shared screen during Zoom sessions to support students when they were engaged in talking or writing about their ideas.
|
From page 92... ...
In particular, tasks can be designed with scaffolds to support students from bi- and multilingual backgrounds, including reducing linguistic complexity, making evaluation criteria explicit, and providing alternative ways for students to express their ideas.15 In addition, teachers can make sure all students are sup ported to feel included in class discussions. Teachers and others designing assessments need to be clear about the three dimensional learning targets they want to assess, the types of evidence that would help provide insight into students' progress toward these targets, and the types of student work or observations that would provide that evidence.
|
From page 93... ...
Receiving meaningful feedback is a powerful way for students to progress in their learning, and it is an essential part of integrating effective formative assessment practices into teaching and learning.19 Incorporating peer feedback into lessons has the added benefit of reducing the sense of isolation that students may feel in remote learning situations. Giving and receiving ongoing constructive feedback can help encourage students to persist in their learning in all settings.
|
From page 94... ...
Box 6-2 describes how a teacher made her feedback to students more per sonal and approachable through the use of videos. BOX 6-2 USING VIDEO FOR FEEDBACK Kathy, a middle school science teacher, learned on a Friday evening in spring 2020 that her school was going digital, and by Monday morning the switch had already taken place.
|
From page 95... ...
For example, they videotaped themselves explaining and demonstrating Newton's laws, narrating a roller coaster project while identifying potential and kinetic energy, and creating weather reports. Kathy was able to use these student artifacts as formative assessments that helped clarify what the students understood about the concepts and how they were using science and engineering practices, which helped her differentiate supports for ongoing instruction.
|
From page 96... ...
Teachers need continued professional learning experiences and ongoing sup port to increase their facility with using and scaffolding different types of feedback to support student learning across different instructional environments, and to identify tools that can help this process. For example, teachers can support peer feedback processes that promote critical thinking, colearning, and student growth, which might take the form of small breakout room discussions or use of tools such as Jamboard (see Figure 4.2)
|
From page 97... ...
Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association. Monitoring Learning for Continuous Improvement 97
|
From page 98... ...
Another example comes from the Colorado Department of Education, which did a needs assessment to determine the best ways to support educators and students.26 In addition, short periodic surveys could be used to gather ongoing information 23For more information, see Guide to Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards. Available: https://www.nap.edu/read/18802/chapter/11#88.
|
From page 99... ...
Monitoring the number of students with special needs who do not have access to high-quality science and engineering instruction could lead to an emphasis on reducing this number.30 Monitoring the time spent on science and engineering in elementary school classes could lead to an increase in this time. For some of these metrics, such as the quality of science and engineering instruction accessible to all students, it may be necessary to observe virtual classes and review teachers' lesson plans and student work.31 Additional ideas for setting up systems of ongoing monitoring and feedback can be found in Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards32 As data are collected, they need to be used similarly to formative assessment -- in support of the continuous growth and improvement of students, 27For more information, see Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards.
|
From page 100... ...
• Encourage teachers to focus on formative assessment practices, including pro viding actionable feedback, that highlight continuous improvement rather than summative grading. • Develop mechanisms for monitoring and communicating to families about whole-class, grade-level, and school-level progress.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.