Six Ways of Using Formative assessment in Class

Formative: Assessment for Learning

Formative assessment measures ongoing development of knowledge, skills and understanding (‘progress’).

Summative: Assessment of Learning

Summative assessment measures learner achievement. We usually find it at the end of a course, semester, module, academic year, and training programme.

Effective ways of working as a team

A good teacher always exhibits good team work abilities. Only then she can be a role model for the students. To become an effective member of a team a one has to be respectful to every other member. There should be openness in the team and every one’s point of view should be given weightage.  Similarly when it comes to commitments everyone must feel equally responsible for team’s success. Helping each other to learn more and help completing the task is also of great importance. In any team bondage within the members can come through encouragement and acknowledgement of good contributions from team members. At the same time whenever required constructive criticism to one another and its acceptance for one’s betterment is vital. A best team always handles disagreements and conflicts constructively within the team itself. If any member of the team is under pressure other members must help him or her out by offering help. Support and trust will keep all the members united.

Effective Ways of Working as a Team:

A good teacher always exhibits good teamwork abilities. Only then she can be a role model for the students.

To become an effective member of a team a one has to be respectful to every other member. There should be openness in the team and every one’s point of view should be given weight-age.  Similarly when it comes to commitments everyone must feel equally responsible for team’s success. Helping each other to learn more and help completing the task is also of great importance. In any team bondage within the members can come through encouragement and acknowledgement of good contributions from team members. At the same time whenever required constructive criticism to one another and its acceptance for one’s betterment is vital. A best team always handles disagreements and conflicts constructively within the team itself. If any member of the team is under pressure other members must help him or her out by offering help. Support and trust will keep all the members united.

Kinaesthetic Learning Approach

Every child matters. So does his needs and expectations. To recognise every student of the class as auditory, visual or kinaesthetic is very important for a teacher. It not only enables her to teach the students in an appropriate manner but also helps the students gain more understanding without any struggle.

I used a Kinaesthetic activity in my maths lesson. I asked them to cut two similar triangles of any type. They were supposed to prove that the sum of angles in a triangle is always equal to 180 degrees. They cut the angles of one of the two triangles and tries to put them together. The three angles when put together made a straight line having straight angle (180 degrees). Students tried the activity with different triangles and proved the sum through small practical.

I personally felt that students learnt more and figured out ways to present their results in an innovative manner. Overall it was enjoyable activity for all of the students.

Kinaesthetic Activity in Maths Lesson

Trying to compare angles

One way of presenting the proof

A student presenting the proof

Presenting that sum of all angles in a triangle is 180 degrees

Exciting Starters and Plenaries

Starter        

Recipe: Lets cook a new dish (lesson)

I used a very exciting starter Recipe in my maths lesson for teaching Measuring Distances. To check clarity of student’s prior knowledge about different measurements and their units I found this starter activity the most appropriate one.

I set an atmosphere for the starter by addressing my students as chefs. Then I introduced the activity saying that they have to write all the ingredients (units of measurements) on their mini whiteboards. Then I asked them to differentiate them according to the recipe of dish (specific measurement) they can make. They efficiently sorted out all the units as Weight, Length and Volume. Then I asked them to think of the utensils (tools/ scales) they can use to prepare this recipe. They named scales for all the measuring weight, length and volume.

It built up a smooth an enjoyable beginning for the whole lesson. All the students were very attentive and excited to participate.

On asking how they liked cooking a satisfying lesson they all gave very positive feedback.

Direct Questioning From the Chefs (students)

Showing student's work

Sorting out Ingredients (units of measurements)

Measuring objects as development activity

Plenary

Pictionary: Let the pictures say what you understood

I used Pictionary for one of the PSCHEE lessons on Dreams and Aspirations. Students were asked to draw pictures of what they aspire to become in future. The pictures students drew were self-explanatory. All the students took part in it with great interest and presented their work in front of the class.

One of the students' displaying her pictionary

Excited about her aspiration drawn on paper

Reflection on Practice: Conducting a Meeting

Reason I chose this experience:

I chose to plan and manage a formal meeting for teachers as it was a new experience for me. The meeting was to address the importance and schedule for the approaching Movie Making project of year 6 and 5. All the teachers and assistant teachers of Year 6 and year 5 were the main participants. Head of Key Stage, Head of English department and CIT teacher for year 6 and 5 was also there for expert inputs. All together there were 25 participants present for attending the meeting.

Planning and Executing the Meeting:

I planned a meeting for all the teachers and assistant teachers to smoothly take forward the project of Movie Making project as a part of curricular extension enriched with cross curricular links. Initially, in the planning phase I had small meetings with Head of the English department/ Movie Making project in-charge. I also spoke to Head of year 6 and other teachers to ask their last year experience and difficulties faced to assess the main issues to be dealt during meeting. A meeting invite was sent to all the participants along with a precise meeting agenda. A teacher was assigned for taking the minutes of meeting. On the meeting day writing material was provided at the seats of the teachers along with the copy of meeting agenda. Aim and objective was written on the white board. A small power point presentation was used to share the importance of incorporating cross curricular links in movie projects. After that meeting agenda was followed step wise. The contents included Development of a Timeline for the project to ensure a degree of uniformity across the year group. Floor was opened for all the teachers to share the challenges and difficulties faced last year and way forward was discussed. Head of the English Department shared the Time line and at the end I summarised the meeting.

After introducing myself and welcoming all the attendees I introduced aim and objective of the meeting. Then the meeting agenda was discussed that was circulated earlier. Using a power point presentation possible movie topics in reference to the cross curricular links was discussed. Importance of Movie making project for students and teachers was highlighted. After concluding the presentation discussion was initiated regarding the effective use of Enrichment Programme lessons for Planning Movie project. In this regard a timeline was developed with the input of teachers and in-charge of Movie making project. During discussion session, most of the challenges and difficulties faced by the teachers were shared so they were directed to the relevant expert teachers for prompt quality solutions. Most importantly teachers shared possible solutions to make entire movie making experience enjoyable and manageable for themselves. A Buddy list of teachers was also shared to seek future assistance. At the end I summarised the main points of the meeting. Over all it was a very enjoyable experience.

Head of the Movie Making Project sharing Timeline of Project

Answering question of a Teacher

Welcoming Teachers and Introducing Topic

Sharing Importance of Cross Curricular Links

Sharing some Topics for Movie

  

I took verbal and written feedback from the attendees. I distributed feedback form with some questions about how the meeting was conducted. They answered the questions in detail related to the clarity of meeting agenda. They were asked to state if enough time was provided to all the participants to share and discuss their view point. A question was asked about effective time management in running the meeting. Also teachers were asked to give their suggestions to help the meeting become more productive and useful. 

Feedback from In-charge of Movie Making Project

Feedback from Head of Year 5

Feedback from a New Teacher

After the meeting everyone enjoyed food.

Post Meeting Lunch

Facilitating active Learning: How I helped Shy Learner with Class Involvement

Reason Why I Chose this Activity:

I chose to use this activity because as a teacher I felt that all the students not readily participate in the active learning. I wanted to use this strategy to encourage shy learners to involve during lessons. My objective was to make a shy learner perform and share her knowledge and learn with the help of class fellows. I planned to do the “Pupil as a Teacher” starter activity where shy learner would be chosen to recap the previous lesson they studied on metric units and their conversions. My aim was to explore a set of active learning strategies that can be more effective and interesting for all the students. Therefore, The activity was aimed at enabling the passive learners to participate fully in the lessons.

Using Activity in the Lesson:

I planned a maths lesson that would involve all the students in an active learning process. I kept my role merely as a facilitator by incorporating maximum student participation. I focused on engaging the shy learners of the class to take dynamic and energetic role in their own education. I identified a shy learners in my class. Then looked at the possible ways by which she can take a lead. My objective was to make a shy learner perform and share her knowledge and learn with the help of class fellows. I planned to do the “Pupil as a Teacher” starter activity where shy learner would be chosen to recap the previous lesson they studied on metric units and their conversions. This strategy also helped me in representing a shy learners in front of the whole class as one who participates less and requires friend’s help. I also assured to the class that with rest of the student’s help she would be a good peer teacher even. Knowing the personality of the student I planned to encourage my shy learner on taking buddy and peer help as per her requirement. I planned some pair share discussion activities. Frequent use of personal mini white boards was ensured. I also tried to keep the involvement of the shy learner in the class as a reason of encouragement for other students to be ready to take lead. The students were also provided with the calculators for conversion tasks. I used inland Google map of Dubai and aerial distance of Dubai with other major cities around world as the distance conversion tasks.

During the lesson I took a role of a facilitator. I discussed the main concept of lesson during the development. The whole class played a huge role in making it an enjoyable and a complete active learning experience. Especially the shy learner took the lead with the help of her class mates. She participated in activities with interest. She was reluctant in the beginning but with encouragement she showed excellent team work abilities and independent learning.

Mentor observing the shy learner's working

Show Answers Time 

Shy Learner Explaining the concept to the class

Explaining the conversion formula "Pupil as a Teacher"

Practical work Approach: Surveys

To use Practical work approach I linked the strategy of surveys to an investigation/experiment based Science lesson on Plant Growth. My intention remained to encourage the students to gather first-hand information through surveys. For the research based learning student’s first choice is internet that although provides them with  detailed information and clarity of idea as well as concepts but building up long lasting understanding comes through application of knowledge learnt from real life situation. Therefore, I wanted to provide an opportunity for my students to use Practical Work Approach enabling them to learn on their own by observing, deducing answers and to be able to explain the information as their personal experience.

A set Qualitative Survey was made for the whole class based on five basic questions about plants. Open ended questions were given in the survey to meet the attempting skill/ understanding of the different ability group students. The language of survey was very simple and of precise nature keeping the level of ease in mind. Questions were related to the basic information about plants they had in their homes. The plant’s name, height and general condition was asked in first two questions. While the remaining three questions asked about the amount of Sunlight and Air received by their plant. Along with the number of times it is being watered on weekly basis.

Survey Form 1: Interview from a gardener

Survey Form 2: A higher ability Student's work

Survey Form3

Picture of the plant with form 3

Survey Form 4

Picture with Survey form 4

A few students who did not have any plants at home were given a field work task. They were asked to observe the plants growing in their vicinity. The ones who had gardens nearby were asked to interview the gardener working there and take their insight on the same survey.

Aim of the activity was to investigate the amount of various factors necessary for plant growth and show to the children that the factors described in the lesson plans actually impact plant growth in real life on the plants located in their homes and gardens. Based on this the students will be able to plan and set up their investigation and finding results to prove the effect of one of the factors on healthy plant growth through. (seed germination)

I kept the task similar for all the ability group students because I wanted to gauge their understanding through their capacity of answering the questions. I wanted to see my HA students to provide reasoning and look for scientific processes. MA students could relate their answers to the habitat of plants. LA students were able to answer all the questions with clarity. I gave enough margin to the students to enjoy doing the surveys and gather information. Instead of asking them to research online which they at time become unable to recall and reflect in real life situation.

Survey Evaluation Form 1 

Survey Evaluation Form 2

Survey Evaluation Form 3

Survey Evaluation Form 4

I received a very positive response from the students (shown above) saying that they found it interesting, they could relate and observe plants in real life and how they take care of them. The students who did interviews gained confidence. Students appreciated the fact that survey was very easy and they could answer it without any restriction of a set pattern by observation only instead of looking for answers on internet. They also wanted to use this strategy again.

Student sharing his experience of taking interview with gardener

Student sharing how her selected factor will effect plant growth

Students planning for their plant investigation

Sharing excel charts based on the findings of student's surveys

The students although had good clarity on the factors necessary for plant growth and how can they prove it in investigation still they were unclear on how to write their planning in the notebooks. Since this was the very first investigation lesson for year 6 students in this academic year so students were taking a lot of time to recollect their prior knowledge on how to write their investigation in particular format. Next time I will try to give students detailed task cards with clear instructions to go by every step.