2. CATs versus testing. 3. How are CATs beneficial for teachers & students? 4. Angelo's principles ... can't answer this question, the assessment is probably not ... Reading Rating Sheet .... Students write one application or real world example ...
Formative Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) for an Interactive Learning Process The British University in Egypt Presenter: Mayada Zaki
Purposes Ownership of learning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uteJFRfik2Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LLKWFSDb1o
Evaluation
Objectives 1. What are CATs 2. CATs versus testing 3. How are CATs beneficial for teachers & students? 4. Angelo’s principles of classroom assessment 5. Which technique to choose? 6. How often should CATs be administered? 7. How to craft CATs questions? 8. What do CATs assess? 9. What to do with the data?
CATs Vs Testing and Performance Assessments Testing/ Performance Assessments
CATs
Assess Achievement
Feedback for learning
Summative
Formative
Not Anonymous
Anonymous
Longer
Easy and Quick
Graded
Not Graded
Answering the questions? • Are my students learning what I think I am
teaching? • Who is learning and who is not learning?
• What am I doing that is useful for these students? • What am I doing that is not useful for these students?
How are CATs Useful for teachers? 1. Instant feedback that can help in Short-term modifications: Teaching & assessments. Long-term modifications: Curriculum 2. Quick and easy to administer 3. Reveal similar feedback across students
How are CATs useful for students? 1. Students have voice in the classroom 2. Motivate hesitant students’ through anonymity 3. Motivate students to take their learning more seriously 4. Develop students’ critical thinking: Think about their learning and monitor their own progress. 5. Lead self-directed learners
ANGELO’S principles of classroom assessment 1. Ask only if you want to know. 2. Ask students for feedback only if you can and will respond to it. 3. Collect only data that you can easily and quickly turn into information. 4. Adapt methods to fit your class.
Which technique to choose? 5. Ask first: Which technique is appropriate to answer your questions, not which questions are appropriate to fit the assessment technique. 6. Determine: How will knowing the answer to these questions help improve student learning? (If you can’t answer this question, the assessment is probably not worth doing.)
7. Keep in mind: If an assessment is worth doing, it’s worth teaching students how to engage in the process in a meaningful way.
How often should CATs be administered? • At the end of every session • At critical points in the module: before projects/ exams • To evaluate effectiveness of a class activity • To help students evaluate their learning progress
How to craft these questions? 1. Learner-centered questions rather than teacher centered: “What have you learned?” “How did you like my teaching?” X
What do CATs assess? Course-Related Knowledge and Skills • • • •
Prior Knowledge, Recall, Understanding Skill in Synthesis and Creative Thinking Skill in Application and Performance Skill in Analysis and Critical Thinking
Learner Reactions to Instruction • Learner Reactions to Teachers and Teaching • Learner Reactions to Class Activities, Assignments, and Materials
Learner Attitudes, Values, and Self-Awareness
Prior knowledge probe • • • • • •
Background Knowledge Probe The One Minute Paper The Muddiest Point Focused Listing Reading Rating Sheet Misconception Checklist
Assessing Prior Knowledge, understanding (Background knowledge Probe) - Short simple questions at the beginning of the course. - To determine students’ knowledge baseline level and the most appropriate level to begin instruction. - Results can be quickly categorized into: 1. Average 2. No knowledge 3. Significant
Background knowledge probe (Examples on reading and writing) 1. Where should a thesis statement be placed in an essay? 2. How can a main idea be supported? 3. What does a run on sentence mean? 4. Where can you find the main ideas in a reading passage? 5. What are some features of academic writing? 6. How can you ask for clarification in a conversation? 7. When can you use the present perfect? Give example.
Assessing Prior Knowledge, understanding (One Minute Paper) 1. "What was the most important thing you learned during this class (today)"? 2. " What important question remains unanswered?“ 3. "What are you still confused about?“
(One Minute Paper) Benefits 1. It shows discrepancies between what students perceived they learned and the instructor’s goals. 2. Students will recall what they have learned and evaluate their information
Suggestions for One Minute Paper Questions • What is the most significant thing you learned today? • What question is uppermost in your mind? • Jot down three or four key concepts or main ideas from today’s class. • How can I help you understand the concept that is giving you the most difficulty? • How are the questions asked during class contributing to your learning? • What did you learn today that you think is totally unimportant? • Am I using enough examples?
The Muddiest Point • What was the muddiest point in [the lecture, the homework assignment, the reading, etc.]? Benefits Students must assess their understanding and articulate their confusion.
Focused Listing Students list ideas related to a concept/ name. Examples: 1. List ten fallacies with a short explanation for each. 2. List three ways you can make an offer. 3. List three grammatical or structural errors you usually do in your essays. 4. List the information required about a source in your essay bibliography. 5. List different types of reliable sources. 6. List different cases you can use the present simple tense.
Reading Rating Sheet 4 or 5 questions to rate the reading Purpose: Guide choice of readings/ focus Ss attention on some aspects of the text Example 1. Title of the reading 2. How useful was it to you in improving your vocabulary and reading skills? 3. How interesting was the reading to you? 4. Would you recommend it to a friend? Why or why not? 5. What did you learn from it that you want to make sure to remember?
Misconception/ Preconception Check Uncovering prior knowledge or beliefs/ incorrect knowledge that block learning. Method: A questionnaire of True or False or MCQ
Misconception/ Preconception Check Examples 1. The present continuous can be used to describe short span actions (F).
2. A paragraph is: a. one block of words b. has more than one block of words. 3. The introduction of an essay should be written in (one- two- three) paragraphs.
II. Assessing Skills in Synthesis and Creative Thinking (One sentence summary)
About a given topic "Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why"? Then the student is asked to transform responses to those questions into a single, grammatical sentence.
Assessing skill in application and performance • Directed Paraphrasing • Application Cards • Student-generated Test Questions
(Directed Paraphrasing) They can write to explain a concept or process to other students. Example: 1. Paraphrase a paragraph on how to write a good thesis statement. 2. Paraphrase a paragraph on how to write a good compare and contrast essay. 3. Paraphrase a paragraph on the differences between inference and assumptions 4. Paraphrase a paragraph on the importance of using references in writing.
Application Cards Students write one application or real world example of a concept they have learned on an index card. Example: 1. Write one example of a run on sentence; then correct it. 2. Write one good thesis statement/ a call for action for the following topic. 3. Give an example of a bandwagon fallacy
Students-generated test questions Students are asked to generate two or three test questions with correct responses. Example
They can assimilate reading questions to confirm they understand the type of questions on a reading passage (main ideas/ supporting ideas/ fact and opinion/ vocabulary).
How to analyze students’ questions? • Tally the types of questions students propose and look at the range of topics the questions span. Feedback shows • what students consider the most important • what they understand as fair and useful test questions, and how well they can answer the questions they have posed. • inaccurate expectations about upcoming tests.
Assessing skills of analysis and critical thinking • Paper or project prospectus • Process analysis • Pro and con grid
Paper or project prospectus • Brief, structured first-draft plan for a term paper or term project. • Think through elements of the assignment such as the topics, purpose, intended audience, major questions to be answered, basic organization, and time and resources required. • They synthesize what is learned with their plan of the project. Feedback: List of suggestions to be given to students
Process Analysis They keep record of the steps they need for an assignment. Procedures • A record of their work process – actual steps, time taken for each step, and a description for each step.
• Look over the analyses for areas where students spend the most time, areas that should be part of the process. • Report findings back to the class and/or have students share with each other how they completed the process.
Assignment Time Frame Use this template to plan and organize your work on a research paper. Set a week-by week or day-by-day schedule for accomplishing these research steps. •
Establish topic and focus. Narrow topic so that it is manageable. Check with instructor to make sure topic is appropriate. Dates: _____________
•
Reread and digest the research material, finding my own approach and developing an essay outline. Dates: ______________
•
Write an annotated bibliography for each source to be used. Dates: ______________
•
Check APA style for accurate citation of each source. Write the reference list. Dates: ______________
•
Write the first draft of introduction and body. Get feedback on the draft from the instructor or a classmate. Dates: ______________
•
Prepare the final draft and proofread. Dates:
Pro & Con Grid Students are asked to jot down a quick list of pros and cons on a particular topic or issue. Example 1. Studying novels? 2. Writing an annotated bibliography for the sources before using them in your essay.
What to do with the data? Analyze the results/ answers either quantitatively or qualitatively. Categorize the similar answers according to your purpose.
Sample Data Analysis Chart Assessing Background Knowledge Assessing what?
What do the results say?
How will you respond to the results?
Any surprises?
Student knowledge of course content prior to beginning the course.
60% of the students have some preknowledge; 40% have none.
Challenge those who have background knowledge; bring those who don’t up to speed.
I thought more students would already know the information I asked about.
Questions to be considered during the analysis 1. “How many students are learning well; how many are not? 2. Which students are learning well; which are not? 3. What do successful learners do that other learners don’t do? 4. How much of the course content are students learning? 5. How well are students integrating the various elements of the course content? 6. How does my teaching affect student learning – positively and negatively? 7. What, specifically, could I change about my teaching to improve learning inside and outside the classroom?”
Basic Assumptions of Classroom Assessment •
To improve their learning, students need to receive appropriate and focused feedback early and often.
•
Students need to learn how to assess their own learning.
•
The type of assessment most likely to improve teaching responds to questions about issues in the instructor’s own teaching.
•
Classroom assessment does not require specialized training; it can be carried out by dedicated instructors from all disciplines.
One minute paper Please in two minutes answer the following questions: • 1. What was the most important thing about this presentation? • 2. What was the muddiest (least clear) point in this presentation?
Any Questions?
References Angelo, T. (2000). Classroom assessment: Guidelines for success. Teaching excellence: Toward the best in the academy 12 (4), 1-2 Angelo, T. A. and Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (2nd ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Shaffer K. (2013). Are they getting what I think I’m teaching: Classroom assessment techniques. http://www.lcc.edu/cte/pdf/cats.pdf
