Snapshot vs. Photo Album

In the realm of education, the assessment of student progress and learning has evolved significantly over the years. Traditionally, assessment has often been limited to snapshots in time—single assessments that provide a brief glimpse into a student’s knowledge and abilities at a specific moment. However, the development of collaborative learning systems, such as gotLearning, offers a more comprehensive and dynamic approach akin to building a photo album rather than taking a one-time snapshot.

Just as a photo album collects and displays a collection of memories, a collaborative learning system like gotLearning aims to capture and document a student’s learning journey over time. By leveraging technology and collaborative tools, this innovative approach allows educators and students to actively engage in the learning process while receiving ongoing feedback and support.

“Teachers play a vital role in this collaborative learning process. Rather than merely grading a final product or a one-time assessment, they become facilitators and mentors, guiding students through their learning experiences.”

 

One of the key advantages of a collaborative learning system is that it encourages continuous learning and growth. Rather than relying on a single assessment or e-portfolio that offers a static view of a student’s abilities, a photo album-style approach allows for the accumulation of evidence and milestones of progress. Through regular interactions with teachers and peers, students can receive feedback and guidance, adapting and refining their skills as they go along.

In a collaborative learning system, students can actively participate in their own learning process, becoming co-creators of knowledge rather than passive recipients. By engaging in discussions, collaborative projects, and sharing their work with others, students gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter and develop essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. The ongoing feedback from teachers and peers helps students identify areas for improvement and build upon their strengths, fostering a growth mindset and a sense of ownership over their learning journey.

Teachers also play a vital role in this collaborative learning process. Rather than merely grading a final product or a one-time assessment, they become facilitators and mentors, guiding students through their learning experiences. Teachers can provide timely feedback, scaffold learning activities, and address misconceptions as they arise. This active involvement enables educators to identify individual student needs and tailor their instruction accordingly, promoting personalized learning and growth for each student.

Another advantage of a collaborative learning system is its capacity to foster a sense of community and connection among learners. By engaging in collaborative projects and interacting with peers, students develop social skills, empathy, and a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives. The photo album-like approach allows for the creation of shared experiences, shared knowledge, and shared memories—a collective learning journey that enhances the educational experience and promotes a supportive learning environment.

Furthermore, the documentation of learning over time in a collaborative learning system provides valuable insights for both students and educators. Students can reflect on their progress, recognize their achievements, and set goals for future growth. Educators can analyze patterns and trends, identifying areas where additional support or instructional adjustments may be necessary. This continuous monitoring and feedback loop ensure that learning is dynamic, responsive, and focused on individual student needs.

While e-portfolios have been used as a means of capturing student work and growth, they often fall short in terms of collaboration and ongoing feedback. E-portfolios typically provide a static snapshot of a student’s abilities at a particular point in time, limiting the scope for real-time interaction and support. In contrast, a collaborative learning system offers a dynamic and participatory experience, akin to building a rich and evolving photo album that captures the growth and development of learners.
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Mike Rutherford is the founder and CEO of gotLearning. He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He has been a teacher, instructional technology coach, school district EdTech director, founder of the K12 group at Blackboard, Vice President of Business Development at Just ASK Publications & Professional Development, all before returning to the classroom as a 6th grade humanities teacher at International School Bangkok in Thailand where he built version 1 of gotLearning in his classroom. You can follow Mike and gotLearning at @mikerford and @growthovertime on Twitter.

gotFeedback Prompt Guide

To receive good useable feedback from gotFeedback, you need to create specific prompts. Using the “Seven Keys to Effective Feedback“ by Grant Wiggins, we have put together advice on how to create effective prompts for gotFeedback to provide the desired feedback you want.

  1. Goal referenced: Your gotFeedback prompts should always be tied to specific learning objectives or goals for your students. This means that you need to identify the learning outcomes you want to achieve from the writing task and the specific skills you want to assess. For example, if you’re teaching persuasive writing, you might want to focus on the students’ ability to create a clear thesis statement and use evidence to support their arguments.
  2. Tangible and transparent: Your prompts should be specific and clear enough that students know exactly what you’re asking them to do. Instead of asking gotFeedback for “general feedback,” consider using prompts that ask for specific feedback on a particular aspect of the writing, such as “Please provide feedback on the organization of the essay.”
  3. Actionable: Your prompts should give students concrete suggestions for how to improve their writing. For example, instead of saying “This paragraph needs work,” provide specific feedback like “Consider adding a topic sentence to introduce the main idea of the paragraph.”
  4. User-friendly: Your prompts should be written in language that is appropriate for your students’ age and skill level. Use simple, clear language and avoid jargon or overly technical terms that might confuse your students.
  5. Timely: Provide feedback promptly, ideally within 24-48 hours of receiving the writing assignment. This will help students remember what they were trying to accomplish and be more receptive to feedback. Using a platform that is student-centered helps immensely. 
  6. Ongoing: Feedback should be an ongoing process throughout the writing process, not just at the end. Consider asking for feedback at various stages of the writing process, such as before drafting, after drafting, and before finalizing the writing.
  7. Consistent: Use consistent prompts and criteria for feedback across all students to ensure fairness and reliability. Consider creating a rubric or checklist to help you and your students stay on track.
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gotFeedback

We know teachers have a finite amount of time every day. We created gotLearning to allow more engaging and effective collaborations, helping teachers and students capture and communicate about their learning as it is happening.

Knowing that feedback is at the heart of learning, we are ensuring our technology tools support a teacher’s ability to provide timely, effective and personalized feedback. We are proud to introduce gotFeedback, the first classroom teacher’s feedback tool built on OpenAI’s Large Language Model API. 

Introducing gotFeedback, Your New Personal Feedback Resource

gotFeedback is modeled on the research that feedback needs to be:

  • Goal-referenced
  • Tangible and Transparent
  • Actionable
  • User-Friendly
  • Timely
  • Ongoing
  • Consistent

gotFeedback‘s goal is to help teachers provide more individualized feedback to their students in a timely way. After our March 2023 beta period we will be moving our gotFeedback tool into gotLearning‘s Collaborative Learning System to seamlessly integrate this technology into our feedback structure. This will allow teachers to use AI where they deem appropriate, quickly and easily request feedback and actionable next steps for themselves and their students. All of this will be at the individual student level.

Moderated AI Feedback

We are being thoughtful in how we roll out AI in our platform with our first iteration being controlled by the teachers. We believe that the best path at the moment is to have the teacher moderate the AI feedback that is provided. The teacher can use gotFeedback as a resource, choosing which elements are appropriate feedback to share with students. We believe that AI-based feedback has real-world implications in education and that is why we are embedding this technology into our platform.  

While the technology is changing rapidly, we do not believe that today’s Large Language Models (LLMs) are ready to provide feedback directly to students at this time. Many articles illustrate that LLMs can be wildly incorrect and sometimes harmful (see Will ChatGPT Supplant Us as Writers, Thinkers in the Harvard Gazette.)

Join us in trying gotFeedback. We hope you find that it can be helpful in speeding up the feedback process.

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Capturing Learning as it Happens

This article was originally posted on Teachers Going Gradeless. 

As educators we all know how complex teaching and learning is and the many stages that happen through a typical learning cycle. We also know that at key intervals throughout the year, schools layer in formal recording and reporting structures to capture and communicate about student learning at that time. Portfolios and conferences are popular ways to report about student learning and growth. Those of you who are reading this are likely thinking about or are going gradeless in your reporting. We are going to further explore portfolios and conferences as tools for capturing learning evidence and showing growth over time. 

Portfolios are most often thought of as a collection of learning evidence that demonstrates students’ knowledge, skills, and understanding. And conferences are most often thought about as the parent-teacher-student conversations at the end of a quarter or semester. I believe that curating evidence of learning over time and partnering with the student in conferencing throughout the learning process are integral to creating a dynamic learning environment.

All of a student’s learning does not occur in the direct view of the teacher. There are a myriad of things students do as they are engaging in new learning. Students interpret new ideas, ask clarifying questions, partake in trial and error, create rough drafts, receive feedback, receive scaffolds as necessary, make revisions, engage in more trial, receive more feedback, etc. These kinds of activities continue throughout the learning cycle supporting students along the way. Usually, it is the teacher who wraps up the learning cycle and for students it results in some level of learning mastery and some artifacts that can be added to a portfolio. 

When done well, portfolios are individualized museums of student learning. These are a great way to show learning growth and when possible allow you to compare where the student started and where they ended. One challenge is that the process of curating artifacts to go into a portfolio usually occurs after the evidence has been completed and toward the end of the learning cycle. There are so many important pieces of formative learning data that are missed when the curation happens at the end.

Students and teachers should consider capturing and curating learning evidence throughout the learning cycle and as the learning is occurring. This allows both the teacher and student to use a triangulated assessment approach which includes performance observations, conversations, and physical products as learning evidence (Damien Cooper, Rebooting Assessment). This triangulated assessment approach allows teachers and students to paint a more nuanced picture of the student and their learning over time.

In the back-and-forth interactions between students and teachers that occur every day lies much of this learning evidence. This includes physical evidence, online documents/presentation, emails, texts, conversations, as well as peer and teacher feedback—to name a few. Capturing all of this formative assessment data is staggering in volume and incredibly hard to manage for both teachers and students. The average classroom size (Elementary, Middle, and High School in the U.S.) is around 24 students (NCES 2020). Multiply 24 by the typical teaching load of 5 classes and you have 120 students for whom to capture learning data. Not an easy task.

We know we can’t expect teachers to read and respond to each piece of qualitative learning evidence their students produce. It is just not humanly possible nor sustainable at a high level. We also know this is really important learning evidence. We must work smarter and not harder. If we leverage technology designed to co-create, capture and curate the learning as it is occurring, this daunting task not only becomes possible, but essential. The trick is that both students and teachers need to be involved to ensure the capturing and curation is a collaborative and communicative experience. Neither student nor the teacher should bear sole responsibility for the curation of learning evidence over time. Co-creation of learning is what technology allows us to easily accomplish. 

When teachers and students are capturing learning evidence along the way, they both have a much easier time showing growth. Thus, creating and maintaining portfolio evidence as the learning is happening results in richer, more nuanced representations of learning over time. When students and teachers capture learning as it happens—it is no longer an add-on reporting method after a performance task is completed. 

Educator benefits of capturing and curating learning portfolios throughout the learning process (as the student is learning) are:

  • Easily showing growth over time

  • Seeing trends in student learning across multiple students allowing for timely adjustments

  • Aiding collaboration with the full team of educators (special education, instructional coaches, and school administrators) when they can view the qualitative learning evidence of individual students in a way they could never do so before

  • Capturing learning as it happens allows for more diagnostic formative assessment. From this teachers can better meet the individual needs of each learner. The teacher can determine where students are in the learning and provide the feedback or the scaffolding to help them move forward

Student benefits of capturing and curating learning evidence throughout the learning process (not just at the end) are:

  • Engaging more fully in all parts of their learning 

  • Allowing student ownership of their learning supporting the development of student agency

  • Including reflections of what/how students learned as well as what they did to accomplish their learning

  • Including artifacts of important performance observations and reflections, teacher/peer conversations as well as physical products

Conferences are another very important part of communicating student learning and growth. When conferences are limited to the parent-teacher-student conference at specific points throughout the school year they serve the purpose of reporting. If we consider conversations we have daily with our students as conferencing (often called conferring) we have another rich data source to add to our portfolios. This process of conferring—the one-on-one conversations with each of your students throughout the week—will become one of the most powerful learning opportunities for both you and your students.

I learned firsthand the power of conferring by observing master teachers Carl Anderson, Penny Kittle, and Kelly Gallagher confer one-on-one with my students with incredible efficiency and effectiveness. I watched them masterfully partner with our students in these conferring sessions to understand where they were in their learning, to celebrate growth and to set goals for their next steps. And, the best part of this kind of conferring is that the students become the owners of their goals and next steps. 

The qualitative data that is generated daily by students is the most powerful learning evidence to tell the story of learning over time. Expanding how we are developing our portfolios and how we conference with students to more deliberately include this important qualitative evidence will strengthen the stories we ask our students to curate about their learning journey. 

Mike Rutherford is the founder and CEO of gotLearning. He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He has been a teacher, instructional technology coach, school district EdTech director, founder of the K12 group at Blackboard, Vice President of Business Development at Just ASK Publications & Professional Development, all before returning to the classroom as a 6th grade humanities teacher at International School Bangkok in Thailand where he built version 1 of gotLearning in his classroom. You can follow Mike and gotLearning at @mikerford and @growthovertime on Twitter.

Permission is granted for reprinting and distribution of this blog post for non-commercial use only. Please include the following citation on all copies:
Rutherford, Mike. “Capturing Learning as it Happens.” Teachers Going Gradeless. Reproduced with permission of Teachers Going Gradeless. All rights reserved. Available at https://www.teachersgoinggradeless.com/blog/capturing-learning

gotLearning and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Colleen Dawson 
(They/She)
B.A., B.ED., PBDE.

Winnipeg School Division, Winnipeg, Canada

UDL is a framework for designing learning environments that are accessible, engaging, and effective for all learners, regardless of their abilities or needs. gotLearning‘s platform supports UDL by providing teachers with a range of tools and resources that allow them to capture, analyze, and interpret data and evidence about student learning. These tools and resources can be used to support the implementation of UDL principles in the classroom. gotLearning aligns with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in several ways. Some explicit and concrete examples include:
  • Multiple means of representation: gotLearning‘s platform allows teachers to provide students with multiple means of representation, such as visual, auditory, and written forms of feedback. This allows students with different learning styles and abilities to access and understand the feedback provided.
  • Multiple means of expression: gotLearning‘s platform allows teachers to provide students with multiple means of expression, such as allowing them to choose the format or mode in which they respond to feedback or demonstrate their learning. This allows students to engage in the learning process in a way that is most meaningful and effective for them.
  • Multiple means of engagement: gotLearning‘s platform allows teachers to provide students with multiple means of engagement, such as offering choices in the learning tasks or activities they complete. This allows students to actively participate in their own learning and to feel motivated and engaged in the process.
  • Personalized learning plans: gotLearning‘s platform allows teachers to develop personalized learning plans for each student based on the data and evidence collected about their learning. This can involve providing students with choices in how to demonstrate their learning and collaborating with other teachers and educational specialists to support the learning of all students.
To further explain to teachers how gotLearning aligns with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), you could highlight the following points:
  • gotLearning‘s platform provides teachers with a range of tools and resources that allow them to capture, analyze, and interpret data and evidence about student learning. This can help teachers better understand the needs and expectations of each student and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly.
  • gotLearning‘s platform supports the implementation of UDL principles in the classroom by providing teachers with multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. This allows students with different learning needs and abilities to access and understand the feedback provided, to engage in the learning process in a way that is most meaningful and effective for them, and to actively participate in their own learning.
  • gotLearning‘s platform promotes collaboration and support among teachers by providing them with a platform to share best practices and strategies that incorporate UDL principles. This can help teachers work together to create more inclusive and equitable learning environments that meet the needs of all students.

To incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into gotLearning, teachers can:

  1. Capture data and evidence about each student’s learning using a variety of methods that are accessible to all students. For example, teachers can use gotLearning‘s platform to provide students with multiple means of representation, such as visual, auditory, and written forms of feedback. This allows students with different learning styles and abilities to access and understand the feedback provided.
  1. Analyze the data and evidence collected using UDL principles to ensure that all students are included and supported in the learning process. For example, teachers can use gotLearning‘s platform to provide students with **multiple means of expression**, such as allowing them to choose the format or mode in which they respond to feedback or demonstrate their learning. This allows students to engage in the learning process in a way that is most meaningful and effective for them.
  1. Interpret the data and evidence using UDL principles to develop personalized learning plans for each student. For example, teachers can use gotLearning‘s platform to provide students with **multiple means of engagement**, such as offering choices in the learning tasks or activities they complete. This allows students to actively participate in their own learning and to feel motivated and engaged in the process.
  1. Provide students with choices in how to demonstrate their learning using UDL principles to ensure that all students have access to the same opportunities. For example, teachers can use gotLearning‘s platform to provide students with **multiple means of representation,** such as allowing them to choose the format or mode in which they present their learning. This allows students to demonstrate their learning in a way that is most meaningful and effective for them.
  1. Collaborate with other teachers and educational specialists using UDL principles to ensure that all students are included and supported in the learning process. For example, teachers can use gotLearning‘s platform to share best practices and strategies that incorporate UDL principles, and to receive feedback and guidance from other educators on how to effectively implement UDL in their classrooms. This allows teachers to work together to support the learning of all students, regardless of their individual abilities and needs.


References

Almarode, J., Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2022). How learning works: A playbook. Corwin/Fisher & Frey.

Almarode, J., Fisher, D., Thunder, K., Frey, N., & Hansen, T. (2021).
The success criteria playbook: A hands-on guide to making learning visible and measurable: Grades K-12. Corwin.

Eysink, T. H., & Schildkamp, K. (2021). A conceptual framework for assessment-informed differentiation (aid) in the classroom. Educational Research, 63(3), 261–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2021.1942118

Fullan, M., & Quinn, J. (2016). Coherence: The right drivers in action for schools, districts, and systems. Ontario Principals’ Council.

Fullan, M., Quinn, J., & McEachen, J. (2018). Deep learning: Engage the world change the world. Corwin.

Fulton, M. L., & Vasquez, A. M. (2022). Perspectives, Strategies, and Propositions for Cultivating Inclusive Educational Environments: Teaching for Neurodiversity and Creative Learning. In Handbook of Research on challenging deficit thinking for exceptional (pp. 144–178). essay, BUSINESS SCIENCE REFERENCE.

Hattie, J., Bustamante, V., Almarode, J., Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2021). Great teaching by design. Corwin Press .

Illeris, K. (2017). How we learn: Learning and non-learning in school and beyond. Routledge.

Illeris, K., & Illeris, K. (2018). A Comprehensive understanding of human learning. In Contemporary theories of learning: Learning theorists … in their own words (pp. 3–14). essay, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
L., D. S. M. 1944-; K. W. R. J. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st-century learner. Oxford University Press.

M.Ed., P. L. (n.d.). Ch. 12 differentiated instruction. Instructional Methods Strategies and Technologies to Meet the Needs of All Learners. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://granite.pressbooks.pub/teachingdiverselearners/chapter/differentiated-instruction-2/

Tomlinson, C. A., Brighton, C., Hertberg, H., Callahan, C. M., Moon, T. R., Brimijoin, K., Conover, L. A., & Reynolds, T. (2003). Differentiating instruction in response to student readiness, interest, and learning profile in academically diverse classrooms: A review of literature. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 27(2-3), 119–145. https://doi.org/10.1177/016235320302700203

The UDL guidelines. UDL. (2022, September 2). Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

Vásquez-Rosati, A., Montefusco-Siegmund, R., López, V., & Cosmelli, D. (2019). Emotional influences on cognitive flexibility depend on individual differences: A combined micro-phenomenological and psychophysiological study. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01138 

Permission is granted for reprinting and distribution of this blog post for non-commercial use only. Please include the following citation on all copies:
Dawson, Colleen. “UDL and gotLearning.” gotLearning. Reproduced with permission of Growth Over Time Learning (gotLearning). © 2023 gotlearning. All rights reserved. Available at www.gotlearning.com

Formative Assessment FAQ

During the years that I have been writing, assessment has been the focus multiple times. One component of my assessment repertoire that continues to be elusive for many is formative assessment. Questions that frequently surface are addressed in this issue. Those questions include:

 

    • What specifically is formative assessment?
    • How does formative assessment differ from summative assessment?
    • What does the research tell us about formative assessments?
    • How should we apply these research findings to their instructional practice?
    • Should formative assessments be included in a student’s report card grade?
    • How often should formative assessments be used?
    • How should we go about using formative assessments to gather achievement data and what are some strategies we can use?

 

What specifically is formative assessment?
Formative assessment, as defined by the Council of Chief School Officers, is a “process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning, to improve students’ achievement on intended instructional outcomes.” Putting it succinctly, formative assessments provide information, often informal, for both teacher and students about how learning is progressing; concurrently, it informs the teacher about whether or not instruction is working and if true learning is being formed.

 

How does formative assessment differ from summative assessment?
Formative assessments give teachers the opportunity to provide feedback to students so they can use this data to make corrections or adjustments in their work. Formative assessments let teachers and students know how learning is progressing; summative assessments, on the other hand, are periodically administered to students to determine what knowledge they have learned or what skills students have mastered. Dr. James Popham, a UCLA professor and a huge proponent of the proper use of formative assessment, has said, “Whereas formative assessment intends to improve ongoing assessment, summative assessment tries to answer the question, ‘Was instruction effective?’” Rick Stiggins, President of Assessment Training Institute, Inc., distinguishes between assessments for learning (formative assessment) versus assessment of learning (summative assessment). Stiggins notes that both assessment practices are essential but many educators still do not use formative assessment data properly. Any assessment can be either formative or summative. The category into which an assessment falls is determined by how the information gleaned from the assessment is used.

 

What does research tell us about formative assessments?
In 1998, British researchers Paul Black and Dylan William published an extensive review of classroom assessment practices and concluded that when properly applied, formative assessment had a significant impact on student learning. In their meta-analysis, they found that gains in learning through the use of formative assessments are “among the largest ever reported for educational interventions.” As the work of Black and William received increased public attention, dialogue in schools also increased as educators contemplated how their current practice compared to the research findings.

 

How should we apply these research findings to our instructional practice?
There are many justifications for changing one’s thinking about how we assess our student’s progress. Currently, in many grade books, there is a hodgepodge of marks including grades for homework, behavior, participation, attendance, pop quizzes, tardies, and group work. Mixed in with these marks are grades for tests, projects, performance tasks, presentations, essays, book reports, and self-assessments. When determining a report card grade, some teachers combine all of these measures (often weighting different data sources and then averaging everything together) and come up with a letter grade. Unless there are faculty discussions about assessment practices that lead to some uniformity in how schools determine and report student achievement, each staff member can have his own personal and unique system for determining exactly what a specific grade signifies. Hence, grades on report cards vary from teacher to teacher and tell us nothing about what students have actually learned.

 

Should formative assessments be included in a students’ report card grade?
Current work in the field of assessment provides much greater insight into how we should monitor and report student achievement. Many educational researchers and writers have concluded that a student’s grade should be based on the student’s demonstration of mastery of the learning standards. More precisely, performance on summative assessments should determine a final quarter or annual grade. Formative assessments should be thought of as steps in the learning process; this formative data should be used to provide feedback to students, allow students to adjust their learning strategies, and inform teachers as to how they can adjust instruction to improve learning. It is much like when an athlete or musician learns a new technique; they do not use it instantly in a performance or competition. Instead, the teacher or coach observes the students using the new technique and provides suggestions for improvement until the athlete or musician demonstrates improvement and competence in their quest for mastery. In the same vein, our students should complete self-assessments on work in progress comparing their current proficiency level with a published rubric or a clearly delineated standard. Using the gathered data, the student can identify areas of strength, target areas for improvement, and make an action plan. Practices such as giving a pop quiz or assigning a brief writing assignment, collecting and grading papers and returning the work with a single letter grade on top should be eliminated completely. Using formative assessment data to provide opportunities for growth makes so much more sense if student improvement and learning is the ultimate goal.

 

How often should formative assessments be used?
From the time students walk in the door, formative assessment is available. Every comment, look, and move provides data about the learners and their learning. Wise teachers are continuously gathering and using that data. Additionally, these wise teachers are purposeful in orchestrating tasks and interactions on a regular ongoing basis that let them know if instruction is working. As University of Virginia Professor Carol Ann Tomlinson has written, “We need to understand where our students are at any point during a unit; in other words, what each student knows, understands, and can do at a given time based on the content goals we’ve established.” Finding out where each student stands in relation to the identified standards can be determined in a variety of ways that do not have to be complex or time consuming.

 

How should we go about using formative assessments to gather achievement data and what are some strategies/techniques they can use?


As stated above, any interaction between teacher and student can be considered a formative assessment. These interactions may be oral or in writing, can be formal or informal, and can provide data about a student’s progress toward achieving mastery of identified standards. There are dozens of formative assessment strategies. A few possibilities are:

 

  • Ticket to Enter: As students enter the classroom, they are asked to complete a quick response to a question or writing prompt to activate their current thinking on a topic
  • Ticket to Leave: Students respond in writing to questions or prompts to show what they have learned and submit the slip to the teacher as they leave the class
  • Journaling/Learning Log/Quick Write: Students record their reactions to new learning in a variety of ways
  • Self-assessment: Students complete personal assessments indicating where they see themselves with a work in progress
  • Two Stars and a Wish: Students provide feedback to a peer by pointing out two positive aspects of the peer’s work followed by one suggestion to help improve their work in the future
  • 3-2-1: Students record their summarizing responses at the end of a lesson; for example, the students write about 3 new things they learned, 2 questions they still have, and 1 way they connected their new learning to what they already knew
  • One Word Summary: Students choose one word that summarizes the concept or topic they have studied in class followed by 2-3 sentences that explain why they chose the word
  • Graphic Organizers: Students complete a visual representation of their learning
  • Sentence stem: Students begin a paragraph summary with a sentence stem provided by the teacher such as “The important thing about…”  The students then include details to support the conclusion they reached
  • Whiteboards: Students write answers/responses on small handheld whiteboards and display them for teacher and classmates to see
  • Sticks: The teacher places a craft stick with the name of a student on each one in a container, draws out one stick at a time and asks the designated student a question
  • Clipboard Cruising: The teacher moves around the room as students are working individually or in groups and jots down observations about how students are progressing toward mastering an objective
  • 10:2 Theory (Rowe): After ten minutes of instruction, the teacher provides two minutes of time for students to pause and process what they have learned during large group instruction; the teacher observes/listens in on student conversations
  •  

 

It is important to note that none of these assessments are graded; they simply provide important data as learning is taking place. When teachers use formative assessments to appropriately analyze students’ day-to-day performance and the effectiveness of the instructional program, the results on summative assessments should be predictable.  No one should be surprised. Education Week blogger David Ginsburg says it well when he writes, “Formative assessment efficiency on the part of teachers is the key to summative assessment proficiency on the part of students.”

 
Permission is granted for reprinting and distribution of this blog post for non-commercial use only. Please include the following citation on all copies:

Oliver, Bruce. “Formative Assessment FAQ” gotLearning. Reproduced with permission of Growth Over Time Learning (gotLearning). © 2023 gotlearning. All rights reserved. Available at www.gotlearning.com

Ten Reasons Teachers Are Heroes

The word hero has been used to describe those individuals who are on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who fit the heroic description include doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), service providers and a myriad of other brave and intrepid people who have worked diligently to combat the challenges of this unconventional year. As times have passed, and as other workers have provided essential services, a new population has been added to the list of personnel who have moved boldly to the front lines by providing a necessary assistance to a category of individuals who require special care and attention: our nation’s children. Teachers are heroes because of their dedication and perseverance to make teaching and learning possible for all children. More specifically, there are definitive reasons why teachers have earned the moniker of hero. Their qualifications are detailed in ten descriptions below.

  1. Teachers go to great lengths to reach every child and they do not give up on anyone.
    An important component of a teacher’s role is to get to know each of the students entrusted to them. Stories abound as to the lengths our educators have gone during these times of turmoil. Many have personally visited their students at home, especially those who have not responded to enrollment requirements. Our educators have arranged for technology supplies to be delivered to ensure that students can access the online learning available to them. Some teachers have provided supplies to students whose families cannot afford them. Most importantly, teachers have made repeated personal contact with students who are struggling or who require more one-on-one attention. As former NBA star Magic Johnson noted, “All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and somebody who believes in them.” A youngster in my neighborhood has written across the driveway in large letters: Human beings risk their lives to save ours.


  2. Teachers make social-emotional learning a priority.
    As the pandemic became more and more a reality and student isolation became commonplace, educators took to heart the impact COVID-19 was having on the mental state of our children. They realized that content and curriculum had to take a momentary backseat to the psychological needs of their students. When the new school year began, more and more of our teachers included the following practices in their daily routines:

    • Building strong caring relationships with and among their children;
    • Modeling empathy and teaching their students empathic skills;
    • Helping students to become more aware of their own emotions;
    • Including discussion starters that incorporate concepts such as impulse control and stress management in their daily lies;
    • Planning learning experiences that will build a positive classroom culture.

    In her book Social Emotional Learning and the Brain author Marilee Sprenger has the following dedication on the opening page: “I dedicate this book to all the students who needed an adult in their life to help them cope, overcome, and succeed. We didn’t know better. We are trying to do better.” This is how a true hero thinks.

  3. Teachers are finding ways to engage students emotionally and socially at the beginning of each class.
    Conventional thinking of beginning each class with a warm-up dealing with content has changed for many individuals who understand how children on the other side of the screen might be feeling. Some instructors are beginning with a song their students might recognize while others will post a cartoon, emoji, or meme that will make their students smile or even laugh out loud. Still others may tell a short story or read an excerpt from a book and ask their students to react to it. True heroes who find themselves in difficult situations have to think differently. Determined educators understand that they must devise atypical methods to help students’ focus on their learning. Plus teachers may find that they are more relaxed when they move to the day’s lesson.


  4. Like doctors and nurses who do all they can to help patients recover and return to their homes to hopefully live a healthier lifestyle, teachers think more deeply about their time with children and the impact they will have in their lives over time.
    Educator Marcela Montay-Wilson shared the following belief with her students: “As your teacher, my job is not only to help you learn and master our objectives and standards, but much more importantly, to help you become lifelong learners. In order to be those kinds of scholars, I need to give you space and time to ask yourself, ‘What am I curious about? What do I want to pursue?’” This kind of insight enables a teacher to set aside time for students to personally reflect on their learning experiences and to envision what their future might hold. Many teachers share Ms. Montay-Wilson’s belief because they see their profession as more than a series of lessons.


  5. Like hospital workers who work diligently to comfort their patients by offering encouraging words as they combat their illnesses., teachers are becoming more introspective and choosing the words they use with their students in a more conscientious way.
    Teachers Katie Novak and Mike Anderson provide us with examples that may help students’ intrinsic motivation, sustain effort and persistence, and self regulate during COVID-19 and beyond. They carefully select the words they use with their youngsters so that their students feel like they have choices instead of simply following their teacher’s directions. Examples include:

    • Instead of “I expect you all to…” try “Your next challenge is…”
    • Instead of “I want you to…” try “What’s a goal you have?
    • Instead of “Here are three things you need to do…” try “Here are three things to try as you….”
    • Instead of “I’ve created some choices for you…” try “You have several choices to consider.”

    They further suggest that rather than emphasizing a “good grade” refer to it as “high-quality work.” Rather than offering a reward for completed work, a teacher can ask her students about their goals for a particular assignment. When teacher phrase their words more carefully, students will view them as providers of support rather than someone who has power over them.

  6. Many teachers are reevaluating and revising their typical procedures and, as a result, they are minimizing screen time whenever possible.
    Distance learning was a new concept to most individuals in the spring of 2020. Over time prudent instructors realized that studens can become susceptible to “Zoom gloom,” a feeling of attention fatigue from interpreting social cues through live video for prolonged periods. Teachers are applying different ways of thinking as they plan their sessions:Some teachers are limiting direct instruction time to 25-minute segments followed by short 15-minute breaks. They use the “chunking lessons” format to include an introduction, building background knowledge, formatively assessing where students are with the topic, and pausing for a break time. Some educators have found that it is important to cue students to stand up, move away from their computers, and do some form of physical activity.Other teachers are implementing the flipped classroom strategy during which students engage in activities much more similar to traditional homework. This learner-centered model has students working independently, in small groups, or with a partner. Additionally, they are able to access their teacher for help if and when they may need it.As several educators have written, “One of the biggest complaints about online school is the zombie-like after-effects of spending too much time on a screen.” True leaders in their field continually take steps to make sure they are giving the best service to their fellow man. Teachers are doing the same for their youngsters.


  7. Many teachers believe that the focus in the classroom should be on learning and not just grading, and that retakes on tests nurture growth.
    They want their students to see mistakes as learning opportunities; instead of seeing themselves as failures, they should believe that they simply have not reached mastery…..YET. Writer and educator Kimberly Hellerich writes that students should believe that they can achieve success through motivation and perseverance. She notes, “I also provide opportunities for students to submit specific assignments for feedback so they can revise their work prior to the due date.” In order for students to embrace these beliefs, Hellerich begins each school year explaining the concepts of self-perception and mindset, and she shows her children the Carol Dweck TED talk entitled “The Power of Yet.” More and more educators are embracing this kind of thinking which is having a greater impact on learners’ engagement and belief in themselves. As teacher Michele Hope has written, “The only “F” that matters in the classroom is feedback.”

  8. Teachers, like all heroes, are continually making decisions that are leading to the best overall results.
    They reappraise their way to doing things with the following question in mind: “Are my students truly learning and how do I know?” Nora Fleming of the George Lucas Educational Foundation has written a superb article, “7 Ways to Do Formative Assessment in Your Virtual Classroom.” She itemized what she calls “quick pulse checks” that are ways teachers can be more assured that the students are grasping key concepts. Among her many tangible suggestions are the following strategies:

    • Dipsticks – The instructor poses a general question about the previous day’s lesson and asks students to respond through thumbs up or down, holding up a post-it or a piece of paper, or giving themselves a rating of 1 to 5 as a self-assessment.
    • Digital journals and one-pagers – The teacher has students complete an after-class reflective piece of writing. Next, they create a “journal dot” online document using Google Docs to measure how well the students are retaining information.
    • Virtual exit tickets – Educators can keep a running Google Doc for each students by using open-ended prompts such as:
    • What I found most interesting today was…
    • Today was hard because…
    • What do you understand well?
      • What’s something that’s still shaky?
      • What’s something I (teacher) don’t realize?
      • What takeaways will be important three years from now?
      • How does this lesson related to something I learned before?
      • How would you have done things differently today?


  9. Like so many care specialists, teachers experience frustration but continue to stretch themselves to impart an uplifting and optimistic message to their charges.
    But heroes are still human. As teacher Sean McComb has stated, “We’ve all been there… a momentary, frustrated reaction to a student that’s more curt, less kind, and more gruff that it ought to be. Its root is embedded somewhere in our lack of sleep, or a floundering lesson, or unforgiving piles of paperwork.” During these moments, teachers rebound by displaying kindness, positivity, and even an apology. What is most important is what happens in the long term. “Cultivating a culture of trust in the shared virtual space involved building relationships and helping students build empathy and understanding for each other and you,” are important words from teacher Leah Henry. Heroes rebound and return to their goal of building that strong sense of community in their classrooms, continually reminding themselves that the best learning environment is rooted in positive personal relationships.


  10. Words that are synonymous with heroes are models, protectors, saviors, guardians and champions.
    Teachers are all of these things and more. They continue to accommodate the needs of all children based on their on-going diagnoses of learner needs. A recent survey indicates that 80% of parents have a newfound respect for those in the teaching profession. Educators Erin Gohl and Kristen Thorson view the future this way: “Throughout this school year, we can be much more thoughtful and intentional about the distance learning experience. We can communicate with students and families about both short-term plans and long-term goals. We can provide engaging experiences and personalized pathways to learning for all students. We can create productive two-way channels with students and families for communications and support that can expand the reach and impact of the learning. And we can work to ensure that this year’s distance learning experience is rigorous, relevant, and has strong relationships at the core.”

Heroic teachers have big hearts. They often intuitively know and do the right thing. Robert John Meechan writes: “When you see something beautiful in a student, let them know. It may take a second to say, but for them it could last a lifetime.” See more Meechan quotes that celebrate the heroism of teachers at https://sites.google.com/site/bestrobertjohnmeehan/

Resources and References

Fisher, Douglas and Nancy Frey. “Three Lessons Learned About Distance Learning.” Teaching Channel, October 13, 2020.
https://www.teachingchannel.com/blog/distance-learning-lessons

Fleming, Nora. “7 Ways to Do Formative Assessments in Your Virtual Classroom.” Edutopia. October 1, 2020.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-ways-do-formative-assessments-your-virtual-classroom

Gewertz, Catherine. “Teacher Tips: How to Reduce Screen Time When School Is Online.” Education Week, October 6, 2020.
www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/10/05/teacher-tips-how-to-reduce-screen-time.html

Gohl, Erin and Kristen Thorson. “Strategies for Fostering a Productive Distance Learning Experience.” Getting Smart, October 3, 2020.
www.gettingsmart.com/2020/10/strategies-for-fostering-a-productive-distance-learning-experience/

Hellerich, Kimberly. “Using Retakes to Nurture Growth Mindset.” Edutopia, October 5, 2020.
www.edutopia.org/article/using-retakes-nurture-growth-mindset

Montay-Wilson, Marcella. “Unstoppable Learning: Making Room for Students’ Passions.” Teaching Channel, March 24, 2016.
www.teachingchannel.com/blog/students-passions

Novak, Katie and Mike Anderson. “How To Choose Words That Motivate Students During Online Learning.” Edutopia, September 15, 2020.
www.edutopia.org/article/how-choose-words

Sprenger, Marilee. “Social Emotional Learning and the Brain: Strategies to Help Your Students Thrive.” ASCD Express, September 2020.
www.marileesprenger.com/social-emotional-learning-and-the-brain.html

Swan, Kathy, Andrew Danner, Megan Hawkins, S.G. Grant, and John Lee. “Zooming Inquiry: Online Teaching with the Pomodoro Technique.” Social Education, September 2020.
www.socialstudies.org/sites/default/files/view-article-2020-08/se-840420229.pdf