Showing posts with label Rick Wormelli. Show all posts

Do You Need to Reconsider How You Utilize Homework?

Is Homework Even Necessary?

Teachers have the ability to design worlds of wonder for their students. They decide what matters, and make it matter. When backed with passion, I'm convinced that a good teacher could make watching paint dry an unforgettable event.
This too applies to homework. If teachers recognize why homework matters, if they are able to identify its purpose with clarity, and if they use it to support students in their learning, they can help students see it from the same perspective.
Rick Wormeli, a leader in standards based grading, address how teachers can maximize students' experiences with homework. He addresses how to grade homework. Watch his video:


More Information on the Topic...

Here is an excerpt from MiddleWeb.com written by Rick Wormeli

Smart Homework: Can We Get Real?

Prime the homework pump

Answering basic recall questions can make students feel like they are accomplishing a lot, but the assignments lose their luster quickly. The act of reading material and plucking answers from the text becomes drudgery. Prime the pump with assignments calling for higher thinking levels: comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
According to Frank Williams, there are eight levels of creative thought; the first four are cognitive, the last four are affective. All eight levels provide great stimuli for homework assignments. Here are some examples from Imogene Forte and Sandra Schurr’s book, Integrating Instruction in Science (1996):


  • Fluency – Think of the characteristics that distinguish a living thing from a nonliving thing. List as many of these characteristics as you can.
  • Flexibility – Devise a classification system for living things based on characteristics of living things that manifest differently in different kinds of organisms.
  • Originality – Write a description of life as if you had to explain it to a nonliving thing.
  • Elaboration – Explain how biologists rely on the methods and discoveries of scientists in other fields to do their work.
  • Risk Taking – Tell how you feel about the possible benefits and the potential dangers of modern advances in genetic engineering.
  • Complexity – Discuss the issues involved in the work of a scientist whose discoveries improve some lives, but whose work is based on experiments that harm other living things.
  • Curiosity – What questions would you like to ask a biologist in order to learn about a typical day in the life of a scientist?
  • Imagination – Write a brief imaginative account of Marcello Malpighi’s first view of the movement of blood through capillaries with a microscope.

Formative and Summative Assessment: What's the REAL Difference?


Formative Assessment and Summative Assessment


You may know the definition of both, but do you have a clear understanding of each?
Many teachers KNOW the definitions of each, but  need clarity on the HOW to effectively implement both forms of assessment. Begin by watching the video below to hear Rick Wormelli's overview of how assessment can be used effectively in the classroom.



Another Perspective of Formative and Summative Assessment 


Another leader in teaching and learning is Dylan Wiliam. Here's his take on assessment:

Summative assessment is a lot like a post mortem investigation.

Formative assessment can be compared to a doctor's appointment. The doctor provides a patient with information and insight about a specific condition. The patient takes time to ask questions for a better understanding. Together the doctor and patient establish a course of action to improve the patient's current condition.

Summative assessment, as William explains, can be compared to an autopsy. The coroner is able to examine a body and discover the ailment. But, by this time the patient has no time for understanding or change. His time is up and so are his options.

In terms of the the classroom, however,...

Formative assessments are understanding checks in the process of learning. It informs teachers for future learning. But more importantly, the feedback that follows the formative assessments is what gives depth to the learning of each student. Multiple opportunities for continued support, explorations, and practice are available.

Feedback is the cornerstone of formative assessment. When effective feedback based on the formative assessment becomes and integral component of instruction, students experience greater understanding of the pre-established learning targets. Growth is observed, data (student progress) is recorded, and teaching is redirected to meet students where they are in the process of learning.

Summative assessment on the other hand is a display of learning as a result of the process of learning.  This is often thought of as the final grade. This assessment is developed with the learning progress in mind. It is reflective of similar processes, skills, and standards. When both forms of assessment are congruent, the teaching and learning has greater potential.

A Truth About Summative Assessment...

Don't get caught up in the myth of the "last chance" when considering summative assessment. It's important to remember, the goal of any effective learning community is to teacher students. Using professional judgment and a little intuition for the sake of differentiation, any summative assessment can become a formative assessment. Should I say it again?

ANY SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT CAN BECOME 
A FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT!*

Unfortunately, not all learning communities allow for this flexibility, so not all teachers can implement assessment in this way.  Regardless of required policy and procedure, keep in mind: your goal as an educator is not to play a game go Gatch-Ya' with your students. The purpose of formative and summative assessment, and even standards based grading for that matter, is to teach students and increase academic accountability through increased engagement, not play a game of control.

Take Your First Step...


Take some time to investigate what you already know about assessment and how you use it in your classroom. Consider ways you can implement formative assessment and effective feedback more consistently while maintaining a clearly parallel relationship with summative assessment.





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