Informal assessment and questioning skills

Elizabeth WebsterRegional Coordinator forYorkshire and the Humber

Aims of the session

• to reflect on the reasons for assessment;

• to reflect on how effectively we assess learning;

• to make a commitment to try out a new approach to assessment and report to a colleague on how it went;

• to look at different approaches to questioning;

• to consider ways of making questioning more effective.

Running header of the presentation Arial Reg 12pt

What the Ofsted report said

Informal assessment and questioning skills

Teachers who exposed and tackled students’ misconceptions through well judged questioning enhanced students’ understanding. Teachers responded flexibly, judging their next intervention according to what students said or wrote. They left ‘thinking time’ before directing their questions at individuals, or used mini-whiteboards to gain responses from all students, rather than taking answers only from volunteers. Crucially, they tackled incorrect answers positively, using them as an aid to learning and encouraging students to try things out, even if they might be wrong.

Running header of the presentation Arial Reg 12pt

What is the purpose of assessment?

Running header of the presentation Arial Reg 12pt

Some possible purposes of assessment

• to diagnose difficulties and so inform teaching;

• to celebrate achievement, rewarding effort and success;

• to motivate learners, showing what is valued and what is

still needed;

• to select learners for groups, courses, careers;

• to maintain records, so teachers and parents can be

informed of progress;

• to assess teaching methods to see which work most

effectively.

From PD6-2

On separate postits write down as many different ways of assessing learning that you can think of.

Be imaginative!!

Choose one of the divergent assessment strategies (preferably one you have never used before or rarely used) and think of a group of learners you will use it with this term.

Write down the name of the colleague that you will feed back to on how it went. Remember to tell your colleague you will be doing this!

Another Ofsted quoteGCSE re-sit class in a sixth form collegeA suitable starter activity, on long multiplication, was less effective than it could have been since the teacher did not pick up on the students’ errors: once a student had answered correctly the teacher moved on to the next question without checking what others had done.The main topic, on ratios, summarised the ideas students had covered in their high schools without attempting to investigate their prior knowledge and understanding. Some of the examples were impractical, and others, for example scaling up recipes, did not need the use of ratios. Explanations were clear but, beyond a few closed questions, the students were not much involved. There was little evidence of progress.

Running header of the presentation Arial Reg 12pt

• Talk one at a time.• Share ideas and listen to each other.• Make sure people listen to you.• Follow on.• Challenge.• Respect each other’s opinions.• Enjoy mistakes.• Share responsibility.• Try to agree in the end.

Running header of the presentation Arial Reg 12pt

Ground rules for learners

Choose one less effective questioning technique that you think happens often and say why you think this is the case.

Choose one more effective questioning technique that you think doesn’t happen very often and say why you think this is the case.

Running header of the presentation Arial Reg 12pt