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Christopher Emdin: Teach teachers how to create magic

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What do rap shows, barbershop banter and Sunday services have in common? As Christopher Emdin says, they all hold the secret magic to enthrall and teach at the same time - and it's a skill we often don't teach to educators. A longtime teacher himself, now a science advocate and cofounder of Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S.

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Conceptualizing and Framing Assessments 

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Conceptualizing and Framing Assessments 

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Now that I have made the decision to seriously assess my conceptual teaching, it is time for me to take a look at what might produce student learning. As I described in my previous post, I plan to dramatically overhaul my The Evolution of Cooperation course to optimize the value of everything that makes up my teaching. In the end this will mean looking microscopically at what I do and ask students to do in the course, but before a closer examination can take place I need to make sure that I understand the larger picture.

As I have discussed many times before, there is no substitute for explicitly mapping out ideas, processes, and plans. To this end I decided to create a concise concept map describing how I plan to foster student learning in my The Evolution of Cooperation course. Here is the concept map that I came up with (you can click on the map to enlarge the image):

Primarily this diagram is an inventory of what I will do: it shows all the assignments, activities, and assessments that the course will require. But the inventory is only valuable once I add in an explanation of how I expect different elements of the course to contribute to student learning.
I used shapes and colors to map out different kinds of coursework. Work required of students outside of class (i.e. homework) is in gold, work completed in class is in green, and assessments are in pink. Hard squares represent work done by individual students, rounded squares work done by groups of students, and hexagons work done as a class.

I used connectors (i.e. arrows) to show relationships between different coursework. Thin arrows show how different kinds of work interact with each other. Three gauges of thicker lines show contributions to student learning: solid dark lines show strong contributors, hashed dark lines moderate contributors, and hashed light lines weak contributors.

The resulting map shows not only the mechanisms by which I expect students to learn, but also the relative importance that different kinds of coursework are expected to play. For instance, you can se that I do not expect the course readings to play a very strong direct role in student learning. This is simply another way of saying "reading alone is not going to provide sufficient student learning"; if reading alone was enough, my only role would be as reading list curator. The readings do, however, play an integral role in student learning: the are reinforced by the Reading Response Questions, which I expect to play a moderate role in fostering student learning. And the course readings also inform individual assignments and discussions that will take place in class.

Looking at the overall map, you can get the sense of what coursework I expect to generate the most student learning: Group Activities and Class Discussions. Essentially, all other work should support these two critical elements of the course. Lectures, for example, should catalyze discussions but not be relied on as a primary source of student learning. What I really want to get good at this coming semester is designing valuable activities and fostering productive discussions. I think that I already do both of these pretty well, but now I am actually going to put that assertion to the test.

The assessments that I will use are laid out and are fairly simple: every week students will complete Post-Class Questions ( PCQ's), and there will be Midterm and Final Exams. As my map indicates, I expect that student performance on the PCQ's and Midterm Exam will spur students to study, at least on their own and perhaps in groups. I expect this feedback into student studying should improve student learning, although I am not relying solely on the students to produce all learning.

The diagram above represents both a roadmap for what I plan to do and a kind of hypothesis about how learning will work. But of course I will not know whether this map is reasonable until I start assessing student learning.

The work described in this post is part of the larger Conceptual Teaching Assessment Project.
A Major Post, Assessment Methods, Concept Mapping, Conceptual Teaching Assessment Project, Evolution Education, MSCI-463, The Evolution of Cooperation

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How will I deliver conceptual understanding?

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Now that I have made the decision to seriously assess my conceptual teaching, it is time for me to take a look at what might produce student learning. As I described in my previous post, I plan to dramatically overhaul my The Evolution of Cooperation course to optimize the value of everything that makes up my teaching.

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Why Use Rubrics?

Rubrics help instructors grade and provide feedback on assessments that have more than one correct answer in an efficient and equitable way. They facilitate transparency in grading, as well as increase consistency in scoring. When given alongside an assignment, students can use rubrics to gain understanding about the purpose of an assignment, to provide peer feedback, or to engage in self-assessment. Multiple graders or reviewers produce more consistent results when they have been trained in using the rubric and have been provided with exemplars (for reviews of the research see Jonsson & Svingby, 2007; Reddy & Andrade, 2010).

Three Elements of a Rubric

A rubric involves three elements: 1) the criteria for assessing the product or performance, 2) a range of quality levels, and 3) a scoring strategy. There is enormous flexibility for instructors to construct rubrics that reflect their teaching perspective within these three parameters.

Criteria define the distinct elements of expert or competent performance of the tasks central to the assignment. As the number of criteria increases, so does the amount of time required to review assignments. Too few criteria can lead to a rubric that does not effectively assess the range of knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to complete the task assigned. Generally, 4 to 6 criteria assess the breadth of competencies that are most essential to an assignment.

A single criterion can be used to create a holistic rubric with very general descriptions. Holistic rubrics do not provide targeted feedback and research suggests they are less consistently used. Holistic rubrics work well to speed grading for low stakes activities that only need very general feedback (e.g., discussion forum posts or responses). For more significant assignments, an analytic rubric with multiple criteria is more useful for reviewers and students. Effectively selecting the most important criteria is the first step to designing effective analytic rubrics. For examples of each type of rubric see the resource links below.

Quality Levels

Once the most essential criteria for competently completing the assignment have been identified, different quality levels need to be identified. Selecting the number of quality levels is a critical decision. While a greater number of quality levels allows for finer distinctions, more levels increase the time required to develop the rubric and to review assignments. In addition, research has shown that as the number of quality levels increases, consistency across graders or reviewers decreases. Considering the ultimate grade distinctions that will be made in the course can help determine the appropriate levels of quality for significant assignments.

The labeling of quality levels requires careful reflection. In learning contexts, instructors typically distinguish levels of competence, mastery, or expertise. This framing emphasizes a developmental teaching perspective and communicates a growth mindset. Instructors should beware of quality descriptors that demoralize students (e.g., incompetent, barely adequate, almost competent).

The most equitable rubrics create a detailed table describing the key features for each criteria at each quality level. Criteria are listed along the left-most column (often according to hierarchy of importance or process order) and quality levels are arranged across the top row of the table (either from low to high or high to low). Each of the remaining table cells is filled with a description of key features that can be observed for the specific criteria at that quality level. These often focus on key factors that represent bottlenecks in student learning or critical steps to increased levels of competence.

Scoring Strategy

Rubrics are flexible tools and instructors use a range of strategies to score student work using rubrics including:

1) Setting weights for each criterion, and single scores for each quality level. This approach speeds grading and minimizes discretion that might be a source of bias. Many digital tools support this strategy.

2) Weighting criteria and providing a range of scores for each quality level. This approach supports instructors interested in making more fine-grained distinctions.

3) Focusing on the overall combination of quality levels across criteria to assign a grade. This is a simplified grading structure that focuses on the overall grade and holistic judgment of the instructor or grader. For larger course enrollments, this strategy increases the risk of inconsistent or biased grading.

4) For drafts and formative assessments, focusing on providing students feedback with the rubric and simply assigning a complete or incomplete grade can be an efficient and effective strategy

Suggestions for Creating a Rubric

Determine the purpose of the assignment

Consider what, exactly, you want students to learn from the assignment. Write this down; it will guide the creation of criteria for your rubric.

Clearly establish criteria

Decide how you want to grade students. What elements of the assignment do you want to give them feedback on? This means determining the criteria associated with the task. To determine the criteria, think again about the goals of the assignment. What do you want students to accomplish? What do you want them to learn? Keep these criteria descriptions brief. Also, try to have an even, rather than an odd, number of criteria. This prevents the middle criterion from becoming a catch-all, allowing for more nuance in grading.

Determine the scoring method

Decide whether you will use a letter grade, percentages, points, a rating scale, or some other scoring method in your rubric. How will you label them? With numbers or descriptive labels?

Develop the descriptors of the criteria

Make sure the descriptors follow a logical progression. That is, descriptors indicating poor performance should be distinctly different from descriptors indicating high performance. And there should be consistency within the descriptors, meaning they should focus on particular attributes that carry through all criteria.

Be sensitive to language used

Rubrics offer a more objective means of assessing student work, but that doesn't mean they should assume a negative tone or offer an overly pointed critique of the learner. Try to refer to the assignment rather than the student when developing criteria. Avoid overly subjective language and use active voice where appropriate.

Explore results with hypothetical scoring combinations

Test your rubrics with a variety of scores for each criteria and see how significantly an outlier in one criterion will impact the overall grade. Consider whether adjustments to the weighting of criteria or the way points are allocated would more accurately reflect the appropriate grade.

Share your rubric with a colleague

Asking a colleague to review the rubric in advance is one of the best ways to ensure that your expectations are clear. You can ask colleagues to focus on specific elements of the rubric or to provide overall feedback.

Rubric Tools

Gradescope

Gradescope is a tool that enables efficient and transparent grading. Foremost, Gradescope prompts instructors to grade by question rather than by student. Within each question, the platform enables graders to create a dynamic, shared digital rubric that allows for expedited, collaborative grading and point altering.

The Canvas Rubrics tool can help you grade more quickly by providing an easy way to select the appropriate feedback, or grade by the same criteria for each student. After you attach a rubric to an assignment and configure it for grading, you can use the same grading criteria for all student submissions. Canvas will then automatically calculate the total score for you in Speedgrader.

Resources and Works Cited

Rubrics for Assessment from Northern Illinois University

Types of Rubrics from DePaul Teaching Commons

Types of Rubrics: Holistic and Analytic from Queen's University

Know Your Terms: Holistic. Analytic. And Single-Point Rubrics

Jonsson, A., & Svingby, G. (2007). The use of scoring rubrics: Reliability, validity and educational consequences. Educational Research Review, 2(2), 130-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2007.05.002

Reddy, Y. M., & Andrade, H. (2010). A review of rubric use in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(4), 435-448. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930902862859

Additionally, Dannelle D. Stevens & Antonia J. Levi, An Introduction to Rubrics (Sterling, VA: Stylus, 2005), is available as an online Brown Library resource and in the Sheridan Center's library.

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Designing Grading Rubrics | Sheridan Center | Brown University

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Rubrics help instructors grade and provide feedback on assessments that have more than one correct answer in an efficient and equitable way. They facilitate transparency in grading, as well as increase consistency in scoring. When given alongside an assignment, students can use rubrics to gain under…

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https://www.mghihp.edu/faculty-staff-faculty-compass-teaching-teaching-strategies/examples-classroom-assessment-techniques

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There are hundreds of variations of classroom assessment techniques. Below are some of the more commonly known techniques:

3-2-1 Format

Basic Strategy

The 3-2-1 format is a quick reflective activity similar to think-pair-share. It encourages students to reflect on a course experience and organize their thoughts and identify areas of confusion or concern.

Why would you use it?

Similar to minute papers, muddiest point, and think-pair-share, the 3-2-1 Format can be a helpful tool for getting students to organize their thoughts, and promote reflection and metacognition. This activity provides an easy way to check for understanding and gauge student interest. It is also an effective way to promote discuss or review material.

When can you use it?

This activity would traditionally be introduced toward the end of a lesson or after a lecture. It could also be used in response to an assigned reading.

How does it work?

In reaction to presented content, students are asked to take a few moments and jot down:

Students are then asked to share their ideas in pairs or small groups. Use the responses to help guide teaching decisions. Consider areas of curriculum that need to be reviewed again or specific concepts or activities that are most interesting for students.

Alternative versions

Use 3-2-1 Format to transition into class discussion.

Student can complete 3-2-1 as individuals, pairs, or small groups.

Make the 3-2-1 questions content specific (differences, similarities, etc.)

Have students focus 3-2-1 on main ideas (most important ideas, supporting details, etc.)

Online options

3-2-1 Format could easily be adapted into an online discussion board activity.

Focused Listing

Basic Strategy

Focus Listing activity focuses on one concept, term, or topic. Students are asked to provide several ideas related closely with the one concept, term, or topic.

Why would you use?

The purpose of this activity is to help instructors determine what students are able to recall for the main points of a lesson. The preparation and follow-up for a Focused Listing activity is minimal. The Focused Listing activity can help students in several ways:

When can you use?

Before, during or after a lesson; works well in classes of all sizes. Focused listings are great follow ups to short presentations during which participants are asked to absorb information that is new and that is vital to the discussion to follow. The listing works well to introduce a topic, as an exercise joining/synthesizing two sets of information (lecture plus follow up reading, two lectures), and as something to return to as a wrap up so that participants can compare before/after thinking.

How does it work?

1. Select an important topic or concept that's just been studied or is just about to be studied; write it in a word or brief phrase.

2. Write the word or phrase at the top of a sheet of paper as the heading for a "Focused List" of related terms important to understanding that topic.

3. Set a limit for either number of items to list (5 to 10) or limit the amount of time (2 to 3 minutes) to list the points.

4. Test it yourself (keep to your own limits)--write a list of important words and phrases you recall that are related to or included within the heading you wrote down.

5. Look over your list quickly; add any items you may have left out. Determine if any modifications need to be made to this activity, e.g. number of items required or length of time.

6. If your test convinces you that the topic is important and well defined have the students complete the exercise. Be sure to increase the time limits you set for yourself, however, since you are the 'expert' and students are the 'novice' learners.

7. Collect their anonymous responses and review the answers by sorting them into piles of appropriate or inappropriate to determine how well students are recalling the main points.

8. At the beginning of the next class session, review with the students the findings of the activity. List the points or ideas you developed and include some of the ideas students provided that were not on your list, but were still relevant.

Alternate versions

Use your list as the "master list" and have students compare their lists to it. Look for matches, missing items (on any list), clarification needs, additional teaching and learning opportunities.

Assign this as a small group activity

Online Options

Muddiest Point

Basic Strategy

Muddiest Point is probably the simplest classroom assessment technique available. It is a quick monitoring technique in which students are asked to take a few minutes to write down the most difficult or confusing part of a lesson, lecture, or reading. It is simple to create and facilitate. In fact, it only takes 15 minutes to collect and scan approximately 100 muddiest points. While it is easy to use, be careful not to over-use this or any single assessment technique. Over using one technique can fatigue students and devalue the process.

Why would you use?

1. You can quickly check for understanding. This assessment gives you a picture of misconceptions and confusion that still exists in the students' minds.

2. Students can increase their understanding of their own learning. This assessment provides students with a metacognitive opportunity to think about their own learning. This is especially helpful with new information and complicated procedures.

When can you use?

Use this assessment technique any time, after students have had an opportunity for learning to progress them toward the learning target. This technique is especially helpful if students seem to be having difficulty grasping a concept or process.

How does it work?

1. Determine what feedback you want. Do you want to ask a question that encompasses the entire class session or one self-contained segment? Do you want to ask a questions related to a specific lecture, discussion, or presentation? Figure out what is of most value or where students struggle the most.

2. Reserve a few minutes at the end of the class session. Leave enough time to ask the question, have students respond, and to collect the responses.

3. Let students know how much time they will have to answer the question and when you will follow up with the results and provide feedback.

4. With so many students using laptops and tablets, it is plausible students will not have extra sheets of paper. Plan on distributing slips of paper or index cards for students to write on.

5. Collect the responses as or before students leave.

6. Respond to the students' feedback during the next class meeting. Share with students how responses will be used as a guide to plan the next instruction.

Alternate versions

This strategy can be presented in many forms:

Online Options

One Minute Paper

Basic Strategy

One minute paper is a popular introductory active learning strategy that requires minimal preparation on the part of the instructor. During a one minute paper exercise students are given one minute to write a response to a prompt or question posed by the instructor. Minute papers can segue into a discussion or simply be collected for review by the instructor.

Why would you use it?

1. Minute papers provide immediate feedback and allow quick response to students.

2. This exercise can be easily facilitated for any class size.

3. Allows students who are less vocal to participate.

When can you use it?

This technique is probably best used in lecture or discussion however it can easily be adapted to other settings such as labs, clinicals, or homework assignments. While this technique is flexible it is not universally applicable. Not all learning experiences can be assessed by a technique that asks students to note significant points or open questions. Be cognizant of your goal when choosing a classroom assessment technique.

How does it work?

1. Decide what you want to focus on, where you want students to reflect on a topic.

2. Write Minute Paper prompts that fit your class and meet your goal. The prompts are the heart of one minute papers.

3. Set aside 5-10 minutes to facilitate, as well as time later to discuss the results.

4. Share the question with students.

5. After the chosen topic or activity is completed, hand out scraps of paper or index cards for students to record their response.

6. Let students know how much time they will have, what kinds of responses you are looking for (words, bullets, short sentences), and when they can expect feedback.

7. Collect the responses as or before students leave.

8. Tabulate the responses and make note of useful comments.

9. Respond to the students' feedback during the next class meeting. Share with students how responses will be used as a guide to plan the next instruction.
Sample Minute Paper prompts:
Questions Designed to Assess Student Interests: For you, what interesting questions remain unanswered about today's topic?

Identifying Perceived Relevance of Course Concepts: During today's class, what idea(s) struck you as things you could or should put into practice?

Assess Student Attitudes/Opinions: Were there any ideas expressed in today's class that caused you to reconsider or change your personal? opinions, viewpoints, or values?

Checking Student Comprehension: What did you perceive to be the major purpose or objective of today's class?

Assessing Conceptual Connections (Cross-Concept Integration): Did you see any relationships between today's topic and other topics previously covered in this course?

Alternative versions

Online options

Think-Pair-Share

Basic Strategy

Think-pair-share can be a great technique for facilitating discussion. It is a quick and simple technique to adopt. Faculty present a question or challenge, students reflect quietly and then partner with someone to discuss. A think-pair-share session could be 5 to 15 minutes.

Why would you use?

This exercise engages the class with content on multiple levels. It can help organize prior knowledge, deepen the level of content analysis, and improves the quality of student contributions. Think-pair-share is a popular technique because sharing ideas with a peer in a group of two is "low risk" compared to sharing an individual idea with an entire class.

When can you use?

Use think-pair-share when you want students to talk over new ideas or critically think about concepts presented in the lesson. This technique can be easily used 'on the fly' and works in small or large classes.

How does it work?

1. Develop an engaging question or problem, ideally one with many viable potential responses

2. Have a plan for how to present the question (worksheet, PPT slide, etc.) and how you will facilitate students reporting out to the whole group.

3. Pose a question to students.

4. Students reflect on and write brief notes for one minute in response to the question.

5. Students pair up with someone sitting near them and share their answers verbally for two to three minutes. Alternatively, they may also work together to create one best answer.

6. Randomly choose a few pairs of students to give 30 second summaries of individual or joint answers.

Alternate versions

Online Options

Concept Mapping

Basic Strategy

Concept maps are drawings or diagrams used to help students organize and represent knowledge of a subject. Concept maps begin with a main idea (or concept) and then branch out to show how that main idea can be broken down into specific topics.

Why would you use?

This activity provides an observable action of the student's patterns of understanding related to a central idea or concept. Concept mapping serves several purposes:

Helps students brainstorm and generate new ideas

Encourages students to discover new concepts and the propositions that connect them

Allows students to more clearly communicate ideas, thoughts and information

Helps students integrate new concepts with older concepts

Enables students to gain enhanced knowledge of any topic and evaluate the information

When can you use?

Concept maps require a lot of cognitive work on the part of the student, and a lot of preparation and analysis on the part of the instructor. Be sure you have tested the concept map activity yourself and given the class the appropriate amount of time to complete the activity. Usually this means twice the amount of time it took you, the expert, to complete. This activity is useful in any course with high theoretical content, courses with large amounts of facts and principles.

How does it work?

1. Select the concept/theme you wish students to use as a starting point.

2. Create a concept map:

1. Identify related key words or phrases. Write down words and key phrases.

2. Rank the concepts (key words) from the most abstract/general to the most concrete/specific.

3. Cluster concepts that function at similar level of abstraction and those that interrelate closely. Start to determine the ways the various concepts are related to each other and write that on the lines connecting the concepts.

4. Arrange concepts into a diagram.

5. Continue identifying the ways the various concepts are related to each other and write that on the lines connecting the concepts.

3. Add second and third level associations, if appropriate.

4. Good maps usually result from three to many revisions.

5. After students have completed the concept maps, present your own example to the students and walk through it with them step-by-step, explaining your thinking as you created the concept map.

Important Consideration for Using Concept Maps Best Practices for Using Concept Maps:

1. Create your own concept map first, before assigning one to your students.

2. If students are new to concept maps, students will need training and continual practice. Together as a class, create a simple concept map on a concept everyone is familiar wit. For example, use an easy topic like, "What are birds?"

Alternate versions

Use a top down approach, working from general to specific or use a free association approach by brainstorming nodes and then develop links and relationships.

Assign a concept map as a small group activity to alleviate anxiety.

Extend the activity by having students write an explanatory essay based on their maps.

Construct a concept map and then remove all of the concept labels (keep the links!). Ask students to replace the labels in a way that makes structural sense.

Create a concept map and then remove concepts from the nodes (about one-third of them). These deleted concepts are placed in a numbered list on the map and students choose among them.

Provide a list of concept labels (10 to 20) and ask students to construct their maps using only these labels. The focus here is on the linking relationships, and the evolution of structural complexity of students' knowledge frameworks.

Online Options

Jigsaw

Basic Strategy

Jigsaw involves students doing individual research on a subset of a given subject area, and then piecing their research together with other students "to build the whole picture". Jigsaw exercises challenge students to engage in reciprocal teaching and can be a popular activity for courses that rely on heavy transference of information.

Jigsaw requires a moderate to high amount of faculty preparation and takes a fair amount of class time. Do not overuse this technique, as repeating too often can feel contrived (it is not very flexible). It should be used no more than twice per semester.

Why would you use?

Jigsaw is a variation on a simpler activity in which students come and present directly to their group on a topic of research. By adding the intermediate task of meeting as an "expert group" ensures some quality of ideas and materials. This technique also gives individual students a chance to build confidence in a subject area before presenting to peers.

When can you use?

Jigsaw can be used in a single class session or across multiple sessions.

How does it work?

1. Identify a concept area (the whole puzzle) which contains roughly 4-6 subtopics (pieces of the puzzle).

2. Divide the class into teams of 4-6 students (the number of students on a team should be equivalent to the number of subtopics).

3. Assign each student on the teams a different subtopic. Allow sufficient time for students to "develop expertise", doing their own reading and research. Jigsaw falls apart if students are not prepared. Assigning questions, reading logs, study guides or reaction papers helps to ensure preparation. Consider asking for a summary of their readings by a certain date.

4. Students return to class and consult with the same content experts from the other teams. They are asked to discuss the topic as a group and how best to present it to their respective teams, possibly through creating review sheets / summary guide / examples/ list of resources etc.

5. Students return to their original teams where they are then asked to present/teach the topic to their team.

6. Conclude with whole class reflection / discussion.

Listen to Kelly Macauley, Clinical Instructor in Physical Therapy, talk about how she has used this activity in her class:
Kelly's written instructions (.DOCX)
Kelly's classroom map (.PPT)
Alternate versions

Online Options

Memory Matrix

Basic strategy

Memory Matrix is a simple, two-dimensional table divided into rows and columns. The table is used to organize information and identify relationships in the content. Some cells in the table are intentionally left blank where students are asked to fill in the blank cells, demonstrating their understanding of the content. There is moderate investment of time required on behalf of faculty to create the matrix and then analyze the results.

Why would you use?

The technique provides a structure for students to organize and synthesize complicated information. This exercise works well with large amounts of content and can simplify complex, dynamic systems of information. Faculty can identify prior or incorrect knowledge.

When can you use?

Memory matrix is simple to implement and easy to use during instruction however there is some up-front preparation that must be completed. Consider content carefully. Content needs to appropriately align with column and row organization. This exercise is effective after lectures, videos, reading assignments, etc.

How does it work?

1. Carefully choose your content topic. Make sure the content can be organized in a table with rows and columns.

2. Create a simple matrix. Make one completed matrix to use as a key. This will make the analysis much easier. Also create a blank matrix for students to fill in.

3. Explain the purpose of the exercise.

4. Let students know how much time they will have, what kinds of responses you are looking for (words, bullets, short sentences), and when they can expect feedback.

5. Handout blank or partially filled matrix. Have students work on in class, individually or in groups. Provide practice matrices or examples if this is the first time you are presenting a memory matrix.

6. Students complete the matrix and hand-in.

7. Review and analyze results

Analysis: Scan the completed matrices and compare to your key matrix. correct responses vs incorrect responses - focus on patterns in the responses.

Results: Record the number of each correct or incorrect response into an Excel spreadsheet (or any data management system) where data can be reported in a variety of methods. Look for common misconceptions or errors. This could indicate recall problems, difficultly categorizing information, or insufficient teaching focus on a particular topic or category.

8. Provide feedback and clear misconceptions at next class meeting

Alternative versions

Cells can be manipulated in any number of ways. For instance, leave the cells blank or fill the cells in and leave the column heading blank.

Matrix can be completed by individuals, in pairs, small teams, as a class.

Online options

Quiz Show

Basic Strategy

Quiz Show uses quiz game show format (e.g. Jeopardy or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) to rapidly move through a series of questions with students. This strategy is popular for introducing game mechanics (points, competition) into a classroom activity.

Why would you use?

Quiz Show is popular for review sessions for reinforcing important information or but is usually not considered a good way to introduce content. The game format of a quiz show activity can be to keep students engaged although it should be used in moderation as it lacks authenticity to real world applications of knowledge.

When can you use?

Quiz Show is popular for review sessions before major assessment events. Quiz show could be used in short 5-10 minute segments or could easily fill an hour session.

How does it work?

Present a grid (or list) of questions on a whiteboard or PowerPoint. When crafting questions be mindful of the standard advice on writing multiple choice questions. Depending on class size you would likely divide students into groups. Student can be given a "bell" to ring in, or simply rotate between students. Quiz show is more appropriate for short answer questions not open ended questions.

Alternate versions

Students answer individually

Use in combination with clickers

Students write and submit questions in advance

Pub trivia mode: multiple questions in small groups, answered in writing rather than first to buzz in

Online Options

Quiz Show Review does not adapt easily to online learning environments.
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Examples of Classroom Assessment Techniques

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There are hundreds of variations of classroom assessment techniques. Below are some of the more commonly known techniques: The 3-2-1 format is a quick reflective activity similar to think-pair-share. It encourages students to reflect on a course experience and organize their thoughts and identify areas of confusion or concern.

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https://www.uky.edu/celt/50-classroom-assessment-techniques-cats

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I. Techniques for Assessing Course-Related Knowledge & Skills

A. Assessing Prior Knowledge, Recall, and Understanding

The CATs in this group focus on assessing declarative learning - the content of a particular subject.

Background Knowledge Probe: Short, simple questionnaires prepared by instructors for use at the beginning of a course or at the start of new units or topics; can serve as a pretest

Focused Listing: Focuses students' attention on a single important term, name, or concept from a lesson or class session and directs students to list ideas related to the "focus"

Misconception/Preconception Check: Intended to uncover prior knowledge or beliefs that may hinder or block new learning; can be designed to uncover incorrect or incomplete knowledge, attitudes, or values

Empty Outlines: In a limited amount of time students complete an empty or partially completed outline of an in-class presentation or homework assignment

Memory Matrix: Students complete a table about course content in which row and column headings are complete but cells are empty

Minute Paper: The most frequently used CAT; students answer 2 questions (What was the most important thing you learned during this class? What important question remains unanswered?)

Muddiest Point: Considered by many as the simplest CAT; students respond to the question "What was the most unclear or confusing point in (lecture, homework, discussion)?"

B. Assessing Skill in Analysis and Critical Thinking
The CATs in this group focus on analysis-the breaking down of information, questions, or problems to facilitate understanding and problem solving.

Categorizing Grid: Student complete a grid containing 2 or 3 overarching concepts and a variety of related subordinate elements associated with the larger concepts

Defining Features Matrix: Students categorize concepts according to the presence or absence of important defining features

Pro and Con Grid: Students list pros/cons, costs/benefits, advantages/disadvantages of an issue, question, or value of competing claims

Content, Form, and Function Outlines: In an outline form, students analyze the "what" (content), "how" (form), and "why" (function) of a particular message (e.g. poem, newspaper story, critical essay); also called "What, How, & Why Outlines

Analytic Memos: Students write a one- or two-page analysis of a specific problem or issue to help inform a decision-maker

C. Assessing Skill in Synthesis and Creative Thinking
The CATs in this group focus on synthesis - stimulating the student to create and allowing the faculty to assess original intellectual products that result from a synthesis of course content and the students' intelligence, judgment, knowledge, and skills.

One-Sentence Summary: Students answer the questions "Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?" (WDWWWWHW) about a given topic and then create a single informative, grammatical, and long summary sentence

Word Journal: Involves a 2 part response; 1st the student summarizes a short text in a single word and 2nd the student writes 1-2 paragraphs explaining the word choice

Approximate Analogies: Students simply complete the 2nd half of an analogy-a is to b as
? is to ?; described as approximate because the rigor of formal logic is not required

Concept Maps: Students draw or diagram the mental connections they make between a major concept and other concepts they have learned

Invented Dialogues: Students synthesize their knowledge of issues, personalities, and historical periods into the form of a carefully structured illustrative conversation; students can select and weave quotes from primary sources or invent reasonable quotes that fit characters and context

Annotated Portfolios: Students assemble a very limited number of examples of creative work and supplement them with their own commentary on the significance of examples

D. Assessing Skill in Problem Solving
The CATs in this group focus on problem solving skills - recognizing different types of problems, determining the principles and techniques to solve them, perceiving similarities of problem features, and being able to reflect and then alter solution strategies.

Problem Recognition Tasks: Students recognize and identify particular problem types

What's the Principle?: Students identify the principle or principles to solve problems of various types

Documented Problem Solutions: Students track in a written format the steps they take to solve problems as if for a "show & tell"

Audio- and Videotaped Protocols: Students work through a problem solving process and it is captured to allow instructors to assess metacognition (learner's awareness of and control of thinking)

E. Assessing Skill in Application and Performance
The CATs in this group focus on students' application of conditional knowledge - knowing when and where to apply what they know and can do.

Directed Paraphrasing: Students paraphrase part of a lesson for a specific audience demonstrating ability to translate highly specialized information into language the clients or customers can understand

Application Cards: Students generate examples of real-world applications for important principles, generalizations, theories, or procedures

Student-Generated Test Questions: Students generate test questions and model answers for critical areas of learning

Human Tableau or Class Modeling: Students transform and apply their learning into doing by physically modeling a process or representing an image.

Paper or Project Prospectus: Students create a brief plan for a paper or project based on your guiding questions

II. Techniques for Assessing Learner Attitudes, Values, and Self-Awareness
A. Assessing Students' Awareness of Their Attitudes and Values
The CATs in this group are designed to assist instructors in developing students' attitudes, opinions, values, and self-awareness within the course curriculum.

28. Classroom Opinion Polls: Students indicate degree of agreement or disagreement with a statement or prompt
29. Double-entry Journals: Students record and respond to significant passages of text
30. Profiles of Admiral Individuals: Students write a brief description of the characteristics of a person they admire in a field related to the course
31. Everyday Ethical Dilemma: Students respond to a case study that poses a discipline-related ethical dilemma
32. Course-related Self-Confidence Surveys: Students complete an anonymous survey indicating their level of confidence in mastering the course material

B. Assessing Students' Self-Awareness as Learners
The CATs in this group help students articulate their goals and self-concepts in order to make connections between their goals and those of the course.

33. Focused Autobiographical Sketches: Students write a brief description of a successful learning experience they had relevant to the course material
34. Interest/Knowledge/Skills Checklists: Students complete a checklist survey to indicate their knowledge, skills and interest in various course topics
35. Goal Ranking and Matching: Students list and prioritize 3 to 5 goals they have for their own learning in the course
36. Self-Assessment Ways of Learning: Students compare themselves with several different "learning styles" profiles to find the most likely match

C. Assessing Course-Related Learning and Study Skills, Strategies, and Behaviors
The CATs in this group assist students in focusing attention on the behaviors they engage in when trying to learn.

37. Productive Study-Time Logs: Students complete a study log to record the quantity and quality of time spent studying for a specific course
38. Punctuated Lectures: Students briefly reflect then create a written record of their listening level of a lecture. Repeat twice in the same lecture and 2- 3 times over 2 to 3 weeks
39. Process Analysis: Students outline the process they take in completing a specified assignment
40. Diagnostic Learning Logs: Students write to learn by identifying, diagnosing, and prescribing solutions to their own learning problems

III. Techniques for Assessing Learner Reactions to Instruction
A. Assessing Learner Reactions to Teachers and Teaching
The CATS in this group are designed to provide context-specific feedback that can improve teaching within a course.

41. Chain Notes: On an index card that is distributed in advance, each student responds to an open-ended prompt about his or her mental activity that is answered in less than a minute
42. Electronic Survey Feedback: Students respond to a question or short series of questions about the effectiveness of the course.
43. Teacher-designed Feedback Forms: Students respond to specific questions through a focused feedback form about the effectiveness of a particular class session
44. Group Instructional Feedback Technique: Students respond to three questions related to their learning in the course (basically, what works, what doesn't, and how can it be improved)
45. Classroom Assessment Quality Circles: A group or groups of students provide the instructor with ongoing assessment of the course through structured interactions

B. Assessing Learner Reactions to Class Activities, Assignments, and Materials
The CATS in this group are designed to provide instructors with information that will help them improve their course materials and assignments.

46. RSQC2 (Recall, Summarize, Question, Connect and Comment): Students write brief statements that recall, summarize, question, connect and comment on meaningful points from previous class
47. Group-Work Evaluation: Students complete a brief survey about how their group is functioning and make suggestions for improving the group process
48. Reading Rating Sheets: Students complete a form that rates the effectiveness of the assigned readings
49. Assignment Assessments: Students respond to 2 or 3 open-ended questions about the value of an assignment to their learning
50. Exam Evaluations: Students provide feedback about an exam's learning value and/or format

Source: Angelo, T. & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers (2nd Edition). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (Available in the CELT library, room 518, King Building)

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50 Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)

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I. Techniques for Assessing Course-Related Knowledge & Skills A. Assessing Prior Knowledge, Recall, and Understanding The CATs in this group focus on assessing declarative learning - the content of a particular subject.

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Interpreting, Using, and Reporting Results of Assessments

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Interpreting, Using, and Reporting Results of Assessments

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https://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2018/01/05/4-different-ways-evaluate-student-progress-inclusive-class/

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BY Nicole Eredics

One of the most common questions I am asked about inclusive education is how do teachers educate so many diverse learners in one classroom? My response usually involves an explanation of techniques that inclusive teachers use such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL for short). In brief, UDL involves giving instruction that presents information and content in various ways, gives students different ways to show what they know, and stimulates an interest in more learning.

However, what happens once the lesson is over? How do teachers assess diverse student abilities and growth in an inclusive class? While not as common, these questions are just as important. Assessing and grading students must be as flexible and adaptable as instruction. Just like a "one size fits all" approach does not work with instruction, the same is true for student evaluation. Grading systems need to be fair and accurately reflect a student ability and potential.

In today's diverse classrooms, it is as important for teachers to have different ways of assessing students as they do with teaching them. In addition to state and national standardized tests given at the end of a unit or semester, teachers can use a variety of well researched-based methods throughout the learning process to give students opportunities to demonstrate their learning. Below are 8 different types of ways that teachers can use to assess student progress in an inclusive class:

1. Change Weighting Scale

When calculating a final grade for report cards, teachers use student assignments, tests, quizzes, and exams collected over the semester. Each type of assessment holds a certain "weight" in the overall grade. Exam results might be worth 50% of the entire grade, while daily assignments are worth 20%. For students with instructional accommodations and modifications, teachers can adjust the importance or weight of an assessment activity.

2. Use Informal Observation

Observing students throughout the school day can give important insight into their learning needs and progress. Collecting data through notes, checklists, sticky notes, and audio notes can help teachers keep track of student strengths and needs. Moreover, informal observations alert teachers to issues and information that one can't provide on a written test.

3. Allow for Self-Assessment

Give students an opportunity to assess their own learning and reflect on the progress they are making. They can identify their own gaps in skills or knowledge, revise their work, and set realistic goals. This process also helps students stay motivated and interested in their own learning.

4. Provide Multiple Test Formats

Tests do not need to be restricted to pencil and paper formats. Students with written output issues can be given oral-response tests. Teachers can use multiple choice, long answer, short answer, diagrams, charts, fill-in-the-blank, and other graphic organizers to have students answer questions about material.

There are hundreds of ways that teachers can assess students over the course of a school year. Giving students numerous ways to demonstrate their learning can give teachers a clearer picture of student progress than with written tests alone. For more tips and suggestions for assessing students in the inclusive class, visit www.theinclusiveclass.com.

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4 Different Ways To Evaluate Student Progress In the Inclusive Class - Friendship Circle - Special Needs Blog

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One of the most common questions I am asked about inclusive education is how do teachers educate so many diverse learners in one classroom? My response usually involves an explanation of techniques that inclusive teachers use such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL for short). In brief, UDL involves giving instruction that presents information and...

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Sal Khan: Let's teach for mastery -- not test scores

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Would you choose to build a house on top of an unfinished foundation? Of course not. Why, then, do we rush students through education when they haven't always grasped the basics? Yes, it's complicated, but educator Sal Khan shares his plan to turn struggling students into scholars by helping them master concepts at their own pace.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Interpreting, Using, and Reporting Reults of Assessments

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Interpreting, Using, and Reporting Reults of Assessments

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Conceptualizing and Framing Assessments 

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Conceptualizing and Framing Assessments 

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https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.masteryconnect.oh&hl=en_US&gl=US

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Everyone

View your state standards in one convenient FREE app! A great reference for teachers, parents, and students to easily read and understand the standards. Quickly find and search standards by subject, grade level, and key word.

What's New

Standards updates for the 2018 - 2019 school year.

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Ohio's New Learning Standards - Apps on Google Play

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Everyone View your state standards in one convenient FREE app! A great reference for teachers, parents, and students to easily read and understand the standards. Quickly find and search standards by subject, grade level, and key word. What's New Standards updates for the 2018 - 2019 school year.

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When we conduct assessments, we may want to start by developing survey questions or collecting data. To be effective, it is important to take a broader view and consider the purpose and significance of what you hope to accomplish. The following guide can assist you in planning your assessment.

1. Why is this assessment important? We engage in assessment for a variety of reasons: to understand student learning, improve teaching, or for accountability purposes such as accreditation.

1. What are the benefits of completing this assessment?

2. What circumstances, contexts, pressures may be influencing the assessment?

2. What is the purpose of conducting the assessment?

1. What do you hope to know or learn as a result of conducting the assessment? Simply stated, answer this question, "The purpose of my assessment is...."

2. Do you think you will plan to present or publish these results outside of your department or institution? If so, seek assistance from the Iowa State University Institutional Review Board to understand if you need to IRB approval before conducting your assessment.

3. Given the purpose of the assessment, what are the critical questions to be answered or what are the key learning outcomes to be measured?

1. Develop 2-4 questions that are related to the purpose.

2. Keys to writing strong questions/learning outcomes. For assistance in developing strong learning outcomes, review CELT's Tips on Writing Course Goals/Learning Outcomes and Measurable Learning Objectives webpage.

4. Who or what should be assessed?

1. Most often assessment related to teaching and learning focuses on students or documents/artifacts produced by students.

2. Who are our participants, sample, and population?

5. What methods can best answer your assessment questions?

1. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods may all be used in assessment.

2. Common quantitative methods include numeric data gathered from instruments, surveys, questionnaires, or existing data such as those from institutional databases.

3. Common qualitative methods include interviews, focus groups, observations, and document analysis.

6. What data will you collect? How will you collect the data?
When developing your data collection method (i.e., survey, interview questions) it is important that your questions align with the purpose of your assessment.

7. How will you store and analyze the data?

1. What plans do you have to safely secure data you have collected?

2. How do you plan to analyze the data? (Remember: Data analysis should also align with your assessment questions).

8. What are your plans for reporting the data?
How and with whom will you plan to share your results?

9. What is your proposed timeline?

10. What additional financial, personnel resources and expertise might you need to conduct a successful assessment? What are your plans for securing these resources?

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When we conduct assessments, we may want to start by developing survey questions or collecting data. To be effective, it is important to take a broader view and consider the purpose and significance of what you hope to accomplish. The following guide can assist you in planning your assessment.

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Tasks

1. Identify primary intended users

Clarify who will actually use the evaluation-not in vague, general terms (e.g. "decision makers") but in terms of specific identifiable people (e.g. the manager and staff of the programme; the steering committee; funders deciding whether to fund this programme or similar programmes in the future).

2. Decide purposes

Clarify the intended uses of this evaluation-is it to support improvement, for accountability, for knowledge building? Is there a specific timeframe required (for example, to inform a specific decision or funding allocations)? If there are multiple purposes, decide how you will balance these.

3. Specify the key evaluation questions

Articulate a small number of broad evaluation questions that the evaluation will be designed to answer. These are different to the specific questions you might ask in an interview or a questionnaire.

4. Determine what 'success' looks like

Clarify the values that will be used in the evaluation in terms of criteria (aspects of performance) and standards (levels of performance). These will be used together with evidence to make judgments about whether or not an intervention has been successful, or has improved, or is the best option. Decide how different stakeholders' values will be identified and negotiated.

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Tasks 1. Identify primary intended users Clarify who will actually use the evaluation-not in vague, general terms (e.g. "decision makers") but in terms of specific identifiable people (e.g. the manager and staff of the programme; the steering committee; funders deciding whether to fund this programme or similar programmes in the future).

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Interpreting, Using, and Reporting Results of Assessments 

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Interpreting, Using, and Reporting Results of Assessments 

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https://teaching.berkeley.edu/resources/assessment-and-evaluation/analyze-and-interpret-data

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Analyze and Interpret Data

This stage of assessment involves analyzing the data to find patterns, interpreting the findings and discussing some of the limitations of the data. It is also an appropriate time to start making preliminary recommendations if the data is significant enough. In plain terms, we ask "What are the findings?" and "What do these findings mean?"

Key Questions

Before you engage in analysis and interpretation, ask....

1. Who should be involved in analysis and interpretation? To whose eyes should the analysis process and the results be credible and trustworthy? Whose perscpective counts?

2. How will interpretation be checked? Do you plan to check in with stakeholders?

3. What is the judgment going to be based on? Any preset criteria for judgement?

As you analyze and interpret data, ask...

4. What key or unique patterns did you find?

5. What do these patterns reveal about students or student learning?

6. What interpretations and recommendations can be derived from the results? Are interpretations and recommendations evident from the data?

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This stage of assessment involves analyzing the data to find patterns, interpreting the findings and discussing some of the limitations of the data. It is also an appropriate time to start making preliminary recommendations if the data is significant enough. In plain terms, we ask "What are the findings?"

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Yr4IBtRz4mJWIdfibiWWUCkeXihpqqnZ72Spk_I6e-U/edit?usp=sharing

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Interpreting, Using, and Reporting Results of Asessments

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Interpreting, Using, and Reporting Results of Asessments

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L6: ANALYSING AND INTERPRETING ASSESSMENT DATA, PREPARING ASSESSMENT REPORT AND ETHICS IN ASSESSMENT - wongyauhsiung