<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Assessment – SingTeach | Education Research for Teachers | Research within Reach</title> <atom:link href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/topic/assessment/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg</link> <description></description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2021 05:25:03 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0</generator> <item> <title>Twin Engines to Nurture Self-Directed Learners</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2021/07/19/issue77-twin-engines-to-nurture-self-directed-learners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue77-twin-engines-to-nurture-self-directed-learners</link> <comments>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2021/07/19/issue77-twin-engines-to-nurture-self-directed-learners/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Azleena]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jul 2021 03:25:47 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 77 jun 2021]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Classroom Perspectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Secondary school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Questioning techniques]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teachers' Conference]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment for Learning]]></category> <category><![CDATA[School culture]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/?p=16513</guid> <description><![CDATA[At Bukit Batok Secondary School (BBSS), the school mission is to nurture self-directed learners with abundance mentality. To […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>At <a href="https://bukitbatoksec.moe.edu.sg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bukit Batok Secondary School (BBSS)</a>, the school mission is to nurture self-directed learners with abundance mentality. To accomplish this, Assessment for Learning (AfL) and Habits of Mind (HoM) are used as twin engines. Three BBSS teachers share how this is implemented at BBSS at the recent Teachers’ Conference and Excel Fest.</em></strong></p> <div id="attachment_16532" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-16532" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ST77_Classroom_BukitBatokSec-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-16532 size-large" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ST77_Classroom_BukitBatokSec-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ST77_Classroom_BukitBatokSec-300x169.jpg 300w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ST77_Classroom_BukitBatokSec-768x432.jpg 768w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ST77_Classroom_BukitBatokSec-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ST77_Classroom_BukitBatokSec-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><p id="caption-attachment-16532" class="wp-caption-text"><em><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(From left) Goh Thye Heng is Head of Department (Mathematics), Dianah Bte Abdullah is Year Head (Upper Secondary), and Low Yizong is School Staff Developer (Internal) at Bukit Batok Secondary School. This article is based on their concurrent session at the Teachers’ Conference and Excel Fest 2021 titled “Empowering Self-Directed Learners through Habits of Mind and Assessment for Learning”.</span></em></p></div> <h1><span lang="EN-SG">What are the Characteristics of Self-Directed Learners?</span></h1> <p>Starting off the session, Upper Secondary Year Head at BBSS Mdm Dianah Bte Abdullah asks the audience to submit their responses to the question “What do you hope your students become?” on <em>Mentimeter</em>.</p> <p>Agreeing with the top four answers in the word cloud generated, Dianah notes that the answers <span>–</span> resilient, independent, hardworking and confident <span>–</span> are traits of self-directed learners, adding that she believes “our aim as educators is to future-proof our students to face the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.”</p> <p>To do so, it is necessary to nurture students who are resourceful, motivated to learn and able to apply learning to future tasks, or, in summary, a self-directed learner. “According to Costa and Kallick,” Dianah shares, “the three capabilities of a self-directed learner are the three ‘selfs’: self-manage, self-monitor and self-modify.”</p> <p>There are observable dispositions when students practice these three “selfs”. For instance:</p> <ol> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ol> <li>When a student is clear on their outcomes and has a plan of action, they are self-managing.</li> <li>When a student makes good decisions and acts to change plans that have proven to not work, they are self-monitoring.</li> <li>When we see a student apply their learning to future tasks, we know that they are self-modifying.</li> </ol> </li> </ol> <p> <br /> “Thus, to develop these observable dispositions in our students, we identified HoM and AfL as the twin engines to drive our student’s growth into self-directed learners,” Dianah concludes.</p> <h1><span lang="EN-SG">Developing Habits of Mind</span></h1> <p><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;"></p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;">“Our school programmes, academic or co-curricular activities are guided by the process of teach, apply, experience and reflect, and we ensure that we give our students ample opportunities to apply HoM dispositions.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><em><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;">– <strong>Thye Heng</strong></span></em><strong><i><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;">, </span></i></strong><em><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;">on how the school creates a HoM culture</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;"></div> <p></span></p> <p>The 16 HoM were developed by Prof Arthur L. Costa and Dr Bena Kallick after studying the behaviours of efficient and effective problem solvers. Some examples of HoM are managing impulsivity, finding humour, and responding with wonderment and awe.</p> <p>“We believe that HoM develops future-ready individuals,” Head of Mathematics Department Mr Goh Thye Heng explains, “and provides a common language for our school to nurture dispositions of self-directed learners and builds the environment for students to be inculcated with the habits we would like them to have. By teaching students the HoM dispositions, we are helping them build the capabilities of self-directed learners.”</p> <p>Some methods BBSS has adopted to create a HoM culture in the school include timetabling of explicit HoM lessons for lower secondary students and providing HoM training for new staff.</p> <p>“We understood that building a HoM culture and habit formation would take time. Our school programmes, academic or co-curricular activities are guided by the process of teach, apply, experience and reflect, and we ensure that we give our students ample opportunities to apply HoM dispositions,” Thye Heng shares.</p> <p>Citing an example, he adds that in his Mathematics department, the curriculum is taught in a spiral manner in which students go through the three strands (algebra, geometry and statistics) every year. “So, we emphasize the HoM of applying past knowledge to new situations verbally or even through visual reminders on worksheets.”</p> <p>For schools that want to begin implementing HoM, Thye Heng recommends picking one or two HoM to infuse into lessons for starters.</p> <p>“BBSS has implemented HoM school-wide and it is now managed by a HoM committee but in the beginning, it was the school management committee and senior teachers who crafted lesson plans for explicit HoM lessons and drove the school-wide implementation of HoM. The BBSS website has a <a href="https://bukitbatoksec.moe.edu.sg/our-bbss-experience/key-programmes/habits-of-mind" target="_blank" rel="noopener">page</a> on our HoM journey that we hope will inspire you on your own HoM journey.”</p> <h1><span lang="EN-SG">Practising Assessment for Learning</span></h1> <p><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;"></p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;">“In implementing AfL, it is important to set the stage for our students. We need to make sure students understand not just what they need to learn, but the depth of learning they should demonstrate.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span class="st"><b><i><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;">–</span></i></b></span><strong><i><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;"> Yizong</span></i></strong><em><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;">, on the importance of setting the stage for students when implementing AfL</span></em><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'Georgia',serif; color: #333333;"></div> <p></span></p> <p>Where HoM helps build the capabilities of self-directed learners, the challenge for teachers then becomes making self-directed learning an explicit outcome for students. This is where AfL is used by BBSS teachers to promote self-directed learning within and beyond the classroom.</p> <p>The enactment of these AfL strategies and HoM dispositions facilitates the development of selfassessment and reflection in learning, and provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance.</p> <p>The focus of AfL is improving student learning. This is achieved through these five AfL strategies: student-friendly learning target, effective questioning, effective feedback, peer and self assessment, and formative use of summative assessment. AfL prompts students to ask: <em>Where am I going? Where am I now? How can I close the gap?</em></p> <p>School Staff Developer (Int) Mr Low Yizong shares, “For example, take the AfL strategy of effective questioning, which is related to the HoM disposition on questioning and posing problems. Teachers start the process by asking effective questions, giving students who have adopted the HoM disposition of questioning and posing problems a stepping stone to form their own questions.”</p> <p>Yizong believes that effective questioning is a process that starts before the lesson, where teachers plan questions to deepen the learning of their students. To him, it is a deliberate process to engage students, monitor their progress and understanding, and close any learning gaps.</p> <p>The questions asked have to be student-friendly (i.e. catered to their level of understanding) yet provide effective scaffolding and remain focused on the students’ learning objective. Effective questioning not only helps students discover their learning gaps, but also develops higher order thinking skills as they answer the questions, organize their thoughts and ideas, and find questions of their own.</p> <p>“In implementing AfL, it is important to set the stage for our students. We need to make sure students understand not just what they need to learn, but the depth of learning they should demonstrate,” Yizong emphasizes.</p> <h1><span lang="EN-SG">Twin Engines in Action</span></h1> <p>For the three of them, learning is a lifelong task and not just a singular event meant to satisfy a teacher. It is their hope to see their students develop a love of learning and not feel dependent on the judgement of others to determine the value of what they are learning.</p> <p>As Yizong concludes: “Through nurturing HoM dispositions and the implementation of AfL, we empower our students to learn for life, and to take ownership of their own learning.”</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2021/07/19/issue77-twin-engines-to-nurture-self-directed-learners/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>To Measure is not Enough</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2016/12/16/issue59-bigidea/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue59-bigidea</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 08:07:55 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 59 dec 2016]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Professional development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-directed learning]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Big Idea]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Alternative assessment]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10541</guid> <description><![CDATA[Student assessment is commonly associated with tests and formal exams, but over-fixation on such quantitative measures can cause […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>Student assessment is commonly associated with tests and formal exams, but over-fixation on such quantitative measures can cause us to lose sight of what is valued in education. We speak to NIE Lecturer Dr Tay Hui Yong on the need for teachers to go beyond such measurements to enhance student learning.</em></strong></p> <p>In Singapore where competitive school admissions are largely based on student results, test scores are invariably an important component of student assessment.</p> <p>But they should not be everything.</p> <h1>Measuring What We Value</h1> <div id="attachment_10633" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10633" loading="lazy" width="300" height="232" class="wp-image-10633 size-medium" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/hui-yong_for-web-1-300x232.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10633" class="wp-caption-text">Tay Hui Yong wants teachers to know that they have the autonomy and power to do more than just deliver on the national exams.</p></div> <p>“While schools are rightly concerned about whether students are learning, the question is whether evidence of learning lies only in measurement, especially by test scores,” says Hui Yong, who is from the Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Academic Group and does research in the area of assessment.</p> <p>When such quantitative measurement is all there is, we run the risk of reducing students’ learning to mere numbers. Instead, test scores should be viewed as indicators of a student’s current capacity to help teachers reflect on how they can further help them grow in their potential.</p> <p>“We are sometimes so preoccupied with academic scores that we forget learning is not so easily measured,” says Hui Yong. There is also a tendency for other factors that are not in the metric <span class="_Tgc">–</span> such as character <span class="_Tgc">–</span> to get overlooked, resulting in a narrow representation of a child’s development.</p> <p>“Teachers have to exercise judgment on what else is important regardless of the metric that is currently used,” says Hui Yong. Good teaching requires awareness that there is more to assessment than just the quantifiable measurements.</p> <p>“We cannot teach well if we cannot assess well,” she adds.</p> <h1>Assessing Students Well</h1> <p>This means that teachers need to ask: <em>What does the score mean? Are my students</em> <em>struggling because of a lack of practice? Do they have misconceptions?</em></p> <p>The next step in assessing well is to determine how to bring a student from where he or she currently is to where he or she needs to be. “The conversation should be about how to help students maximize their potential,” says Hui Yong.</p> <p>One way to do so is by making the success criteria for a task clear to students before they begin. For instance, if the task is to write a composition, students should be aware of what makes a good composition and what the markers of success are.</p> <p>This allows students to assess themselves and find their own solutions to new problems. “Ultimately, we know the kids have learned when they are able to do all these themselves,” explains Hui Yong.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“Teachers have to exercise judgment on what else is important regardless of the metric that is currently used.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Hui Yong</strong>, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Academic Group</em></p> </div> <h1>Encouraging Independent Learning</h1> <p>Faced with the challenge of preparing our youths for an increasingly complex and uncertain world, Hui Yong feels that the role of teachers today is bigger than just preparing them for examinations.</p> <p>“I often tell teachers that they have the autonomy, they have the power and more importantly, they have the responsibility to do more than just deliver on the national exams,” she says. “Good teachers in schools are already doing this on an everyday basis.”</p> <p>Helping each student become a self-directed learner is the ultimate goal. Students must be active participants in their own learning <span class="_Tgc">–</span> actively engaged to ask questions in order to understand key concepts and ideas. To achieve this, feedback during assessment should assist students in driving their own learning and developing their capacities as judges of their learning (Boud & Molloy, 2013).</p> <p>“The most effective feedback provides clues or reinforcements that show students how to do a task more effectively,” shares Hui Yong. Depending on the ability of the student, a teacher might decide to comment on whether a task is done correctly or wrongly, or use hints to prompt the student instead to think in a certain way (see box story below on the different levels of feedback).</p> <p>Feedback could also be improved through dialogue that goes beyond a subject area to include other goals a child could be working towards. “Ideally, this should also be the kind of feedback that goes into report books,” says Hui Yong.</p> <p>To diagnose and provide the right type of feedback to each student, she has been helping teachers reframe their role, emphasizing that to be a good teacher, they need to check on their students’ progress regularly in the classroom. Good teachers also work towards developing self-regulated learners.</p> <p>She shares, “I always ask teachers: When you’re not around, do you have the confidence that your students will be able to cope on their own?” Because even without the teacher, the self-regulated student will be able to assess where he or she is and figure out how to get where he or she needs to be.</p> <div class="message-box-wrapper yellow"> <div class="message-box-title">Different Levels of Feedback and How They Impact Learning</div> <div class="message-box-content"> <p>The form of feedback students receive can influence their attitude towards the tasks they are assigned. At best, teachers’ feedback can help reinforce self-efficacy and critical thinking among students. Hui Yong shares four levels of feedback that are commonly used in the classroom (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).</p> <p><strong>Personal:</strong> Does not refer directly to the task itself such as, “Good Try!” Feedback at a personal level is rarely effective.</p> <p><strong>Task:</strong> Tells students directly what is right or wrong and what to correct. For example, “Where is the third factor?”</p> <p><strong>Process: </strong>Tells students how to do a task better. For example, “Please support the point with evidence from the text.” Such feedback leads to deep learning that can be applied to the next task.</p> <p><strong>Self-regulation: </strong>Prompts the learner to make judgment on his own work through questions such as, “How can you show a clearer link between two paragraphs?” Feedback on self-regulation leads to enhanced self-efficacy and engagement.</p> </div> </div> <div class="message-box-wrapper white"> <div class="message-box-title">Assessment for Learning in the Classroom</div> <div class="message-box-content"> <p><a href="https://evergreensec.moe.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evergreen Secondary School</a> advocates and backs Assessment for Learning (AfL) as a core strategy in nurturing quality teaching and learning. The video below shows examples of how various AfL moves are integrated into a typical classroom lesson.</p> <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="EVG AfL v2" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_xL55H_hQK0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> </div> </div> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p>Boud, D., & Molloy, E. (2013). Rethinking models of feedback for learning: The challenge of design.<em> Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education</em>, <em>38</em>(6), 698–712.</p> <p>Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. <em>Review of Educational Research. 77</em>(1), 81–112.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Inspiring Learning through Self-assessment</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2016/12/16/issue59-research01/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue59-research01</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 08:06:06 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 59 dec 2016]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research in Action]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Alternative assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-directed learning]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10539</guid> <description><![CDATA[Students play a huge role in their own learning process but they often have few opportunities to assess […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>Students play a huge role in their own learning process but they often have few opportunities to assess themselves in the classroom <span class="_Tgc">–</span> something NIE Research Scientist Dr Wong Hwei Ming believes can promote learner responsibility and independence. Speaking at a workshop during the </em></strong><strong><em><a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/event-detail/assessment-colloquium" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3rd Annual Assessment Colloquium 2016</a></em><em>,</em> <em>she addressed common misconceptions surrounding student self-assessment and provided suggestions on how teachers can engage students in self-assessment in the classroom.</em></strong></p> <p>When participants of a workshop on student self-assessment were asked “What is self-assessment?” their replies fell mostly along the lines of “students grade their own work”.</p> <p>But is it that simple? Hwei Ming, who also lectures at NIE, emphasizes that for self-assessment to be effective, students first need to be aware of their actions.</p> <div id="attachment_10605" style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10605" loading="lazy" width="350" height="232" class="wp-image-10605 size-full" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ST59_Research_HweiMing01_for_web.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10605" class="wp-caption-text">Dr Wong Hwei Ming believes that students can be empowered to be assessors of their own work if provided with the appropriate structure and guidance from their teachers.</p></div> <h1>Misconceptions of Student Self-assessment</h1> <p>Although some teachers may not take student self-assessment seriously because they feel that “students don’t know what they are doing”, Hwei Ming stresses that students are actually a source of information about their own learning.</p> <p>It is a common misconception that “students are not teachers, and hence they are not able to assess themselves”. Hwei Ming believes however that students <em>can</em> be empowered to take ownership of their own learning, provided they are given the appropriate structure and guidance from their teachers.</p> <h1>Students as Their Own Assessors</h1> <p>“Student self-assessment is a process where students reflect on their performances, thinking and learning,” explains Hwei Ming.</p> <p>Through self-assessment, students understand themselves better as learners. They become more aware of what works and does not work for them in their learning process, and the conditions under which learning happens.</p> <p>In class, self-assessment often takes the form of critical examination of their own work with reference to performance indicators set by teachers. It is also through this practice of self-assessment that students understand making mistakes and acknowledging them are essential to their learning process.</p> <h1>A Culture of Learning from Failure</h1> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> <p>“Student self-assessment is a process where students reflect on their performances, thinking and learning.”</p> <p><em><strong>– Hwei Ming, </strong>Office of Education Research</em></p> </div> <p>“We should encourage failure as part of the learning process,” explains Hwei Ming. “It is through failure that students and teachers can learn better.”</p> <p>To promote a culture of learning through failure, teachers first need to create a safe environment for students to experience failure without being judged.</p> <p>For example, when the teacher asks the class a question and the answer that comes from a student is incorrect or incomplete, instead of directly pointing out that the student is wrong, the teacher can encourage other students to build on the first answer. “We should avoid burdening the students by creating classroom anxiety,” says Hwei Ming.</p> <p>Giving students the opportunity to share the cognitive load of answering creates a collective learning opportunity for the entire class. Furthermore, teachers can gain insight into how students think and be able to address their difficulties instantly.</p> <p>At the crux of self-assessment is the realization that students are capable of taking ownership of their learning, and that as educators, we need to help put this ownership back into their hands.</p> <div class="message-box-wrapper yellow"> <div class="message-box-title">Student Self-assessment Strategies</div> <div class="message-box-content"> <p>To help students take charge of their own learning, NIE Research Scientist Dr Wong Hwei Ming shares some self-assessment activities that teachers can use in the classroom:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Learning Logs: </strong>Like journals, learning logs help students to reflect on the progress of their task by writing their experience through a series of guided questions such as: <em>Did the task</em> <em>go well and why? What did I learn from this? How can I improve next time?</em><em><br /> </em> </li> <li><strong>Student-led Conferences: </strong>These are opportunities for students to share newly acquired skills and knowledge with a small audience through presentations. The audience consists of students, parents and teachers, and includes Q&A sessions.<br /> </li> <li><strong>Checklists: </strong>Students check their work against a list of performance indicators to verify that they have met task objectives. This puts the ownership of learning into students’ hands.<br /> </li> <li><strong>Rubrics: </strong>Similar to checklists but with descriptors of quality at each level for each criterion, rubrics allow students to measure the progress of their work <span class="_Tgc">–</span> for example, writing composition and assessing it against a set of indicators.<br /> </li> <li><strong>Modelling the Task: </strong>This involves using a sample “model piece of work” to provide students with a clearer view of what they need to do or avoid to meet task expectations. The model work can be shown to students at either the start of the task (to set expectations), in the middle of the task (as a guide for them to progress) or at the end of it (to allow them to compare their work against the model).<br /> </li> <li><strong><strong>Modelling the Questions: </strong></strong>As some students may struggle with asking questions, teachers can help by anticipating where difficulty may be faced and posing relevant questions to guide students in their analysis and reflection. Possible questions include: <em>What else could I have done? What is the next thing I need to do? What will happen if I…? How can I find out…?</em></li> </ol> </div> </div> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Holistic Assessment in the General Music Programme</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2016/12/16/issue59-research02/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue59-research02</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 08:05:48 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 59 dec 2016]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Arts education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research in Action]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Holistic education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Music education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10537</guid> <description><![CDATA[Music teachers in Singapore have the autonomy to design assessment tasks and activities for their students within the […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>Music teachers in Singapore have the autonomy to design assessment tasks and activities for their students within the context of the General Music Programme. What makes a music assessment task really “fit-for-purpose”, particularly in supporting student’s holistic learning? Principal Investigator Dr Leong Wei Shin spearheads a research project to explore existing classroom assessment tasks to better understand and improve music teachers’ assessment strategies.</em></strong></p> <div id="attachment_10603" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10603" loading="lazy" width="400" height="267" class="size-full wp-image-10603" alt="(From left) Clarice Wong, Leong Wei Shin and Theodore Low want to understand the kinds of assessments that exist in the music classrooms today." src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ST59_Research_WeiShin_for_web.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10603" class="wp-caption-text">(From left) Clarice Wong, Leong Wei Shin and Theodore Low want to understand the kinds of assessments that exist in the music classrooms today.</p></div> <h1>Assessment in the Music Classroom</h1> <p>“Assessment is central to the teaching and learning of music,” says <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/leong-wei-shin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wei Shin</a>, who is also an Assistant Professor with the <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/our-people/academic-groups/curriculum-teaching-and-learning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Academic Group </a>at <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NIE</a>. “It can determine what students remember about music and their attitudes towards it for the rest of their lives.”</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.moe.gov.sg/docs/default-source/document/education/syllabuses/arts-education/files/2015_Music_Teaching_and_Learning_Syllabus_(Primary_and_Lower_Secondary).pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">General Music Programme</a> (GMP) is a key arts programme that provides basic music education to all students from Primary 1 to Secondary 2. Although the GMP is non-examinable, teachers are encouraged to conduct assessment regularly to facilitate students’ learning of music (MOE, 2016).</p> <p>As a former music teacher, Wei Shin is keen to help teachers improve their assessment strategies to enrich their students’ learning of music.</p> <p>Working closely with a team of researchers (Dr Pamela Onishi and Dr Imelda Caleon), research assistants (Mr Theodore Low and Ms Clarice Wong) and MOE collaborators (Ms Suriati Suradi and Mrs Li Yen See), the team collected and analysed 47 assessment tasks from 24 primary and secondary school music teachers over 2 years to understand the kinds of assessments that exist in classrooms today.</p> <h1>Appraising Assessment Tasks</h1> <p>A big part of the research project is the panel of expert evaluators that Wei Shin engaged to assist with appraising the assessment tasks they collected.</p> <p>“Among the teachers who had submitted the tasks, we invited some to be expert evaluators as they have many years of experience teaching music,” Wei Shin adds. Besides teachers, his team also invited officers from the Singapore Teachers Academy for the aRts (STAR) to be on this panel.</p> <p>“Expert evaluators help us to rate assessment tasks according to whether they are age-appropriate to a particular level and if they meet the requirements of the GMP syllabus,” says Wei Shin. The evaluators were not told about the specific school level (e.g., Primary 4, Secondary 2) of the tasks and works. Rather they had to guess which level the assessment would be most appropriate for, and proceed to evaluate the students works according to that “best guess”.</p> <p>“Within the context of GMP, we have consensus that a good assessment task is one that is developmentally appropriate, embraces the holistic sense of music learning and also helps students connect what they have heard with what they are performing and what they could possibly create,” Wei Shin shares.</p> <p>In the GMP syllabus, the five stipulated learning outcomes pertain to the performance, composition, listening, appreciation and theory of music. “Assessment tasks that address these outcomes are considered holistic because music has to be regarded in its entirety,” Theodore explains. “Expert evaluators also award better ratings to such tasks and this itself is an important finding that we can have such consensus.”</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“A good assessment task is one that is developmentally appropriate, embraces the holistic sense of music learning and also helps students connect what they have heard with what they are performing and what they could possibly create.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Leong Wei Shin</strong>, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Academic Group</em></p> </div> <h1>Mismatch between Task and Student Level</h1> <p>If music teachers could have a fuller view of the learning progressions of students across the levels, the assessment tasks that they set could have a higher chance of being developmentally appropriate and address the stipulated learning outcomes. Students would also receive more age-appropriate tasks as they progress to higher school levels to maximize their learning of music.</p> <p>Upon reviewing expert evaluators’ ratings and feedback on the tasks that teachers submitted, the team discovered that there is sometimes a mismatch between the developmental level associated with a task and school level of students who receive the task. This could mean that a secondary school task is easily achieved by primary school students and vice versa.</p> <p>“For example, one secondary school task that we collected required students to select the correct rhythm after listening to a recording. Expert evaluators and our team hold the view that this task can easily be accomplished at the primary school level,” Theodore explains.</p> <p>“Such a finding suggests that even with a common syllabus to refer to in designing assessment tasks, music teachers can have very different interpretations on what is an appropriate task,” Clarice adds.</p> <p>Wei Shin’s team hypothesized that levels of proficiency in music can vary significantly among students at the secondary school level. Consequently, some music teachers may feel compelled to design assessment tasks that do not disadvantage less adept students.</p> <p>Nevertheless, the team did receive other secondary school tasks that both they and expert evaluators considered to be developmentally appropriate. They include one that required students to play a piece of music on the guitar as a band and another that gave students the opportunity to lend their creative input into a song.</p> <h1>More Communication and Guidance</h1> <p>“Many music teachers typically interact only with fellow primary or secondary school teachers. There are also primary school teachers who have never seen a secondary school task and vice versa,” Wei Shin shares. “Some were thus surprised at either the simplicity or complexity of a task designed by another teacher.”</p> <p>These findings led Wei Shin’s team to conclude that primary and secondary school music teachers should have more opportunities to exchange ideas and learn from one another to promote conversations and sharing of expectations tacitly embedded their teaching, learning and assessment strategies.</p> <p>“In doing so, good quality music teaching, learning and assessment can be better understood and democratized across schools in Singapore,” says Clarice.</p> <p>“Teachers who participated in this project also expressed that they liked the idea of sharing assessment tasks with one another and learning the practices of fellow colleagues,” Wei Shin adds.</p> <p>Besides opportunities for interaction, Wei Shin believes that teachers should be given more guidance on principles of assessment in music to ensure that they design assessment tasks that are appropriately tailored to students’ levels.</p> <p>Wei Shin has shared part of his research findings with colleagues at the Arts Education Branch (AEB) at MOE and the 2016 International Society for Music Education conference. He intends to present the final findings on various local and international platforms when they are ready.</p> <p>Ultimately, Wei Shin hopes that his research into GMP assessment will help, together with many other important initiatives within and outside MOE, to raise the quality of music education in Singapore.</p> <p><strong>Reference</strong></p> <p>Ministry of Education, Student Development Curriculum Division (2016). <em>Music Teaching and Learning Syllabus: Primary and Lower Secondary</em>. Retrieved from: <a href="https://www.moe.gov.sg/docs/default-source/document/education/syllabuses/arts-education/files/2015_Music_Teaching_and_Learning_Syllabus_(Primary_and_Lower_Secondary).pdf">https://www.moe.gov.sg/docs/default-source/document/education/syllabuses/arts-education/files/2015_Music_Teaching_and_Learning_Syllabus_(Primary_and_Lower_Secondary).pdf</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Using Assessment as a Positive Tool</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2016/12/16/issue59-classroom01/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue59-classroom01</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 08:04:37 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 59 dec 2016]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Professional development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Classroom Perspectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Secondary school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Physical education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10535</guid> <description><![CDATA[Assessment is commonly thought of as a useful tool for promoting effective learning. However, this is only so […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>Assessment is commonly thought of as a useful tool for promoting effective learning. However, this is only so when it is utilized appropriately. A secondary school teacher from <a href="https://chongboonsec.moe.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chong Boon Secondary School </a>shares how assessment can affect the teaching and learning process through the kinds of messages it sends to learners.</em></strong></p> <div id="attachment_10631" style="width: 290px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10631" loading="lazy" width="280" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-10631" alt="Dr Kaycee Chan emphasizes the totality of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy for better learning." src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ST59_Classroom_ChongBoonSec_for_web-280x300.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10631" class="wp-caption-text">Kaycee Chan believes that assessment has a great influence on teaching and learning.</p></div> <p>What is the similarity between a power drill and classroom assessment?</p> <p>“They are both powerful tools,” Physical Education (PE) teacher Dr Kaycee Chan says in his workshop during the <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/event-detail/assessment-colloquium" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3rd Annual Assessment Colloquium 2016 </a>at <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NIE</a>. “The power drill can help us drill a hole in the wall, and even function as a screwdriver. Similarly, assessment, with its formative and summative functions, can be adapted to suit different lesson objectives.</p> <p>“Assessment holds immense power and influence over many educational issues that matter to us and affects how teachers teach and how students learn,” Kaycee adds. Teachers need to understand this power they have in their hands so they may wield this powerful educational tool more responsibly.</p> <p>“If the power drill is in the hands of a carpenter, he or she can build beautiful furniture,” he explains, “but if it’s in the hands of an untrained and careless user, it can hurt people.”</p> <p>This led to his interest in learning more about the implications of assessment in classrooms.</p> <h1>What does Assessment Say?</h1> <p>“What we choose to assess and how we assess it conveys important and powerful pedagogic messages to our students,” says Kaycee. For instance, if something is <em>not assessed</em>, does it then mean that it is <em>not worth acquiring</em>?</p> <p>Assessment communicates the valued aspect of a subject and therefore has a significant influence on how teachers teach and how students learn.</p> <p>Kaycee shares that a student once told him in class: “I don’t want to participate and learn the skills because PE is not examinable.” That incident made him realize that having PE as a non-examinable subject may inadvertently send a message to students that the subject is not important, and affect the way they approach their learning.</p> <p>On the other hand, when the National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) test is used as the sole indicator for PE assessment, PE teachers may spend more time than necessary preparing students during the course of the year for just the test.</p> <p>“We see a fitness-centric curriculum being enacted where students do a lot of running, push-ups and sit-ups in PE. This may do injustice to the otherwise rich learning in the other content areas that PE has to offer,” explains Kaycee. “We can see the influence of assessment requirements on our teaching and how it may cause unintended consequences such as a narrowing of curriculum in this case.”</p> <p>Kaycee, who was part of the NAPFA review team, conceived a more holistic approach to better represent the valued contents in the PE curriculum. The team proposed to lower emphasis on the NAPFA test and to administer it on a biennial basis instead of annually. This proposal was eventually accepted and implemented by the Ministry of Education in Singapore.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“We need to have a good picture of what we want to achieve at the beginning so that assessment can be more aligned.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Kaycee</strong>, Chong Boon Secondary School</em></p> </div> <h1>Aligning Curriculum, Assessment and Pedagogy</h1> <p>“We need to have a good picture of what we want to achieve at the beginning so that assessment can be more aligned,” shares Kaycee. “It is an important aspect of the teaching and learning process, so we have to pay attention to this area to enhance our students’ learning experience.”</p> <p>The pedagogy employed then needs to move students towards achieving this objective by ensuring they know what is expected of them.</p> <p>One way forward is to be clear about lesson objectives before the lesson begins. “After you identify your objectives, you can then start to plan your assessment to find out if the knowledge and skills are being realized by the students,” he says.</p> <p>If the key learning objective of the unit is for students to be able to play a basketball game by the end of the unit, teachers should plan to assess students in a summative manner. For example, students’ basketball ability should be assessed based on how they perform in an authentic game situation instead of the number of shots they make from the free throw line.</p> <p>It is insufficient to conclude that a student is a good basketball player based on the sole reason that he or she never misses a shot from a free throw line. Instead, teachers should look at the ability of the student in making successful attack moves in the presence of defending opponents.</p> <p>“We have to look into the totality of teaching, which involves curriculum, pedagogy, assessment,” Kaycee explains. “In order to maximize students’ learning, these three <em>must</em> be aligned.”</p> <h1>Communicating Expectations</h1> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> <p>“We have to look into the totality of teaching, which involves curriculum, pedagogy, assessment. In order to maximize students’ learning, these three must be aligned.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Kaycee, </strong>on the importance of aligning curriculum, pedagogy and assessment</em></p> </div> <p>The main challenge is bridging the gap between performance and expectations. “If students don’t know the assessment criteria, they will not be able to fulfil the requirements of the task,” shares Kaycee.</p> <p>And if teachers fail to explain assessment criteria clearly, it may result in students not knowing what the teacher is looking for during assessment.</p> <p>Clear and explicit explanation on what is expected helps students to be aware of the specific changes they need to make to their answers in order to meet assessment standards.</p> <p>For Kaycee, this is a challenge he gladly takes up, and holistic assessment has become an integral part of his lessons. With him, PE lessons are definitely more than just learning to dribble balls and shoot hoops!</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Helping Students Write Quality Explanations</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2016/12/16/issue59-classroom02/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue59-classroom02</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 08:03:47 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 59 dec 2016]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Secondary school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Alternative assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Classroom Perspectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Humanities]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Junior College]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10533</guid> <description><![CDATA[Explanations are the foundation of every Humanities essay, yet constructing well-reasoned ones remains a struggle for many students. […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><strong>Explanations are the foundation of every Humanities essay, yet constructing well-reasoned ones remains a struggle for many students. Believing more could be done to help them with this, five Senior Teachers have researched and designed a new assessment rubric that can improve students’ explanation skills.</strong></em></p> <p>Memorizing notes and then regurgitating information – this is common practice for many students in the Humanities classroom.</p> <p>Through research conducted during the <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/teacher-education/teacher-leaders-programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Teacher Leaders Programme </a>they attended at <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/">NIE</a>, Humanities teachers Dina Van Dijk, Khoo Kay Yong, Leung Wai Ching Juliane, Danny Tan and Lester Lim observed that this happens due to poor understanding of what constitutes a good explanation and how to write one.</p> <div id="attachment_10671" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10671" loading="lazy" width="500" height="164" class="wp-image-10671 size-full" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ST59_Classroom_SeniorTeachers01_for_web.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10671" class="wp-caption-text">(From left) Lester Lim, Danny Tan, Khoo Kay Yong, Juliane Leung and Dina van Dijk met during a Teacher Leaders Programme at NIE</p></div> <h1>Difficulty Connecting the Dots</h1> <p>“Sometimes when we ask questions, instead of providing a comprehensive answer, students throw facts at us and expect teachers to make the connection for them,” says Lester who is teaching at Pioneer Junior College.</p> <p>But moving forward, students must have a firm grasp on how to effectively organize information to successfully make a point in an essay. This is especially so with the new Social Studies syllabus that has increased emphasis on questions that test the application of concepts.</p> <p>“Such questions require students to get answers from all over the syllabus,” Danny, who teaches at Catholic High School, explains. “So they need to have a good understanding of how issues are linked.”</p> <p>This means students cannot get by with memorizing and regurgitating facts or model answers during examinations. Deeper understanding of issues is needed, together with the ability to identify the general principle behind events and draw connections between them.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“A good explanation involves more than just stating different points.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Dina</strong>, Senior Teacher at Nanyang Girls’ High School</em></p> </div> <h1>The Modified Assessment Descriptor (MAD)</h1> <p>To help students and teachers with this, the team designed the Modified Assessment Descriptor (MAD), a guide that highlights the key components that show good explanation in essay writing.</p> <p>“A good explanation involves more than just stating different points,” says Dina. “Most of the essays students write are about cause and effect, so MAD is helpful in getting them to think about the nuances of their explanation.”</p> <p>Through MAD, the teachers hope to move beyond the vague descriptors of some existing assessment rubrics and make explicit the requirements of a good explanation.</p> <h1>Addressing Uncertainty, Clarifying Doubts</h1> <div id="attachment_10642" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10642" loading="lazy" width="300" height="187" class="wp-image-10642 size-full" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ST59_Classroom_SeniorTeachers02_for_web.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10642" class="wp-caption-text">The team believes that the Modified Assessment Descriptors enables students to be better assessors of their own work.</p></div> <p>One commonly used assessment rubric in schools today is the “Level of Response Marking Scheme” (LORMS) whose criteria the teachers feel is too broad to be helpful to students. Assessment based on LORMS may state that a student’s answers are “very well explained”, but fail to go into detail about what this means for the student.</p> <p>In contrast, MAD breaks down these terms so that students are able to identify which part of their explanation they can improve on.</p> <p>“MAD is useful because it goes into greater depth about what makes an explanation good or not,” says Kay Yong. The criteria give students an indication of where they are with respect to each component (Key Idea, Evidence and Explanation) so that they can differentiate where they are doing well and not so well.</p> <p>Another key feature of MAD is its accessibility that makes for a great self-assessment tool. Once students are taught what an explanation requires, the rubric can be used for self-assessment independent of the teacher (see yellow box below).</p> <p>“The words we use in MAD capture the experience of students,” shares Dina. “The lowest level might be “I don’t know what I’m writing, I’m just writing what I can remember.” In clear terms, the rubric gives them a sense of what they should be targeting.</p> <p>The inclusion of examples is also helpful in getting students to think independently about the nuances of their answers. “For essays, you have to consider the precipitant, triggers, underlying factors, amplifiers and so on,” says Dina. “We want students to have this sensitivity so that when they go to Junior College (JC), they have more confidence to do a Humanities subject.”</p> <p>By JC, students are expected to have mastered explanations and achieved a certain sophistication of thought. For those yet to master these building blocks of essays, the learning curve can be steep.</p> <p>For current JC students however, MAD has been adapted as ACE (Answer, Connect, Evidence) to develop students’ evaluation skills. Like MAD, ACE helps students infer where they need to improve through gradations and examples.</p> <p>The example below shows the Modified Assessment Descriptors for one of the three components (Key Idea) of an explanation.</p> <div class="message-box-wrapper yellow"> <div class="message-box-title">Question: Why did Malaya fall to the Japanese in WWII?</div> <div class="message-box-content"> <p>[table id=2 /]</p> </div> </div> <h1>MAD in the Classroom</h1> <p>After piloting MAD with their respective classes, the teachers observed significant improvements in students’ explanations.</p> <p>Danny finds that the rubric helps students make sense of subjects like History by showing them how to organize what appears to be just a collection of facts, figures and dates into a coherent package that communicates a point.</p> <p>“Once students have the key understandings, when scenarios and questions change, students will be able to change along with them,” shares Danny. “This is a long-term process and all part of the 21st century competencies teachers want to instil in students.”</p> <p>Lester concurs, adding that “It would be good if a teacher is willing to sacrifice some time and wait for students to respond rather than just providing answers.” As it takes time for students to become accustomed to MAD, Juliane also advises teachers to go through the rubric in detail with students, directing them to verbalize their thinking until it becomes a habit of mind.</p> <p>While this may seem like a lot of work, teachers can take heart that the principles behind MAD are not completely new. The team has simply taken what has effectively become a thinking routine for most teachers and systemized it, transforming it into a rubric that guides and empowers students to learn independently.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“Once students have the key understandings, when scenarios and questions change, students will be able to change along with them.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Danny</strong>, Senior Teacher at Catholic High School</em></p> </div> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>The Evolution of Classroom Assessment</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2016/12/16/issue59-people01/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue59-people01</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 08:02:14 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 59 dec 2016]]></category> <category><![CDATA[People]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher professionalism]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher-student relationship]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Professional development]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10531</guid> <description><![CDATA[Australian Professor Val Klenowski believes that the search for quality assessment practice should restore teachers’ professional assessment judgment […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>Australian Professor Val Klenowski believes that the search for quality assessment practice should restore teachers’ professional assessment judgment to meet the learning needs of students in our changing world. This article is based on a section of her keynote address during the <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/event-detail/assessment-colloquium" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3rd Annual Assessment Colloquium 2016</a> at <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NIE</a> titled “The Search for Quality Assessment Practice: Putting Teacher Judgement Back into the Frame”.</em></strong></p> <div id="attachment_10676" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10676" loading="lazy" width="600" height="203" class="wp-image-10676 size-full" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ST59_People_ProfVal02_for_web.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10676" class="wp-caption-text">Prof Val giving a keynote address during the 3rd Annual Assessment Colloquium 2016 at NIE.</p></div> <h1>“The Future of the World is in My Classroom Today”</h1> <p>Just the other day when I was in a cab on my way to NIE, my driver said: “I think teachers deserve a pay increase.” I thought what he said was very impressive, so we continued that conversation and he added, “Teachers are the only people who can change a Prime Minister or President’s mindset.”</p> <p>He is very much referring to the impact that we as educators have on young people’s identities. I always think very carefully about my teaching and about students. I am really interested in the conversations I have had with teachers and students.</p> <p>I frequently use the case study approach in my research because what you can observe in the classroom is very important.</p> <p>So I am going to talk about the importance of the teacher-student learning relationship based on my observations and research. This is where teacher judgment and understanding of how to use assessment to improve learning comes into play.</p> <p>To begin, I am going to talk about the millennial generation and the changing expectations of industry and business, and what that means for teachers in classroom assessment.</p> <h1>The Millennial Generation</h1> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> <p>“As expectations change and technology changes the way we work, a shift in our thinking is required for innovation to happen.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Prof Val</strong>, on the need to adapt to changing times</em></p> </div> <p>The millennial generation comprises 25 per cent of the world’s population and is aged between 16 and 30 years. Research finds that this generation values authenticity, autonomy, purpose and passion in their work. This particular generation also has a social conscience and really wants to make a difference.</p> <p>We know that this generation has experienced the power of social media, digital media, word-of-mouth advertising and the online marketplace. It is the generation behind start-ups like Grab, Uber, Airbnb, Etsy. And so, at an Australian summit this year, this generation was described as risk-takers and growth-makers.</p> <p>It was noted at the same summit that there has been a shift in values and expectations. This shift has had a profound effect on the way millennials are living, learning and working, but some of our policies aren’t really helpful in encouraging the innovation needed.</p> <p>So the key idea is that first, we need to nurture the right skills. This has implications for us as teachers. As expectations change and technology changes the way we work, a shift in our thinking is required for innovation to happen.</p> <h1>Preparing Students for the Real World</h1> <div id="attachment_10618" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10618" loading="lazy" width="300" height="200" class="size-full wp-image-10618" alt="Prof Klenowski shares that teachers have to view students as individuals and address their learning needs accordingly." src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ST59_People_ProfVal_for_web.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10618" class="wp-caption-text">Prof Val shares that teachers have to view students as individuals and address their learning needs accordingly.</p></div> <p>I was really interested to see how these changes are playing out in Singapore where you have a history of examination and high-stakes assessment. I found the millennial generation were reporting that when assessing applicants for a particular job position, it is <em>not</em> so much the stellar grades that matter, but whether the applicant has the right attributes to fit with the team and a good work ethic.</p> <p>The element of fun is also something that appears to be really important in the work environment. And I must say it is very important in the learning environment as well.</p> <p>This context has important implications for learning and assessment. Research suggests that students today are learning more outside of the formal classroom context and wanting to develop competencies and skills for innovation and growth.</p> <p>What our students then really need to learn today are skills that are needed beyond the classrooms <span class="_Tgc">–</span> competence, curiosity, collaboration, communication, creativity, commitment and cross-leadership. Such competencies also include personality traits such as emotional resilience and conscientiousness.</p> <p>To achieve these learning outcomes, our assessment, policies and practices need to first nurture and support the development of the right skillsets. Second, we need to motivate our students by providing them with opportunities to achieve something meaningful or something that matters. Third, we also need to involve our students in ideas for change and create an assessment experience that will provide them with cognitive challenges to scale up.</p> <h1>Fostering Positive Teacher-Student Relationships</h1> <p>In addition to applying pedagogic and reform principles to changing assessment, I would argue that the personal element in the teacher-student relationship is also important. We need to ensure that in our interactions with our students, we treat them with respect and in a way that helps us achieve our intended learning outcomes.</p> <p>In a recent Australian Research Council project that focused on the use of assessment data to promote equity in schools, we sought to build teacher capacity by supporting the use of critical inquiry to interrogate assessment data and the use of professional judgment to modify teaching practices.</p> <p>One teacher chose to focus on two students who were struggling with their writing. She was concerned about their emotional stability, lack of confidence and inability to progress. In her inquiry, she came to understand her students’ interests and difficulties and realized that she needed to change her pedagogy and curriculum to motivate and engage these students.</p> <p>The point I am making here is that sometimes, students will slip through the cracks. Sometimes, we have to make that extra effort to find the things that are disrupting our students.</p> <p>Too often, policymakers and stakeholders are seeking what works. In this search, one cannot lose sight of the uniqueness and humanity of individuals and reduce them to just numbers.</p> <p>It is important to acknowledge that success and failure are apparently unstable yet equally required to develop skills such as curiosity, flexibility and resilience.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“We need to ensure that in our interactions with our students, we treat them with respect and in a way that helps us achieve our intended learning outcomes.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Prof Val, </strong>on the importance of fostering strong teacher-student relationships to enhance student learning</em></p> </div> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>On the Topic of Assessment</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2016/12/16/issue59-people02/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue59-people02</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 08:01:39 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 59 dec 2016]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Professional development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[People]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Secondary school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Design and Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment feedback]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-assessment]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10529</guid> <description><![CDATA[Head of Department (Craft & Technology) at Bishan Park Secondary School Mr Ng Joon Yong, having recently completed […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>Head of Department (Craft & Technology) at <a href="https://bishanparksec.moe.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bishan Park Secondary School </a></em><em>Mr Ng Joon Yong, having recently completed his Critical Inquiry paper that studied teachers’ conceptions of assessment in Design & Technology, shares with us some of his understanding and insights on student assessment in classrooms. </em></strong></p> <div id="attachment_10680" style="width: 560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10680" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-10680" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ST59_People_JoonYong01_for_web.jpg" width="550" height="275" /><p id="caption-attachment-10680" class="wp-caption-text">Ng Joon Yong feels that students’ learning processes are just as important as the measurable outcomes.</p></div> <h1>Q: How would you define assessment?</h1> <p>When we talk about assessment, it’s pretty common for most people to instantly link it to formal examinations which is summative in nature. Assessment itself is a very big topic. It includes formative function where data collected is used to improve students’ learning.</p> <p>From the scholarly perspective, assessment is the process of <em>gathering data</em> and <em>interpreting them</em> for <em>decision-making</em>. Gathering data refers to the collection of evidence of learning through various methods such as setting a test, listening to your students’ questions and answers, or observing their body language during a lesson. Interpreting data involves comparing the evidence of learning. Do we compare the evidence of learning among peers, against the desired outcomes, or against students’ own learning goals?</p> <p>The purpose of decision-making sets the context for data-collection and interpretation; why are we gathering these data and how are we going to interpret it? For example, if the purpose is to help students to improve their learning, then we should gather data and compare them against our desired outcomes.</p> <p>The method of data collection therefore hinges on the purpose for decision-making: Do we simply want to make a judgement call or do we want to look for ways to help students improve based on their assessment results?</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“Do we compare the evidence of learning among peers, against the desired outcomes, or against students’ own learning goals?”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Joon Yong</strong>, on the deciding factor for data-collection and interpretation</em></p> </div> <h1>Q: Why and how is assessment important in students’ learning?</h1> <p>There is a very strong relationship between assessment and learning. The kinds of assessment performed on students will lead to corresponding kinds of learning. This means that after a while, our students are able to pick up assessment patterns and they tend to exhibit behaviours that are consistent to the kinds of assessment conducted in the classroom.</p> <p>For example, if the teacher focuses his or her assessment on recall memory, after a while, students will be able respond to exactly what the teacher wants – regurgitated information based on memory. But if the assessment is about analysis, deep thinking and self-regulation, students will learn how to make judgements about themselves and their learning.</p> <p>In addition, different people have different levels of attainment and that could result in varied consequences arising from assessment. For students with higher levels of attainment, they could be motivated by assessment.</p> <p>On the flip side, the same assessment can be demoralizing for students who are not as high-achieving as their peers. Therefore, we have to manage assessment well because the same thing that motivates one student can demotivate another.</p> <p>One of the best ways to perform effective and motivating assessment is to guide students to take reference from themselves to try to overcome their own difficulties, rather than comparing results with their peers.</p> <h1>Q: Based on your own experience, how has assessment evolved over the years?</h1> <p>In Design & Technology (D&T), students’ performance is assessed through coursework examination which entails a long-term project of identifying a problem, constructing a solution to the problem, and eventually producing an artefact that solves the identified problem.</p> <p>In the past, I was very much guided by the design process and assessment rubrics; I was focused on the outcomes that were defined and measured by the rubrics so that my students could do well for their examination. But after a while, I realized that it is not just about the measurable outcomes, but also about the students’ learning process as they work on their own projects as well as the design intuition that they develop and use during the process.</p> <p><em>Do they become better learners and thinkers? How do my students draw upon prior experience as a resource to make decisions?</em> I also consciously question myself: <em>Are they better people too and not just intellectually, but morally?</em> These are the intangibles that cannot be easily measured. In essence, it is not about completing a project but also about what they have learned, what competencies they have built, and what values they have acquired in the process of completing the coursework examination. In fact, some teachers say that assessment is also about <em>knowing</em> the student, so that we can better help them grow.</p> <p>Design is a complex and sometimes chaotic process. I keep reminding myself it is <em>a</em> design process not <em>the</em> design process, so that I will not end up “teaching to the rubrics”. Assessment has become more complex; the judgement is no longer just from the teachers but also from the students. I would like to see my students making their own judgement calls about themselves and exceed their own expectations rather than just what I expect of them.</p> <p>As teachers, we should reflect on the things that we do and say and be conscious about the way we deliver our message to the students.</p> <h1>Q: How can teachers practise good assessment in the classroom?</h1> <div id="attachment_10681" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10681" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-10681 size-full" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ST59_People_JoonYong02_for_web.jpg" width="300" height="231" /><p id="caption-attachment-10681" class="wp-caption-text">As a teacher, Joon Yong believes that it is important to be conscious about the way messages are delivered to students.</p></div> <p>The nature of coursework has put a lot of responsibility on the teachers and we need to know what entails good assessment practices.</p> <p>Firstly, we need to ensure the coursework assessment is valid. When supervising the coursework, we need to advise the students in the problem that they have decided to work on. If a student chooses a problem that does not give them the scope to demonstrate their competency and understanding, we will not be able to measure what the examination intends to measure and that makes the coursework invalid and irrelevant.</p> <p>Frequently, students know more than what they can tell. However, we can only make judgement of their understanding based on the evidence they produce. Thus, it is important to ensure that they document their project process well. One way is to ensure that they record their thought process in real-time. This disclosure of evidence also helps to enact communication and allows teachers to provide feedback for improvement.</p> <h1>Q: Do you have any advice for teachers in the context of classroom assessment?</h1> <p>Teachers might not realize it, but assessment largely takes place in classrooms and beyond each subject’s formal assessment formats. This sort of informal assessment happens during interactions in the classrooms when students say things which teachers would naturally want to respond to.</p> <p>This process of listening and responding to a student is in itself a form of assessment, because information is gathered to which feedback is given. Teachers should remind themselves to slow down and listen attentively in order to process the information gathered so as to provide accurate and appropriate feedback to the students.</p> <p>As teachers, if we keep reiterating about learning, making own judgment and overcoming difficulties, after a while our students will see that it is not about the grades, but the skills they have acquired.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Going beyond Concept Cartoons</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2015/12/07/issue55-classroom01/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue55-classroom01</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Dec 2015 14:57:03 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 55 dec 2015]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Professional development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Classroom Perspectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Informal learning]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Action research]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Student engagement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Primary school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Creative teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Alternative assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Science]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=9686</guid> <description><![CDATA[Wanting to help young learners who were grappling with abstract concepts in Science, a group of teachers at […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>W</em><em>anting to help young learners who were grappling with abstract concepts in Science, a group of teachers at <a href="https://www.pasirrispri.moe.edu.sg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pasir Ris Primary School </a>embarked on an action research project in 2009 to test the effectiveness of using concept cartoons.</em></strong></p> <p>Concept cartoons are drawings that present “characters with different viewpoints around a particular situation” (Roesky & Kennepohl, 2008, p. 1355) (Read more about concept cartoons in <a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sgissue18-scienceed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Cartoons in the Classroom”, Issue 18</a>).</p> <p>When we interviewed then Science teacher Ms Farah Aida Rahmat (currently Head of English Department at <a href="https://www.pasirrispri.moe.edu.sg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pasir Ris Primary School</a>) in 2009, she was testing out the use of cartoons on a Primary 4 class of high-ability students.</p> <p>The study showed clear benefits of using concept cartoons in the classroom. “There was higher engagement and higher retention, so we were convinced back then that it is an effective tool,” says Senior Teacher and Covering Head of Science Department Mrs Jalene Chang, who was part of the team.</p> <p>“We decided we wanted to use it in a more pervasive manner and not just limited to the Primary 4 classroom but to introduce it to other levels – from Primary 3 to 6.”</p> <div id="attachment_9687" style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9687" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-9687" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/classroom_pasir_ris_01_for_web.jpg" alt="(From left) Jalene, Dawn and Indriana with the Science Assessment for Learning (AfL) package they developed. It contains a variety of AfL tools that teachers can readily use in the classroom." width="350" height="308" /><p id="caption-attachment-9687" class="wp-caption-text">(From left) Mrs Jalene Chang, Mdm Dawn Tan and Mrs Indriana Seet with the Science Assessment for Learning (AfL) package they developed. It contains a variety of AfL tools that teachers can readily use in the classroom.</p></div> <h1>A Valuable Tool</h1> <p>“Tell me, I will forget. Show me, I will remember. Involve me, I will understand.” Jalene believes in this Chinese proverb when placed in the classroom context. For pupils to benefit, they have to be actively engaged and involved in the learning process.</p> <p>Besides higher engagement and retention, concept cartoons also helped pupils with poor language skills grasp abstract science concepts better.</p> <p>The teachers were encouraged by the outcome, and decided to venture into using other kinds of assessment-for-learning (AfL) tools.</p> <h1>Expanding the Toolbox for Teachers</h1> <p>Getting teachers to design their own teaching tools on top of their daily teaching workload can be a rather tall order, says Jalene. “So we decided to support them by making resources available to them,” she adds. “We have to level up their competencies and build up their capacities.”</p> <p>As part of that, Jalene gave a copy of the Assessment for Learning (AfL) book authored by Page Keeley to all Science teachers. The book contains a variety of AfL tools that teachers could pick from and implement in their classrooms.</p> <p>“We do not want them to know just one tool but to also expose them to other AfL tools,” explains Jalene.</p> <p>Using the Coyote Fund (a fund conceived by MOE in 2006 and aimed at encouraging educators and the Ministry to experiment with new and innovative ideas), the team developed their very own customized Science AfL package.</p> <p>“We included a CD and hardcopy notes in the resource package,” explains Jalene. “The package is a continuous work-in-progress where tweaks and refinements are made along the way.”</p> <p>The end product is a resource package that features a wide variety of AfL tools that is over and above teachers’ instructional materials, says Jalene.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>We don’t want to wait until exams when it is already too late (to give feedback). We want to monitor student learning daily.</p> <p><em><strong>– Jalene Chang,</strong> </em><em>Pasir Ris Primary School</em></p> </div> <h1>Variety of Assessment Tools</h1> <p>Providing feedback to student on their performance via exam grades is not timely enough— at least for Jalene and her team. “We don’t want to wait until exams when it is already too late,” she says. “We want to monitor student learning daily.”</p> <p>Here are two examples of the tools included in the AfL package besides concept cartoons:</p> <h2>Card Sorts</h2> <p>“Pupils are given a variety of cards,” explains Science Level Head Mrs Indriana Seet. “They are required to sort them according to categories.”</p> <p>Living things and non-living things—these are some of the categories that pupils should identify. To do so, they first need to understand the characteristics of these categories.</p> <p>After sorting them, they will also have to justify their answers. This is a quick way for teachers to gauge their level of understanding.</p> <h2>Four Corners</h2> <p>Animals, fungi, plants, and micro-organisms—each corner of the classroom is assigned one of these four categories.</p> <p>In this activity, the teacher flashes a list of items that fall under those categories on the screen. Pupils then pick an item each and write it down on a card. They will then individually proceed to the categorized corner which befits the items they have chosen.</p> <p>For example, a pupil who picks a toadstool will move to the fungi corner and tiger, the animals corner.</p> <p>Pupils will discuss with their friends within the same group on why they picked that corner and if required, they will make the necessary changes. “As a group, they will show their cards and as a class, they will discuss if they are in the correct group,” says Indriana.</p> <p>The teachers also find this activity an instant remedy for restless pupils. “Sometimes, the lesson can get quite tiring so this helps pupils to be more actively involved in the lesson,” shares Mdm Dawn Tan, also a Science Level Head.</p> <h1>Addressing Misconceptions Immediately</h1> <p>The team feels that sometimes, learners may give the right answers to questions in class, but that does not necessarily mean they have truly understood the science concepts. The activities in the AfL package allow them to quickly assess their students before the end of the lesson.</p> <p>“It is important to assess whether the children have understood the learning outcomes for the day,” Indriana shares. “These short activities don’t take a lot of time and they allow us to gauge their understanding level.”</p> <p>Dawn also adds that she uses simple “True or False” questions to assess her students. It often creates teachable moments as well.</p> <p>“Pupils will have the chance to actually articulate their thoughts in class,” she says. “You can then use that moment to correct any misconceptions for the class as a whole.”</p> <p>While it has been 6 years since the first AfL tool was tested, the team is constantly looking at expanding the package further. In fact, one of their aims is to ensure that all their Science teachers are professionally equipped and competent to create their own AfL activities.</p> <p>As Jalene puts it, “We want to empower the teachers and let them know they can do it!”</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Reference</strong></p> <p>Roesky, H. W., & Kennepohl, D. (2008). Drawing attention with chemistry cartoons. <em>Journal of Chemical Education</em>, <em>85</em>(10), 1355–1360.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Self-expression through Art</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2014/07/01/issue49-classroom04/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue49-classroom04</link> <comments>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2014/07/01/issue49-classroom04/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2014 07:10:12 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 49 jul / aug 2014]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Classroom Perspectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Arts education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Visual arts]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Assessment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Primary school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-belief]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Character-building]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teachers' Conference]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=8540</guid> <description><![CDATA[Give pupils enough space in the Art classroom to express themselves freely, and they will grow to enjoy […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><i>Give pupils enough space in the Art classroom to express themselves freely, and they will grow to enjoy Art. More than just that, they may even discover more about themselves.</i></strong></p> <p>Imagine this: A teacher holds up a photo of a cat, and instructs the class to draw it accurately in 2 minutes. How would the pupils feel?</p> <p>A group of teacher participants at the <a href="https://www.teachersconference2014.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Teachers’ Conference 2014</a> were put through this exercise. They later remarked that they felt restricted because they had to reproduce the cat accurately instead of drawing it in their own ways; pressured because of the time limit; and unhappy because they thought their artwork looked “ugly”.</p> <p>This exercise showed them how creativity killers can affect children’s self-expression and enjoyment when they are learning art.</p> <h1>Express Yourself</h1> <div id="attachment_8581" style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8581" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-8581 " src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Classroom_McPherson_01_for_web.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="278" /><p id="caption-attachment-8581" class="wp-caption-text">(From left) Belize Chan Li Chun, Quah Li Zhen and Nurjannah Bte Ayub believe that the Art class can help pupils discover and express themselves.</p></div> <p>Self-expression is crucial for the development of pupils’ identity and personhood, and Art as a subject lends itself very well to promoting that.</p> <p>When pupils feel like they can freely express themselves, they can then begin to explore their interests and strengths. This helps them think about who they are and who they want to grow up to be.</p> <p>Citing the hierarchy of needs by psychologist Abraham Maslow, Ms Nurjannah Bte Ayub from <a href="https://www.macphersonpri.moe.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacPherson Primary School</a> points out that “if the children don’t feel loved, safe, or that they belong, they will not feel secure enough to express their true inner self.”</p> <h1>Encouraging Space for Self-expression</h1> <p>There are a few ways teachers can create a nurturing classroom where pupils feel safe expressing themselves without second guessing their artistic choices.</p> <p>For example, pupils should own the entire creative process. They will have a sense of achievement and gain confidence when they think: “This is my work. Everything is mine, from the thought process to the process of creating it.”</p> <p>Teachers should also encourage choices in the classroom. For example, they can create learning stations with different choices of medium, such as oil pastels, watercolours or marker pens. The stations could also focus on different art and handicraft skills, such as cutting and sewing.</p> <p>No matter what approach an Art educator chooses, time management is crucial. Jannah says that some of her lessons span over a few weeks to give pupils enough time to learn, explore, reflect and discuss.</p> <div class="message-box-wrapper yellow"> <div class="message-box-title">Dos and Don’ts of Encouraging Self-expression</div> <div class="message-box-content"> <p>Ms Belize Chan Li Chun, an Art teacher from <a href="https://www.innovapri.moe.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Innova Primary School</a>, shares some tips on how teachers can create space for self-expression in the Art classroom.</p> <p><strong><i>Dos</i></strong></p> <ul> <li><i>Withhold judgment and allow for mistakes:</i> Mistakes are important for learning. If pupils are chastized for mistakes, they will feel hesitant and constantly second guess their decisions.</li> <li><i>See-Think-Wonder strategy:</i> Ask pupils to take a look at their classmates’ artwork, think about what they are and ask questions. This will in turn make them reflect about their own work.</li> <li><i>Ask thought-provoking questions:</i> Ask questions that make pupils think about why they created their artwork. This helps them understand their work and themselves better.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong><i>Don’ts (otherwise known as Creativity Killers)</i></strong></p> <ul> <li><i>Surveillance:</i> Constantly being watched can sometimes reduce pupils’ risk-taking and creative urges.</li> <li><i>Emphasis on evaluation:</i> If students are constantly reminded that they will be graded, they will focus on that instead of the art-making process.</li> <li><i>Competition:</i> Every child progresses at a different pace, so teachers should allow for that instead of encouraging competition.</li> <li><i>Pressure:</i> Expectations that are unrealistic often result in pupils developing an aversion to a project.</li> <li><i>Restricting choice: “</i>If you tell pupils what they should do, how to do it, what colours to use, what themes to work on, they are not allowed to follow their creativity and passion,” says Belize. We do not want to turn “young artists into young factory workers”.</li> </ul> </div> </div> <h1>Holistic Assessments</h1> <p>As far as assessment goes, Jannah and Belize do not focus on the grading of the final piece.</p> <p>However, the pupils themselves may need to be convinced that the final grade is not everything. “They have gone through years of being told that their artwork must be nice and look good,” says Ms Quah Li Zhen of MacPherson Primary School. “So when you tell them to do what they want, the children feel a bit scared to try!”</p> <p>But she adds: “It takes a while to break away from that feeling of ‘I must draw perfectly and erase away everything else!’ But I find that usually, it only takes a month to break it.”</p> <p>Teachers can use rubrics that focus on the processes through which pupils acquire artistic behaviour.</p> <p>“Pupils will excel (in assessment) if they are able to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings,” explains Jannah. “They can also be assessed on how well they reason out why they chose a medium or style.”</p> <p>Another way is to assess pupils based on their self-awareness and whether they are able to learn from and work with their mistakes. “The idea is to see if they can do it independently or if they need guidance from us on how they should proceed,” Jannah says.</p> <p>Besides that, pupils can also do self- and peer-assessment by using a checklist to see if they are on track, whether they missed out anything, and how they can do better. The same checklist can be used when they do a “walkabout” in the classroom to check out their peers’ work.</p> <p>“We hope they will get inspired, and what we notice is that they will usually make changes to their work – not to copy – but because they realize everyone is different, so they can be different too,” says Jannah.</p> <p>Helping pupils to discover themselves in such a positive manner is what Jannah and her colleagues hope to achieve. “When I was in school, I didn’t like Art because I felt I was never good enough!” she confesses with a laugh. “So I feel their frustration. Ultimately, by encouraging self-expression, we realize our pupils enjoy Art lessons more. And that’s just another reason why we do this.”</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2014/07/01/issue49-classroom04/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss> <!-- Performance optimized by W3 Total Cache. 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