Teaching Experiences And Observations From School Placements Education Essay

T to each aneing Experiences And Observations From School Placements Education Essay partitioning 1As described by instruction Teaching Scotland (LTS), the judging is for Learning programme is made up of three forms of measure outment legal opinion as Learning, which involves breeding nearly how to decorous legal opinion for Learning which involves always using taxment to support classroom enlightening and pedagogy in order for scholars to boost stiffly and is a mold fitting approach, and Assessment of Learning (AoL) which involves priseing savants at the end of a topic or demarcation to go up out what breeding has or has non taken roam. It is a additive approach which ultimately uses bowl over judgment to put forward data and make judgements near the learner and the shoal. LTS represent these forms of mind as a triangle which excessively builds the relationship between the curriculum, learning and educational activity and sound judgment.AfL rep resents a change in the traditional model of school estimate, which formerly has been the idea that the only sexu e genuinely last(predicate)y attractive vector sum form education was the achievement of top grades ( additive sound judgement). Modern approaches such(prenominal) as AfL aims to encourage pupils to learn in a deep, constructivist manner (Cohen et al., 2004, p300) and not merely surface learning which occurs when teaching to the test (Bryce, 2009 Lecture ).The Assessment is for Learning programme is essenti every(prenominal)(prenominal)y trying to stick around instructors to do slight AoL and more AfL (Bryce, 2011 Lecture). LTS make establish this idea upon the work of Paul fatal and Dylan Wiliam. They documented their research on formative sound judgment in inside(a) the Black thump (London Kings College, 1998). In this paper, the authors describe formative assessment asactivities undertaken by instructors and by their students in assessing themselves, w hich exit information to be use as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they atomic number 18 diligent (Pe 8)From this it do-nothing be understood that formative assessment involves the teacher and the pupil interpreting their teaching and learning and providing feedback to one an some other. This feedback is then used as an indication as to how to proceed with the lesson or how to improve on previous work and learning. Therefore, assessment is not right round how well the pupils DID, it is about how they ARE doing and how to improve further.I leave behinding now discuss examples from my consume teaching experiences and observations from my em transmitment school where AfL and winning teaching approaches were real much embedded into the lessons of either year groups.During both placements, I discover some(prenominal)(prenominal) teachers sharing the learning objectives with the class using the We Are Learning To method acting. I observed t hat this method was reciprocally used with S1 and S2 classes and less frequently S3 upwards. I implemented this method into all my classes, from 1st to 4th year, and although this method does not appear to be an effective assessment tool as the outcomes ar being introduced before each teaching has taken place, by referring to the outcomes during and at the end of the lesson ensures that both teacher and pupil atomic number 18 clear that the learning journey is on the right track (Simpson, 2006, p64). Therefore, teachers atomic number 18 challenged to constantly assess whether the pupils bugger off learnt the intended objectives. By referring to the objectives at the end and asking pupils to what they felt they had achieved or learnt helped me to assess whether the objectives I had written up were in item achievable, whether the lesson activities helped to meet the objectives or were too numerous, as I had been all over affirmative in what I aimed to achieve in a lesson. Ref lection and evaluating my teaching is vital to ensure that appropriate and effective learning is taking place at all times. Kerry (2004) supports this ideaMaster teachers share learning outcomes to assess whether the learning journey is on the right track and whether it is on fair game to reach its destination (p100)By referring to the objectives at the end of the lesson, as well as helped me to dullard the learning of my pupils and check for areas of difficulty because in my experience pupils who understood the lesson could touch base this to the learning objective and the likewise, pupils who did not understand key areas could relate this to the outcome they could not meet. Asking for pupil feedback not only allowed me to assess their learning but helped me with planning for the undermentioned lesson and its starter, because in some possibilitys I had to go over certain key points again. An example of this was where pupils fed back to me that they did not understand what th e term niche meant. This was a learning objective, therefrom next lesson, I went over the term again, and provided further examples but also asked them to discharge out a matching exercise requiring to match the niche with the organism. When I got feedback from the class again they were all able to successfully state the rendering of niche.I would revi place the LOs at the end of the lesson, followed by a dubiousness and answer session involving all pupils, however, I didnt always have as much time as I needed for the QA, so I used a method I observed other teachers use, which was postulate feedback from the class by asking them to write reduce anything they were unsure about or did not understand as well as what they had learnt, on a post-it-note and stick it on the board before leaving.Other forms of effective feedback I observed included the thumbs method in which thumbs were raised if pupils were joyful with the work thumbs were halfway showing slight concern and thumbs were fully pour down if the pupil was struggling. By asking the entire class to do this the teacher was able to evaluate the onward motion of the whole class and if there were problems they were dealt with then, during that lesson.I also observed the use of and used myself mini whiteboards as a method of whole class evaluation. I found it invaluable, not right for a change in pupil activity but as a useful assessment tool and also an effective method of ticktockting the whole class to answer as opposed to a dominate few.During this placement, I carried out formative score of homework with all my classes, using comments only. Ian smith (2003) statesMarks with comments do not enable students to improve, save comments on their own doThis fires that when pupils are presented with both marks and comments pupils leave snap solely on the marks regardless of whether the mark was unassailable or poor, thus ignoring the information that will help them improve.Black and Harrison (2004 ) suggest that the type of feedback provided must be beneficial to pupils and enable them to move send on thus the 2 stars and a wish method was used to play up areas that where the pupils had done (positive reinforcement) and any area that could be alter upon and how this could be improved upon (next steps and targets).Although I told the classes to depict their feedback or answer any misgivings I had left, when I took the jotters in to mark the next makeup of homework, not all the pupils had completed the previous works questions or found the answers to questions they had preoccupied out. I think one of the reasons for this is that when I leaded back the jotters, almost pupils impersonate them away, I should have given the pupils time in class to read the comments and if they had any questions they had the hazard to ask.Part 2In this section, I will first discuss the conflict between formative assessment (AfL) and summative assessment (AoL). I will then discuss how g rades erect be used constructively within schools based upon observations and school experience.Summative assessment and the fine-looking of grades have always had a dominant role in the education system, peculiarly in the upper school. In fact, such assessment has been derogatively termed Assessment is for mark offs (Bryce, 2008, pg 581) indicating as mentioned in section one, that there is a common view that the only worthwhile outcome of school is good grades.This contrasts greatly with the view of Black and Wiliam who wish to move away from grades and use the formative approach of comments only feedback. The authors state in Inside the Black Box (London Kings College, 1998) that the giving of marks and the grading functions are over emphasised, while the giving of useful advice and the learning function are under-emphasised. The educational research and books have shown the benefits of formative assessment, such as promoting deeper learning for all pupils by means of good quality interactions and feedback on how best to improve. This is not the case however, when grades and summative assessment is used. Wiliam (2008) argues that when pupils do a piece of work, the teacher marks it and if that piece of work gets an A, the pupil gets to keep that grade A hitherto if they later on forget everything they ever k overbold about that topic. The effect of this attitude and teachers only teaching to the test encourages a very shallow approach to the curriculum where teachers and students glide across the surface and everyone feels good because of the grade achieved, however, the pupil does not store any knowledge.This type of pupil attitude was seen frequently on placement from 1st geezerhood having sit their end of topic to tests, to 3rd years having sat their Unit 1 halt. There were some pupils in each of these classes and the first thing they did was look at their mark and sighed with relief because they had passed. This was particularly evident in t he 2 3rd year classes who had just sat their NABs. I found some pupils were happy with the pass and did not concern about where they went wrong because they passed. It is this mentality of the grade is what is important that must be changed. Using a formative approach gets pupils to take responsibility for their learning and to sine qua non to better their knowledge as opposed to just cicatrice by.Wiliam (1998) has defended the use of comments marking and interestingly though, pupils who just sat a test, NAB or their 4th year preliminary, because only grades were given back to pupils, most enquired as to why certain marks were not given, or what exactly was wrong with the answer they wrote down. This highlighted to me, the importance of comments, because there will be some pupils who rely on the feedback to improve, but the challenge is to get all pupils to want to learn how to improve.Additionally, I also observed grades and final marks de-motivate pupils. once pupils got th eir results, they immediately compared marks with each other. For those pupils who had failed their NAB or test, instant mortification and this is other problem with summative assessment. Low ability pupils and pupils who frequently hold low marks expect and face constant disappointment when they get their results back. Pupils, who have often experienced failure, will not expose themselves to any further failure. Therefore, they do not possess the will to succeed and do well, consequently affecting their progress in school (Kyriacou, 2001).Furthermore, summative assessments are not wholly reliable as I imagine them to be a snapshot of how students performed on the day in an exam or test and does not fully reflect overall student progress and performance. The grades achieved are over-interpreted by parents too who, from observations made whilst sitting in on parents evening, solely focus on the grade as opposed to pupil development. Parents of S2 pupils were undifferentiatedly asking what direct their child would be sitting in 3rd and 4th year and in some cases argued that arbitrate 1 was not appropriate and they wanted their child to sit intermediate 2, even though the pupils in question were happy to be sitting Int 1 because they struggled with science. Schools are constantly being compared with each other in union submits, and the media and the government can easily make their comparisons and produce literature based on summative assessment forms. This is more difficult to do with other forms of assessment.Summative assessments can produce data which is relied upon by employers and other educational institutes to see what skills pupils have developed thus showing that grades and results will be an integral part of the school system. Although I think that there are problems with grading, mainly the effect on pupil attitude and motivation, I do not believe summative assessments should be abolished. AfL promotes the development of learning I think aft er the hard work in classes where pupils have recognised their strengths and weaknesses and tried to improve, they should have the right to gain a recognised qualification. notwithstanding the negative views on grading and summative assessment I believe it can be used constructively and in a formative role to promote broadr and deeper learning. Whilst on placement I observed an ripe approach to going done prelims with senior classes. The teacher I observed used an approach which I imitated with one of my own classes. The teacher asked the pupils to work in pairs and on the mini whiteboards create a marking scheme for section A (multiple choice). Effectively, the pupils were re-doing the prelim, but they had the opportunity to discuss and learn from one another before marking their efforts using the marking scheme. The next lesson the teacher split the class into groups. Each table had a compulsive of questions from section B of the prelim and they had to work together to create another marking scheme for the specific questions, before rotating round to the next table and working by those questions. Once pupils had completed all the questions, the teacher went through the answers, and groups marked their efforts. When I questioned the class, they all told me they knew where they had gone wrong in the prelim and they knew what mistakes not to make again. The peer support helped them feel more positive as they discussed how they interpreted the questions as well as compared methods and answers. Typically with a test or prelim, the teacher would go through each question and give the answers, but this simply bores and de-motivates the pupils. However, this class teacher had turned a summative assessment into a real active learning opportunity for the pupils.There is clearly some overlap between the 2 forms of assessment as it is AfL which will, in effect, help pupils to achieve better grades when AoL takes place. Thus, finding a balance between the approaches , mainly using summative assessment formatively, can be an effective tool for developing successful learners.Part 3a within section 3a I shall identify some of the positive features of the Standard Grade and average courses, as well as indicate the differences in assessment structure between the 2 courses.Standard Grades (SG) replaced mean(a) Grades in the mid-eighties after the school leaving age was raised to 16. It was felt that Ordinary grades were only suitable for 30% of the school population, thus SGs were proposed to help meet the needs of those pupils now required to stay in school (Bryce, 2008). Simpson (2006) statesThe understructure of Standard Grades led to a much bigger proportion of the age group than previously, gaining qualifications and in a wider range of subjects.This shows that SGs fulfilled their intended purpose, providing a course that was achievable for all. One reason for this is the advantage of having three SG levels, thus accommodative all levels o f ability. More able pupils can be pushed, whilst less able pupils have material they can cope with but also have an opportunity to achieve the higher of the dickens levels, since SG candidates are represented at two levels, Credit/General or General/Foundation, thus providing a good motivator.This aspect contrasts greatly with Intermediate courses, since pupils doing Intermediate 1/2 are all the same level, and this can lead to classes with a wide range of abilities. This was evident in my placement school, where S3 and S4 pupils sat Intermediate courses. The tangled level of ability was diverse and also caused concern since any pupil who was not coping could not simply be placed down a level because the Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 courses were very different in Biology. Thus, teachers had to determine what was best for the pupil whether it was a case of maturity, or risk pupils being put in Intermediate 1, and them having to catch up a years worth of work.Furthermore, SGs are always taught over 2 years. Thus providing both teachers and pupils enough time to fully compass the topic and focus more on learning rather than assessment. Schools which hunt SG courses mean that the Intermediate courses are taught over one year and as seen in my first placement school, there is added pressure for the teacher to get through the required material, thus learning and teaching opportunities may missed due to time constraints. Additionally, there is more chance of teachers teaching to the test. In my second placement however, as the Intermediate 2 courses ran the same space as SG courses, I observed that the extra time was highly beneficial and likewise, allowed for more creative and active lessons, as well as AfL approaches.The assessment of the 2 courses is very different also. SGs are outwardly assessed, although some subjects like English require a portfolio which contributes to the grade. Intermediate courses however, are both internally and externally ass essed, and are very similar in structure to higher(prenominal) Still, thus enabling continuity when pupils move on. Pupils are required to sit study Assessment Banks (NAB) at the end of every section in the course. This can be stressful for pupils as they are sitting several Intermediates, so will have to sit several NABs and can have the feeling of being NABd to death (Bryce, 2011). Teachers also have an increased workload and paperwork with quality marking of the NABs. The increase in assessment in Intermediates can also de-motivate pupils should they fail, but also because NABs are pitched at level C so depending on their mark they may feel discerning about the exams. However, there is an opportunity to re-assess pupils, since NABs can be re-sat.In surplus to differences in internal assessment, the external assessment of both courses are very different and distinct advantages. As mentioned, the SG candidates have the opportunity to sit two levels, thus aim for the higher of th e two, however, this means that SG pupils will be sitting at least 16 exams. This can cause a batch of pressure for pupils. Whereas, for Intermediate courses there is only 1 exam per subject, thus this can encourage pupils to do the best that they can as it is one opportunity. With SG, pupils have a safety net with the lower level however, Intermediate pupils dont have that. Instead if pupils do fail, they will have their NABs recognised by the SQA.The last difference in terms of assessment is the grading of each course. Intermediate grading system of A-C has no limit for pupils, where as SG grading system is 1-7 and pupils sitting General/Foundation are limited in their possible grade, as the highest they can achieve is a 3.Part 3bAt the moment pupils taking 8 SGs currently sit more than 20 hours of examinations, which exceed most universities Honours diet of examinations (Souter, 2008, pg 445). Thus, the argument that current school pupils are being over-assessed is well understo od. A CfE aims to address this issue with the proposed National 4 and National 5 qualifications. The focus on these assessments is to promote great breadth and depth of learning, including a greater focus on the safe development of skills and knowledge (LTS, 2011)Although CfE has been implemented officially in schools this year, with the current S1 these new qualifications will not be sat until session 2013/14. National 4 is based at SCQF level 4 and will replace Intermediate 1 and general level SG, whilst National 5 is based at SCQF level 5 and will replace Intermediate 2 and commendation level SG.However, the main development of these new qualifications is that national 4 will be internally assessed by schools Teachers will continually assess pupils through coursework and at the end of the course, pupils will be awarded either a pass or a fail. National 5 on the other hand will be both internally assessed by the school, but also externally assessed by the SQA at the end of the course.For pupils, the National 4 strategy will ease the pressure and stress which accumulates with exams. However, for teachers and schools alike, there will be a definite increase in the workload for both all qualifications, not only in marking but by creating assessments. both internal assessments must be valid in that the tests must assess what is supposed to be tested and is a fair representation of pupils knowledge, skills and abilities. Assessments must also be reliable in that they must be consistent in marking and of standards. (Cohen et al., 2004, pg 331335).Currently, 13,500 of the 58,500 (23%) total school population leave school with qualifications at the time pupils will have sat their National 4 level assessment. Therefore, although by no means a majority, this number of pupils will leave school at this time without ever having sat an externally assessed exam.As well as this, the government will have to provide sufficient and adequate information on the new qualific ations for both employers and parents. With just a pass or fail, employers may not rely on the National 4 and will need further evidence to show how well pupils actually did. School reports or portfolios of coursework and assessments for pupils may need to be provided again this will add to the ever-increasing workload of teachers.Furthermore, parents will need to be both fully onboard with the new qualifications and understand their purpose. Intermediates have been in place in school for several years, yet during parents evening I observed many parents still seeking clarification as to what these qualifications actually are and asking for comparisons compared to O Grades and GCSEs. Thus information for parents is vital, not only so that they are aware of the changes that their children will face but also so that they too can support them at home. Regular feedback and reports of pupil progress will have to be given to parents, throughout National 4 and 5 courses.Although the new pro posals will reduce the assessment burdens for pupils considerably and provide opportunities for deeper more meaningful learning, I believe that teachers will need to be properly supported throughout the introduction of these qualifications. Thus, they can then focus on creating effective learning and teaching experiences which will develop the skills and abilities of all their pupils, so that they can leave school as effective contributors, successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.Word Count 3,873