Three principles as a common language for developing

Three principles as a common language for developing Assessment for Learning Roszalina Rawi Sue Swaffield ICSEI 2018, Singapore Deepening School Change for Scaling: Principles, Pathways & Partnerships January 8 th-12 th 2018 Faculty of Education

Assessment for Learning - Everyday practices involving students using evidence to enhance learning - Part of planning - Focus on how students learn - Central to classroom practice - Key professional skill - Sensitive and constructive - Importance of learner motivation - Sharing goals and criteria - Guidance on how to improve - Develops capacity for selfassessment - Recognises all achievement (Assessment Reform Group, 2002) Faculty of Education 1. Using assessment information to inform planning 2. Sharing learning intentions, success criteria and examples of ‘quality’ 3. Questioning and dialogue 4. Feedback 5. Self and peer assessment 6. Improving work in progress 7. Formative use of summative assessment

Three research generated Af. L principles ‘imperatives’ v Making learning explicit v Promoting learner autonomy v Focusing on learning (rather than grades or marks) [‘Improving Learning How to Learn’ - James et al. 2007] Faculty of Education

Development of three Af. L principles Assessment Reform Group … commissioned: Learning How to Learn 4 universities Black and Wiliam 1998 ‘Inside the black box’ (Cambridge, Institute of Education London, King’s, Open University) Black et al. 2003 5 local authorities / districts King’s Medway Oxfordshire Formative Assessment Project 40 schools James et al. 2007 Learning How to Learn project Faculty of Education (Primary and secondary) Approx 1500 teachers

The research project Involved teachers from a secondary school and seven feeder primary schools working together using the three Af. L principles to: Ø Analyse existing practices Ø Scaffold dialogue Ø Plan and implement developments in practice Faculty of Education

The research project • Collaboration among teachers, school leaders and university researchers • Core working group of teachers and school leaders met together with an academic throughout the year • Shared, developed and tried out innovations in Af. L practice Faculty of Education

The research project • End of the year: Core working group led workshops for other teachers from the eight schools (secondary and primary) • Shared their work with teachers through hands-on presentations and demonstrations • IMPORTANT: Continual reference to the three key principles Faculty of Education

Data gathering • Questionnaires • Interviews • Observations Exploring the potential of three research-generated principles as a common language for teachers and school leaders developing Af. L in different contexts. Faculty of Education

Focusing on three Af. L principles to develop teachers’ understanding & practice Main findings 1) Getting a better understanding of Af. L 2) Increasing teachers’ confidence in benefits of Af. L 3) Teachers overcoming differences and working together 4) Developing a common working language 5) Easing the development of Af. L understanding and practice for other teachers Faculty of Education

Findings 1) Getting a better understanding of Af. L by focusing on three principles Development of Af. L understanding amongst working group members The three aspects were very, very important. It was almost a slightly different terminology from what I was used to. But the importance of those three areas is what Af. L is all about. It’s just making sure that everybody understands what those three aspects really mean and how we can do it and how the children can understand it and why we are actually doing it. So it’s a lot of ‘how’ and ‘why’, more than anything else, yet I did think they were very, valuable. Faculty of Education

Findings 2) Increasing teachers’ confidence in benefits of Af. L Changes implemented in teaching techniques were associated with improved pupil learning I loved the simplicity of the three principles that you introduced to us. Over the year, I have developed a much better focus on making sure everything I do is completely focused on the impact it will have on pupils’ learning. Faculty of Education

Findings 3) Teachers overcoming differences and working together By focusing on Af. L principles, teachers developed a common language across boundaries of: Ø subject Ø age-range of students taught Ø professional experience Ø role Ø status The three Af. L principles ensures the consistency in delivery of Af. L strategies so that everyone has a clear understanding of how and what the strategies are. Faculty of Education

Findings 4) Developing a common working language by keeping three principles in mind Af. L principles provided a framework and language for a learning dialogue among the group As a group, we kept the three principles that Sue mentioned in mind and we came to a sensible conclusion on what we were going to do for the project. We identified the area that we wanted to look at which was how to improve pupils’ response to feedback. We didn’t really do much further reading. We just focused on these three principles and got on with the project. Faculty of Education

Findings 5) Focusing on three principles eases the development of Af. L understanding and practice for other teachers • Other teachers who attended the workshops could frame their understanding of examples in practice shared by the working groups around the three principles • Practices became relatable and easily adapted from different contexts To keep those [principles] clear in everybody’s minds, that is the aim behind Af. L, that we want these three aspects to be developing across the school continuously. And it would just be brilliant, in my development plan, to make sure, that the staff, know about that… Faculty of Education

Implications • The application of Af. L principles can make ideas within working groups coherent and practices meaningful for teachers. • Teachers from different schools/subject specialisms can work together and learn with and from each other. • The three principles provide a framework for learning from and authentically adapting practices across contexts. Faculty of Education

Recommendations For teachers: Ø Use three principles Making learning explicit, Promoting learner autonomy, and Focusing on learning (rather than grades or marks) to guide, review and evaluate putative Af. L practices Ø Take and create opportunities for working with colleagues in different contexts to enhance Af. L practices through reference to the three principles Faculty of Education

Recommendations For school leaders: Ø Value and facilitate the arrangements for working group teachers from different schools/subject specialisms Ø Use Af. L principles as a warranted structure for planning, review and evaluation of Af. L practices and policy Ø Practise principle-directed Af. L Faculty of Education

Recommendations For policymakers: Ø Encourage ongoing collaborative development work focused on Af. L principles as a conceptual framework Ø Avoid frequent changes in national assessment arrangements so that school leaders and teachers can concentrate on Af. L Faculty of Education

Research generated and tested Af. L principles for change and scaling Making learning explicit Promoting learner autonomy Focusing on learning not marks or grades Faculty of Education

References • ARG (2002) Assessment for Learning: 10 principles. https: //www. aaia. org. uk/content/uploads/2010/06/Assessment-for-Learning 10 -principles. pdf • Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998) ‘Assessment and Classroom Learning’ Assessment in Education 5(1) 7 -74 • Black. P. , Harrison. C. , Lee, C. , Marshall, B. and Wiliam, D. (2003) Assessment for Learning: Putting it into practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press. • James, M. , Mc. Cormick, R. , Black, P. , Carmichael, P. , Drummond, M-J. , Fox, A. , Mac. Beath, J. , Marshall, S. , Pedder, D. , Proctor, R. , Swaffield, S. , Swann, J. and Wiliam, D. (2007) Improving Learning How to Learn: classrooms, schools and networks. Abingdon: Routledge. • See also: Swaffield, S. , Rawi, R. and O’Shea, A. (2016) ‘Developing Assessment for Learning Practice in a School Cluster: Primary and Secondary Teachers Learning Together’ in D. Laveault and L. Allal (Eds. ) Assessment for Learning: Meeting the Challenge of Implementation, The Enabling Power of Assessment. Rotterdam: Springer. p 119 -217. Faculty of Education

With thanks to all the participants Contacts: Dr Roszalina Rawi | National Institute of Education, NTU, and formerly of the University of Cambridge roszalina. r@nie. edu. sg Dr Sue Swaffield | University of Cambridge ses 42@cam. ac. uk Faculty of Education