Assessment as learning: blurring the boundaries of assessment and learning for theory,policy and practice

This paper explores assessment and learning in a way that blurs their boundaries. The notion of assessment as learning (AaL) is offered as an aspect of formative assessment (assessment for learning). It considers how pupils self-regulate their own learning, and in so doing make complex decisions about how they use feedback and engage with the learning priorities of the classroom. Discussion is framed from a sociocultural stance, yet challenges some of the perspectives that have widely become accepted. It offers three new views to help explore the concept of AaL: understanding feedback; understanding the learning gap; and exploring vocabularies of assessment. Pragmatically, the ideas examined suggest that teachers may need to consider less about focused and directive feedback, but more about how learners interpret and understand feedback from their self-regulatory and self-productive identities and how vocabularies for assessment can be more collaboratively shared in learning contexts.     

A digital game-based assessment of middle-school and college students’ choices to seek critical feedback and to revise

A major goal of contemporary education is to teach students how to learn on their own. Assessments have largely lagged behind this goal, because they measure what students have learned and not necessarily their learning processes. This research presents Posterlet, an assessment that collects evidence regarding the strategies that students choose while learning on their own. Posterlet is an educational game-based assessment that measures two design thinking choices: students’ choices to seek critical (ie, negative) feedback and to revise their work while they learn graphic design principles through creating posters. This research also presents an examination of students’ choices to seek feedback and to revise, as well as of students’ learning outcomes based on these choices. This game-based assessment approach is empirically validated with three research studies sampling nearly 300 middle-school and college students who played Posterlet and completed a posttest. Results show that the game helps students learn, as students who play the game before completing the posttest learn more graphic design principles than students who only complete the posttest. Moreover, the choices to seek critical feedback and to revise can predict learning and can be used as valid outcome measures for learning. Findings can be used in developing and evaluating models of instruction and assessment that may help students make informed learning choices. A discussion of present and future trends in theory regarding digital feedback environments is also included.     

Catalytic tools: understanding the interaction of enquiry and feedback in teachers’ learning

This paper investigates how the use of Pupil Views Templates (PVTs), a tool designed to elicit, record and analyse the development of students’ awareness of their own learning processes, supports teachers’ professional learning. This paper reports on a three‐year collaborative practitioner enquiry project involving more than 30 primary and secondary schools in England. The data set includes practitioners’ case studies, interviews, questionnaires and cross‐project analysis completed by the university team. Analysis focuses on the role of feedback, stimulated through the use of PVTs, in teachers’ learning through three dimensions: the influence of student feedback on teachers as part of the pedagogical encounter; the influence of student feedback on schools within the context of the practitioner enquiry projects; the influence of feedback on the lead teacher researchers. Links between the tools used, the source of the feedback, and teachers’ learning are mapped from a ‘second order perspective’ derived from the diverse data sources.     

Giving or receiving feedback: which is more beneficial to students’ learning?

Assessment is a key component of the education process and strategies involving peer-feedback are considered beneficial to student learning. This study aims to analyse the benefits giving and receiving feedback have for students’ development of cognitive and metacognitive, affective and professional competences. One-hundred and eighty-eight students enrolled in teacher education answered a survey. Results indicate that, after providing feedback, the students perceived a better learning experience and an increased sense of commitment to their own learning and their colleagues’ progress. A key finding from this study was the role of students in their own learning. As most participants recognised, providing feedback helped them improve their learning, which is a clear indicator that students want to adopt an active role in their own learning and consider their involvement critical in the design of teaching and learning experiences. To achieve the greatest advantages, feedback must be accompanied by tutoring and mentoring to ensure positive connections with the task, address doubts and clarify the comments received.     

6- and 8-year-olds’ performance evaluations: Do they differ between self and unknown others?

The current study investigated kindergarteners and second graders’ ability to monitor and evaluate their own and a virtual peer’s performance in a paired-associate learning task. Participants provided confidence judgments (CJs) for their own responses and performance-based judgments (judgments provided after receiving feedback on their performance) for both their own and a virtual peer’s responses. For the performance-based judgments, children were confronted with their own or the peer’s answer as well as the correct answer. Additionally, participants were asked to credit their own and the peer’s correct and incorrect answers while facing feedback. Results indicate an age-related progression in metacognitive monitoring skills, with second graders differentiating more strongly in their confidence judgments between correct and incorrect responses compared to kindergarteners. Regarding performance-based judgments, children of both age groups provided higher judgments for correctly compared to incorrectly recognized items as well as for their own responses in comparison to the responses of the unknown child. Similarly, when crediting, participants of both age groups gave more credits for correct recognition than for incorrect recognition and for their own responses than for the peer’s responses. The significant interaction between age group and recognition accuracy for the crediting shows that second graders gave more credits for correctly recognized items while kindergarteners gave more credits for incorrect answers than the older children – primarily for their own incorrect answers. In conclusion, the study provides new insights into 6- and 8-year-olds’ evaluations of their own and an unknown child’s performance in a paired-associate learning task by showing that children of both age groups generally judged and credited responses in their own favor. These results add to our understanding of biases in children’s performance evaluations, including metacognitive judgments and judgments provided after receiving feedback.     

Rethinking feedback practices in higher education: a peer review perspective

Peer review is a reciprocal process whereby students produce feedback reviews on the work of peers and receive feedback reviews from peers on their own work. Prior research has primarily examined the learning benefits that result from the receipt of feedback reviews, with few studies specifically exploring the merits of producing feedback reviews or the learning mechanisms that this activates. Using accounts of their experiences of peer review, this study illuminates students’ perceptions of the different learning benefits resulting from feedback receipt and feedback production, and, importantly, it provides insight into the cognitive processes that are activated when students construct feedback reviews. The findings show that producing feedback reviews engages students in multiple acts of evaluative judgement, both about the work of peers, and, through a reflective process, about their own work; that it involves them in both invoking and applying criteria to explain those judgements; and that it shifts control of feedback processes into students’ hands, a shift that can reduce their need for external feedback. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. It is argued that the capacity to produce quality feedback is a fundamental graduate skill, and, as such, it should receive much greater attention in higher education curricula.     

论课堂“多向双控”教学反馈的构建要素与分类

课堂教学反馈不仅仅是指教师和学生之间在教与学双向活动中的信息交流,也存在着学生与学生、学生与学习资源之间的多向互动,教师和学生都作为反馈主体,彼此发出和接受信息,并依次调控自己教和学的行为,因此这是一个多层面的多向双控反馈体系,而协调和控制课堂教学过程的基本要素和方法、途径就显得尤为重要,这也正是本文的主旨所在。     

Assessment for Learning in the writing classroom: an incomplete realisation

An Observation Guide, designed to help New Zealand teachers identify areas of teaching strength and aspects for development, was developed as part of a wider project. In the second phase of this project, 18 middle school teachers used the Guide to gather and record evidence as they participated in seven rounds of reciprocal peer observation and feedback during writing lessons with Grades 6–8 students. We report here on data from round 6 observations about the assessment for learning (AfL) strategies reported as evident in teachers’ practices, how these strategies were implemented and potential gaps in practice. AfL has at its heart a core of interdependent strategies that collectively contribute to the development of autonomous, self-regulating learners and quality learning. While the middle school teachers shared goals for learning and communicated what counted as successful achievement to students, they appeared to struggle when articulating goals in terms of literacy learning and conveying the substantive aspects and quality expected in students’ writing. In addition, despite AfL's promotion of learner autonomy, few teachers openly afforded students focused opportunities to take a meaningful role in their learning through the appraisal of their own and peers’ writing and the joint construction of feedback. As such, teachers’ AfL practice in the writing classroom failed to realise its full potential. It is argued that the promise of AfL can only be reached when strategies are enacted in ways that reflect its unitary nature, promote quality outcomes and give students a central role in their learning.     

如何在大学英语口语教学中合理运用纠正性反馈——对浙江农林大学非英语专业学生开展的问卷调查和启示

纠正性反馈是二语习得研究领域的一个热门话题。它不仅令学习者意识到自身的二语水平和目标语之间的差距,并且提供机会让他们修正自己的语言输出,从而提高自身的语言水平。本研究对本校非英语专业学生对口语教学中教师提供纠正性反馈的态度进行了抽样调查,并分析了学生个体因素对这种态度的形成所产生的影响,以启示教师在口语教学中更为合理有效地运用纠正性反馈。     

Understanding learners’ self-assessment and self-feedback on their foreign language speaking performance

This study examines university learners’ self-assessment and self-feedback on performance as captured in audio files from a foreign language speaking test. The learners’ were guided to listen, transcribe and analyse their own speaking samples, as well as propose future actions for improvement. Content of learners’ self-feedback was scrutinised against a feedback model, with data coded into various feedback categories as stipulated in the model for analysis. Results indicated that learners’ self-feedback was far reaching and multifaceted. Through self-feedback, learners’ identified discrepancies, answered feed up, feedback and feed forward questions, and inspected performance at task, process, self-regulation and self levels. Much of the feedback involved reflections on past learning history, other areas of learning, deviation of performance from preparation and learner personality traits. The self-feedback went largely beyond most teachers’ feedback capacity and bore great potential for learning and instruction. In particular, contrary to theoretical presumptions, self-level feedback seemed quite enlightening. Whether the observed quality self-feedback could actually help learners improve their performance, however, was not clear. It was suggested that some teachers’ time and effort be directed to the endeavour of facilitating learners’ self-assessment and self-feedback. Learners’ self-feedback capability should also be explored further in the development of relevant pedagogies and theories.     

The mythology of feedback

Much of the general education and discipline-specific literature on feedback suggests that it is a central and important element of student learning. This paper examines feedback from a social process perspective and suggests that feedback is best understood through an analysis of the interactions between academics and students. The paper argues that these two groups will have their own mythology of feedback and that this will inform their beliefs, attitudes and behaviours in the feedback process. Where there are different mythologies, the outcome will be dissonance. The paper reports on a study in which a 15-item questionnaire was distributed to academics and students in a School of Law and a School of Management. Responses were received from 91 academics and 1197 students. The data suggests that academics and students have different perceptions of feedback and this creates dissonance as the two groups offer different interpretations of the same feedback events.     

Differences in pedagogical understanding among student–teachers in a four-year initial teacher education programme

As teacher educators, preparing student–teachers who are able to address diverse student needs is our main concern. It has been suggested in the literature that teachers who are adaptive to students’ needs are those who possess adequate pedagogical content knowledge or pedagogical understanding. However, it is not uncommon for teacher educators to find student–teachers with diverse pedagogical understandings even at the point of graduation from the teacher education programme. This paper aims to explain and analyse the development of pedagogical understanding among student–teachers in an initial teacher education programme. The findings are drawn from a study conducted at the Hong Kong Institute of Education where in-depth interviews were carried out during the four-year programme. The findings from the three selected cases provide an explanation for why some individual student–teachers show continuous development, whereas others remain confused in their pedagogical understanding throughout the teacher education programme. While acknowledging individual differences in pedagogical understanding, we attempt to explain such differences by investigating the relationship between different dimensions of the student–teachers’ learning such as the integration of pedagogical understanding with the teaching contexts, integration of feedback from lecturers and supporting teachers, and their focus of concern. The findings reveal that the three cases demonstrate different levels of pedagogical understanding and possess varying ‘senses of agency’. Of the three cases, the first one, Peggy has the strongest sense of agency. Despite influences related to classroom management, diverse learning ability among pupils, and the teaching methods which pupils were accustomed to previously, she actively introduced rhythmic movements into her lessons, developed pupils’ ability to learn gradually and achieved an impact on pupils’ learning which was also recognized by her supporting teacher. The analysis suggests that the second case, Lilian has a weaker sense of agency as she was severely limited by influences in the teaching context in her first teaching practice and resorted to teacher-centered teaching strategies. She improved later on in the programme and started to plan her own learning, drawing on the feedback she received as well as learning from other taught modules, from feedback from various sources, and from her pupils’ responses to her teaching and her own evaluation of her teaching. The third case, Stephanie remained confused throughout the programme and struggled with the implementation of student-centered teaching strategies. The ability to practice one’s own convictions and demonstrate an active sense of agency distinguishes the student–teacher who achieves better pedagogical understanding. Drawing on the findings, the paper concludes that it is crucial for teacher educators to identify ways to nurture a sense of agency among student–teachers. Implications for teacher education programmes are discussed, including providing opportunities for student–teachers to be able to articulate and integrate their pedagogical understandings, as well as negotiate how to accomplish their learning and teaching targets despite complex classroom situations.     

学前双语教学中汉语听说能力评价刍议

3-4岁是幼儿语言发展的关键期。提高听说能力成为民语幼儿理解运用汉语的桥梁。评价是双语教学活动中的重要环节,可以使幼儿在汉语学习过程中获得大量的反馈信息,教师通过这种反馈的信息可以反思自己的教育教学行为,从而提高双语教学的质量。     

‘It has a purpose beyond justifying a mark’: examining the alignment between the purpose and practice of feedback

Abstract

Research has shown that written feedback is important for student learning and development. However, the messages embedded in feedback may lead to students being misled about what they need to learn or how they need to develop. This article reports on a small-scale investigation into the messages embedded in feedback. Legitimation Code Theory was used to first conceptualise the often-hidden purpose of a discipline (English Studies), and concomitantly of feedback within the discipline, and second to analyse actual comments given to first-year students on their assignments. It was found that there is a clear misalignment between the purpose and practice of feedback, thereby suggesting that students are receiving misleading messages about what they need for success within the discipline. This may have implications beyond merely passing the module. A suggestion is made to actively consider, and develop, feedback as a discipline-specific literacy.     

基于能力本位的高职英语测试评估模式研究

科学有效的测评是教学的开始,也是教学的终结,它对教学有效实施有着很高的反馈作用.高职英语教学有着自己的特点和教学目的,所以科学有效的教学测评就显得很有必要,现场评价、形成性评价、职业能力评价、计算机的辅助评价等模式对于高职英语测评都有所裨益,应该在实践中加以应用和提高.     

Content analysis of computer conferencing transcripts

Within the field of higher education, there are situations where the learner is not well served in a classroom setting. Problematic issues such as scheduling, critical mass, time, pace and location have the potential to be counterbalanced by e-learning. Within this, the asynchronous nature of today's online learning environments and computer conferencing tools have popularly been claimed to offer tremendous benefits for learners who are willing to take responsibility for their own learning, to progress at their own pace, and interact with their online teacher to get immediate feedback on their learning and progress. Indeed, increasingly, educators today are very keen to exploit some of these new technologies for the benefit of their learners. It is argued in this article that there is a need to address the practice and research of asynchronous computer mediated conferencing. As conferencing tools become an increasingly common feature in students' experience, teachers need to have an understanding of how these tools facilitate the formation and maintenance of collaborative learning communities.     

Regulating the writing process in the teacher training practicum guided by feedback at the University of Barcelona

This is a longitudinal study that focuses on blog-writing for the purpose of self-assessing competencies, and which was carried out within the practicum of a degree course in Primary Education Teaching at the University of Barcelona. Over the course of three academic years, students and a teacher have used a Platform 2.0 program, specially created for the study, to reflect on their learning processes and to self-assess with respect to the benchmark competences selected. The results show, first, a significant increase in students’ levels of awareness of their own competences, thanks to the optimisation of their communicative competency to explain same, and guided by the teacher’s feedback; and second, a growing level of satisfaction that can be observed in the assessment surveys on the process implemented.     

浅议话语分析与外语教学

话语分析是被同一个语言交际圈中的成员所使用的语言检查手段。对外语老师来说，话语分析不仅仅是调查他们自己教学实践的研究方法，而且也是研究语言学习者之间交互作用的一种工具。本文讨论了话语分析和第二语言教学之间的相互关系，并指出语言学习者如何使用话语分析探究语言是什么的问题，以及如何应用话语分析在不同的语境中达成交际目的。本文还讨论了如何利用话语分析创建更准确的第二语言学习环境，从而鼓励学习者更有效地利用第二语言达到交际目的。     

‘Would you like a cup of coffee?’ Using the researcher's insider and outsider positions as a sensitising concept

This article uses the notion of a ‘sensitising concept’ in order to understand insider and outsider dynamics in cross-organisational field research. The analysis is based on a study of learning and innovation in the social and health care educations in Denmark. As these educations combine classroom training and workplace internships, the students and educators frequently cross organisational boundaries as part of their training and educating. In my attempt to understand the boundaries as learning and innovation resources, I reflect on my own shifting insider and outsider positions as a field researcher. It is argued that the researcher's experience of changing insiderness and outsiderness in cross-organisational field studies can serve as a starting point from where to investigate emotional and material aspects of boundary-crossing.     

Personal Backgrounds of Effective Teaching

Planning time for giving students effective feedback is an important and challenging aspect of the teaching and learning process. In our article we describe and analyze how we engage students as partners in providing formative feedback in time for students to modify their own thinking or behavior to improve learning. We have found ways to provide formative feedback more frequently and to involve students in providing effective formative feedback to each other. The four techniques we describe are the following: a) three-color group quiz with feedback on product, process, and progress; b) midterm student conferencing; c) shared revision of student generated questions and statements; and d) timely feedback using collaborative assignment blogs. These techniques give feedback in time for revisions to occur, provide scaffolding for learners, inform instruction, and most importantly, involve students as partners in assessment. These pedagogical strategies show that the resulting benefits of improved instruction, enhanced student learning, and better student products are worth the time and effort and contribute to a productive classroom climate where the focus is on learning more than on grading. Formative feedback involving students as partners is a key strategy to enhance the teaching and learning process.