2. Assessment for Learner
Independence
Thoughtful use of a variety of assessment practices in
the classroom can help students develop increasing
autonomy as learners:
• involving students in the construction of
learning targets, and in the formal and informal
assessment of their progress (Clarke, Timperley
and Hattie).
• providing exemplars, or very clear criteria for
success (McGee and Fraser 2008).
• opportunities to assess progress through specific
activities, and in general, with input from self,
peer and teacher assessment.
This assessment can then be used to generate the
next learning step, or locate gaps between the
work completed and the success criteria.
3. I am an independent learner in my daily life and I use all of these
techniques to further my skills. I taught myself to sew by finding
suitable exemplars and having in mind the success criteria for each
item I created. I used critical self-assessment and sought opinion from
peers to find the gaps in my knowledge and ‘next step’ projects to
further my abilities.
4. Assessment as a Great Motivator
Positive feedback after assessment, knowing how to improve and having
clear direction for what learning steps to take next is a truly motivating
force. This can take many forms:
• Visual evidence of assessed achievement such as progress charts,
displayed work or written comments.
• Verbal comments, presentation to the class for peer assessment.
• Affirmative comments and a supportive classroom environment
positively promote ‘next step’ learning.
5. While visiting at my homeschool I have been involved in many aspects
of classroom lessons and management. The teacher has taken the
time to critically analyse my actions, and has provided me with verbal
feedback that is both positive, and also shows me where there are
gaps. This has allowed me to continually make adjustments to what I
am doing, and has motivated me to continue to learn and improve
6. Fair Assessment
Assessment must be fair to give the teacher an accurate understanding of her
students’ achievement. For assessment to be fair students must know what the
success criteria consist of. Students must all have had access to learning
material, and the means of assessment itself must not disadvantage anyone
taking part. Assessment must also be valid and measure the learning that has
taken place (McGee and Fraser).
7. While at University I had a lecturer who was a notoriously
difficult marker. We were given a question, but no rubric, nor did
he provide feedback with the grade. Not knowing the success
criteria meant that the grades felt arbitrary and could not be relied
on for an accurate measure of our understanding of the subject.
9. By making formative assessment central
to classroom practices educators have the
ability to carry out lessons that are
relevant to the specific needs of their
students (McGee and Fraser).
Formative assessment focuses on the
learner’s individual strengths(Clarke,
Timperley and Hattie).
Formative assessment allows teachers to
make responsive adjustments to pedagogy
(McGee and Fraser).
Teachers can use assessment to recognise
all forms of achievement and set
individual targets (Clarke et al).
Individual assessment can be made using observation and interaction
with the student as they work. It can also be made by a comparison of
students’ work against the achievement objectives and standards.
11. Rather than using only summative assessment to measure final
achievement, it is more beneficial to monitor the progress of students
before and during learning programmes. This allows the teacher to
identify students who are not achieving well, and to monitor her own
teaching. This can be done by comparing students’ work against
national standards, using classroom observations to clarify students’
learning and the teacher’s efficacy, and listening to feedback from
parents, and other staff (Clarke et al.)
13. Formative Assessment to Raise Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is one of the key factors in student achievement. Success builds
upon success, and formative assessment can support this. For students who are
struggling with an area of work, formative assessment can provide positive
feedback for what has been achieved, raising self-esteem and providing
motivation (Clarke et al). Feed forward shows students the steps they need to
take while allowing them to continue to work towards their target, with self-
esteem in tact.
Assessment of this kind is often verbal when the teacher is viewing students as
they are on task. It must be relevant and authentic to really make an impact on
a learner’s self-esteem, and it must be based on the task, and the progress the
student is making towards the target, and not directed at the student (Clarke et
al.).
14. References
Clarke, S., Timperley, H., and Hattie, J., (2006),
Unlocking Formative Assessment, Hodder Education,
Auckland, New Zealand
McGee, C., and Fraser, D., (2008), The Professional
Practice of Teaching, Cengage, Melbourne, Australia
http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-in-the-
classroom/Assessment-for-learning-in-
principle/Principles-of-assessment-for-learning
