Sunday, March 31, 2019

The Single Most Important Factor Influencing Learning Education Essay

The Single Most Important Factor Influencing education Education EssayBroadfoot (1996, p.21) describes sound judgment as the most powerful rotating shaft in education and as a descent of leverage to drive about change. In this assignment I go forth attempt to fall together my own get words of employ judgment as a article of belief tool, both summative and formative, and how medication has been the most assessed of discip berths, both in the check context and beyond (Phillpott 2007) FIND REFERENCE or practise online source? With relevance to Q11 I shall explain my brain of the sagaciousness requirements for GCSE and AS aim music and how I drop use these to inform my own exercising and bespeakment with opinion for education, specifically as a daylight to day classroom tool.It is necessary that scholarly persons achievements argon recorded and monitored in some way, non only to provide the scholar with essential hard demo of their strengths for use in higher e ducation, the workplace and beyond, but to provide a performer to appraise the potential of a oblige and its staff. OFSTED inspectors willing appraise a acknowledges record keeping and sagaciousness protocols and will motive to scrutinize records of scholar results. The shoal league t fits printed in the internal press way on examination results in pronounce to rate a schools success against the national average although these published results do non illustrate a schools success measured against other influences such as socio-economic circumstanceors or turbulence for example.What does strike comprise 3 national curriculum appraisal consist of?At the revoke of severalise act 3, normally when pupils be in course of counselling 9, schools pass birth to report t to each mavener assessment outcomes to p arnts/c bers.The requirement for all pupils to pose tests in English, mathematics and science at the end of key microscope stage 3 was removed in Octobe r 2008. Teacher assessment of pupils remains a statutory requirement. At the end of key stage 3, teachers summarise their judgements for each eligible pupil, taking into account the pupils progress and performance throughout the key stage. They need to determinea aim for each attainment range in English, mathematics, science and modern foreign languagesan overall force field level in each of the core and non-core subjects.Teachers should base their judgements on the level descriptions in the national curriculum.GET THIS IN SOMEHOW RELATE TO FFT/RAISE ONLINE, ETCQ13 requires trainee teachers to turn in how to use local and national statistical selective information to evaluate the achievementiveness of their training. At Guthlaxton College, the pastoral assessment of pupils uses a summative model expound as an ATL (attitude to information). This comp ares aspirational target checks taken from scores at key stage 3 and analysed via the Fischer family trust entropy depth ps ychology project which produces estimates of likely attainment. These FFT estimates are calculated individually for each pupil and, from these, school and local dresser performance projections whitethorn be calculated. These figures are estimates only in that they reap predictions for future attainment if pupils work and make progress that is in line with that of similar pupils in previous years. The ATL score looks at current promotion against the FFT estimate for that pupil and is efficacious in providing on-going data evidence, alongside teacher assessment, coursework musical scores, test results and attendance in providing a picture of the student crossways all of their subject areas. Student progression, with come along relevance to standard Q13, back tooth be assessed in this way and attainment levels batch be increase by observeing strength and areas for further development or support.Effective schools continuously monitor progress and evaluate themselves by scrut inising pupil progress and grades, identifying influences which switch off to hamper or accelerate achievement and progression. The school should pay contiguous attention to the impact that any intervention or support has had and how it has alter the study of the pupils. In my own convention I have apply summative data, ATL scores and FFT projections to discuss pupil progress with parents during student freshen up sessions. I have also been able to identify areas for advance in my own dogma modes by using test and mock exam scores to create a picture of student achievement levels.At key stage 4, GCSE results throne be used by the school to identify areas of weakness or areas which require support and intervention by looking at patterns which may emerge from scrutiny of these summative results. This information can be fed back to subject wizers who may consequently be able to identify areas for future development. thitherfore, summative assessment can be used as a drivin g compact for school modifyment. Educational decisions regarding pupil performance, for example the streaming I observed in my second school placement at key stage 3, must be based on potent use of the evidence ga in that respectd. Over a relatively short space of clipping a childs performance may evolve. Careful and regular use of summative data can help a teacher or school make effective statement decisions.www.fischertrust.orgBroadfoot, P. (1996) appraisal and Learning Power or confederacy? In Goldstein, H and Lewis, T (eds.) Assessment Problems, Developments and Statistical Issues. Chichester John Wiley and SonsThe bailiwick Strategies illustrates that it is grievous for schools to use summative assessment data in a contextual way. For example learner achievement should be viewed against the national average, against germane(predicate) influences such as turbulence and KS3 and 4 splits (Leicestershire) and socio-economic factors such as EAL. Also, subject specific achi evement differences may emerge. The strategies continue to illustrate that only useful data should be collected for the purpose of providing sound evidence for modifyment. applicable data may be used by schools to set targets and to identify prospered fare so that it may be repeated or used as good exemplar teaching. When targets are established the school can wherefore take steps towards support provision, training, intervention and further development (dcsf 2010)nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk unison as a discipline is fraught with hoar areas which present challenges when trying to perform a final assessment of a performance or a composition, and so forth In a school context of use, when faced with the challenge of evaluating work which on some levels will forever be interpreted subjectively, a teacher needs to have an assessment model that has legitimacy in a whole-education context (Spruce 1996) Spruce, G (1996) education music, Assessment in the arts bring dow ns in objectivity, London, Routledge. In my own practice for example I have used the carefully worded patsy criteria given(p) by the exam board as a template for judgment and I have also used our college guidelines regarding acquisition objectives to assess what I have asked pupils to do and hopefully learn.However, it is the ongoing interaction between student and teacher which brings about most development in a new-fangled musician. The genius of learning a musical instrument requires that we move in small, guided steps and, to make any musical progress at all the learner must become egotism-reflective about their own skills and understand. tralatitious implemental grades, although valuable in providing a signpost to a students familiar ability only deal with performance but do not provide any information about the journey which brought the student to this point. They do not take into seeation the musical growth, learning and misgiving which has taken place front to the final test (Faultley 2010). Fautley Martin Assessment in Music Education, Oxford Music Education, 2010. The folk view of assessment, that it happens after teaching has occurred, as in the model displayd by traditional musical instrument grades, separates assessment from teaching itself. This model of summative assessment makes the performance at the decreed hour of assessment the priority rather than the learning which has occurred.There are two types of assessment commonly referred to in education, summative and formative and there has been a lot debate over which one is much beneficial in education. In practice it seems that one, formative, is a teaching method which can lead to overture and success in the other, summative form of assessment. Summative assessment is the summing up of a performance or an overall assessment that ordinarily occurs at the end of a module or a name and address of work. The term formative assessment, on the other hand, is an ongoing chang e overlap by the pupil and the teacher and is much referred to as assessment for learning because the constructive, reflective nature of the assessment is used an educational tool in itself, essential to guide both pupil and teacher alike for identifying areas for improvement and development.Summative assessment, tests, exams, grades, etc. summarise student progress at a specified point in the educational career, but formative assessment, principaling, companion and self-assessment, teacher feedback, etc. are all intended to develop and improve the carry through of learning itself. The results of formative assessment are not used to provide a final grade or judgement of a pupils noticeledge or abilities but to guide learning. AfL, used salutary in the classroom pushs deep persuasion and reflectiveness rather than sincere mean of information through questioning, self-assessment, partner assessment and teacher feedback. As a student teacher, I have often been asked by men tors, How do you live if they are learning? My initial attempts at teaching classroom music were characterised by the deli really(prenominal) of facts and instructions but without the utilizing the powerful opportunities for formative assessment such as open questioning or peer assessment for example. Dylan Wiliam in an interview for teacher TV is quoted as saying that the fundamental premise for AfL is the question Did the children learn what I just taught? If not, why not? This seemingly simple question requires discipline on the part of the teacher to be answered openly and constructively and the 10 principlines of AFL (assessment reform root 2002) gives a broad overview of how this cleverness be achieved.Depending on situation, subject, behaviour issues, etc. it might be very difficult to put AFL into practice as it is intended. Indeed, fatal and Wiliam (1998) write that formative assessment is a powerful tool if communicated correctly. As a trainee teacher, my second scho ol placement in a very turbulent school presented me with such behavioural difficulties in the classroom that I found it difficult to attempt some of the AFL techniques I had been trying to hone with my perfectly behaved GCSE students elsewhere. Day to day strategies for AFL such as questioning, self-and peer assessment and feedback were not in place in a way I was familiar with and seemed tokenistic. The pupils were not familiar with the methods and so the style was not as effective as it should have been had they been introduced to AFL via a whole school progression. There is a definite need for a school to adopt a consistent culture of assessment for learning for it to work successfully inside the music classroom. The temptation may be to enhance a lesson using a few token AfL techniques such as peer assessment, etc. just to get through an observation or OFSTED inspection. However, the idealism and whole tone behind assessment for learning seems to be that the pupil becomes mo re accountable for shaping their own learning through the constant use of self and peer assessment, receiving feedback and dealing with challenging, thought provoking questions. The AfL ideas should be the basis for the teaching rather than empty, ritualistic mechanisms or novelty add-ons. The Assessment reform group evinces that Assessment for learning should be recognised as central to classroom practice and should involve both teachers and learners alike in the process of reflection on the classroom activity and decisions regarding progression towards learning goals and objectives.AFL is also an grievous tool for the teacher to assess their own methods and ask Did they learn what I just taught them? If the teaching practice is ineffective then it must be adjusted and improved and AFL should become part of the effective planning of teaching and learning (Assessment reform group, 2002).The assessment judgments of teachers do matter, they are essential to the successful developm ent of every child in learning music, and, as a get of recent initiatives observe, every child matters. (Faultley 2010)The Assessment Reform aggroup (2002, p.2) define assessment for learning as the process of seeking and translation evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there. Assessment Reform Group. (2002) Research-based principles to guide classroom practice. London Assessment Reform GroupThe single most chief(prenominal) factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly (Ausubel et al, 1978)Ausubel, D.P, Novak, J and Hanesian, H (1978) Educational psychologyA cognitive view, second edition, Holt Rinehart and Winston.Many different researchers such as, Casbon and Spackman, (2005), The Assessment Reform Group (2002) and glowering, et al, (2002) have identified different strategies that underpin successful assessment fo r learning. This assignment will focus on four that I have put into practice myself while teaching music and can comment upon from personal bring forth setting goals and the sharing of assessment criteria, questioning, peer and self-assessment and teacher feedback. I will use these four strategies as a guide to describe on the nose what assessment for learning is and how it relates to musical Education.Casbon, C and Spackman, L. (2005) Assessment for Learning in Physical Education. Leeds CoachwiseB deprivation, P, Harrison, C, Lee, C, Marshall, B and Wiliam, D. (2002) Working Inside the Black Box Assessment for Learning in the Classroom. London nferNelsonSETTING GOALS/SHARING CRITERIABy setting goals and sharing criteria the classroom teacher can aim to ensure pupils know what they should have achieved by the end of the lesson (School Curriculum Assessment Authority, SCAA, 1997). Pupils should know what they are trying to achieve. Without this information they cannot evaluate thei r own success at the end of the lesson (Weeden et al, 2002).Before setting goals, the teacher needs to find out what the pupils have learned previously and what level they are at in order to make the goals achievable and a source of motivation (James, 2000 and SCAA, 1997). Q11 refers to developing an judgment of assessment requirements for public examinations and I have used these a head start point for designing many of my units of work as the AQA GCSE syllabus lists hap marking criteria. Indeed it was a useful exercise for me to translate these criteria into slow digestible, pupil-friendly language.Questioning, the second strategy, is a vital part of assessment for learning and one which as an inexperienced teacher I have had to seek much advice from colleagues. Weeden et al. (2002) report that a lot of teachers use questions which require only the suppose of information in order to provide an answer.Weeden, P, Winter, J and Broadfoot, P. (2002) Assessment Whats in it for the school? London RoutledgeFalmerAs Stobart and Gipps (1997) point out, a pupil cannot demonstrate dread simply by regurgitating facts or pieces of information. Assessment for learning is concern with process and not the product and therefore questions need to enable companionship and understanding (Casbon and Spackman, 2005) via the implementation and demonstration of higher order opinion. correspond to Blooms taxonomy, the turn back of friendship is classified as a lower order skill. By adjusting the complexity of a question and the requirements for an answer, a teacher can pull ahead higher order skills and thinking. For example, in my music lessons for KS3, I had to begin a topic on notation by introducing simple facts such as note values and pitch. The bordering questioning strategy I used, involving simple sums using notes instead of numbers, was designed to encourage the students to demonstrate their comprehension of note-lengths. Black, et al. (2002) describes teacher s as not only presenters of information but leaders of exploration. The skills I am aiming to develop in my own practice require beingness able to create probing, explorative questions which cause a pupil to apply and contemplate even simple knowledge and facts.Blooms taxonomy hierarchy of questioning get it in there somewhereThey can be used to explore pupils prior knowledge (Black and Wiliam, 1998) and also their own points of view on a subject. Questions are also useful tools for feedback. Black, et al. (2002) explain that impromptu questions posed while the pupils are working about what they are thinking and why, encourages wider thinking and provides immediate feedback to the teacher regarding pupil understanding. Teachers also need to be aware of how the questions are being answered and that this can be influenced by the mode of questioning used.The all- of import thinking time allowed for all pupils is approved by Black, et al (2002) who prescribe a no hands up policy, wh ere all the pupils should have an answer to part with the class if they are called upon by the teacher. This approach to questioning allows more pupils to be involved and engaged in a question and answer session. According to personality type, different students will show different levels of willingness to be involved. The more effective and valuable technique I have used in my music lessons is to present a question, allow thinking time and then assess student answers in a way which does not confide on the hands-up approach. The answers and thoughts can be retrieved via methods such as asking a student by name and then asking a peer to comment on their answer or by using the mini-whiteboard method whereby the whole class can answer a closed question simultaneously. My first attempts at this AfL method were poorly planned because of the closed nature of the questions I used and I realized later that some pupils would give me answers they felt I wanted to hear rather than engaging in a dialogue unveiling the genuine state of their learning. In this way, I conclude that the focus should always be on the pupil sincerely yours reviewing their own understanding by tackling open ended questions.Black and Wiliam (1998) submit that a common feature of poor questioning practice is that teachers break up to allow adequate processing time when asking questions. Without reflective thinking time factored into the questioning, the only answers that can be reasonably asked are factual, knowledge based and limited in their scope for demonsrating learning through exploration and evaluation (Black and Wiliam 1998). The lesson may have a sense of pace and ecstasy but it will only be a limited number of pupils answering the rapid, fact-based, short answer questions. Shirley Clarke (2005) advocates increased waiting time during classroom questioning by indicating the thinking time and adopting a no-hands up approach ie. Dont answer straight away, split into pairs and take 2 minutes to consider why Mozart changed key suddenly at bar 27. Clarke (2005) goes on to state that changing the student expectation of what classroom is and how they are to be involved in the process will result in longer, more positive(p) responses. The variety of answers and explanations will widen and help to provoke thought and learning and the failure to respond will decrease for those who are less confident. In my second school placement I was presented with an assessment policy briefly covering the expected elements of AFL. This document stated that skillful questioning gauges understanding (Hamilton community college, 2010) but I would suggest that questioning in the classroom is also a means to provoke thinking when used correctly. Black et al (2003) concur with this by stating that More effort has to be dog-tired in framing questions that are worth asking that is, questions which explore issue that are critical to the development of students understanding. (Black et al, 2003)Black, P., Harrison C., Lee, C., Marshall, B., and Wiliam D. (2003) Assessment for learning, Open university press.Shirley Clarke (2005) writes that effective, thought provoking questioning is planned prior to the lesson and will extend student understanding beyond mere recall of facts or knowledge. Blooms taxonomy defines closed recall of fact as a lower order thinking skills but that analysis or evaluation require a higher level of thinking and involvement in order to engage with the question. Therefore, pre-designed questioning will encourage the required thoughtful, reflective dialogue needed to evoke and explore understanding (Black and Wiliam 1998) and through the implementation of sound framing and the use of thinking time all pupils may have the opportunity to develop and express their ideas.self-importance ASSESSMENTStobart and Gipps (1997, p.15) believe that assessment is only truly formative if the process involves the pupil, and this of course requires self-assessm ent, the third strategy. By allowing independent learning where pupils crucially take active responsibility for, and participation in, their own learning, self-assessment is a vital AFLtool. Black, et al. (2002) tonicity that this personal reflection on progress can only take place if the pupil fully understands objectives and this is backed up by Shirley Clarke (2005) who outlines a model for enabling students to identify their own success against clearly outline learning objectives. The Assessment reform group (2002) states that AFL should develop a learners faculty for self-assessment, so that they can become reflective and self-managing. With well outlining learning goals the process may also avoid be destructive to a pupils sanction and can be focused mainly on areas for future improvement. For example, in my GCSE music classes I can use self-assessment to ensure that a pupil looks objectively at their own composition work with reference to the AQA marking criteria which he lp to provide sound success criteria for the unit of work.By understanding what they should be learning they can assess what they need to do to sink in the required goals. Self-assessment is a skill which needs to be taught and used on a regular basis but in my brief experience needs to be woven into lesson planning in order to perform its role.Stobart, G., Gipps, C., Assessment A teachers guide to the issues, Hodder Arnold H&S 3rd rewrite edition edition (4 Dec 1997)PEER ASSESSMENTAs well as self-assessment, peer-assessment is also a powerful of learning tool. Cowie (2005) points out that often pupils are more likely to understand the feedback language used by their peers. Pupils may also appear more confident when they are nigh their peers and are consequently more likely to interrupt another pupil through lack of understanding, than a teacher (Black, et al, 2002). It is however, important that pupils are not encouraged to draw equalitys between themselves because that could have a negative effect on confidence and self-esteem. The Dfes guidance states that students do not become self-evaluative all-night and in my own practice it has taken time and commitment to self and peer assessment to move the process away from simple arguing in the classroom towards more valuable collaborative learning activity. The focus for peer and self-assessment should be on the quality of the work produced and ways to improve it rather than simply marking each others work.FEEDBACKTeacher feedback may be described as formative when it helps students understand how to do better next time. If feedback, written on the bottom of an essay for example, simply gives a grade or mark out of ten, the student has no idea how to improve. However, if a teacher gives clear guidance for possible next steps or areas for development then this is valuable for all students, regardless of ability. It also avoids the comparison effect and focuses on personal improvement. If the emphasis is plac ed on the grade of a piece of work, a student with low ability can easily become demotivated. This is especially true in GCSE music where the col of the cohort admitted to the course can range from those who have had private instrumental tuition for years to those whose only experience of practical music do will have been in the music classroom. Through careful feedback a teacher can avoid the maladaptive responses (Dweck 1986) which can manifest in a music lesson as a form of helplessness and the lack of persistence a learner can exhibit when faced with obstruction or a low grade. Formative feedback is diagnostic and is more important to raising achievement by giving a commentary for improvement than simply by giving a grade (Lawson 2008)Lawson, Tony, Assessing students reflective teaching and learning edited by Dymoke, S., Harrison, J. 2008. Sage publications limited.Feedback, the fourth strategy, is very important in assessment for learning it can have huge impacts on pupils learning. There are two types of feedback, normative, which refers to the giving of grades and the comparison to a statistical picture and formative which refers to giving constructive comment. Weaver (2006) points out that feedback is an effective way of alerting pupils to their strengths and weaknesses and giving information on how to close the gap. remainder the gap refers to the difference between the learning outcome or goal and the pupils present state (Black and Wiliam, 1998). By using feedback and assessment information, pupils and teachers are then able to decide what should be done next.A study by Martinez and Martinez (1992) found that normative feedback, grades and attach, etc., had a negative effect on pupils learning and this is echoed by Black and Wiliam (1998) who observed in their research an over-emphasis on marks and grading which in itself did not provide useful advice or instruction for the future.In order for learning to take place feedback must involve const ructive dialogue and comment between the teacher and the pupil. This kind of feedback can be a catalyst for discussion and further enhance learning (Maclellan, 2001). Traditionally however, the education system is grade dominated, and it would be hard to stoop from that. Pupils will always want to know their grades. Feedback can have very positive effects on both confidence and motivation, if used effectively (Weaver, 2006).

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