SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

Why is the development programme important?

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

Learning and Teaching

Our goal is to produce learners who are:• motivated and effective• increasingly independent• able to make use of new technologies• able to learn and apply new skills effectively through their lives.

“It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be uneducated”

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC SMT pack 2009

It’s not what pupils learn, but howthey learn it that matters.How they learn depends on theircognitive processing capability, andintervention in the process by which this capability develops is the route tofundamental improved life chancesin the population of learners.

Adey and Shayer,Really Raising Standards1994

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

Developing thinking

Developing thinking pedagogy has considerable overlap with the principles of assessment for learning.

Developing thinking can be defined as developing patterns of thinking that help learners acquire deeper understanding and enable them to explore and make sense of their world. It refers to processes that we in Wales have defined as plan, develop and reflect. Although we are born with a capability to think there is ample evidence that we can learn to think more effectively.

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

How was developing thinking

approached? Teaching of

thinkingTeaching through

thinkingCross curricular

infusion

Direct teaching of ‘thinking skills’

Outside subject areas (stand-alone)

Uses methods to promote thinking in

subject contexts(stand-alone)

Restructuring lessons in subjects

to provide opportunities to develop thinking

e.g. Philosophy for Children,

Somerset thinking skills, Let’s think!

e.g. CASE, CAME, Thinking though

Geography/History, Let’s think through

Science/Maths

e.g. ACTS, Thinking for Learning

(Cardiff LEA)

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

Assessment for learning

Assessment for learning is the process of finding out where learners are within a learning continuum, where they need to go and how best to get there.

It can be considered to be any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting learning (formative).

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop assessment for learning?

“There is no evidence that increasing the amount of testing will enhance learning. Instead the focus needs to be on helping teachers use assessment as part of teaching and learning, in ways that will raise children’s achievement.”

Assessment Reform Group, 1999

A wide variety of research in this area has clearly shown the gains to be made by learners in both motivation and performance from employing assessment for learning strategies (formative assessment). The critical element lies in learners understanding why and how to make progress.

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Evidence?

Type of Feedback Learning gain made Motivational outcomes

Marks only None High abilityLow ability

PositiveNegative

Comments only 30% All learners Positive

Marks and comments None High abilityLow ability

PositiveNegative

SMT pack 2009

Data from ‘Inside the black box’, Black and William (1998)

Data drawn from Israel on 132 learners from 12 classes in 4 schools

SMT pack 2009

Evidence?• Improvement in attainment on average by half a level at end of KS2 and KS3 and half a grade at GCSE• Effective feedback is crucial in a learner’s development to allow him/her to improve own performance other than judgement against norm- referenced criteria: in a variety of research studies, effective feedback improved performance in 60% of the learners• Feedback given as rewards and grades enhances ego rather than task involvement – ‘learned helplessness’ can result from damaging self-esteem.

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

Why focus on developing thinking and assessment for learning?

There is well-documented and substantial qualitative and quantitative evidence to show that this focus raises learners’ motivation and performance.

The pedagogy promoted in both areas, and the characteristics of learning behaviours in lessons are very similar and mutually support one another.

Between 2005 and 2008, DCELLS conducted a pilot programme with 9 LAs and 1 group of special schools. This involved 42 schools and over 100 teachers. An evaluation of the programme and its outcomes supported these findings.

The full evaluation report is available to download from the WAG website

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

What were the outcomes of the pilot programme?

In just 5 terms, teachers reported:• improved quality of work produced by learners

(increased achievement and attainment)• improvements in learner behaviour• increased engagement and motivation with

learning• increase in frequency of creative lessons• improved learner self-confidence and self-esteem• increase in inclusivity• improved speaking and listening skills• shift in pedagogy to facilitating learning rather than

directing• happier learners and teachers!

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

What does the extension programme involve?

• 3 year programme, reviewed annually• DCELLS working in partnership with LAs across Wales• 50 teachers coached in developing thinking and assessment for learning pedagogy per LA per year• programme continuously monitored and evaluated by LAs and DCELLS.

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

What will lead teachers be expected to do?

• choose and trial 3 principles from developing thinking, assessment for learning or both• share and disseminate outcomes in school and within clusters• monitor and evaluate processes and outcomes • meet with DCELLS through mentoring sessions• meet and work with lead LA adviser through coaching sessions.

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

Selected developing thinking principles to try:

Plan Develop Reflect

Thinking principle

Activating prior knowledge, skills and understanding

Thinking about cause and effect and making inferences

Evaluate own learning and thinking

Determining the process/method/ strategy

Forming opinions and making decisions

Reviewing the process/method

Determining success criteria

Thinking logically and seeking patterns

Reviewing outcomes and success criteria

Considering evidence, information and ideas

Linking and lateral thinking

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

Selected assessment for learning principles to try:

Questioning Providing feedback to

learners

Peer and Self-Assessment

Assessment for learning principles

Improving quality of answers

Target Setting On-going lesson assessment

Peer discussion Immediacy of feedback

Uses of summative assessment

Active involvement of all learners

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

What support is available?

• Coaching visits by lead LA advisers to lead teachers• Mentoring school visits by DCELLS officers• Networking through cluster meetings• Virtual support through NGfL Cymru forum• Practical classroom support and ideas for strategies and tools through DCELLS.

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

What resources are available?

Two web-based booklets:

Why develop thinking and assessment for learning in the classroom?

How to develop thinking and assessment for learning in the classroom.

Web-link: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/curriculumassessment/thinkingandassessmentforlearning/?lang=en

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

Why develop thinking skills and assessment for learning in the

classroom?

ACCAC

What resources are available?

In the Aiming for excellence series, Developing thinking, BBC, Estyn, WAG, 2006

NGfL Cymru ‘good practice’ website and forum (available Autumn 2009)

SMT pack 2009

SMT pack 2009

What are the key roles of SMT?

• give the programme and the action research of the lead teachers a high status within the school community• personally experiment with pedagogy and suggested strategies/tools to promote developing thinking and AfL principles• share and disseminate outcomes • develop lead teachers as coaches for colleagues in order to spread practice across the school• work closely with colleagues in partner schools (and ITET ) to ensure coherence and consistency in understanding and practice.

SMT pack 2009