Content, Process and Product
New Strategies of Evaluation
A curriculum has 3 components: “Content, Process and Product” (Perler,
2015). The content that is taught through any process is evaluated using a tool
and; the product is the evidence as presented by the student towards learning
of the content. For example, if I use a test as my tool to check learning in
the content for fractions, then the student test paper would be the product.
The “new” strategies of evaluation, in my opinion, are ones that use
multiple tools of evaluation other than a pen and paper test. The purpose would
be to allow students multiple ways to express their learning based on their
dominant processing style. Such as “Passion Projects” (Perler,
2015); or ““... formal and informal observations, discussions,
learning conversations, questioning, conferences, homework, tasks done in
groups, demonstrations, projects, portfolios, developmental continua,
performances, peer and self-assessments, self-reflections, essays, and tests”
(UNESCO, 2015, p.14)
Strategies
Used by Author
Research
“If it is on Google and you are teaching, you are wasting the students’
time”, said one of my school heads, Dr. Advani, (School, 2018). I found so much good open source information on the web
that I turned to creating lessons that had students researching for
information, analysing it and expressing it in their own words.
This was generally done in groups and had some
key questions to trigger their thought processes. An example is the lesson
“What is Pi?”, (Kochar, 2019).
The intention for such lessons was for students
to (a) learn to do independent research, (b) be honest about their work, (c)
use web based material intelligently and (d) work effectively with peers. My
role was more of a facilitator and project manager.
Students learnt a lot of skills through
research and I got a chance to be a facilitator. My throat got a good rest!
Evaluation was done using a rubric.
Peer Assessment
Since my subject is Maths and my area grades 6 to 12, peer assessment
model can be used very easily for simple problem solving. A typical model of
peer assessment is where “Students design problems”, (Kochar, 2011).
A typical session goes in the sequence:
1.
Each
student designs a set of numerical problems, easy to solve, and also gets the
answers.
2.
Partners
exchange notebooks to solve each other’s’ problems.
3.
The
notebooks go back for corrections by the original writers.
4.
The work is
marked and the partners discuss with each other their results.
I found this to be quite effective as a
formative. For it (a) gave us a break from me being the incharge, (b) the
students learnt the thinking involved in designing questions, (b) correcting
work gave them the dopamine effect and (d) I got a breather for paper setting
and marking! Evaluation was done by the peers using their own solutions.
Disputes were solved by me.
Projects
One of my favourite ways to teach Maths is
combining it with art. So my favourite project had to be “Art and Maths project
“, (Kochar, 2015). Projects is where it all comes together …Maths, values,
skills and real life.
Every project that I conducted had 2
components, (a) structure and (b) choice. Structure was the task sheet, with
rubric, that I gave to them and choice was that of how they presented the work,
(Kochar, 2015). This ensured that they felt safe and had enough space to be creative.
Projects are where they learnt about (a) real life use of maths, (b) got a
chance to be creative (c) developed critical thinking and (d) learnt to work
alone or with a group. For me the challenge was to design a task sheet in such
a manner that they could learn to manage the tasks independently. The rubric
was used to assess the project.
“The
main Impacts of assessment fall across three broad domains of
decision. One concerns policy, program and planning for which the education
system is responsible.” (UNESCO, p.14) While the policy and program were
decided by the school, having these strategies for evaluation helped me to
continuously work on my planning to adapt more and more student learning and
process.
“The third domain
is the classroom, providing information that teachers
(and other
educators) might use (as described above) to adjust and
strengthen their design,
delivery, assessment and feedback of lessons and
that students (and
their parents) may use to revise and invigorate their
learning
strategies, conditions and outcomes; or perhaps to abandon school
and pursue another
kind of education.” (UNESCO, p.15)
I also (a) got to know the students
better, (b) got to know myself better, (c) had a lot of students lose fear of
maths as their skills got a chance to express, such as the artists, and (d) I
learnt to be a facilitator using structure and choice where learning flowered
naturally. I developed “An expertise that is adaptable and open to be
challenged.” (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2001, p.133)
References
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2001).
How people learn: brain, mind, experience and school. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/How-People-Learn-Experience-Expanded/dp/0309070368.
Kochar, M. (2011, October 29). Student design problems.
Retrieved from https://humanemaths.blogspot.com/2011/10/making-problems.html.
Kochar, M. (2019, September 12). What is Pi? Retrieved from https://humanemaths.blogspot.com/2019/09/what-is-pi-flip-class.html.
Kochar, M. (2015, March 11). Art and Maths project. Retrieved
from
https://humanemaths.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-complete-art-based-geometry-project.html.
School, P. W. (Ed.). (2018). School Director's Profile.
Retrieved from https://www.pathways.in/Noida/noida_director_profile.
Seth
Perler. (2016, February 14). An Excellent Way to Evaluate Curriculum [Video
File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyOIqlRWrg8 (8:24)
UNESCO
(2015). Student Learning Assessment and the Curriculum: Issues and Implications
for Policy, Design, and Implementation. Current and
Critical Issues in the Curriculum and Learning. Pp. 1-29. Retrieved
from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002354/235489e.pdf
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