Ian Armitage

St John’s Grammar School

27th April 2015

Assessment Methods: Manual Skills Task

• Assessment can be defined as “The purposeful gathering and analysing of information about student achievement” Duchesne, et al (2013) p.476.

This definition gives us scope as assessors as to how we treat the information gathered. It can be used for learning, of learning and as learning. Assessment can be summative, formative, even self- and peer- assessed. (Duchesne, 2013).

• It is the intention of this presentation to examine one assessment activity, relating learning goals to assessment methods.

• Participants in this workshop should come away with an extended awareness of how to apply ongoing assessment in the classroom and the significance of feedback on the learning process.

Introduction

Bedside Cabinet Skills Task

This task is for Year 12 SACE Stage 2 students.

• Students are given an incomplete drawing from which they build a basic carcase for a bedside cabinet. Skills assessed are basic machining, accurate material preparation and assembly.

• The task is completed in the workshop during term 1.

• Students are assessed on their ability to plan, produce, know and understand in accordance with the SACE Learning and Assessment Plan for this subject.

Who to Assess & What to Assess

• Construct a small cabinet based on the plan provided. Constraints • The construction will require the:

Use of routered joints for the carcase Outcome to be completed in 5 x 45 minute lessons

• This task requires the demonstration of the selection of materials and procedures and skills in the use of materials and components, techniques and equipment, to safely manufacture a quality product.

Evidence: Apart from observations and discussions with your teacher during the construction stages, you need to keep evidence of your planning and procedures. • Planning and Producing: There are changes you made to

the given basic drawing. Explain why you made those changes. Keep a photo journal of your work documenting the procedures and processes used. Include safety and any other special considerations. As your work progresses you will be faced with unforseen issues that need resolving, document your solutions to these.

Your work from this task will continue with Skills Task 2.

The Task

Planning Producing

A Purposeful testing and refined modification and validation of ideas or procedures.

Sophisticated application of appropriate skills, processes, procedures, and techniques to create a product or system to a precise or polished standard and specification.

Accomplished use of resources, equipment, and materials to create a product or system safely and accurately.

Accomplished and resourceful development of solutions to technical problems that may arise during product or system realisation.

B Thoughtful testing, modification, and validation of ideas or procedures.

Capable application of appropriate skills, processes, procedures, and techniques to create a product or system to a mostly precise or polished standard and specification.

Capable use of resources, equipment, and materials to create a product or system safely and mostly accurately.

Thoughtful development of solutions to technical problems that may arise during product or system realisation.

C Competent testing, modification, and validation of ideas or procedures.

Competent application of skills, processes, procedures, and techniques to create a product or system to an appropriate standard and specification.

Competent use of resources, equipment, and materials to create a product or system safely and generally accurately.

Development of appropriate solutions to technical problems that may arise during product or system realisation.

Performance Standards

Content DomainWhat we want to assess

More of the traits

SOLO taxonomy

^

I

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Response DomainOutcomes/ responses

Test, refine, modify, validate

ideas or procedures

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

I

I

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Develops jigs or other aids,

predicts problems before they

arise. Selects materials

Develop solutions to problems

that arise

RELATIONAL

I

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Develops procedures,

overcomes problems

Apply skills, processes,

procedures, techniques to

create a product to specification

MULTI-STRUCTURAL

I

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Works to fine tolerance on

joints, cuts & Assembly

Knowledge of skills, processes,

procedures & techniques

UNI-STRUCTURAL

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Lists processes and

procedures to be used

PRE-STRUCTURAL

I

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V

Less of the traits

• Artefacts offer high validity and authenticity. Tasks are similar to those performed in the real world. Artefacts may be used as evidence for future employers or may be retained by the teacher as exemplars for future students.

• Assessments may lack reliability as different assessors may differ on their view of “excellence”. Brown and Race (2013)

• Here this weakness is reduced by the ongoing nature of the task.

• Certainly a more detailed checklist could be a useful tool. This is Assessment OF learning, summative, used for accountability and reporting to SACE on student achievement.

Critique of the assessment

• Valid The assessment methods and task are strong indicators of student learning and reflect that learning

• Reliable There is consistency between scores is assessed on several occassions

• Objective Assessment results will be the same for anyone marking them

• Fair The assessment methods allow the student to show their knowledge and skill

• Feasible The task is capable of being done

• Authentic Assessment tasks reflect performances expected in the ‘real world’

• Wash back Is it ‘teaching to the test’?

Effectiveness of the Assessment

• Continuous assessment

• Formative & Diagnostic

• Sensitive and Constructive

• Dynamic and Interactive

• Motivational

• Promote Learning Goals and Assessment Criteria

• Develop Capacity For Self-assessment

• Recognise Achievements

Feedback In The Classroom

Just Pass: The student has needed guidance and assistance at each step. Dimensions may be out by up to 5 mm from the specification, procedures have not been followed closely and intervention may have been necessary. Some work may have had to be redone.

Feedback focuses on the task and processes to ensure learning and that the task is completed to a standard where it can be used in the next step. Errors are identified and strategies developed with the student to correct them: “You need to follow this procedure”. Feedback given during discussion is written down as a record and a reference.

Expected Performance

Credit: The student has worked mainly independently but has sought help where appropriate. Work is done to fine tolerance with dimensions within 2 mm. Problems have been overcome with thoughtful solutions and not repeated. Focus is given to the process and self-regulation. “You need to pay attention to this detail”.

Expected Performance

High Distinction: The student has worked independently to achieve accurate results. Dimensions are within 1mm, joints are a push fit and angles are square. Time has been used wisely, problems have been considered before they arise with creative solutions. Feedback focuses on reflection on how success was achieved and preparation for the next step.

Expected Performance

• Focuses learning on the student.

• Helps them develop self-assessment (Assessment AS learning), motivation and self-esteem.

• Encourages dialogue about learning, clarifies performance standards.

• Provides information to shape teaching.

Feedback in Assessment

As a teacher:• What type do you give?• What happens with it?• What would you like to happen with it?

As a student:• What type did you get?• Was it helpful?• What did you do with it?

How will you change the feedback you use in your teaching?

Consider

Please visit slide share site

http://www.slideshare.net/iarmitage/assessment-methods-pd-presentation

to offer feedback on this presentation. Particularly you may wish to make suggestions about the task itself or the assessment used.

Assessment and Evaluation

1 Black, Paul & William, Dylan 1998, 'Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment', Phi Delta

Kappan, vol. 80, no. 2.

2 Darr, Charles 2005, 'A hitchhiker's guide to reliability', Set: research information for teachers, no. 3.

3 Darr, Charles 2005, 'A hitchhikers guide to validity', Set: research information for teachers, no. 2.

4 Duchesne, Sue, McMaugh, Anne, Bochner, Sandra & Krause, Kerri-Lee 2013, 'What is assessment? [extract from chapter

12: Assessment and reporting]', in Duchesne, Sue, McMaugh, Anne, Bochner, Sandra & Krause, Kerri-Lee , Educational

psychology: for learning and teaching, 4th edn, Cengage Learning, South Melbourne, Vic.

5 Earl, Lorna M 2003, 'Assessment of learning, for learning, and as learning', in Earl, Lorna M, Assessment as learning: using

classroom assessment to maximize student learning, Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, Calif.

6 Hattie, John & Timperley, Helen 2007, 'The power of feedback', Review of Educational Research, vol. 77, no. 1.

7 Nitko, Anthony J & Brookhart, Susan M 2011, 'Summaries of taxonomies of educational objectives: cognitive, affective,

and psychomotor domains', in Nitko, Anthony J & Brookhart, Susan M, Educational assessment of students, 6th edn,

Pearson Education, Boston, Mass.

8 Pellegrino, James W, Chudowsky, Naomi & Glaser, Robert 2001, 'The nature of assessment and reasoning from evidence',

in National Research Council (U.S.). Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Committee on the

Foundations of Assessment, Pellegrino, James W, Chudowsky, Naomi & Glaser, Robert (eds.), Knowing what students

know: the science and design of educational assessment, National Academy Press, Washington, DC.

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