Assessment for learning NE711
Develop your responsiveness as a teacher by assessing student understanding and taking formative action to improve learning.
Summary
“Learners do not always learn what we teach. That is why the most important assessment does not happen at the end of learning, it happens during the learning, when there is still time to do something with what you find out.” - Dylan Wiliam.
This self-paced online course will help you ask better questions and design activities to find out what's inside your students' heads, and this will be key in helping you make those decisions about next steps.
You may also be interested in Assessment for learning through practical work.
Who is it for?
This course is for teachers, curriculum leaders, teaching assistants, newly qualified teachers, trainee teachers and others involved in teaching science, engineering, technology, computing or mathematics. It’s suitable for educators working in primary, secondary or further education (ages 5-19 years).
What topics are covered?
This course covers:
- Compare how three teachers use hinge point questions to check if pupils are ready to move on, and if yes, in which direction.
- Using intentional dialogue to encourage more classroom talk.
- Using rich questions to promote discussion and provide you with a better understanding of what pupils think.
- Acting on the evidence of pupil understanding you have collected.
- Comparing teaching and learning from two classes of different ages, involving whole class discussion and questioning, and group or paired work.
How will you learn?
This online, self-paced course can be completed flexibly. Participants can join and start this course at any time after the advertised date.
This course is not facilitated. You can learn independently or with colleagues to directly address your individual needs.
How long is this course?
This course takes around 6 hours to complete and you do not need to be online at any specific time. You can take the course at your own pace.
Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- identify the main principles of assessment for learning
- reflect on the role of intentional dialogue in supporting teaching in a formative way
- explain the key characteristics of a hinge-point question
- evaluate a range of practical ideas that can be used to elicit evidence from student
