TOPIC Evidence of pure subject knowledge, skills Grade Evidence of pedagogical subject Grade Grade Grade and understanding before knowledge and understanding after first at end after course placement of NQT year course Communication Positive and negative issues regarding the uses of email, forums, blogs, user groups, other communication methods, specifically E-safety Presentation of data: methods, accounting for audience Send, receive and print email messages Use correct email etiquette Organise saved email messages into ‘folders’
TOPIC Evidence of pure subject knowledge, skills Grade Evidence of pedagogical subject Grade Grade Grade and understanding before knowledge and understanding after first at end after course placement of NQT year course Send email messages simultaneously to groups of users Send and receive emails prepared in other software; e.g. word- processed files Use a range of communication technologies; e.g. blog, forum, wiki to send/receive information effectively and safely Use Internet ‘browsers’ efficiently to select and save files, images and relevant information from remote sites
TOPIC Evidence of pure subject knowledge, skills Grade Evidence of pedagogical subject Grade Grade Grade and understanding before knowledge and understanding after first at end after course placement of NQT year course Use ‘search engines’ effectively to explore the Internet and retrieve relevant information for use in creating resources (presentations etc) Describe how different audiences have different needs; e.g. why it is necessary to present the same information in different ways to different groups of people Describe the good/ bad points of the Internet/www Know how to evaluate websites and other resources
TOPIC Evidence of pure subject knowledge, skills Grade Evidence of pedagogical subject Grade Grade Grade and understanding before knowledge and understanding after first at end after course placement of NQT year course Security of data: Security why and how? Software Types and Uses Backup procedures: why and how? Role of operating systems and the different types Evaluation of applications software Explain uses of specialist applications software; e.g. Geographical Info systems, Midi software, Mathematical/ statistical software, Expert systems
TOPIC Evidence of pure subject knowledge, skills Grade Evidence of pedagogical subject Grade Grade Grade and understanding before knowledge and understanding after first at end after course placement of NQT year course Data misuse and Legislation data protection File Management and General Skills laws Copyright laws and anti-hacking legislation Health and safety issues and legislation Save to appropriate drives and to external media; e.g. memory pen Create sub- directories/folders and organise documents Carry out virus checks and describe how viruses are spread and avoided
TOPIC Evidence of pure subject knowledge, skills Grade Evidence of pedagogical subject Grade Grade Grade and understanding before knowledge and understanding after first at end after course placement of NQT year course Understand and use the facilities provided by being on a computer network Create ‘backups’ and describe the importance of doing this Use cut and paste between applications Size and move windows to see concurrent applications Choose a printer, insert paper, change a cartridge
TOPIC Evidence of pure subject knowledge, skills Grade Evidence of pedagogical subject Grade Grade Grade and understanding before knowledge and understanding after first at end after course placement of NQT year course Create links Other between different programs that share the same information; e.g. a report that is linked to a spreadsheet chart so that it is updated as the spreadsheet changes Networks: configurations, advantages of each, security Network communication standards and protocols Data-logging devices and their use System life cycle
TOPIC Evidence of pure subject knowledge, skills Grade Evidence of pedagogical subject Grade Grade Grade and understanding before knowledge and understanding after first at end after course placement of NQT year course Problem-solving using applications software (see Exam Board Criteria) Systems Analysis: Analysis Design Implementation Testing Documentation Evaluation History of ICT/ computer development Moore’s law Current developments in ICT and the future Control of information: issues, haves v. have-nots, digital divide
TOPIC Evidence of pure subject knowledge, skills Grade Evidence of pedagogical subject Grade Grade Grade and understanding before knowledge and understanding after first at end after course placement of NQT year course Limitations of ICT Social/ethical impacts of ICT: employment, misuse Management info systems Describe how ICT can help those with special needs/ disabilities
DEVELOPING YOUR CAPABILITY TO TEACH COMPUTING The subject audit is a working document. RESPONDING TO THE SUBJECT AUDITS The audits will be addressed in discussion with your university subject tutor and mentor, who will identify steps that you should take to meet subject knowledge targets. It will be your responsibility to gather evidence and present it at subsequent reviews. It will be used to inform your development plan. Having done the audits, please consider the following and fill in the boxes: Priority areas for development: Actions to take: Give a copy of the audit to your university tutor and school subject mentor. 47
Appendix 1.3 Advice for Eric Eric was made aware of the difference between simplifying concepts to aid comprehension and reducing subject content to such a low level that it was not fit for purpose. Subsequently, he explored the importance of sequencing concepts to aid comprehension, and explaining abstract concepts in relation to more concrete concepts that pupils already understood. This helped Eric to reflect meaningfully on the progression from Year 7 to post-16, and to understand that many concepts appeared time and again, requiring increasingly complex levels of knowledge. Eric endeavoured to alter his language when he was teaching his pupils. However, he still encountered difficulties in judging how long it would take pupils to complete activities during lessons, especially in his coursework lessons. This is quite a familiar problem. However, with experience and by developing pedagogical and curricular knowledge, teachers in training, such as Eric, can develop the ability to target questioning, to ensure that pupils learn what they need to know. They are able to identify the most important concepts, and develop metaphors and analogies that helped them to share these effectively with their classes. They learn which elements of technical language pupils struggle to understand, and develop a range of definitions that make sense to pupils, but still have subject-knowledge integrity. They also develop a good understanding of the assessment requirements for the examination specifications they teach, and are therefore able to design effective coursework activities for pupils to meet these efficiently. 48
Chapter 2 Planning Computing learning and teaching ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS INTRODUCTION In this chapter we will examine: • Why teachers plan lessons • What is meant by planning • How to start planning and preparing a Computing lesson • The planning issues associated with coursework and projects in Computing. By the end of this chapter you should be able to understand: • The need for planning • How to apply this to a lesson in Computing • Computing coursework and project planning. WHY PLAN? All good teachers need to plan carefully. Poor planning leads to poor learning and teaching. At the beginning of your career you will have to plan extensively because of the need to understand the process thoroughly, and because you will not be able to complete the training successfully without demonstrating your ability to prepare thoroughly. Some of your colleagues in school may not appear to plan as thoroughly as you have to, but although they don’t have lots of paperwork, they are highly experienced and have internalised parts of the process. Elliot (2012) suggests that, ‘Great lessons do not just happen and they are not a product of good luck. Great lessons are a product of great planning, plus a little bit of inspiration and a tiny amount of good fortune’. That is not to say that your lessons will be exclusively predetermined. Opportunities will arise by accident, or your instincts may indicate that you should follow an alternative course, but neither of these eventualities should be relied upon. If you want to teach well, then you have to put the effort in to plan well. As a bonus, good planning can also improve classroom management. 49
ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS Task 2.1 Anticipating problems 1 Read the beginning of the following imaginary scenario and the lesson plan. Paul has been teaching in his placement school for about two weeks and has been asked to take over a Year 7, mixed-ability and mixed-gender class of 23 pupils for their Computing lessons. They are usually very well- behaved. The class has had one hour a week of Computing for two months, during which they have been creating a multimedia presentation about themselves. Some pupils have also worked on their presentations at home. The next stage is for the pupils to demonstrate to the class what they have done, and to receive feedback from their peers. This will form the basis of Paul’s first lesson with them. The class teacher has told him to plan the remaining part of the unit as he sees fit. He has produced the rough plan shown in Figure 2.1 Class - Year 7 Date - 22nd November Day - Friday Time - 2pm Duration - 60 minutes 1) Get them in and register (3 mins) 2) Introduce lesson (5 mins) 3) Pupil presentations (2 mins each) 4) Feedback (5 mins) Figure 2.1 Paul’s first rough lesson plan 2 Bearing in mind the information above, make rough notes in response to the following questions: What do you think might have happened? How would you have planned differently? 3 Read the following notes taken by the person observing this lesson. Pupils arrived five minutes late from the previous lesson. Teacher spent the first ten minutes talking about experiences he had had with multimedia in industry. Pupils were reluctant to stand up and talk, apart from one individual who got up first and spent eight minutes talking largely about his favourite football team. The feedback from other pupils turned into an argument. One pupil broke down in tears when asked to stand up at the front. Some pupils found that features they had added to the presentation at home did not work in school. Five pupils did not 50
PLANNING COMPUTING LEARNING AND TEACHING have the work finished, as they had been on a school trip the previous week. The pupils had included sound, but the stand-alone laptop linked to the projector had insufficient volume for the class to hear. Some pupils brought work from home on external storage devices, which meant they needed extra time to load the file. Two pupils could not find their files on the network. Time ran out, with not all pupils presenting. 4 Make further notes in response to these questions: Which of Paul’s problems did you anticipate? How could each of these problems have been avoided? The scenario in Task 2.1 has been devised to highlight the need for careful planning. We do not expect your experience to be like this during your training, because of the support for the planning process that you will receive. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY PLANNING? Steve Wozniak, the cofounder of Apple, believes that ‘you have to plan’ (Livingston, 2007), but what does he mean by this. According to Cambridge Dictionaries Online, ‘a plan’ is ‘a set of decisions about how to do something in the future’ (see Resources). There has been much written about planning, but at its most basic it involves knowing what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and who needs to do it. You also need to know what ‘instruments’ you will use to measure the effectiveness of your plans (see Chapter 4). It is an essential part of most undertakings in which we engage, regardless of their scale. This is particularly true in activities associated with learning and teaching, because the consequences of failure as a result of poor planning can be life-altering. When beginning to teach you will be tempted to focus only on short-term planning; i.e. single-lesson plans. However, in order to put individual lesson plans in context and promote effective pupil progress over time, you must first take account of longer-term plans. In order to be able to decide what the next move is, you need to understand the prior experiences of the pupils and the ultimate objectives. Therefore, the next segment will focus firstly on long-, then medium- and finally short-term planning. There is a particular language associated with planning, which needs clarifying before a more full discourse is undertaken. The terms ‘aims’ and ‘objectives’ are regularly employed in an educational context, but are often confused with each other. For the sake of clarity, we will adopt the following definitions, although they may vary from those used on your course. ‘Aims’ should relate to the general skills, knowledge and understanding you want the pupils to attain; for instance: understanding the use of computers as a simulation tool, or the ability to use spreadsheets, or to model cash flow. Aims are more frequently used in association with longer-term planning. ‘Learning objectives’ concern more specific knowledge, skills and understanding that you intend pupils to acquire, in order to reach the aims; for instance: demonstrate the ability to use formulas and absolute cell referencing; be able to explain why a spreadsheet is an appropriate tool for modelling cash flow. All lessons must have objectives, by which you can measure success. Objectives are not the actual task, so that ‘Complete Worksheet 3’ is not an objective. We will 51
ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS use the term ‘task outcomes’ to represent the external product of pupils’ learning activities, such as ‘printout of spreadsheet showing formulas’, or ‘oral explanation of the role of a spreadsheet in modelling cash flow’. Always bear in mind that the purpose of the lesson is to achieve the learning objectives, not the task outcomes. Lesson objectives are often, but not exclusively, associated with short-term planning. LONG-TERM TEACHING PLAN In schools, long-term planning is usually in the form of a Scheme of Work, derived from the National Curriculum or a Subject Syllabus. A Scheme of Work might cover two years of an examination course, or a single year of Key Stage 3. A team or staff member under the direction of the Head of Department would normally write this scheme. You need to be familiar with the nature of an appropriate Scheme of Work and those used in your department, in order to plan effectively. You may at some point also be asked to contribute to the development of a Scheme of Work, particularly if you bring a subject expertise that the school lacks. Task 2.2 Schemes of Work 1 Read the section on Schemes of Work in Unit 2.2, Capel, Leask and Turner (2013). 2 Find your own resources, from the Internet, on how to write Schemes of Work. You might want to consult http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov. uk/20090608182316/standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3/ as a starting point. MEDIUM-TERM TEACHING PLAN This is a plan for a topic that covers a number of weeks or a half-term (sometimes referred to as a ‘unit of work’). You will need to write these for each class being taught. Using the relevant Scheme of Work as a starting point, you will need to determine how you will meet the required objectives in the time available. Be sure to check the school calendar and take account of things such as Bank Holidays, training days, assemblies or work experience that may use up your time, or forthcoming network maintenance that may force you to carry out non-system- based Computing work. An example of a medium-term Computing plan template and a completed example are given in Appendix A at the end of the book. SHORT-TERM TEACHING PLAN Short-term planning in an education context generally means establishing what learning and teaching should take place on a daily basis. In other words, lesson planning. Each school or training institution usually has its own favoured template for lesson planning, but they all have the following in one form or another: learning objectives; strategies for dealing with children of different abilities, including those with very specific needs; resources; organisational issues; key features of the lesson, which are sometimes related to a timeline; and opportunities for assessment. It is essential that before you plan in detail, you should research the pupils you are teaching. It is important that you know who to consult and from whom to seek 52
PLANNING COMPUTING LEARNING AND TEACHING support. If in doubt, ask for advice. Consult the Computing and/or other teachers of this class, including form teachers, the SEN (Special Educational Needs) coordinator, other adults working with the pupils, and, if appropriate, the pupils themselves. Find out the following … it will help you plan better: • Class name • Age • Ability range • Names • Seating plan • Any pupils with special educational needs (SEN): statemented or not • Any pupils with Additional Educational Needs (AEN): gifted and talented (in what?) • Pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) • Pupils with behavioural, emotional or social issues • Others you need to know about • Is there any data available on them? • Are there targets for them? • What is their prior learning? Consider in detail what they are to learn: • Which Scheme of Work/syllabus should you be using? • What point in the long-term/medium-term plan have the pupils reached? • What have they done before (prior learning)? • What is the progress for each pupil? They will not all be at the same point. • What are they to learn next? • What are the resources you have available? • What are the deadlines for this topic/section/unit? • How will you need to adapt the planning and resources for these pupils? HOW TO START PLANNING AND PREPARING A COMPUTING LESSON Here is a list of issues and advice to help you avoid common mistakes in the planning and preparation of a Computing lesson: 1 Check that equipment works; avoid the difficulty that Paul (whose lesson was described in Task 2.1) encountered when the sound files his pupils had created so diligently would not run. 2 Check the compatibility of the software on the computers you are going to use; it may be a different version from the one you use at home. 3 Make sure that you are familiar with all the resources being used well in advance, to avoid being exposed as technically incompetent; for instance, you need to be able to fix simple hardware problems, such as a printer jam, putting paper in a printer, getting the whiteboard display working. 4 Subject knowledge; you need to know and thoroughly understand the software or theory you are going to use. 5 Pedagogically, make sure that you use teaching styles that are suitable for the pupils. 6 Know the pupils’ prior experience; avoid teaching the same thing too many times, but check what they remember from before. 7 Do not overestimate/underestimate the pupils’ abilities. 53
ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS 8 Make sure you have anticipated timings properly: lessons in which technology features highly are easily prone to overrun unless properly managed. 9 Develop flexibility: adapt your plan/lesson to accommodate the unexpected. 10 Have a ‘plan B’ – and a ‘plan C’ – in case you have to abandon ‘plan A’. 11 Include other adults who will be in the classroom; brief them clearly about what you want them to do, what technical language to use, and why you have made these decisions. 12 Plan transitions carefully because these are a regular feature of Computing lessons; for instance, how and when pupils move; how you get them to save and log off. 13 Consider possible health and safety issues; for instance, storage and location of bags; making sure projector leads are not where pupils will trip over them. 14 If planning written work, have spare pens and pencils available. Pupils tend to think that because it is Computing they do not need to bring them. Some of these points will be amplified further in Chapter 3. It is important to take the time to visualise what will happen if you follow the plan with that class. Visualisation is a technique athletes use to picture/rehearse what will occur, before they actually start. It is well worth running the whole lesson through in your mind to anticipate how it will go and what might go wrong. If need be, you can then adjust the plan and avoid the problem. Finally, you should, as has already been stated in earlier sections, be aware of the longer-term aims and requirements, and plan your lessons knowing where they fit the Scheme of Work and medium-term plan Task 2.3 Your planning checklist Add to the list of advice above to develop your own planning checklist, to fit the circumstances in your school. Now you can begin to plan Computing lessons. When you do, there are key questions to ask about the plan to test its quality. Many of the key questions in the preceding two sections can also be applied to medium- and long-term planning. Combined they make a long list, and your early plans may not address all these points. You may be given advice about the elements you need to focus on initially, and then areas for development. There are many examples of lesson plan formats (see Capel, Leask and Turner, 2013, Unit 2.2, or Stephens and Crawley, 2002, Chapter 3, for two such examples). Appendix A at the end of this book has templates and exemplars specific to Computing, produced by teachers, which have worked well for them. Key questions for Computing lesson planning: 1 Has the plan got clear and appropriate learning objectives that the pupils will understand? 2 Does it clearly link activities to objectives? 3 Does it show how the objectives will be assessed? 4 Does it provide opportunities to develop Computational Thinking? 54
PLANNING COMPUTING LEARNING AND TEACHING 5 If appropriate, does it show cross-curricular themes and links; i.e. literacy and numeracy? 6 Does it encourage learning and teaching activities relevant to the actual pupils? Consider group, paired and individual work; ease of delivery; known and anticipated pupil errors and misconceptions; how to make difficult concepts understandable; using creative approaches. 7 Does it take account of the learning styles of the pupils? For instance, you should try to provide for pupils with visual, auditory and kinaesthetic preferences, and consider other preferred learning styles (see Capel, Leask and Turner, 2013; Unit 5). 8 Is it flexible? 9 Does it identify appropriate resources? Are the Computing tools up-to-date and ready to use? Are you clear about the roles of other adults in the lesson? 10 Will it be relevant, interesting, motivating for pupils and encourage creativity? 11 Is the sequence of activities sensible? 12 Does it have an appropriate balance of knowledge, skills and understanding? A Computing lesson should not be purely about skills. 13 Does it link to life outside school and to Computing-related industries? 14 Does it promote independent learning? Your ultimate aim is to develop autonomous users of ICT/Computing. 15 Does it take account of pupils’ prior learning (in Computing and other areas)? 16 Does it differentiate appropriately across the range of abilities (in Computing and other areas), and include all pupils in that class? 17 Are timings realistic, including transitions and time for plenaries/pupil reflection? 18 Is the assessment recordable? This is not relevant in every lesson, but you do have to record assessment at some stage. 19 Does it have all the relevant contextual information, including class, time, place? Does it identify pupils with particular needs, including those with an IEP (Individual Education Plan), the more able and those with behavioural problems? Does it refer to the National Curriculum and/or longer-term plans? 20 Have you got a backup lesson prepared? 21 Do you have the required subject, pedagogical and technical knowledge? A good lesson plan template should be easy to use, understandable to you and others who will refer to or review it, and have a suitable layout; e.g. not full of boxes of fixed size that cannot accommodate different amounts of information. Having written the plan, ask someone else to look through it (class teacher, your mentor). They may notice things that you have overlooked. Task 2.4 Advice for the trainee teacher Having read all of the above, what advice would you give to Paul, the trainee teacher, if you had observed the lesson in the scenario described earlier in the chapter? (The tutor’s advice is given in Appendix 2.1.) 55
ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS PLANNING FOR COURSEWORK AND PROJECTS You have to plan just as much for a good coursework or project lesson as for any other lesson, and you need to monitor the pupils’ progress and keep careful records. This can help avoid any panic as the coursework or project submission date approaches. The temptation to just let them ‘come in and get on with it’ must be resisted. Pupils can only ‘get on with it’ if they know what to get on with, and how to do so. The experienced teachers with whom you work may not appear to subscribe to this maxim, but you will find that careful planning and communication with pupils for whom they have responsibility has occurred long before you take over their classes. You must plan coursework and project lessons just as carefully as those in which you are demonstrating and explaining new ideas, so that you are clear about expectations and can remind pupils about them. Here is some advice concerning the planning of coursework and project activities: 1 Start with a medium-term plan: what have they got to do and by when? 2 Make sure you and they know the criteria used for assessing the coursework. 3 Break the coursework/project down into suitable sections and set, share and use deadlines for each section. This is critical. If you do not set, share and keep to deadlines, pupils will fall behind, and you will not know until it is too late. 4 Work with the pupils to identify the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to have for each piece of work, and plan to revise this if necessary. 5 Each pupil should have and know their individual targets for each lesson, related to their ability. 6 Use a simple system for keeping records of progress and targets. A common strategy used to support coursework/project planning is to display deadlines and timelines clearly in the room, and to send the dates to parents and others. Parts of an individual lesson could involve checking that pupils know their targets at the start of the lesson, and possibly introducing a little theory or reinforcing a concept, setting them on task, monitoring their individual progress against their targets (helping or emphasising where necessary), and finishing by rechecking progress and sharing good practice with the whole class. Look at the Key Stage 4 Example Lesson Plan in Appendix A. Task 2.5 Producing a lesson plan 1 Having read the chapter, produce a lesson plan for the lesson in the scenario described earlier in Task 2.1. 2 Apply the 21 key questions listed above. Could you improve on these? How? 3 Look at your own current plan, and at the examples provided in Appendix A, and then produce a lesson plan template for yourself. REFERENCES Capel, S., Leask, M. and Turner, T. (eds.) (2013) Learning to Teach in the Secondary School, 6th edition, London: RoutledgeFalmer. 56
PLANNING COMPUTING LEARNING AND TEACHING Elliot, P. (2012) ‘Planning for Learning’, in Brooks, V., Abbbot, I. and Huddleston, P. (eds.) Preparing to Teach in Secondary Schools, 3rd edition, Maidenhead: Open University Press, p. 58. Livingston, J. (2007) Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days, New York: Apress. FURTHER READING Brooks, V., Abbott, I. and Bills, L. (eds.) (2007) Chapter 5, ‘Planning for learning’, in Preparing to Teach in Secondary Schools, Maidenhead: Open University Press. Cowley, S. (2003) Chapter 6, ‘Planning for behaviour management’, in Getting the Buggers to Behave 2, London: Continuum. Kyriacou, C. (2001) Chapter 2, ‘Planning and preparation’, in Essential Teaching Skills, 2nd edition, Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Stephens, P. and Crawley, T. (2002) Chapter 3, ‘Teaching your subject’, in Becoming an Effective Teacher, Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. USEFUL WEBSITES AND RESOURCES Lesson planning www.sfe.co.uk/products/examples/PE%20NQT_examples.pdf Cambridge Dictionaries Online http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/ Curriculum planning ht t p://w w w.e duc at io n s cot l a nd.gov.u k/t he c u r r ic u lu m/howdoyou bu i ldyou r curriculum/curriculumplanning/index.asp Behaviour management http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101021152907/http:/www.behaviour 4learning.ac.uk 57
Appendix 2.1 Summary of the tutor’s advice to Paul, the trainee teacher, following his observed lesson • Plan properly in the short and medium term. There are three lessons remaining for this unit, so the work could and should take more than one lesson. • Explain to pupils clearly what is expected of them, and perhaps show them an example of how a slide presentation is used to support a talk about a topic. • Take account of the time of day, and be sensitive to your pupils. • Be realistic with time, and bear in mind that transitions between presentations are not fast. • Check that equipment works properly. • Check software compatibility between home and school, and have a strategy for dealing with this. • Be flexible. The lesson started late, so you needed to adapt the plan. • Be positive and supportive with pupils, as presentations may be stressful for them. • Give guidelines to pupils on how to evaluate and give feedback before you start. • You should have known that pupils were absent and taken account of this. 58
Chapter 3 Managing the Computing classroom environment to improve learning ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS INTRODUCTION In this chapter we will examine: • Interactions in a Computing classroom • Welfare factors and the classroom environment • Classroom and computer systems layout • Working patterns • Resource organisation • Other organisational factors. By the end of this chapter you should be able to: • Understand how the above have an impact on the quality of learning and teaching in the Computing classroom • Improve learning and teaching through better management of your classroom environment and systems. INTERACTIONS In a typical Computing lesson you may see some of the following: • The teacher introducing a new topic whilst standing at the front of the class • Pupils watching a demonstration via a digital projector • Pupils dispersing to use computers • The teacher circulating among the class members offering help whenever it’s needed • The teacher facilitating a reflection on learning. 59
ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS Task 3.1 Answer the following: What else might the teacher do during the lesson? You might well have suggested some or all of the following for Task 3.1: • Answer questions from members of the class • Ask individuals, or the class as a whole, a series of questions • Make suggestions for improvements either to the class as a whole or to individuals • Call the class together to explain something which has concerned a number of individuals • Demonstrate a new technique using the projector • Demonstrate something by taking over control of everyone’s computers • Talk to individuals about pastoral matters. Whatever you have suggested in answer to Task 3.1 it will certainly have shown you that the teacher does not stand at the front of the class for the whole lesson, but engages in a whole range of interactions with the pupils. These interactions are a very important part of the learning and teaching process. The quality of these interactions can be influenced by a wide range of factors that you must consider. WELFARE FACTORS (YOURS AND THE PUPILS’) AND THE ENVIRONMENT (WIRES, THE WEB, WALLPAPER, WEATHER AND WASPS) Welfare and motivation The motivation of your pupils is very important if they are to do well. Child (1997) describes motivation as being of two kinds; intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation stems from a sense of achievement at having solved a difficult problem, perhaps having debugged a procedure, while extrinsic motivation stems from external considerations; e.g. praise from the teacher or the need to complete some coursework by a given deadline. However, before pupils can become motivated they must, according to Maslow’s model (1970), have been provided with what he describes as lower-level needs. At the very basic level, these are listed as physiological needs, e.g. food and warmth, and then physical needs, such as a safe and comfortable working environment. Without these, Maslow suggests that pupils will not reach the higher levels of his motivational hierarchy. This suggests that before your pupils can learn effectively you must do your best to provide them with a comfortable and safe environment. Health and safety issues: wires The school has a corporate responsibility for the health and safety of all people in the school. As a teacher you must be aware of health and safety and who to report issues to. There are additional issues for the Computing classroom as it is potentially a hazardous place, full of electrical equipment. 60
MANAGING THE COMPUTING CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE LEARNING Typical hazards to look out for will include: trailing electrical wires and network cables; loose connections on computers and peripherals; and faulty power points and electrical plugs. Be particularly careful if you use a desktop projector. Appropriate use of resources; e.g. the Web With the increasing use of the Internet in education all schools should have devised an Internet use and e-safety policy. Initially, schools will include a ban on accessing unsuitable sites for children, those of a pornographic nature instantly springing to mind. However, there will be many other kinds of site which the school may deem to be unsuitable. The use of the Internet has a close bearing on the use of the school’s network in general, and so the policy is likely to include guidelines and rules on the use of their systems too. They may have guidelines and rules on pupils using their own technology devices. Having devised their policies the school may well require both parents and pupils to sign a form in which they agree to abide by the policies. Passwords might not be issued until this has been done and network access might be suspended for any breach of policy. The school and the Computing department should also have policies and promote good practice on such things as the use of games, the loan of software and copyright issues. You must know these policies and follow them. Displays: wallpaper A Computing classroom can be made to look particularly attractive and, most importantly, you can support learning with the imaginative use of wall displays. Use of displays is often a priority in primary classrooms but, as Lang observed around ten years ago, in secondary schools displays in classrooms were often a weak area (Lang, 2004). Things have changed little since this initial observation. Below are described four types of display which you might consider for the Computing classroom. Many companies and organisations (such as the British Computer Society) provide suitable and free posters which, whilst drawing attention to their products, also include an educational element. Examples include posters on network topographies, input and output devices, and so on. Posters tend to be technical in nature, but can support a topic or keywords. Displaying keywords and their meaning is good practice. It would be useful at the beginning of a new ‘topic’ to display the specific keywords and meanings for the particular lesson that starts off the topic, and then add to this display, lesson by lesson, as the class progresses through the topic. The pupils could contribute to this. Pupils’ work can be displayed on the wall, with explanations and annotations, like a ‘working wall’ often seen in primary schools. Some pupils, particularly those in Years 10 and 11, will say that they don’t like having their work displayed, but this is often not the case in reality. Pupils like to feel that their work is valued. It is important to remember that, in choosing pupil work, it is not essential that every piece is perfect every time, as this could exclude some pupils. A particularly useful strategy is to display exemplar work, to show pupils your expectations. However, it is essential to annotate the work to show them why the work is ‘good’ or worth a particular mark/grade. For example, you might display 61
ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS examination coursework or project work to illustrate a top grade, second grade and a fourth grade. These should clearly show, through annotation, why the grades are different. Importantly, whichever forms of display are used, it is essential to regularly update the material which is shown, to keep it current and ‘fresh’. Weather and room temperature You should be aware of the temperature in the room. This is very important in a Computing room as monitors in particular generate a lot of heat, and the room can warm up to an unacceptable level if they are left on all the time. Try and have periods during the lesson when monitors can be switched off. You can have a routine whereby pupils turn off their monitors when you wish to talk to them as a group. Consider opening windows. If you have air-conditioning, use this, but be aware that it might generate background noise. You also want to avoid a room being too cold, as pupils will not be able to concentrate on the learning. The weather outside can be a factor in your lessons. Changes in weather can lead to changes in pupil behaviour! For example, if it is windy they are often ‘high’; if it is very sunny they can get lethargic; if it snows during a lesson they all rush to the windows and then ask if the school will close; if it is very wet, they may arrive in the room with soggy coats, which is a potential health and safety issue; if they have been kept in at break, they may be restless. The key is to be aware of potential issues as a result of weather, as you can then respond accordingly. Wasps and disturbances! A factor often unrecognised by others is that Computing lessons can be subject to regular disturbances, which you and the pupils will have to deal with. For example, other teachers may send pupils to your classroom to ask if they can use a spare machine; staff may want to use a machine; if you have the network printer in your room people might come to collect printouts; if staff or pupils nearby have a problem with Computers they could interrupt to ask for help; if the Head is showing people round the school, they might bring them in to show the ‘state-of-the-art’ Computing facilities. As a new teacher this can be very distracting, but you will get used to it. The pupils seem to accept it quite readily. Far more chaotic is what happens if a wasp gets into the room! Remember, you are in charge, so you are not supposed to panic along with the pupils. At least look calm and minimise the disruption (for ‘wasp’ you could substitute ‘bee’ or ‘spider’). Noise can be another factor on learning in your classroom. External noise, e.g. a building project, may mean having to keep windows shut even if it is warm. Fans in the computers and air-conditioning can generate a constant background noise that you have to cope with. Try going into the classroom on your own sometime and listening to the noise. Other welfare factors Be aware that if you are ‘under the weather’ you might not perform to your best. What might seem a problem with the pupils’ concentration or behaviour might, in reality, be your fault. If you are genuinely very ill, you should be getting well! As a beginning teacher you are likely to catch a lot of ‘bugs’ from pupils, but your immunity soon builds up. Likewise, be aware that pupils may be ill too, and may not perform as well as usual. 62
MANAGING THE COMPUTING CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE LEARNING A product of computers is ozone, and this can build up in a computer room. It can affect some people. Try to ventilate the room regularly. Having some plants in the room can help. Your voice is an essential tool and can be under a lot of strain. Project rather than shout. Drink water and avoid too much caffeine. Task 3.2 Other environmental factors What other environmental or welfare factors might impact on the learning in your classroom? Using the above and your own lists, discuss or reflect on the factors, and place them in order of the level of impact on learning in your classroom. CLASSROOM LAYOUTS The layout of this room affects the style of the teaching. Figure 3.1 A ‘traditional’ classroom In Figure 3.1 the teacher is standing at the front of the class and, by looking at the arrangement of the chairs and tables, probably stays there! There’s a blackboard at the front but very little evidence of anything else. In this situation the teacher is likely to adopt a ‘teacher-centred’ approach, instructing the class, telling them about the subject, and writing copious notes on the blackboard. Such notes are seen in the photograph and it is more than likely that the class would be expected to copy them. Whether they actually understood the material is open to debate. Figure 3.2 A modern-day classroom 63
ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS Task 3.3 Classroom comparison Compare the scene in Figure 3.1 with Figure 3.2, which shows a modern-day classroom, and list the differences (and similarities). You may wish to refer back to the bulleted lists given in the Introduction. Computer room layout There are a number of possible layouts for the computers in the Computing room. Common ones include the following: • Around the edge of the room, against the walls • Across the room in rows • Islands • Mobile equipment. Task 3.4 Common layouts Quickly reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the three common layouts above. Then consider the notes below. Around the edge of the room, against the walls Figure 3.3 Computers around the edge of the classroom Around the edge of the room is still a common layout encountered in our schools. It has the advantage that the teacher can see exactly what every pupil is doing as they can, if they regularly scan the room, see all the screens from anywhere in the room. The disadvantages are: 1 That there will be some pupils whose backs are turned towards the teacher. For whole-class teaching, the class must be asked to move or turn first. 2 The layout can be wasteful in terms of space. The centre of the room is sometimes underutilised. However, it may provide an opportunity to have desks for ‘off computer’ work. 64
MANAGING THE COMPUTING CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE LEARNING In rows Figure 3.4 Computers in rows The advantage of this layout is that all the pupils are facing towards the front of the class. This is helpful when the teacher needs to undertake whole-class teaching. Note that this classroom is equipped with a projector mounted on the ceiling and everyone can see the screen without having to move. The disadvantages are: 1 The teacher cannot see what everyone is doing unless he positions himself at the back of the room, clearly a difficulty if teaching is carried out from the front. 2 If the rows are too close it may be difficult for the teacher to circulate. As islands Figure 3.5 Computers in islands This is a popular configuration in that it makes good use of the available space and the teacher can circulate easily. The drawback is that, as in the case of having the computers around the edge of the room, some pupils will have their backs to the teacher. Note that this classroom has sufficient space to have some computers around the edge as well, but, as can be seen, the pupils have their backs to the front. For whole-class teaching, the class must be asked to move or turn first. When you get to your school look at the layout in the rooms you will teach in. Think carefully about the following: 65
ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS • Can all pupils see you and the board? If not, how can you resolve this? • Can you always see if pupils are working? If not, where is the best place to stand to see the majority? Where might you need to move and when? • How will you make sure all pupils are paying attention to you when you are talking/demonstrating? • If you want to do paired or group work, how can this be managed most successfully in the space? A common ‘mistake’ Computing teachers make is to get very involved with helping one pupil and then not scanning the room regularly. Try to avoid this, as you may miss things you should deal with. Position yourself in such a way as to maximise use of your peripheral vision, and look around frequently. Mobile equipment Increasingly, schools are using mobile technology as a means of delivering Computing-related subjects. Task 3.5 Mobile technology Make a list of the different forms of mobile technology that could be used in school. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using mobile technologies to teach Computing. WORKING PATTERNS Schools in general are well supplied with Computing equipment. It is the norm that pupils have a machine each. However, the teacher will often suggest that pupils work in pairs or groups anyway. Task 3.6 Single or paired working? Consider the advantages and disadvantages of single and paired working, then reflect on the notes below. Working on their own It is essential that we produce pupils who can work independently so that they are employable. It also provides practice for what they will be required to do in terms of examinations. The practical assignments/projects required in examination courses are undertaken in a normal classroom environment, but must be carried out under examination conditions. This means that pupils are not allowed to talk to each other. During the written examination candidates are expected to work entirely on their own. 66
MANAGING THE COMPUTING CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE LEARNING Clearly they must have experience of working in this way during their school career. Working in pairs There are clearly benefits to working in pairs. Pupils are able to help each other and can ‘bounce’ ideas off each other. Pupils can develop social skills. However, the teacher must think carefully about how the pupils should be paired up. You might use different pairings for different activities. It is important that the teacher knows the pupils well, so that the best pairings are chosen for a particular task. Left to their own devices, pupils will probably choose to work with their friends. Sometimes this might be appropriate. If pupils are paired such that one is more able than the other there is the possibility that the more able will be able to help the less able to learn. Handled well, this arrangement can benefit the more able pupil too, helping them develop by explaining to the other pupil and raising their own self-esteem. However, there is the danger that the more able pupil will do the majority of the work and the less able member of the pair will be more passive, so the teacher needs to make expectations clear to the pair and be vigilant. You might feel that pupils should be paired so that each member is of the same level of ability. This may allow the teacher to set appropriate challenges more easily, particularly for more able pupils. However, a pair of less able pupils may find themselves struggling with the work and getting nowhere, unless sufficient support is provided. Whatever system of pairing is used, the teacher will need to devise a system which ensures that individuals can be tracked and assessed (see Chapter 4), and that real progress is made by everyone. There will be little useful evidence gained if, say, a high grade is awarded to two pupils for a piece of work when, in fact, only one of them has actually done it. Working in groups This has the benefit of greater socialisation and of preparing the pupils for teamwork; a skill needed in the ‘real world’. It also allows scarce resources to be shared. However, as with paired work, selection of group members must be done carefully by the teacher. RESOURCE ORGANISATION Task 3.7 Barriers to learning If your resources are not well-organised, what are the potential barriers to learning? What kinds of organisational issues and problems have you experienced or observed in Computing classrooms? If possible, discuss this with colleagues and make a list. 67
ANDREW CONNELL AND ANTHONY EDWARDS Here are some possible things you may have considered. • Pupils forget their ID and password You must know the system for password/ID allocation in your school, but be cautious about doing this yourself because you can waste a great deal of time during your lesson. Find out the correct procedure. • Having printed resources ready; e.g. handouts, worksheets and textbooks Make sure you have enough copies if you are using these; think about how you will distribute them. Is there a procedure for use of reprographics? Printed resources are expensive and you should consider whether electronic resources in a shared area might be better. • Pupil absence Have a strategy for dealing with pupil absence; i.e. how will you help them catch up? • Missing or incompatible software Make sure you have the correct software in the room you will be teaching in, that it works and that it is the version you require (if not, you will have to adapt). • Projection Device issues (e.g. OHP, interactive whiteboard, LCD projector) Be familiar with how to use it, know where pens, remotes or other relevant equipment are stored. Have a backup plan in case it fails. • Network failure Have a ‘lesson in the back pocket’ (see Chapter 1). You must have a backup lesson available in case of complete failure of your hardware, or some other major disruption/interruption. • Handing out and collecting in books, printouts and equipment Have a strategy for organised handing out of books, worksheets, equipment etc., and another for collecting things in. Have a strategy for collection and distribution of printouts. • Printers and other peripheral devices going wrong Make sure they work properly before the lesson, and that pupils use them in an appropriate way; e.g. pupils should not all print at the same time. • Computer numbers/broken computers Check you have enough working computers for the group size. Plan carefully if you have to change your approach. • Keys ICT rooms are often kept locked, so you need a key or a way to gain access. • Lost work Train pupils to save their work regularly, with sensible file names, and then keep reminding them to do both. File and document management should be taught to them at an early stage. Task 3.8 Other barriers For any others barriers you have thought of, note strategies to avoid them or deal with them if they occur. 68
MANAGING THE COMPUTING CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE LEARNING OTHER ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS System maintenance procedures Do you know the correct procedures for the reporting and fixing of hardware and software problems? Do you use this correctly? Who would know how long it will take to fix a broken computer, or install software, as this may have an impact on a number of your lessons? The advent of new and emerging technologies The pedagogy associated with new and emerging technologies may not yet be developed. As they arrive in schools you will need to become familiar with their use, be involved in the debates that ensue, and think carefully about whether it is appropriate to use them and, if it is, how you will plan and organise their use to enhance learning. REFERENCES Child, D. (2008) Psychology and the Teacher, 8th edition, London: Continuum, p. 554. Lang, P. (2004) ‘Pastoral Care and the Role of the Tutor’, in Brooks, V. (2005) Preparing to Teach in Secondary Schools, Oxford: Open University Press, pp. 314–323. Maslow, A. H. (1970) Motivation and Personality, London: Harper and Row. 69
Chapter 4 Assessment and Computing NEIL STANLEY AND ALISON HRAMIAK INTRODUCTION In this chapter we will examine: • Why assessment is important • What is problematic about assessment • Different forms of assessment • The need to plan for assessment • Making assessment manageable • Record keeping • Moderation. By the end of this chapter you should be able to: • Know what we mean by assessment • Recognise that there are different types of assessment techniques • Understand the need for structured assessment • Understand the need to plan lesson objectives and outcomes that can be assessed • Be able to share assessment criteria effectively with pupils • Develop practical strategies to help you collect evidence and judge pupil progress • Recognise that AfL (Assessment for Learning) raises standards • Be able to give effective written and verbal feedback to pupils • Be able to recognise and develop good assessment practice • Understand what moderation is, and why it is necessary. WHY ASSESSMENT IS IMPORTANT Teaching is like a house of cards, with complex interlinking steps between elements. However, it is agreed that planning is fundamental to success (see Chapter 2), and successful planning needs a clear knowledge of what stage your learners are at. Assessment and its various strategies are key to achieving this. This section of the book attempts to focus on good practice in the management of the monitoring and recording aspects of the assessment process. Assessment 70
ASSESSMENT AND COMPUTING needs to be a holistic process, founded in planning and developing from and for the needs of the individual learners. The majority of the ideas in this chapter will focus on the ideas embedded in the practice of Assessment for Learning (AfL), in that the intention is to enhance the learner’s progress in the subject. However, as teachers must also be accountable, there is a need for the production of summative (assessment of learning) data. If you know where you are heading, but don’t know where you started from or have no means to determine where you are then you are truly lost. If you know where you started from and, having planned your route, can measure your progress, you know exactly where you are and where you need to go next. Anon Task 4.1 Parents’ evening The Computing Subject Leader has asked a trainee Computing teacher to produce some notes for feedback on the performance of pupils in her class, for use at a parents’ evening. What assessment evidence might she use to compile the notes? WHAT IS PROBLEMATIC ABOUT ASSESSMENT? Assessment in Computing is made particularly complicated by the fact that the ‘new’ National Curriculum offers no guidance on how the subject should be assessed. However, we can look at practice in the past and try to learn from this. Strategies for assessing Computing will develop and improve over time, and you should endeavour to keep up-to-date and even contribute to this development. What does Ofsted say about assessment in Computing? Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) is the organisation in England that inspects standards in schools, HMI (Her Majesty’s Inspectors) support this work and provide interpretation and national guidance based on the findings. Computing is a new subject in the Curriculum for England. Therefore, no reports from Ofsted/ HMI, specifically on this subject, are available at this point in time, but there are reports on its predecessor, ‘ICT’, which we should take note of. Ofsted (HMI, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2011) are critical of assessment practice in many subjects, but in ICT in particular. They highlight that there was a need to ‘improve the use of assessment of pupils’ progress in ICT, ensuring that pupils know how well they are doing and what they should do to move on to the next level‘ (HMI, 2011, p. 8). They also state that, ‘In some schools, assessment of students’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 3 was inaccurate and frequently overgenerous‘ (HMI, 2011, p. 21). Later in the same report they also express concerns that: The most prevalent weaknesses were the absence of any systematic monitoring or assessment of the progress of students in ICT together with the lack of any evaluation of the contribution of ICT to improving outcomes. In some cases, low ICT achievement in Key Stage 3 held back students from making better use 71
NEIL STANLEY AND ALISON HRAMIAK of ICT subsequently. The tendency noted already for too much concentration on ICT for communication and presentation sometimes led to its use merely to ‘neaten’ work. (HMI, 2011, p. 34). In addition, Ofsted note a lack of baseline assessment: … where assessment was no better than satisfactory in secondary schools, there was very little or no information on students’ levels in ICT when they joined the school and little effort was made to determine their ability at the beginning of Year 7. In nearly all of these schools there was no assessment of students’ ICT capabilities in lessons outside specialist classes. This was a serious weakness as it meant that information on the strengths and weaknesses in students’ ICT performance across the curriculum could not be built in to the teaching programme or included in target-setting and feedback to individual students and their parents. The consequence of this was that higher-attaining students were often ‘treading water’ or repeating work unnecessarily. (HMI, 2011, p. 39) These comments need to be taken into account as we move to Computing. Ofsted acknowledges that progress had been made in some schools. They state that: When the teaching was good or outstanding: • assessment for learning was embedded throughout the lesson with feedback, frequent marking and praise linked into planning the next lesson … • teachers encouraged well-structured peer and self-assessment • students were clear about their own current level and what they needed to do to improve. (HMI, 2011, p. 23) Additionally: where the use of assessment was good, a robust school-wide approach to assessment was used as a key tool for improvement. The common characteristics of this in the primary and secondary schools visited were: • thorough baselining of pupils’ current level was used, at entry to, or prior to starting the school • pupils were made aware of their current level and what they needed to do to improve • opportunities for peer and self-review were embedded in lessons • there was regular standardisation and moderation between teachers and particularly between schools • a progress tracking system accessible to staff and pupils and embracing ICT across all subjects was used • pupils were given detailed written feedback on their work • parents were kept regularly updated on their child’s progress in ICT. (HMI, 2011, p. 37) 72
ASSESSMENT AND COMPUTING These indicate key elements of assessment practice that need to be focused on in Computing. The following activity is intended to scaffold a critical review of existing departmental practice, and hence identify opportunities for development. Task 4.2 Checklist The comments from HMI as noted above suggest a checklist that could be used by any department to identify opportunities to extend and improve on practice. Based on a department with which you are familiar complete Table 4.1: Table 4.1 Checklist for department assessment Aspect Yet to be Emergent Embedded in engaged with department practice Pupils are aware of their own targets and learning needs Computing use in a cross-curricular context is monitored and pupil achievement recorded Pupils meet and use a wide range of Computing tools and topics Baseline capability is determined, recorded and used to plan learning Pupils with higher Computing abilities have these extended further Marking is regular and formative Peer-review is used Self-review is used Moderation of standards is undertaken between teachers at KS3 73
NEIL STANLEY AND ALISON HRAMIAK Table 4.1 continued Aspect Yet to be Emergent Embedded in engaged with department practice The impact of external moderation processes are shared fully with others in the department A whole department recording system is used that will hold sufficient detail for any teacher to plan for any learner Parents are aware of, and involved in the Computing development of their children Task 4.3 Questions • Did you find this task easy to do? • Could you locate any documentation that helped? • Did that documentation match observed practice? • Which parts of the task were more difficult to do? Why was this? DIFFERENT FORMS OF ASSESSMENT Without assessment we don’t know what our learners already know, when they have learnt something, or how rapidly they are learning it. Assessment is fundamental to planning. It is not a bolt-on, or an afterthought. Alongside this we need strategies for monitoring and recording this progress. Many, if not all of these strategies should be shared with the learners, so that they may develop their own skills in self-assessment, and empower their own learning. Assessment types Assessment types are described well elsewhere (Hramiak and Hudson, 2011; Capel, Leask and Turner, 2013; Birmingham Grid for Learning, 2005), but the focus here will be on those types that can be used to enhance learning. In particular, we will 74
ASSESSMENT AND COMPUTING look at strategies involving baselining, diagnostic, ipsative, peer- and self- assessment. Assessment for Learning (AfL) The Assessment for Learning (AfL) strategy, developed in England by the Assessment Reform Group, is one example of best practice in the use of assessment tools to ensure learners maximise their learning. What is AfL? We can define it as the process of gathering and interpreting appropriate evidence for use by pupils and their teachers, to decide where the pupils have got to in their learning. From this it can be determined where they need to go, and how best to get there. • It is a core element in teaching and learning, and is not an option that can be bolted on to an existing lesson structure. • Learning goals should be shared with, and understood by, the pupils. • It involves pupils in peer and self-assessment. • It provides ‘next-steps‘ feedback, whereby the pupil is praised for their achievement, shown their misconceptions and guided to improve their work. Is there evidence that improving ‘Assessment for Learning‘ raises standards? Is it actually practical to use AfL in the classroom? In a word, ‘Yes‘. A variety of different research initiatives (the most famous being Black and Wiliam’s Inside the Black Box, 1998) have shown that effective ‘formative assessment‘ can improve pupil performance at GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education; the post- 16 assessment standard in England and Wales) by one to two grades, and can raise ‘average‘ pupils into the top 35 per cent of achievement (in a criteria-based assessment model). Learning objectives Key to learners being able to learn is their own understanding of what they are learning about, or are doing at any particular time. The sharing of learning objectives is a fundamental pillar of AfL strategy. Learning objectives must state clearly what the teacher intends the pupils to learn. They include references to knowledge, understanding, and skills developed in the lesson, and should link explicitly with learning outcomes and oral and written feedback. Learning objectives are not tasks, although tasks are used to progress learning and to demonstrate the measurable outcomes. There are simple acronyms used by some teachers to identify learning objectives and learning outcomes. One example is: ‘We Are Learning To‘ (lesson objectives) and ‘What I’m Looking For‘ (lesson outcomes). These are often written as WALT and WILF. The idea that you should include the bigger learning picture as well is sometimes represented by TIBS (This Is BecauSe). Much literature describes AfL. In particular, you may find that the now-archived but substantial collection of resources for the ICT strand of the English KS3 Strategy contains many useful materials that can help you with your professional development in this area. These are included in the Whole school development in assessment for learning pack (DFES, 2004) which has specific guidance on ICT included in the resources, some of which is adaptable to Computing. In particular, Appendix 1.1 of that pack provides a succinct coverage of the research findings in the area. 75
NEIL STANLEY AND ALISON HRAMIAK Key to AfL are the ideas that: • Learners clearly understand what they are expected to do and learn. • Feedback on learner performance is given promptly and in a form that enables the learner to enhance future performance. • Feedback is given in a positive manner so that pupil self-esteem is supported. • Assessment outlines are clearly understood by the learner so that they may attempt to self-assess when they have reached that level of maturity. • Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning process and begin to develop the skills for independent learning. Task 4.4 Planning for assessment Consider a Computing lesson you planned and taught recently, and answer the following: how did you indicate to the learners what they were going to be learning in that lesson? And how did you help them reach the highest level of competence they could reach in the time available? How did you review their learning after the lesson, and what additional support did you need to include for the next one? It is important to realise that AfL is central to and concurrent with a variety of different initiatives within a school. Figure 4.1 attempts to represent these linkages. It should be noted that links such as reporting and target-setting also have implications beyond the Computing department itself. AfL helps to gauge the Computing department’s performance against school, regional and national benchmarks. These benchmarks will include the national statistics for each grade in external examinations at 14, 16 and 18 years, plus the equivalent statistics for the locality in which the school is situated. A department will be expected to be able to explain any discrepancy between their pupils’ scores and these conflated statistics. StraightfSortrwaaigrdhtofor rdwoawrnd-otor-deoawrtnh-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth SSttrraaiigghhttffoorrwwaarrddoorrddoowwnn--ttoo--eeaSartrtrthahightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward orSdtorwaing-httof-oerawrathrd or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward oSrtdraoiwghnt-ftoor-weaarrtdhor down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earthStraightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-toS-etraaritghhtforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earthStraightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth StraightforwSatrradioghr tdfoowrwna-trod-oerardtSohwtrani-gStohtr-taefoiagrrhwthtafordrwoarrddoowrnd-otow-nea-troth-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Figure 4.1 The inter-relationships within AfL 76
ASSESSMENT AND COMPUTING Feedback Fundamental to the ideas of AfL is feedback. For it to be helpful feedback needs to be comprehensive and positive. It should ‘feed forward’, written in such a way that it helps pupils achieve their future targets by improving their work. It is always good practice that feedback should indicate aspects of performance that have been done well, aspects of performance that fail to meet the requirements of the task, and the next steps to be undertaken. Feedback should always be positive and specific. Frequently we will find ourselves repeating comments on many different student submissions. A well-thought-out proforma can aid the process by including comments that may be needed often, and which can be highlighted in some manner. This then leaves more time for adding the specific comments that may be unique to a particular learner. Task 4.5 Improving feedback An example of poor feedback is where a teacher may write, ‘This presentation is not what I was looking for. Try to improve it and then hand it in again‘. Write down an improved comment clearly informing the pupil of the positive aspects of the presentation, and highlighting the areas necessary for improvement. Verbal feedback Verbal feedback needs to be approached in a similar manner, providing positive encouragement where efforts are successful in proceeding towards a good outcome whilst providing suitable challenges to ensure that the learner operates at their best possible level. There is no such thing as a wrong answer. Where a pupil has not given a correct response it is always useful to guide them towards a correct response rather than respond in a negative manner. AfL is also critical in supporting project work, as the idea of praising what is good, whilst at the same time guiding the learner towards a better final product, is pivotal to gaining the best grade possible. THE NEED TO PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT You should understand that assessment is not something that can just happen in a haphazard way, but needs to be planned for. Indeed, you should see that it is as important to plan assessment as it is to plan teaching, and the two should be planned together, as indicated in Chapter 2. You will need to ensure that all your teaching episodes have clear learning outcomes: what you want to teach and what you need to assess are inseparable. You should also decide in advance how you are going to judge success against your learning objectives. As much as Computing work is based in practical activity it is important to ensure that you don’t just end up noting that they could ‘make a PowerPoint presentation‘. Remember that Computing capability is about developing concepts, computational thinking and higher-order skills and processes; it is not just a collection of low-level techniques. 77
NEIL STANLEY AND ALISON HRAMIAK You may find it helpful to break down your learning objectives into categories. One popular general classification is ‘SACK‘: skills, attitudes, concepts and knowledge. For example, in the PowerPoint topic, examples of the learning outcomes that might be included are: • can open the PowerPoint program (Technique or Routine: Skill) • can work in pairs to produce a joint presentation (Process: Attitude) • can understand why the amount of text on a PowerPoint slide should be limited (Concept) • knows that PowerPoint is a presentation package (Terminology: Knowledge) • knows that presentation packages are used in commercial organisations (Fact: Knowledge). Task 4.6 Assessment methods Each of those outcomes should be assessable. How could you assess that each had been achieved? Do you have a choice of methods for assessment? Have you thought about how you will feedback on this work yet? Your learning outcomes will also need to take account of the range of abilities in your teaching group. A common approach used is to preface learning outcomes with ‘All learners …’, ‘Most learners …’ and ‘Some learners …’. Outcomes for a single lesson need to be a subset of those describing the whole unit of work. It is unwise to have more than half a dozen learning objectives for a single lesson, and fewer still will be easier to manage. If you use a system such as SACK you will be able to ensure that your lessons do not focus unduly on any one single category. In particular, many lessons you observe may focus on low-level skills development, (new techniques and consolidation of familiar ones), and this will constrain the learners from undertaking higher-order learning activity. Specifically, you won’t be stretching the abilities of your more able learners. Opportunities for assessment need to be identified at a very early stage when planning a lesson or a unit of work. At the fundamental level the learning objectives specify the learning that is to take place in the lesson, while the learning outcomes indicate the evidence that pupils must produce, to indicate that the learning objectives have been met. This evidence can take a variety of different forms, from ‘hard’ evidence, such as printouts and worksheets, to ‘soft’ evidence, such as question and answer, demonstrations and observations. Opportunities for pupils to generate evidence for assessment should be planned for at a very early stage, but it should be noted that opportunities for assessment which have not been planned for will also arise frequently and should be taken advantage of. The tools for measuring the outcomes of learning need to be shared with the learners. These can range from the extremely complex (for example, the mark scheme associated with A-level Computing project work), or the more simple (for instance, the ‘I can do ...’ sheets; for an example, see Figure 4.2 that some schools use). Other ideas are given in the Record Keeping section below. 78
ASSESSMENT AND COMPUTING Straightforward or down-to-earth StraSigtrhatifgohrwtfoarrdwoarrddoorwdno-wton-e-taor-teharth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth Figure 4.2 An example of a simple ‘I can do’ sheet With work based on existing schemes it will often still be necessary to go back, and identify and clarify the ideas that are to be covered in a unit and to re-map these onto teaching sessions. Remember it is the ideas (concepts, knowledge and skills) that you wish to cover that decide how and what you teach, not just a good idea for an activity (see Chapter 2 on planning). ADVICE: It is important to remember that it would be unrealistic for you to make observations of every pupil doing everything, every lesson. Plus, it won’t generate any evidence for moderation purposes (see ‘Moderation’ section below for an explanation of moderation; the Record Keeping section below gives ideas for record keeping). ADVICE: When assessing students’ learning by means of a practical task, it is not just the task that must be considered. What also matters is how the task has been carried out. How efficient are the techniques used? How much support has the student been given by the teacher or their peers? Has the support involved teaching specific techniques, structuring the overall process, or planning and evaluating? It will not be helpful to give students credit for what you or their friends have done for them, but it would be unfair not to acknowledge their learning if they subsequently show the ability to do it for themselves. Assessment should also take into account the degree of independence shown by each pupil. 79
NEIL STANLEY AND ALISON HRAMIAK Questioning Teacher questioning will probably form the greatest element in your assessment toolkit, and you need to ensure that you think through your question pathways before you arrive at a lesson. How much detail you plan will be a personal decision, but at first, it is always helpful to plan questions, extensions to those questions, hints if you get no responses, and to whom you may first address the question to ensure that it elucidates and consolidates learning. Asking mostly closed questions with just simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ type answers will not stretch learners. More open questioning demanding higher-order responses – questions such as, ‘What advantages can you see in that approach?’ or ‘How do you think data capture ought to be organised?’ – will generate more higher-order thinking. You can ask other group members to add to or clarify an answer: ‘Can you add anything to that?’ or ‘Can you explain that in more detail for us?’ Try to ensure that you distribute your questioning fairly throughout the class, making sure that even the quieter pupils get a turn (keep a record of who you ask so you can target particular individuals, ensuring all have been asked across a sequence of lessons). Such questioning can be a valuable form of assessment for learning, and it will undoubtedly inform your teaching, but you are unlikely to be able to record all individual responses or attainment. However, you may occasionally note an unusually perceptive comment, or when someone repeatedly avoids answering. Questioning is an expert skill and you should read more on this. Task 4.7 Questioning Arrange to observe a teacher who is known to be skilled at questioning. Make a note of any questions aimed at eliciting higher-order responses as opposed to simply maintaining accountability or managing learning. • How did the teacher deal with pupils who fail to answer? • How did the teacher support weaker pupils’ attempts to respond? • Did the teacher keep any records of the exchanges? MAKING ASSESSMENT MANAGEABLE Assessment becomes manageable when it is focused, targeted and appropriate. Within a sequence of lessons opportunities for informal and formative assessment should be built into the lesson planning. Self- and peer-assessment should take place on an ongoing basis, with diagnostic assessment occurring at regular intervals to inform progress and identify needs. By involving pupils in their assessment, the whole process becomes more meaningful to them and definitely more manageable for you. In other words, the nature of assessment changes from something we do to the pupils to something we do with them. There will be times when it is appropriate to assess the whole class, and other times when it is more useful to concentrate on smaller groups of pupils or individuals, for the purposes of target-setting. Careful consideration of what is being assessed, together with an understanding of why it is being assessed at that time, enables the strategic deployment of appropriate assessment techniques. 80
ASSESSMENT AND COMPUTING Two strategies that can help with the effective management of assessments are peer- and self-assessment. Peer-assessment A good way to help a learner to understand what they need to do to succeed is to try to assess others against a clear set of criteria. For example, you might ask pupils to comment on how they would improve the work of others and what they thought was best about it (see Figure 4.3). For this to succeed criteria must be very clear and understandable to the pupils. Time should be spent discussing the criteria, and at first, pupils will need a lot of support, but they will get better at it and then it will prove a very useful and effective strategy. Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or dowSnt-rtaoi-gehatrftohrward or down-to-earth Straightforward or downS-ttor-aeigarhtthforward or down-to-earth by SStrtaraigighhtftoforwrwaardrdoor rddoowwnn-t-oto-e-eaartrhth role playing different situations. Walk through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them Straightforward or down-to-earth seriously if they ever report feeling role playing different situations. Wsrcaoalklreebdpyloaryiunngcdomifffeorretnatbsleit.uations. by Walk through the neighborhood with yotuhnrogugh the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Takepethoepmle identifying safe places. Take them Straightforward or down-to-earthseriously if they ever report feelingseriously if they ever report feeling by scared or uncomfortable. scraorleedpolaryuinngcodmifffoerrteanbtlsei.tuations. Walk through the neighborhood with young Straightforward or down-to-earth people identifying safe places. Take them Straightforward or down-to-earth seriously if they ever report fee ling by roslcearpeldayoirngundcifofmerfeonrttasbitluea. tions. Walk Straightforward or down-to-earth through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them Straightforward or down-to-earth seriously if they ever report fee ling scared or uncomfortable. by by by role playing different situations. Wroallek playing different situations. Walkrole playing different situations. Walk through the neighborhood with yothurnogugh the neighborhood with youngthrough the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Takpeeothpelemidentifying safe places. Take thpeemople identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feelinsgeriously if they ever report feeling seriously if they ever report fee ling scared or uncomfortable. scared or uncomfortable. scared or uncomfortable. srsptohceealrroeoirpoeupuldgelsaholiyyrdtiehniufnegnttcnhidfoeeiymfiyifgnefehogrvberesnotaartrfbhrseeloietppou.lodaarcttwieofsien.tehsTl.iaynWkogeuassrptltnhocekehaglrrboeeoirypomeupuldgelsaholiyydrtiehniufnegnttcnhidfoeeiymfiyifgnefehogrvberesnotaartrfbhrseeloietppou.lodaarcttwieofsien.tehsTl.iaynWkogssprtehoceuaealrrtnokeoirhgpoebuepuldymgelsaholiyydrtiehniufnegnttcnhidfoeeiymfiyifgnefehogrvberesnotaartrfbhrseeloietppou.lodaarcttwieofsien.tehsTl.iaynWkogeualtnkhgbeym ssrpthoceealrroeoirpoeupuldgelsaholiyydrtiehniufnegnttcnhidfoeeiymfiyifgnefehogrvberesnotaartrfbhrseeloietppou.lodaarcttwieofsien.tehsTl.iaynWkogeualtnkhgbessrptymhoceealrroeoirpoeupuldgelsaholiyydrtiehniufnegnttcnhidfoeeiymfiyifgnefehogrvberesnotaartrfbhrseeloietppou.lodaarcttwieofsien.tehsTl.iaynWkogsrpteoheuaellrrtnokeoihgpobuepulymgelsahliyydtiehnifnegttnhidfeeiyfiyifgneehgrvbeesnoartrfhrseeoitppoulodaarcttwieofsien.tehsTl.iaynWkogeualtnkhgbeym scared or uncomfortable. Figure 4.3 Use of peer- and self-assessment 81
NEIL STANLEY AND ALISON HRAMIAK Self-assessment Another way to help a learner to understand what they need to do to succeed is to enable them to reflect on their own efforts when measured against specific criteria. Learning diaries (see later) which include reflections on ‘What ideas in your friend’s work would you like to try to include in your own?’ are helpful in developing the capacity to self-assess. Another idea would be to take advantage of the school’s virtual learning environment blogging facility, and encourage your pupils to blog about their progress, perhaps once a week. Some learners may, at first, need help in structuring their learning blog. To aid this, you could find examples of blogs on the Internet to use as exemplars; for example, the Guardian Education site has some useful blogs … but take care in what you choose. RECORD KEEPING Given the variety of evidence that can be used to form judgements of pupils’ progress, accurate recording is essential. Many different types of techniques can be used to record evidence, including formal mark books to collect data on summative assessment, tick boxes and other systems for diagnostic assessment; for example ‘Traffic lights’. Traffic lights Whilst doing practical work pupils may have access to a set of three coloured cards: red, amber and green. If they are managing well they show the green card; if they are absolutely unable to make progress they show the red; and if they are working but could do with some help they show the amber. These can be set up as flags located on top of the monitor. This system can also be used to collect feedback at the end of the lesson, with the ‘traffic lights’ being included in a lesson review sheet or the learning diary. Of particular importance is the need to record ‘soft’ evidence; that is: evidence that you may have obtained through observation or chance conversation; evidence not easily generating a ‘paper trail’. Videoing or photographs of pupils in the class can work well, but is often time-consuming or inconvenient, and there are sensitive issues related to this kind of activity which need to be taken into account. Often, having a well-set-up mark book that enables the teacher to note when a student has answered a question, demonstrated a skill or verbalised a concept is sufficient for the majority of assessment purposes. It is also vital that the mark book is set up in such a way as to enable the teacher to record student targets. Examples of such a mark book format are given in Figure 4.4 (each row relates to a specific learner, with names omitted to preserve confidentiality). 82
by by by by role playing different sirtoulaetipolnasy.inWgadlkifferent situations. rWolaelkplayingrdoilfefeprleanytinsigtudaitfifoenresn. tWsiatlukations. Walk through the neighborhotohdrowugithh tyhoeunnegighborhood with tyhoruonuggh the tnherioguhgbhorthhoeondeiwghitbhoyrhoouondg with young people identifying safe ppelaocpelse. iTdaeknetitfhyeinmg safe places. Tapkeeopthleemidentpifeyoipnlge siadfeenptilfayciensg. Tsaafkee ptlhaecmes. Take them ssrpthoceealrroeoirssrptpohoceeuepualdlrrogeleoirsapohoeluipyyulddrgetlisehaniuholfinyegyndrttticenhihdniufofneeeigynmfttiyicfnihgdnfefoeeehiyogrmfviybeirfgnesenotfehaarogrtrvssbfebrhrceseesnoteloairaarettrppirofu.bhorleseodaaeloudiretctppostwui.eololodfaaysirernct.tetwihisueToflf.sniiaenytn.tWcekhhsogTole.euiaamyynWltnkkoghfeegboauevlrtynmkehtgarbebymrelssepce.oarirroteudfssrprteshoocessrpteoelohacellrryeolreeaoirlirroponeioieuruppfpouldgeunpgellultdsaagcehlholsiaoyyhyoedrliytmiiyyrdehnniutifehnnifeuggenfonettgnvcnhirddttfcoenhitdeeiiyfoamrffeeyiiyiffmgfbiyrneeiffgehelnogerrfeevhpboeegrr.vesboennortaesarnotrttrafarbthtrrssefbhelrfoiiseeeettlppoioeuu.etpploodu.aaallordiaasscttntwriicecteootwgifaresioennfir.tsieeonhsse.tTelh..usdTialy.nsWWiakyonolWgkyeroguaaeullaitnukkfhltngnkbbhetgsscbheyymceoeymarmyiroefeudovsreoltyarrbriufelnept.chooermyt ffeeovereltiarnbrgelep.ort feeling through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feeling scared or uncomfortable. by role playing different situations. Walk through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feelingby rolescpalraeydinogr udnifcfoemrefnotrstiatbulaet.ions. Walk through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feeling scared or uncomfortable. by by role playing different situations. Walk through the neighborhood with young role playing different situations. Walk people identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feeling through the neighborhood with young scared or uncomfortable. people identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feeling scared or uncomfortable. by role playing different situations. Walk through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feeling scared or uncomfortable. by by role playing different situations. Walk role playing different situations. Walk through the neighborhood with young through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them people identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feeling by seriously if they ever report feeling srcoalreedploaryiunngcdomifffeorretnatbsleit.uations. Walk scared or uncomfortable. through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them by seriously if they ever report feeling role playing different situations. Walk scared or uncomfortable. through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them by seriously if they ever report feeling role playing different situations. Walk scared or uncomfortable. through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feeling scared or uncomfortable. Figure 4.4 (a) Example of a detailed record book format
children were Neighborhood Safety- abducted-78 percent by family Stranger Awareness members and 22 percent by nonfamily Not all strangers are dangerous. Not all members (Office of Juvenile justice and Delinquency Prevention, Tsaktbnhrdaoenurwegcnetairroa.edntsuh-lrtesfeaamrtyeilpsyea,sfaerptohco.efqlroeoupuaplgielnahitydatienhnncegtenid,feiyafiinfgnedhgrbesnoatrfhseoitpouldaactwieosin.thsT.ayWkoeualtnkhgbeym children were seriously if they ever report feeling abducted-78 percent by family scared or uncomfortable. by members and 22 percent by nonfamily members (Office of Juvaenndilebejuttsetrictehaannd role playing different situations. Walk DeliontqhueernpcryodPurecvtse.ntion, Viewing violent media can cause In through the neighborhood with young increased aggressive behavior, people idecnhtiilfdyrienngwsaefree places. Take them increased fear of victimization, abductseedri-o7u8slpyeirfctehnetybeyvfearmreilpyort feeling desensitization, and increased dNeseiirgehborhood Safetym- embesrcsaraendd o2r2upnecrocmenfot rbtyabnloen. family Stranger Awareness members (Office of Juvenile justice and for more violence. Advertising techniquesNpoatraalllleslttrhaengers are dangerous.DNeloint qaullency Prevention, reasons why young peokpnloewunseadults are safe. alcohol and drugs. There are three types of abductions- family, acquaintance, and stranger. and better than children were other products. abducted-78 percent by facmhiilldyren were members aanbdd2u2ctpeedrc-7en8t pbeyrcneonntfabmy iflaymily Viewing violent mDeidsitaincgaunischabuesetween fanIntasy and members (mOeffmicbeeorfsJaunvden2i2lepjeurscteincet bayndnonfamily increased aggressrievaelibtyeh; auvnidoer,rstand the real DelinquenmcyePmrbeevresn(tiOofnfi,ce of Juvenile justice and increased fear of vciocntismeqizuaetniocnes, of vio lence that may desensitization, anodt ibnecrsehaoswedndienstihree media. Delinquency Prevention, for more violenceI. dentify types of media violence and Advertising technhioqwuetshpeayrafelleellwthheen they see it. chilcdhrielndrwenerwe ere reasons why younDgispteinogpuleisuhsbeetween needs and alcohol and drugsw. ants. abdaubcdtuedct-e7d8-p7e8rcpeenrct ebnyt fbaymfialymily memmbeemrsbearnsda2n2dp2e2rcpeenrct ebnyt nboynnfaomnfialymily Identify advertising techniques. memmbeemrsbe(Orsff(iOceffoicfeJoufveJunvileenjiulestjiucsetiacnedand Determine whether a product can do DelDineqluineqnuceynPcryevPernevtieonnt,ion, everything the advertisement claims. children were children were rDeiasltiitny;guuinsdhebrsettawnedentammhbfeeeadmmnruetbbaaceesltyrressdaa(-nOn7dfd8fi2cp2eerpocfeerJncutevbneytnbiflayemnjuiolsyntfiacme ailnyd abducted-78 percent by family ecIwhDInDddovooaieeenestwntnnrtsebtiytternsteiiqtmhff.ghyysueuiihyennationysegdfhwpcevwteeeebnhlsshreeiwtoeotniawtfsfhhdtivemCoTeMnWHyahneviernneoroagoeoeenaodlnurcDnaldlktmttentpichvnentiigdnepiaaaheecisgetaclciorbcdehyoeishrvoetltnpmoincrdeeeiiasdqentuuoliltnsoe.ehqdueotueltsetrneaveaurcpsteasesntnwltietilndiasthneccdws.mmccionvo.leoayclahryeiwaennkaatierPaymvnssnttnodrirh.idsnsertouoeoy.evslmtoememeoaun.ondeercvtvsnedieieooftieuessacnshsa,fttewoohtherweiatmfatnhol..crtohheoml members and 22 percent by nonfamily members (Office of Juvenile justice and dangerous behaviors and activities. DelinquenccyhPilrderveenntwioenre, abducted-78 percent by family members and 22 percent by nonfamily members (Office of Juvenile justice and Delinquency Prevention, Monitor or limit the media that children were young people can use. abducted-78 percent by family members and 22 percent by nonfamily Watch television or movies wi th them members (Office of Juvenile justice and Delinquency Prevention, and discuss any violence shown. Contact networks to advocate for nonviolent shows. by Talk about advertisements forroalelcpolhaoyling different situations. Walk or cigarettes when you see thtehmro.ugh the neighborhood with young Help children learn to refusepeople identifying safe places. Take them dangerous behaviors and actsievritiioeuss. ly if they ever report feeling scared or uncomfortable. by by role playinrogledipfflaeryeinntgsditiuffaetrieonnts.siWtuaaltkions. Walk through ththernoeuigghhbthoerhnoeoidghwbiotrhhyoooudnwgith young people idepnetoifpylienigdseanfteifpyliancgess.afTeakpelatchees.mTake them seriously isfetrhioeuyselyveifr trheepyoretvfeere lrienpgort feeling scared or uscnacroemd foorrtuanbcloem. fortable. Figure 4.4 (b) Another example of a detailed record book format
ASSESSMENT AND COMPUTING Recording and reporting your assessments When assessing against criteria that can be listed discretely there is a tendency to develop pupil records based solely on statements of attainment, using tick boxes. Such documents appear to create an easy solution to recording progress, but are not reliable as a sole means of assessment. It is important that you have access to multiple examples of where a learner has demonstrated achievement, in order to have some certainty of their capability – once could be chance; twice could be coincidence; three times is probably proof! The records you keep will depend on the nature and purpose of the assessment. We suggest three levels at which assessment should be carried out, each with a different purpose, focus and method. a) Lesson-based assessment Purpose: to monitor the progress of individual pupils in order to decide if they are making progress, and how much help to offer. 1 Identify the key point(s) and expectations for the lesson; e.g. understanding how formulas store relationships in a spreadsheet. 2 Devise opportunities for pupils to demonstrate attainment; e.g. task which requires pupils to carry out ‘what if?’ investigations, and oral questions such as: ‘When you save a spreadsheet, what things are stored?’ 3 Set criteria for success and evidence required; e.g. when carrying out investigations, pupils are observed changing values rather than entering formulas, and when asked what is stored, they mention formulas. 4 Ask the class to review what the main teaching point(s) were in the lesson, and what they found difficult to grasp. 5 Note any implications for the next lesson: e.g. a) demonstrate the technique again, asking pupils what to do at each stage; b) load the spreadsheet again, ask them to predict what will happen when values are changed, and then ask them to explain why. It might be useful to have a section at the end of your lesson plan or in your mark book for noting quickly any perceptive comments or issues for future reference. b) Project-based assessment (a task may take several lessons) Purpose: to provide feedback to pupils on their knowledge, skills and understanding, and identify needs for development. 1 Identify the desired outcome of the project and its purpose; e.g. develop a programme for a sensing device to count the number of people passing through a doorway. 2 Share the assessment criteria with the pupils. 3 Ask each pupil to review their performance against the criteria. 4 Collect any evidence of attainment. 5 Record attainment against the criteria in your mark book. 6 Give feedback to the pupil in the form of suggestions for improvement (techniques, process, concepts and higher-order skills). 85
NEIL STANLEY AND ALISON HRAMIAK c) Annual report Purpose: to provide an annual summary of overall attainment and progress. 1 For each pupil, refer to the complete portfolio of their work. 2 Decide the overall level of attainment, using the Programme of Study as the benchmark. 3 Summarise the comments made about the pupil’s progress in Computing during the year. Some schools have a policy of recording/reporting ‘effort’ as well as ‘attainment’ in the annual report, and this has implications for record keeping at project and lesson level. You will need to judge how much effort each pupil is making, using the guidance provided by the school. There is a direct connection between effort and motivation, and you must ensure that there is enough challenge for all pupils to remain engaged and demonstrate effort. Assessing group work It is questionable, even where the resources exist, whether all work should be undertaken by individuals at their own computer. Social constructivist models of learning (see, for example, Capel, Leask and Turner, 2013, Unit 5.1; or Hramiak and Hudson, 2011, Chapter 13) suggest that working together in a group is beneficial to the learning of each individual. Teamwork is also a key skill, and in Computing it allows opportunities for the final product to be far better than anything that could be produced by a solo user. However, there are challenges in assessing an individual’s contribution to a group. One strategy would be to have some individual reflective component that can be used to validate group contribution. This is a sophisticated concept but not beyond most young people. Indeed, considerable success has been made where learners are asked to comment on the work of their peers as part of the recording process. Portfolios A portfolio, containing examples of pupils’ activities, can provide useful evidence for formative and summative assessment. It is essential that it is identified in your planning, and records how this evidence will be used and against which criteria it will be measured. Many younger and less-able learners will need support in developing the skills needed to identify what should be included in a portfolio, and how it might be annotated. Task 4.8 Portfolio From your experiences, note down what might be included in a typical portfolio of evidence for assessing performance at the end of KS3 in Computing. 86
ASSESSMENT AND COMPUTING Learning diaries or logs You might be able to set these up as blogs on your school’s virtual learning environment (VLE). These are writing frames that have been designed specifically to be used at the end of each learning episode. A writing frame is a document (paper or electronic) that provides a clear framework to which the learner can add text. For example, part-way through a lesson when you hope to have covered some specific points – possibly at the end of a learning episode within the lesson – you may give a short series of questions for the pupils to respond to. This may include a list of useful words, sentences to complete, or even paragraphs with key words to be added. Specific examples can be seen in Figure 4.5. by by by role playing different situations. Walk role playing different situations. Wraollke playing different situations. Walk through the neighborhood with young through the neighborhood with yotuhnrogugh the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them people identifying safe places. Takepetohpemle identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feeling seriously if they ever report feelingseriously if they ever report feeling scared or uncomfortable. scared or uncomfortableb. y scared or uncomfortable. role playing different situations. Walk ssrpthoceealrroeoirrptpoeuhopeuldlgreloseoahopliyuypdrltigelehniuahfneginydtttcinhidehnfoeeinyegmfiytifgnindefefheogiryvfbeirifgesnotneaarhtrgrfbhberseselonoieatppotru.flhodseaaorictttwpioeuolfdsiaaen.tctehswiTsserppttl.ohhocieasieeynnWa.tlrrrkoooehgsooirTeppo.uaeuupayullldtnWggkkeelhosaghheboleuiiayyddrymltnttikeehhhniugfbnneeegnytttmcnnhiidffoeeeiyymfiiyiifggnnefehhoggrvbberessnootaaartrrffbhhrseeelooietpppoou.lloddaaarccttwwieeofssiien..ttehhsTTl.iaayynWkkoogeeuualttnnkhhggbeeymm by role playing different situations. Walk through the neighborhood with young people identifying safe places. Take them seriously if they ever report feeling scared or uncomfortable. rtholreossucepagrlirahoeyudtihnsolegyrndiuefinfitfgcheohermbeynofetrovhrseotitaroubrdaeltewpi.ooinrthstssr.foceyeWalreoeiroluaeipulndnklsgagbolyyryiniufgntchdoeimfyfefeorverentartbrselietpu.oarttiofenesl.inWgalkby people identifying safe places. Ttharkoeutghhemthe neighborhood with young seriously if they ever report feeplienogple identifying safe places. Take them scared or uncomfortable. seriously if they ever report feeling scared or uncomfortable. Figure 4.5 Examples of writing frame elements Task 4.9 Learning diary Download the diary pack from http://www.itte.org.uk/node/590. Although written for ICT, the pack has many ideas that apply equally to Computing. Now consider a lesson you are about to deliver and design a learning diary page that you might use in the plenary, to help the learners understand what they were expected to learn that day. Try it out. Remember, we are all resistant to change, and as this may be different from their normal expected practice your learners may rebel at first. But that does not mean that you cannot make it a part of their routine in your lessons. Marking and feedback When key pieces of work or assignments are marked, you should aim to write a comment in language the learner will understand. It should be brief, constructively critical and enable them to move forward. The use of vague comments such as ‘good, VG, excellent’ although supportive, does not enable the student to progress. ‘Have you thought about including …?’ might be more helpful. Research suggests that feedback based only on grades or marks fails to change future performance. A comment suggesting how the work can be improved is far more effective for learning. When both a comment and a mark are used, the same research suggests 87
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