To help us work towards our school goal of improving our understanding and practice of assessment, my principal has provided our staff with a copy of Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing it Right - Using it Well, by Jan Chappuis, Rick Stiggins, Steve Chappuis, and Judith Arter. As I make my way through the book, I will be summarizing my learning as a means of organizing my thoughts and getting clarification on particular ideas.
Chapter 3 - Clear Targets
*learning targets are statements of the intended learning
Knowledge Targets
- the factual, procedural, and conceptual understandings at the root of any subject
- factual and procedural
- know, list, name, identify, know how to, use
- low-level Bloom's taxonomy
- conceptual
- understand, explain
- knowing via reference
- things students don't need to memorize
- make sure students know how to find the right answers
Reasoning Targets
- the thought process to apply and transfer knowledge across subjects
- inductive and deductive inference
- a reasonable guess/conclusion based on info/clues
- inductive uses evidence to infer a rule/principle; "reading between the lines"
- deductive uses rules/facts to infer a conclusion
- analysis
- to examine the components/structure of something
- comparison
- sorting things into categories by characteristic
- evaluation
- expressing and defending an opinion, a point of view, a judgement or decision
- synthesis
- combining elements to make something new
*make sure you don't accidentally turn a reasoning target into a knowledge target
- for example, if you compare/contrast characters verbally in class as you read a novel then this would be a
knowledge question if asked again on a test because students are simply recalling
Skill Targets
- when a demonstration of physical skill-based performance is central to the learning
- serving a volleyball, kneading dough, conversing in a second language
Product Targets
- when the creation of an artefact/product is the focus of the learning
- the qualities of that product are assessed
* don't confuse and activity with assessment of the learning target; ask yourself "what should they be learning" NOT "how will they demonstrate it"
Disposition Targets
- a student's attitude, motivations, and interests; a byproduct of education experiences
- value outcomes in social studies
- learning behaviours on provincial report cards
How to Deconstruct Curriculum Standards
1 ) Determine the target type (see above)
2 ) Identify the pre-requisite knowledge/skills needed
3 ) Check for accuracy and reasonableness
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Chappius, et al. (2012). Figure 3.11 Benefits of Clear Targets. Classroom Assessment for Student Learning, pg 74. |
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I WANT TO KNOW:
Do you clearly state the target of the lesson for your students every class?
This chapter shared a teacher story where she admitted that she used to assume that the purpose of the day's lesson was clear and evident based on her discussions; when students where prompted, however, they were unclear.
I am guilty of assuming the purpose of the lesson is clear. I discuss learning targets with students but probably not as often as a should; I don't do it every class.
Please leave your thoughts below :)