Formative assessments are a critical aspect of the
teaching process in any classroom, but particularly in differentiated
classrooms where ages and abilities are widely varied. The age range of the students in my private
art classes range from 7-14 years old with vastly differing abilities and
levels of English. It is absolutley imperative that I continuously assess where
my students are in their understanding during a lesson. Formative assessments serve
as checkpoints during a lesson, which inform the teacher of the necessary and appropriate
nature, type and direction of descriptive feedback she gives her students. This
is differentiation in action. Moreover, this process allows students to revise their
efforts and be assessed and accredited anew, which increases the quality and
value of their learning (Wormeli 2010).
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| Romero Britto "Gato Feliz" |
The performance objective I am using for this exercise
is part of a 3rd grade unit on pop-art drawing in the style of
artist Romero Britto.
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| Art deco pattern |
Objective: Understand what a ‘pattern’ is, and how to draw a variety of
patterns.
In
this lesson I am checking that students fully grasp the concept and definition
of patterns and can effectively recreate these according to definition.
Dos and
Don’ts
The first formative assessment I will use is Dos and
Don’ts. In this exercise, students list 3 dos and 3 don’ts when applying,
using, or relating to the content (Teach Thought, 2013). For this lesson, students will create a simple
mindmap or chart and will indicate in written, descriptive terms what characteristics
patterns do have and what characteristics
are not consistent with a pattern.
This activity encourages students to think beyond the simple definition of a
term or concept by pushing them to consider it in terms of its contrast or
opposite. I can properly assess their understanding of the term in this situation
due to the fact that they cannot simply reproduce a rote definition.
Self-Directed
Response
The second formal assessment I will use is Self-Directed
Response. This assessment asks students to prove their understanding in a
diagram, written or related form in such a way that a stranger would understand
(Teach Thought, 2013). A lot of the learning, which happens in my art room,
is visual in nature. Drawing lessons, for example, require that students can
reproduce or recreate a style or element of line and shape. For younger
children particularly, success is determined not only by their ability to observe
closely and following guidelines, but also the nature of their fine and gross
motor skills, and the proper use and handing of materials. Therefore, when
assessing students leading up to a drawing lesson, I will often have students
practice several preliminary sketches. For this assessment, students would draw
a practice sketch of the assigned drawing task with all required elements
correctly in place, such that an outsider would be immediately be able to
identify the intention, guidelines and elements therein. If content is lacking,
difficult to identify or generally unclear (i.e., an intended bird looks like
an egg), I know I need to provide feedback and make adjustments before moving
forward with the final drawing task.
Checks for
Understanding
The third formative assessment I would use is Checks
for Understanding. CFU is a strategy that allows for understanding continually
while a lesson is being taught (Smart at Math, 2011). What’s particularly
useful about this assessment strategy is that it operates in real-time,
allowing teachers to make adjustments on the spot, before students have the
chance to repeat and reinforce any mistakes. The teacher teaches, then
immediately checks for understanding by calling on all students at random and asking
questions. When answers are correct, the teacher repeats and confirms the
correct response. When incomplete, the teacher elaborates on the question. When
incorrect the correct answer is provided (Smart at Math, 2011). My classes are
very small and this strategy lends itself nicely to an ongoing, open,
ping-ponging style of teaching. The constant back and forth between my students
and myself keeps them engaged, while calling on them at random keeps them alert
and on their toes. When appropriate, I like to alter the strategy slightly by
using the Right is Right and No Opt Out strategies to encourage
students to think more deeply about their responses and have them commit to seeking
out the correct response.
Formative assessments are useful and important tool
for teachers. When used frequently during a lesson, they can make the
difference between a lesson that students didn’t ‘get’ and a quality lesson
with great instruction value.
Sources
Teach Thought (2013). 10 Assessments You Can Perform
In 90 Seconds. Retrieved on January 27, 2017 from:
http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/assessment/10-assessments-you-can-perform-in-90-seconds/
Smart at Math (2011). Checking for Understanding.wmv Retrieved
on January 27, 2016 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd7TO9alAss
Wormeli, Rick (2010). Formative and Summative
Assessment. Retrieved on January 27, 2017 from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJxFXjfB_B4
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