Katha 2014: Course Assessment and Student Learning Outcomes

Minutes of the Workshop Transcribed. Speaker Dr. Maricar Prudente.

KATHA 2014 Batch 2: Day 9

Science Track: Course Assessment and Student Learning Outcomes

Dr. Maricar Prudente

Science Education Department

De La Salle University-Manila

September 27, 2014

Minutes of the Workshop

1. Introduction. The speaker introduced the topic as an integrated course, and aimed to define the relationship between course objectives and assessment of student learning. She provided an overview of the session, starting with course assessment, intended learning outcome and achievement outcomes. She emphasized the need for the students to think critically and the use of proper rubrics in a classroom setting which can be developed by the teachers along with the students. She also aimed for the teachers to create a workshop on performance task and classroom assessment techniques.

2. Overview of Assessment. The speaker first discussed the origin of the word “assess” and how it should be taken to the student. She said it is something we do to and for the students. Assessment should be looked as an art and not just a result of the students’ output, which would not help the student realize how much time he has to take to fully comprehend and understand the lesson. It is an art and a science of knowing how much has the student learned. It also provide evidence of the skills developed by the students, which is not measured only by pen and paper in a card of their grades. She asked the participants the need to know the science teachers how far has the students learned and discovered their potentials in their learning skills. One teacher said so that they will know when to proceed with the next lesson. The speaker also said that such practice should be proactive, not just active. The process of assessment ends when the students have improved their critical thinking skills through the output of their tests. The speaker aimed to redefine the meaning of assessment to the teacher-participants.

3. Course Assessment. The speaker asked the teachers what guides them in determining whether their students have learned their lessons. One teacher said by the results of their exams. Another said by the quizzes every after the lesson, when the students are able to restate the topic of the lesson on their own. She further asked what is their basis of their evaluation of the students’ learning, which is rooted in the objectives of the teachers, not just by giving tests. The course objectives must guide the teachers because it is an integral part of the lesson plan. They should ask how the student will gain maximum outcome and learning in the one hour of the Science topic. The teacher must work backwards starting from the learning assessment technique that shall measure the skills the students must gain at the end of the lesson. The course objectives tell the teachers the learning outcomes of the students which should be actionable, the speaker emphasized. Learning outcomes or outcomes actually means what the students need to learn, know and discover in their skills. The achievement outcome of mastery of the students should be above 60%, which also applies in all subjects, according to the speaker. The success of the learning outcomes is reflected in the skills developed by the students and achieves the standard of the tasks of the course.

3.1. Elements of Learning Outcomes. The teachers should first formulate students of intended outcomes, then develop or select assessment measures through direct assessments of student learning such as projects and exhibitions. These activities yield a comprehensive information that needs to be analyzed and evaluated by the teachers with the students as their measure of their performance and knowledge acquired and skills mastered. Another is to create experiences leading to outcomes, such as service learning, field work and internship. This is where we give feed back to the students for them to realize their potentials.

3.2. Classroom Assessment Techniques. This is a systematic collection and analysis of information which includes analysis of the information to improve educational practices. It is also a method for understanding student learning. It is also based on the belief that the teacher knows more about the students and how they learn, they can better plan the learning activities and structure their teaching. The speaker emphasized that the teachers should not look at the scores, but on how they answered the question. This will give light to the knowledge skills of the students and how they learn. Benefits of proper learning assessment include an ongoing communication process between the teacher and the students, clarification of the teaching goals and what the teachers want the students to learn, credible evidence regarding whether or not learning objectives have been achieved, specific feedback on what is working and what is not and finally increased understanding about student learning in the classroom. The speaker shared that she felt bad every time the students could not answer the quizzes because of the wrong way of teaching. She said she used to treat students who succeeded in learning the topic of the lesson for the day. She pointed out that most teachers seem to consider that assessment is a punishment and a benchmarking of the students’ incapacity of their knowledge skills. The role of assessment should be on focusing on the students’ improvement of their knowledge so that they become self-regulated learners. The feedback should not be about complaining to the faculty about their students’ incapacity to analyze and synthesize but about talking about it to their students and evaluating them personally. One teacher complained how her students could not learn simple topics despite their grade level. The speaker suggested peer teaching and heterogeneous groupings and lesson bodies in class. She said that the more intelligent students are also willing to share their knowledge to their fellow classmates and the teachers should market on such practice. The speaker shared that cognitive psychologists said that mastery takes a long time to develop and that the teachers should maximize their time in making the learning process of the students productive and worthwhile.

One teacher raised the issue of the lack of time for teaching more topics to students, where one concept may require more than a day for mastery. The speaker said that the teachers first have to find out what their students know and give them the extra work that they can bring home to study. They could also remediation. But the teacher shared the sad reality of students not doing the extra work home because they have other problems at home that they bring to school.

The speaker shared the life of the students in Leyte where the group of teachers really teach their students and they have the highest scores in NAT. She said she would like to believe that the teachers in the urban areas can do the same. The teachers should motivate them to learn. They should also invite scientists, mathematicians and not artists to school for the students to learn more outside the classroom and from other more intelligent people. For the economy to grow, science education should be developed, studies have shown according to the speaker. This has been proven by Singapore, where connections of learning science and math and other subjects in the proper way are the key to success. The teachers should encourage the students not to look and be absorbed by their problems and develop an intimate relationship with them to make them understand about the lessons and about life better. She said that teaching and mastery of Science is already rescued by the K to 12 program in a spiral and integrated mode of teaching.

The speaker emphasized on heightening the interest of the students in learning science and providing constructive criticisms to guide them to the right path of learning the subject. She also shared her experience with her granddaughter on how she teaches her to understand the topics better and guiding her instead of feeding her the answers to the problems at hand. This entails student appreciation, the speaker added. The speaker also suggested that the teachers should put their shoes in the students and research has shown that with positive emotions towards the students in a classroom setting lead them to do more work.

3.3. Samples of Classroom Assessment Techniques. 1) One minute paper. This provides a quick and simple way to collect written feedback on student learning, with questions like what is the most interesting topic they learned during class on that time. It is important for the teachers to read the assessments of the students and share it to the students to help them and evaluate whether they learned or not. Stop complaining, do the work, the speaker emphasized to the teachers. 2) Muddiest Point. The teacher may ask the student what was the most difficult topic for him. 3) One sentence summary. This challenges the student to answer the questions “Who does what to whom...” This will encourage the students to appreciate the lesson and teacher better, the speaker added. A teacher raised the issue of students cheating in the classroom. The speaker said that if the teacher have good classroom management skills there would be minimal cheating in class and the students are more motivated to learn in class. She suggested “learning contract for the year” for the students, like not being absent for the year that the student should not break. She emphasized the use of positive climate for the students and consistency so that they will appreciate the subject better.

The speaker shared some websites about classroom assessment techniques. She also clarified the use of one sentence summary techniques and it is important for the teacher to let the student understand that the activity is not to be graded but to have a worthwhile evaluation of what they have learned during the day.

4. Learning Assessment. The point of assessment is to find out if the students think critically and solve problems properly. The teachers should ask themselves on how students develop critical skills and solve problems. She said that the teachers should contextualize the concept and apply them in the students’ lives. In a class of 45 are 45 different concepts and different contexts, and it is the job of the teachers to get in to them. There are conditions: 1) the teacher should convince that their prior concept is wrong by giving them problems to solve which are contextualized and relevant to their lives to achieve a cognitive equilibrium in their brains. 2) the teacher should avoid short term memory by giving meaning to the topics of the lesson using their own contextualized environment. This is the reason why most students don’t remember most of the scientific lessons because they are not used in real life and contextualized in their own lives.

4.1. Essential Components of Critical Thinking. The speaker said there are three types of knowledge: 1) declarative knowledge, which is knowing the facts and concepts 2) procedural knowledge, which is knowing how to reason, inquire and present knowledge and 3) metacognition, which are cognitive control strategies such as setting goals and assessing the fruitfulness of a line of inquiry. Metacognition is the most important skill the students should learn that would make them learn by their own will. Motivation should be intrinsic, the speaker emphasized. There should be an internal drive on the part of the student for them to learn better. She shared again her experience in teaching her nephews and nieces about making them more motivated in studying. It is also important to make stories out of the lessons especially in science because it is always effective for the students.

4.2. Standardized Tests and Alternative Assessments. The summative standardized tests in pen and paper, the speaker said, does not really capture the learning assessment for the students. She said the students tend to have the attitude that the students study not because they want to learn but because there is a test. This goes the same with the achievement tests where even cheating is tolerated. One teacher raised the issue that indeed it is a pen and paper evaluation but the speaker said that if the tests were concept tests it would be good for the students. The speaker also said that formative assessment is more appropriate for student evaluation, where it is carried out frequently and is planned at the same time as teaching. It also provides interactive and timely feedback and response, which leads to students recognizing the learning gap and closing it. It also includes self-monitoring and fosters life-long learning. Formative assessment entails success for student evaluation with appropriate guidance. Their achievement also reflects the learner’s perceptions and beliefs about their capacity to learn. The speaker shared that their individual works are not graded but their portfolio reflecting on how much they have learned during the semester.

4.3. Samples of Formative Assessment. This includes paper, written composition, projects, experiment, development of a product, performance and community-based experience and exhibition and portfolio. This entails consideration of a costly effect of this type of learning, but there can be solutions for this, like making a one summative portfolio for the students to make at the end of the semester, where there is evidence of learning. When developing an effective assessment task, the three types of knowledge should be involved—declarative, procedural and metacognitive knowledge. The teachers should also ask  questions like what real life settings do they use the knowledge taught in school, which task best exemplifies the characteristics of an exemplary assessment task and what criteria should the students and the teachers use in shaping and critiquing student work. The speaker shared her techniques of contextualizing the topics the students need for them to appreciate the lesson better. The dominating culture of the classroom should be followed so that the students will better appreciate the lesson and the learning environment better.