Assessment for Learning in Science - Training Materials

This resource provides Key Stage Three National Strategy training materials to run a day session with science teachers to help them develop an understanding of the key elements of Assessment for Learning and how it might affect their practice.

These materials consist of:
*Training slides for the session

*Participants resource pack – copies of the slides and handouts used in the training

*Tutors notes 1 – includes Overview of the unit, Unit objectives, Outline programme, Synopsis, Preparing for the unit, Resources needed for each session, Pre-unit task and Evaluation forms

*Tutors notes 2 – includes all the guidance on presentation, tasks and use of handouts.

Components
The sessions are structured as follows:
*Session 1: Introduction to assessment for learning
Setting the scene and emphasising how important assessment for learning is, it draws on research which suggests that formative assessment is a key factor in raising students’ standards of achievement.

*Session 2: Sharing objectives and outcomes with students
Emphasising the importance of involving students in their own assessment, terms such as 'lesson objectives' and 'expected pupils’ outcomes' are defined. Guidance is provided for using the correct terminology when writing lesson objectives, and then participants are invited to practise producing them.

*Session 3: Making pupils’ self assessment more effective
Explaining how students need training in self-assessment, and clarifying how self and peer assessment can be incorporated into lessons, this is followed by some strategies to help teachers support and develop students’ self-assessment skills.

*Session 4: Developing effective teacher questioning
Considers the purpose of questioning in science and the characteristics of good questioning, and introduces the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy in guiding teachers to look at the level of challenge in questions. There are also some tips for teachers to help encourage more students to respond to questions, such as adopting a ‘no hands up’ rule.

*Session 5: Providing effective feedback to pupils
Deals with effective feedback to students provided through the marking of books. It clarifies some ground rules for feedback and what effective feedback looks like.

*Session 6: Reflection and follow-up
An opportunity for teachers to reflect on the way they can use their time assessing students’ work in a more effective way and therefore promote brisker student progress.