In Embedded Formative Assessment, Dylan Wiliam makes the case for formative assessment as the way to improve the learning of all students. He first makes this case by supporting his assertions with statistical evidence. This evidence is followed by specific strategies he considers successful and a discussion of their benefits and disadvantages of each. Beyond formative assessment, there were many themes that persisted through the book, many of which are summarized on my Twitter by chapter (3, 4, 5, 6, 7). In each chapter, he addresses a certain aspect of effective formative assessment in practice.
Although I think it is important to have a holistic view of the classroom and the many things educators must do for their students, Wiliam makes a persuasive case for the power of formative assessment as a way to engage students and inform future instruction. Something I especially enjoyed about Wiliam's book was his recommendations of specific strategies in each chapter. Many of them were familiar, either from my time as a student or my time as a preservice teacher, while many of them I had never heard of. I addressed many of these strategies briefly on my Twitter. Not all of them are strategies I would feel inclined to use, but there is a substantial collection of them, and I definitely found some that I would like to implement.
A major purpose of formative assessment is to provide both the students and the educator with feedback they can use to improve their learning and teaching, respectively. For teacher feedback, I especially liked the "Three Questions" strategy from chapter 5. As someone who often works with peers on their papers in a tutoring capacity, I can clearly see the benefit of focusing on three things they may be struggling with rather than covering a draft with corrective ink. This gives the student specific areas to improve without telling them exactly what to change and how to change it. In effect, it balances the teacher's responsibility to help the students and the student's responsibility to take control of their learning. In terms of my own future practice, I can see this being a strategy I use to give my future students feedback.
Other systems of formative assessment, like the "Traffic Lights" strategy, are ongoing throughout the class and can be effective for gauging student engagement and understanding. Another benefit of the traffic light system is that it promotes peer involvement in a way that challenges all students. By allowing students who feel they have a firm grasp on the material to assist students that don't, this activity requires students who may be considered "high-achieving" to expand their knowledge as well as the students they are teaching. I especially appreciated this emphasis on peer interaction, as this is not only something that helps all students, it is often a goal for many students with disabilities. I had a math teacher in high school who instituted this policy, and I found it effective for myself as a learner. Although, as an English educator, I will not be working with mathematical equations, I could imagine using this strategy or a similar one to review literary terms or grammar rules with students.
A strategy I found particularly compelling as a way to encourage students to see their growth and promote a growth mindset in the class was that of Learning Portfolios. I have, in many classes, been required to create a portfolio or my best work, from kindergarten to college. While I have certainly enjoyed this kind of compilation and reflection on my work, I think it has been more of an ego boost than something that has made me evaluate my learning. The kind of learning portfolios that Wiliam presents would allow, and arguably require, increased student engagement and consciousness of their progress. This, were it to work, would encourage a growth mindset in the students. It would also require all students to show growth, preventing students who have already learned the material from passing through the class without showing they have learned. This is perhaps especially easy to show in an English class, as including the drafts shows their growth on an assignment and the number of revisions required on early versus later assignments would show more long-term growth.
Another thing that I think is at the forefront of this push for formative assessment, and what makes formative assessment effective is what the teacher does with it once it has been completed by the student. Educators must analyze the information they gather and use it to inform their instruction. Formative assessment is a tool to effectively see what students already know, but this is useless if there are not conclusions drawn and changes made if necessary.
Although I think it is important to have a holistic view of the classroom and the many things educators must do for their students, Wiliam makes a persuasive case for the power of formative assessment as a way to engage students and inform future instruction. Something I especially enjoyed about Wiliam's book was his recommendations of specific strategies in each chapter. Many of them were familiar, either from my time as a student or my time as a preservice teacher, while many of them I had never heard of. I addressed many of these strategies briefly on my Twitter. Not all of them are strategies I would feel inclined to use, but there is a substantial collection of them, and I definitely found some that I would like to implement.
A major purpose of formative assessment is to provide both the students and the educator with feedback they can use to improve their learning and teaching, respectively. For teacher feedback, I especially liked the "Three Questions" strategy from chapter 5. As someone who often works with peers on their papers in a tutoring capacity, I can clearly see the benefit of focusing on three things they may be struggling with rather than covering a draft with corrective ink. This gives the student specific areas to improve without telling them exactly what to change and how to change it. In effect, it balances the teacher's responsibility to help the students and the student's responsibility to take control of their learning. In terms of my own future practice, I can see this being a strategy I use to give my future students feedback.
Other systems of formative assessment, like the "Traffic Lights" strategy, are ongoing throughout the class and can be effective for gauging student engagement and understanding. Another benefit of the traffic light system is that it promotes peer involvement in a way that challenges all students. By allowing students who feel they have a firm grasp on the material to assist students that don't, this activity requires students who may be considered "high-achieving" to expand their knowledge as well as the students they are teaching. I especially appreciated this emphasis on peer interaction, as this is not only something that helps all students, it is often a goal for many students with disabilities. I had a math teacher in high school who instituted this policy, and I found it effective for myself as a learner. Although, as an English educator, I will not be working with mathematical equations, I could imagine using this strategy or a similar one to review literary terms or grammar rules with students.
A strategy I found particularly compelling as a way to encourage students to see their growth and promote a growth mindset in the class was that of Learning Portfolios. I have, in many classes, been required to create a portfolio or my best work, from kindergarten to college. While I have certainly enjoyed this kind of compilation and reflection on my work, I think it has been more of an ego boost than something that has made me evaluate my learning. The kind of learning portfolios that Wiliam presents would allow, and arguably require, increased student engagement and consciousness of their progress. This, were it to work, would encourage a growth mindset in the students. It would also require all students to show growth, preventing students who have already learned the material from passing through the class without showing they have learned. This is perhaps especially easy to show in an English class, as including the drafts shows their growth on an assignment and the number of revisions required on early versus later assignments would show more long-term growth.
Another thing that I think is at the forefront of this push for formative assessment, and what makes formative assessment effective is what the teacher does with it once it has been completed by the student. Educators must analyze the information they gather and use it to inform their instruction. Formative assessment is a tool to effectively see what students already know, but this is useless if there are not conclusions drawn and changes made if necessary.
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