Assessment For Learning - RNLC - Using AFL in the classroom
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RNLC
Redbridge Networked Learning Communities
www.redbridge.gov.uk/rnlc
Assessment
For Learning
Using AFL in the classroom
Contents page
Foreword 3
Introduction 3
Sharing Objectives 4
Learning Objectives 4-5
Success Criteria 5-6
Feedback 6
Oral Feedback 6
Written Feedback 7
Questioning 8
Assessment 9
Self Assessment 9-10
Traffic Lights 11
Peer Assessment 11-12
Pupil Voice 13
Pupils’ views on AFL 14
Resources 15
AFL Handbook 2005
Foreword
The Redbridge Assessment for Learning Network is a group of 26 primary and secondary schools who
work together to share ideas and learning about AFL.
Our aim is:
to learn how assessment for learning can be applied successfully in classrooms and to allow teachers to
take risks, share set-backs and successes in order to learn from each other and embed this experience
into ongoing school wide practice.
We have been highly successful in promoting
learning about AFL, using research lessons,
observations, training, meetings and conferences
to do this, and this has resulted in a real focus
on sharing ideas and practice.
There is a wealth of good practice in our schools
and the aim of this handbook is both to
celebrate that and continue to share ideas.
Introduction
This booklet has been designed to provide
teachers with practical ideas for putting
“Assessment for Learning” strategies into
practice. We have also included a list of
websites and books where you can find further
resources and read about the research behind
AfL. We are grateful to all the teachers and
students in the Redbridge AfL Network who
have contributed their ideas and comments.
3 AFL Handbook 2005
Sharing
Objectives
Learning Objectives
Planning
Clarifying learning objectives at the planning
stage enables teachers to focus on what they At KS2 and above the learning objective can be
want the pupils to learn rather than on a list of displayed as part of the daily timetable or on a
activities to be completed. It is worth whiteboard. It may be relevant to record the
recording objectives in pupil friendly language objective in the pupils’ books during lessons
in lesson plans so that they are ready to share that involve written work.
with the pupils.
It is useful to display the learning objective
throughout the lesson so that the teacher and
Sharing Learning Objectives with Pupils
pupils can refer back to it at any time. It is
The learning objective needs to be shared and sometimes helpful to differentiate learning
discussed with the pupils in every lesson. In objectives:
some lessons it may be best to start by
e.g.
capturing the pupils’ interest with a starter
activity, before revealing the learning
objective. All of you will be learning to use the past
tense in the “je” form.
Younger pupils may respond well to the
acronym WALT (We are learning to...). At KS1, Some of you will be learning to use the past
characters may be used to display the WALT. tense in the “nous” form.
WALT - We are learning to add The Big Picture
It is important to explain to pupils why they
are covering particular learning objectives.
The teacher may explain the rationale directly
or ask pupils for their ideas to set the lesson in
context:
e.g.
We are learning about adjectives so that our
descriptions of the monster sound more
interesting.
Why might we want to work out percentages?
AFL Handbook 2005 4
Reviewing the Learning Objective
Learning objective:
At the end of each lesson, the learning
objective should be discussed to assess the > To use persuasive language
pupils’ understanding. Learning objectives can
be reviewed in a number of ways with older Success Criteria:
pupils: > Use of discourse markers
e.g. > Use of rhetorical questions
> Use of evidence to support points
Give pairs of pupils a mini whiteboard and
ask them to record three points, showing > A conclusion
they have met the objectives.
Ask pupils to prepare questions for their
partner based on the learning objectives. However, a learning objective which focuses on
an individual skill being taught has limited
Label the pupils A and B. Call out a series of success criteria:
key questions to test understanding of the
objectives. Pupils take it in turns to answer e.g.
the questions while their partner listens to
correct mistakes. Learning objective:
> We are learning to use commas.
Success Criteria:
> Accurate use of commas in at least three
Success Criteria
sentences.
The success criteria for each piece of work
need to be considered at the planning stage.
Learning objectives which are quite general
may require several success criteria:
e.g.
Learning objective:
> We are learning to write a story
Success Criteria:
> Use of paragraphs
> A build-up
> A dilemma
> A resolution
5 AFL Handbook 2005
Sharing Success Criteria
The success criteria should be as precise as Feedback
possible and written in pupil friendly language.
Younger pupils may respond to the use of the
acronym ‘WILF’ (What I’m Looking For’).
Alternatively, criteria can be phrased using
‘Remember to...’.
The success criteria may need to be
differentiated:
e.g.
Success Criteria:
> Core: Use of adjectives to describe the
appearance and personality of the characters.
> Extension: A description written in the
past tense.
Oral Feedback
Teachers’ comments to pupils during the
course of a lesson should focus on the learning
Older pupils can be asked to create their own objective and success criteria, rather than
success criteria through discussion. Pupils may peripheral issues such as presentation.
then use the criteria as a checklist and can Marking work as a whole class and discussing
underline their work in different colours to answers is an effective form of oral feedback.
show where they have met each criterion. This encourages questions and talk about learning.
The success criteria enable teachers to have a
clearer purpose when marking and pupils Features of effective oral feedback:
understand what they need to focus on to be
successful.
> Use positive language
It is sometimes helpful to display pupils’ work
> Use pupil friendly language
as a model, showing how they have met the
success criteria. > Repeat the learning objective and success
criteria
> Keep it concise
> Be specific: avoid using “good” and
“well done”
> Make it an interactive conversation
> Use scaffolding prompts to help pupils
improve
> Question pupils to help them think of
ideas to improve themselves
> Use positive body language
> Encourage pupils to write down key points
AFL Handbook 2005 6
Written Feedback
Written feedback should focus on how well
pupils have achieved the success criteria,
highlighting both successes and improvements
that need to be made. This type of formative
feedback has been shown to lead to greater
learning gains and higher self esteem than
general comments such as “well done” or the
use of grades (Black and Wiliam, 1998).
It is helpful to highlight up to three areas
where the pupil has successfully achieved the
success criteria and to add a comment in the
margin to explain why a particular word,
phrase or paragraph has been chosen.
A question or suggestion relating to the success
Shirley Clarke (2003) suggests a number of
criteria can then be written at the end of the
prompts to help pupils make improvements to
piece of work and an asterisk can be used to
their work:
identify the place where the work could be
improved. If the pupil has achieved all the
success criteria then another personal target > Elaborating and extending/ “Tell us more…”
may be added.
> Adding a word or sentence/ “Add one word…”
Key Stage 2:
> Changing the text/ “Find a better word…”
> Justifying/ “Why…?”
Younger pupils may benefit from being given
the feedback orally as well as having it
recorded by the teacher.
It is essential that pupils are given an
opportunity to respond to the comments as
soon as possible. This can be set as homework
for older pupils. However, is often more
effective to allow ten minutes at the beginning
of a lesson for pupils to make improvements
since they can seek clarification from the
teacher.
Pupils may wish to record their improvement
targets on a separate piece of paper at the
back of their book, or on a bookmark.
Alternatively, teachers may choose to set
targets on post-it notes. This allows pupils to
move the target through their book and to
refer back to it when they attempt their next
piece of work.
7 AFL Handbook 2005
Questioning
When asking questions it is
helpful to allow pupils a
few seconds of ‘thinking
time’. This ensures all
pupils have the opportunity
to reflect and develop a
more detailed response.
Pupils can also benefit
from paired and group
discussions before
answering questions as they
can challenge and develop
one another’s ideas.
It is sometimes helpful to
ask pupils not to put
their hands up. No one
knows who will be asked
to answer, so everyone
must be ready with an
answer. This works well
during the plenary though
may be less useful when
trying to establish existing
The ‘phone a friend’ technique allows a pupil
knowledge.
who does not know the answer to pick
someone to help. The person chosen should be
encouraged to rephrase or comment on their
friend’s answer.
‘Ask the audience or 50/50’ gives the pupil a
body of knowledge from which to choose
(either four or two alternative answers).
Pupils should be encouraged to develop their
answers through the use of follow-up
questions, such as “why do you think ...?”,
“how could you...?”, “what would happen
if...?”
Pupils can be encouraged to give extended
answers by, for instance, giving them a
minimum number of words with which to
answer the question.
The ‘snow-balling’ technique can be useful as
it encourages the development of answers.
Pupils can be asked to respond to, or build on
the answer of a previous pupil.
AFL Handbook 2005 8
Assessment
Self Assessment
Training pupils to assess their own performance
allows them to take ownership of their
learning.
Self assessment during plenaries
Plenaries offer a valuable opportunity for
pupils to reflect on their learning. The teacher
can then unravel misconceptions and provide
links to future learning. It is important to
reiterate the learning objective and success
criteria to focus pupils’ comments. It may be
helpful to display self assessment questions
such as the following:
What am I most
pleased with?
What would I have
done differently?
What did I
find difficult? It is also important to model the possible
answers that pupils might give to the self
assessment questions. Younger pupils may
require several weeks of modelling. It is
usually best to focus on one self assessment
What did I question in each lesson. Pupils will need a
find easy? short period of thinking time and may feed
back their answers to the whole class, partner
or a group.
9 AFL Handbook 2005
Self assessment during independent work Self assessment with older pupils
Pupils can also be encouraged to evaluate their There are a number of ways that pupils can be
learning while they are working independently. encouraged to reflect on the written work they
A poster such as ‘I’m Stuck’ can help younger have produced:
pupils to consider their options systematically.
Provide pupils with a mark scheme to help
them assess their own work. Ensure that pupil
friendly language is used.
I’m Stuck! Ask pupils to create their own mark scheme
using the success criteria.
Do not worry if you are stuck. Ask pupils to identify the three best phrases/
sentences/ paragraphs in their work and
Learning new things is often difficult.
explain why they are good, with reference to
the success criteria.
> Check what you have been asked
Ask pupils to identify, in different colours,
to do. where they have met each of the success
> Is there anything in the class that criteria (e.g. underline your rhetorical
questions in blue, your adverbs in red etc.)
can help - number square? Dictionary?
Thesaurus? Seat pupils in groups of equal ability and
provide them with an example of work at the
> What have you or your group done level or grade above their working level. Ask
so far? them to identify what they need to do to reach
the next grade.
> Are you still stuck?
Provide pupils with a list of possible targets
> Ask an adult. and ask them to identify the two which are
most relevant to them.
AFL Handbook 2005 10Traffic Lights
Using traffic light symbols allows teachers to
receive instant feedback from the pupils.
= All understood
= Okay
= Difficult
Traffic light cards can be used to establish how
much pupils know about a topic before you begin
teaching it, or to check understanding of a topic
that has been taught. Pupils can hold the cards Peer Assessment
up in response to a question to provide
immediate feedback. Alternatively, pupils can Peer Assessment at Key Stage 2
use ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ signals.
Working in pairs provides pupils with
While working independently, the pupils can reassurance and support from their peers
indicate to the teacher how they are getting before their teacher marks their work.
on by displaying the traffic light cards on the However, this process needs to be modelled
table next to them. using a pupil’s piece of work.
At the end of a piece of written work, pupils can It is important to establish ground rules for
draw a traffic light in their book to indicate to the peer assessment. The poster below can be
teacher their level of understanding. Younger discussed before peer assessment to ensure
pupils may prefer to use smiley faces. that children are aware of how to work with
Older students can audit their knowledge before their partner.
beginning a revision programme. Give them a
copy of the syllabus and ask them to identify the
areas they have most difficulty understanding. Things to remember when assessing work
> Respect each other’s work
> Be fair to your partner
> Tell your partner the good things that you
see in their work
> Try to make your suggestions as clear as
possible
> Look for a way to help your partner
> Listen to your partner’s advice
> Be supportive when deciding a wish
11 AFL Handbook 2005The following process can be used as a prompt Peer Assessment at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5
for partners to refer to at any stage.
Older pupils will also need guidance when
assessing their peers’ work. It is worth
providing pupils with sentence starters to help
Process For Editing Work
them write their own comments.
Read through your own work and check if
e.g.
there is anything you want to change to
achieve the WILF. ‘You have done well with...’
Now read your work to your editing partner. ‘You need to improve on’.
Identify no more than 3 stars together and
record them in the margin. Make sure they Experiment with different approaches to peer
match the WILF for the lesson. assessment:
Decide on 1 wish together and record this at Encourage pupils to peer mark in groups. Give
the end of the piece of writing. Use your each group a set of post-it notes, ask them to
writing targets to help with your wish. look at the work produced by another group
Now change books and work through this and stick their comments to the work. This can
method again with your partner. be repeated several times so that when their
own work is returned they can select the two
3 Stars and 1 Wish most helpful post-it notes.
Give pupils a worksheet with the answers filled
in or a range of answers at different levels.
Pupils can work together to mark answers using
a mark scheme and give reasons.
Provide examination mark schemes in pupil
friendly language. Ask pupils to grade example
answers (e.g. work produced by pupils in
another class) and give reasons for the grade
they have been awarded.
Give students a small slip of paper/post-it to
record any queries they have when peer
marking. The teacher can then collect the
questions and deal with them either in the
plenary or in the following lesson.
AFL Handbook 2005 12Pupil Voice U Interviews
It is sometimes helpful if pupils are
interviewed by a teacher who does not teach
them, as this may allow them to be more
frank. Ask pupils to give examples of lessons
We need to provide they particularly enjoyed, to identify strategies
they have found helpful and any barriers to
pupils with opportunities their learning.
to voice their views on U Lesson Reviews
their learning. Teachers At the end of a lesson, provide pupils with
post-it notes and ask them to write one
need to be comfortable positive comment about their learning
experience and one suggestion. This provides
with the strategies that immediate feedback for the teacher to
consider when planning the next lesson.
are chosen for doing this
U Questionnaires
and there needs to be Larger scale studies can be carried out with
agreement about how older pupils. It is important to use “pupil
friendly” language and to ask specific questions
feedback will be given
(e.g. “give an example of an activity that
helped you learn”). It can be interesting to
and acted upon.
compare pupil and teacher perceptions of what
goes on in the classroom.
U Learning Logs
Older pupils can be given a notebook to fill in
during the week, describing their learning. In a
secondary school this can reveal how consistent
their experience is across different subject areas.
U Pupil conferences
Pupils from different schools or from different
classes in the same school can meet to share
their experience of strategies they have found
helpful. They can then present their
conclusions to staff.
13 AFL Handbook 2005Pupils’ views on AFL
Self-evaluation My teacher really
questions make me think listens to my views and
about how I can improve opinions. I like checking my work
my work. with my partner as I get
I feel valued.
a chance to improve my
I find the “I’m stuck” work before the teacher
poster useful as I know looks at it.
how I can help myself if
the work is difficult.
I enjoy using the The success criteria
traffic lights so my helps me to know
teacher knows if what to include in
I have understood the my writing.
work or if I need
some help. I use it as a check list.
My learning has got The comments are clear
better as I always to understand and
have good things in specific targets help
my work. to focus my revision.
AFL Handbook 2005 14Resources Books
l Assessment Reform Group (1998) Assessment for
learning: beyond the black box.
Websites l Assessment Reform Group (2002) Assessment for learning:
ten principles.
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority l Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998) Inside the Black box:
www.qca.org.uk raising standards through classroom assessment.
l Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. and Wiliam,
Primary National Strategy D. (2002) Working inside the black box: assessment for
learning in the classroom.
www.standards.dfes.gov.uk
l Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. and Wiliam, D.
(2003) Assessment for learning; putting it into practice.
Redbridge Networked Learning Communities
www.redbridge.gov.uk/rnlc l Black , P. and Harrison, C. (nferNelson, 2004)
Science inside the black box.
Clarke, S (1998) Targeting assessment in the Primary
Assessment for learning
l
Classroom.
www.bgfl.org/services/assess/a4learn.htm
l Clarke, S (2001) Unlocking formative assessment.
Clarke, S (2003) Enriching feedback in the primary
Formative assessment/ Assessment for Learning
l
classroom.
www.literacytrust.org.uk/Database/assessment.html
l DFES Primary National Strategy (2004) Excellence and
Enjoyment: learning and teaching in the primary years-
Assessment for Learning Assessment for learning.
www.eriding.net/assessment/assessment_for_learning.shtml l Demos (2004) About learning: Report of the Learning
Working Group.
Kings College l Hargreaves, D. (Specialist Schools Trust, 2004)
www.kcl.ac.uk Personalising Learning 2, Student voice and Assessment
for Learning.
15 AFL Handbook 2005AFL Network Schools l Aldersbrook Primary School l Hainault Forest High School l Barley Lane Primary School l Ilford County High School l Beal High School l Mayespark Primary School l Canon Palmer Catholic High School l Mayfield School & College l Chadwell Primary School l Newbury Park Primary School l Christchurch Primary School l Oaks Park High School l Cleveland Junior School l Seven Kings High School l Clore Tikva Primary School l South Park Primary School l Fairlop Primary School l St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School l Farnham Green Primary School l Valentines High School l Fullwood Primary School l Wanstead High School l Gearies Junior School l Wanstead Church of England Primary School l Goodmayes Primary School l William Torbitt Primary School Contact us: Redbridge Networked Learning Communities Seven Kings High School Ley Street Ilford IG2 7BT Tel/Fax: 020 8554 8237 Email: rnlc@redbridge.gov.uk Produced by the AFL Network: Darshan Kaur Fiona Morgan Douglas Rae Tracy Smith & Eugenia Weaver Designed by Design & Reprographics, LBR.
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