Chapter 2 The Case for Formative Assessment
I love how Wiliam points out the complexity of teaching and the changing roles that it entitles, as the biggest reason for teachers being continual students. As we engage in professional development days and learn about new techniques and more, we are learning. But it is easy to get caught up on focusing on the new trends instead of really developing one strategy. Wiliam cautions teachers to really focus on one concept and put it into practice before learning a new strategy.
It is also refreshing that Wiliam explains formative assessment as having a “variety of definitions. By trying to put all the definitions together, I liked best, his statement, ‘ What really matters is what kind of processes we value, not what we call them.” In explanation, he deems that “formative assessment should shape our instruction--- our formative experience are those that have shaped our current selves--- and so we need a definition that can accommodate all the ways in which assessment can shape instruction.” Because of the difference and uniqueness of teachers and students, the definition will not have complete agreement.
To effectively use formative assessment, we need to recognize that this process includes, teachers, learners and peers. Thus we can see how the five strategies which Wiliam has chosen to expand in latter chapter of his book, helps us understand formative assessment as a part of the teacher, learner and peer process.
These strategies are:
- Clarifying, sharing and understanding learning intentions and criteria for success
- Engineering effective classroom discussions, activities, and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning
- Providing feedback that moves learning forward
- Activating learners as instructional resources for one another
- Activating learner as the owners of their own learning