Assessment for Learning - Videos

A video from www.teachers.tv:

Note: This video has been shortened by 6 minutes, a segment on science has been removed.

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Synopsis (from http://www.teachers.tv/clip/18177)

In this programme we visit Valentine’s High School in Ilford where the teaching and learning group are spearheading a whole-school strategy for Assessment for Learning.

At an evening meeting we see teachers brainstorming ideas and offering feedback on experimental work undertaken in their own departments.

Science teacher Richard Griffin uses Key Questions with Year 9, but also grapples with more complex ways of questioning pupils to deepen their understanding.

Maths teacher Vicky Inman combines “Traffic Lights” and “No Hands Up” techniques with her Year 9 class. She comments on their value as tools for inclusion in a subject that traditionally alienates many pupils.

In addition, Vicky discusses the excitement of getting positive responses from students rather than the usual sea of blank faces.

Back at the meeting, we hear views on the deeper meaning of AFL that lies beneath the surface “ticklist” of strategies.

A video from www.teachers.tv:

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Synopsis (from http://www.teachers.tv/video/24765)

Former Teacher of the Year Andy Smith welcomes us into his classroom to demonstrate how creative teaching methods are helping his students with their Assessment for Learning.

Physics teacher Andy, who was named Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2005, has devoted much time and energy to making lessons more exciting and original. He believes that everything to do with physics, and indeed teaching in general, should revolve around fun and excitement.

Most recently, Andy has been using AfL techniques to help his pupils focus on their own learning. He has developed a range of games to help the children understand not only what they have learned about a topic, but what level of attainment they have reached.

Published: 3 March 2008

A video from www.teachers.tv: 

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Synopsis (from http://www.teachers.tv/video/24759)

Biology teacher Anita Kapila, a former bio-medical researcher, demonstrates her Assessment for Learning strategy, The Level Ladder.

With 15 years of bio-medical research behind her, Anita loves to regale her class with tales of her former career. Stories about harvesting cells from pieces of human umbilical cord and placenta fascinate them all.

But at Burnham Upper School, where Anita teaches, they have an additional way of engaging students. Their AfL strategy ensures that students are always inspired to raise their attainment.

The school’s tailored assessment model - The Level Ladder - allows children to not only know what level they’re at but gives them a guide as to how they can improve their grades and make progress. The result is an enthusiastic class continually striving to further their knowledge of biology.

Published: 3 March 2008

A video from www.teachers.tv: 

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Synopsis (from http://www.teachers.tv/video/2629)

Teachers who have switched the emphasis away from marking and grading to give comments and feedback are finding that their pupils try much harder. Public exams like GCSEs and A-levels give pupils a final grade, known as summative assessment.

Recent research, however, has focused more on formative assessment which happens every day, not just in a single ritual. Formative assessment can range from a smile or a raised eyebrow to detailed feedback about how and what a child is learning. It’s extremely effective in raising pupil’s eventual achievement in tests and exams as well as capturing their interest and commitment.

Published: 5 August 2005

A video from www.teachers.tv:

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Synopsis (from http://www.teachers.tv/video/23882) 

A visit to Holgate School near Nottingham, where Mike Endy’s Year 10 history class have recently finished a local history unit on the impact of coal mining in the 19th and 20th century.

During the 12-week unit, which is part of the OCR GCSE History Pilot, pupils completed three assessment tasks. Watch as Mike hands their results back and devotes the lesson to AfL.

Mike explains to the class how the three tasks were assessed holistically, a new concept to these pupils, and asks them to consider how to improve their work through peer and individual assessment. Meanwhile, Mike reflects how the process worked out for him too.

Published: 28 January 2008

A video from http://www.teachers.tv

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Synopsis (from http://www.teachers.tv/video/13759)

In this programme, LEA advisor Ron Rooney visits Meadows EBD School, County Durham, to see what they have learnt seven years after adopting AFL.

We watch as a Year 7 group tackle ICT with a simplified assessment grid. A Year 10 group use a similar pattern of success criteria to practice some basic reading and writing skills, whilst a talented Year 9 art group appraise their own work against GCSE descriptors, gaining supportive oral feedback from their teacher who gently encourages them to acknowledge their own potential.

After opening in a rush, and reeling from a tough initial OFSTED inspection, management at Meadows EBD School incorporated AFL as a guiding principle for consistent teaching and learning that can be applied to pupils with a wide range of emotional, behavioural and learning difficulties.

Published: 25 September 2006