Demonstrating Learner Progress

In order to effectively demonstrate progress in lessons, here are 3 top tips that you may wish to follow:

Tip 1
1. Set clear, challenging learning outcomes/intentions.

Why?
Research by John Hattie has indicated that setting clear learning intentions has an effect-size of 0.56. In essence, this results in approximately a one grade improvement in learning. 

How?
Now setting learning intentions can be approached in a variety of ways. There is the traditional all, most and some will be able to..., the SOLO taxonomy graded approach which moves all learners through a series of levels from shallow to deep learning. You may also just have a series of questions that you wish the learners to answer, better still, get learners to individually set their own goals. How you choose to set them is up to you. I suggest that whatever approach you adopt, that you make them clear to all learners (this doesn't mean just telling them at the start and not referring to them until the end) and of course, challenging. You know your learners, stretch them all.


Tip 2
2. Provide learning opportunities for learners (common sense bit)

Why?
erm, no real need to explain this bit.

How?
This is the important bit. In order to learn, there will be a need for some tutor input and a fair amount of active learning. We are not just ensuring that learners learn the content, but we also need to focus on the wider skills development (communication, organisation etc) so need to provide the opportunities for learners to develop these.


Tip 3
3. Assess the learners during the session to aid future learning (Assessment FOR learning)

Why?
How will you know if they get it? Assessment for learning can take the form of many means. Used well, it allows the teacher to know if learners are progressing as expected. If they are not progressing, then perhaps revisit the learning intentions and tweak. That is if they find it both hard or easy.

How?
Research suggests that handing the ownership of assessment over to the learners can be more beneficial than solely relying on yourself to do it all. 

Teacher Questioning can be a brilliant tool - if used well! The research shows that it only has an effect-size of 0.41, which highlights to me that it often isn't done successfully. Try not to give away the answer to your question too quickly. Allow learners to consider their responses, bounce the question around the room and get as many to respond as possible before clarifying the correct answer. See the video below for more top tips. 

Peer assessment is really useful as whilst a learner is assessing their peer, they acquire a greater understanding of the criteria and feedback is often better received than from a teacher.

Self Assessment has an whopping effect-size of 1.41. This is nearly a three grade improvement. I would recommend where possible trying to use this. 

Using all AfL methods in combination with one another will arguably provide you with a more rounded picture of progress and so consider how you intend to assess in your lessons. This will be dependent on the learners and the content.

Recording learner progress is a useful reflection activity for both yourself and learners. This can be done in a variety of ways. For a couple of ideas for this, see the following blog posts: RoDS and Learning Continuum.