Initial assessment
Learner-centred initial assessment underpins personalised learning programmes when its findings are respected and used to develop effective, dynamic individual learning plans. Effective initial assessment:
- assembles an overall picture of the learner, identifying the skills, attitudes and behaviours that they bring with them
- recognises, acknowledges and records prior learning and experience
- draws out what learners can do and does not just focus on what they can’t do
- adopts creative, exciting and thoughtful approaches and activities, individually and in groups, to explore personal and social skills, as well as vocationally relevant, practical skills
- uses multi-modal, informal and formal assessment methods, including IT, practical tasks and observation
- avoids ‘testing.’
Use the resources in this section to answer questions such as these.
- What is effective practice in initial assessment?
- Why do it?
- What will my learners gain from it?
- What will I get out of it?
- Which creative ideas could I adapt and adopt to use in my context?
The resources in this area can help you to plan learning and support teacher education and professional development in this area and to challenge pre-conceptions about initial assessment processes.
For more in-depth information and ideas look at:
Resources for teacher educators
- Getting the most out of these resources
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateInitial assessment: Modern Foreign Languages - Info and Web
- Improving initial assessment supporting materials - Info and Web
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateImproving initial assessment and induction processes: Self-assessment checklist for managers - PDF
- The tree of learning - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateThe tree of learning: Guidance notes - Word
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateThe tree of learning poster - Word
- Personalising the learner journey - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateQuality improvement tool: Initial assessment - Info and Web
Technical information
Induction
Inspectors' reports point out that induction should:
- help learners decide whether or not they are on the right course
- introduce the content of the course
- introduce learners to how they and their course work will be assessed and what support they can expect
- raise awareness of diversity issues
- include elements of initial assessment and diagnostic screening, and provide learners with the outcomes of this.
Effective induction programmes also offer on-going opportunities for initial and diagnostic assessment. Observation is a particularly valuable tool as learners become engaged more actively in group tasks and challenges. It comes into its own during induction when learners begin to feel at ease and more confident with peers and teachers.
Observation works best when used consistently and objectively by colleagues in teaching teams. The team can provide feedback on how learners perform in a variety of situations, allowing you to construct a holistic picture of each learner’s prior experience, strengths and needs.
The resources in this area can help you to plan learning and support teacher education and professional development in this area by stimulating discussion around creative ways of using induction to improve the learner’s experience.
Resources for teacher educators
- Getting the most out of these resources- What they say about induction - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateWhat they say about induction video - Quicktime Windows Media Player
- Using observation - Info
- Using observation to gain evidence about personal and social skills - Info
Technical information
Reviewing progress
Progress reviews are most effective when teacher and learner engage in a learning conversation and focus on how learning occurs. Effective teachers help the learner to:
- prepare for review
- clarify their aims
- set targets
- identify achievements so far
- identify challenges and find ways forward.
The resources can stimulate discussion around:
- the purpose and value of progress reviews
- communication and dialogue skills that teachers require to be effective
- the challenges, and rewards, of engaging learners in the learning process
- planning that both teachers and learners need to undertake in order to get the most out of progress reviews
- the need to stimulate reflective practice for both teachers and learners.
Look at the resources in Learning and teaching for a range of ideas about developing effective communication and dialogue skills.
Look at formative and summative assessment for resources relating to target setting.
Resources for teacher educators
- Getting the most out of these resources- Quick start guides - Info
- Progress review CPD DVD - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateUnderstanding learners: Clip 1 - Quicktime
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateUnderstanding learners: Clip 2 - Quicktime
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateProgress review - Quicktime
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateWhat to expect of reviews - Info and Web
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateThe Tardis room - Info and Web
- What makes a good progress review? - Info and Web
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateImportance and statement cards - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateLearner instructions - PDF
- Evaluate your skills - Info
- Improve your own learning - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateLearner instructions - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateFrequency and statement cards - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateInteractive version - Web
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateImproving learner reviews (section 4): - Info and Web
Technical information
Formative and summative assessment
Learning is most effective when learners understand what they are learning, and why. Engaging learners to understand how they learn can be challenging but the reward is the emergence of expert learner skills, including the ability to manage their own individual learning plans (ILPs). Practical strategies include working with learners to:
- develop learning targets and devise and/or understand the success criteria against which they will be assessed
- use assessment criteria as an explicit part of the learning process
- develop peer review and self-assessment skills, using the assessment criteria as performance benchmarks
- practise giving, receiving and acting on formative feedback
- make their own judgements about when the standard has been achieved – summative assessment.
The resources offer some creative approaches to implementing formative and summative assessment strategies, and can be used to support teacher education and professional development programmes in these areas.
Resources for teacher educators
- Getting the most out of these resources- Personalised learning programme - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateGetting better at target setting - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateTarget setting cards - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateMaking targets SMART - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateSMART versions of targets - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateSetting SMART targets - PDF
- Monitoring learning - Info
- Health, safety and well-being activities - Info
- Health, safety and well-being - Info
- Construction and the built environment - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateCreating effective learning targets - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateTarget setting cards - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateTemplate for creating your own target setting cards - Word
- Formative and summative assessment: Checking and summarising learning activities - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateChecking and summarising learning activities - PDF Word Windows Media Player
- Using formative assessment: Information sheet - Info
- Formative assessment in the classroom - Info
- Listening to learners' thinking - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateListening to learners' thinking: Part 1 - Web MPEG
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateListening to learners' thinking: Part 2 - Web MPEG
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateListening to learners' thinking - Word
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateWhich questioning techniques - Info and Web
Technical information
Giving and improving feedback
Effective feedback is a powerful stage in learning. Learners can see what they have achieved, and where they need to go next. Feedback will be formal, through progress reviews or through written feedback for example, or informal, during the course of a learning session. Learners can also provide each other with feedback through well-constructed peer review sessions.
Motivational dialogue skills and techniques can be developed by teachers and used in formal and informal settings so that conversations with learners provide feedback that helps them move forward.
Learners need to develop skills in giving and receiving feedback and these can be promoted through co-operative learning approaches to group work. Self-evaluation and peer evaluation skills underpin co-operative learning and the Peer review toolkit includes many ideas to help learners build confidence in use of feedback both with each other and in the context of progress reviews.
Look also at Learning and teaching: Effective interpersonal skills in teaching.
Resources for teacher educators
- Getting the most out of these resources- Focus on feedback - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateCPD activity - Word
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateCard activity - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateCPD activity pro-forma - Word
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateMotivational dialogue: Tutorial package - Info and Web
- Continuing professional development supporting materials - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateRunning a feedback and review session: Using triads - PDF
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateHow to run effective feedback and review sessions - PDF
- Peer review - Info
Technical information
