EMBEDDING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
There is now substantial research evidence that supporting teachers in their development of formative assessment is perhaps the most cost-effective way to increase student achievement, and to make educational outcomes more equitable without increasing teacher workload. However many attempts to implement formative assessment have been unsuccessful because they have not taken into account that effective formative assessment involves two equally important components: supporting teachers in acquiring knowledge about effective practices and changing classroom habits.
In this interactive workshop participants will learn what formative assessment is, and more importantly what it is not, why it is not the same as assessment for learning, and not all approaches to formative assessment are equally effective.
The bulk of the workshop will focus on the five key strategies of formative assessment—sharing learning intentions and success criteria, eliciting evidence, providing feedback, activating peers as learning resources for one another, and activating learners as owners of their own learning.
Participants will learn about the research evidence supporting each of these strategies, and for each strategy, will be introduced to a number of practical techniques that can be immediately applied in any classroom.
The workshop will conclude by providing participants with all the resources needed to establish—and sustain—school-based teacher learning communities that can support teachers developing their own practice, without the need for any external facilitation.
