Thread by @coachnateb

The embedded thread outlined some assessment possibilities that may work well IF YOU HAVE TIME & resources...

But it also reflects a logo-centric (word/number dominated)approach, & so is limited.

This thread will attempt to address these limitations.

Here we go...

https://twitter.com/coachnateb/status/1370531902176645123

1st, what if you don’t have much time? Or if you have 100 students at a time?

1 thing you could do is set up the same activities (throw for distance, accuracy, fun, etc) & ask the S’s to engage & notice. Could have them partner up & compare or combine results verbally.

Could also split these activities up over time & revisit them. Maybe even often.

1 way of documenting their knowledge is via journals, but another way is dialogue. Could have groups/whole class dialogue & chart answers on a board. That is “evidence” of learning!

Another: when it comes to the more creative & exploratory aspects of the assessment, rather than writing or charting, you could have willing S’s demonstrate to the class what they had come up with. Could then even give S’s a chance to try what their peers “taught” them.

You could have S’s pick 2-4 assessments from the list (rather than complete the whole thing), thus saving time & also honoring S voice/choice (which is a democratic approach). This is also an example of a negotiated approach.

Could make room for different representations/demonstrations/constructions of their knowledge: they could dance their results to an audience (small or large), or draw their results w/OUT using words or numbers (yes, it would be a good idea to ask them to try this). Or a poem!

Could even ask S’s to design their own assessments. At some point, the T could pick a few of the assessments here and there and share with the class, giving credit to the designers, & then have the class choose one (maybe from a list of choices) to do.

Could also create a document with images or emojis that the S’s could circle as they complete each assessment (eg, circle the happy face they were satisfied with their results on the distance throwing).

Ok. You get the point. Lots of different ways of doing this.

Last, there still is quite a bit of value for each S just going through each activity w/out ever having to document or report. Just the doing can be transformative, & the evidence can be inferred by observation.

If time, numbers, & resources are a major constraint, I would prioritize the design of encounters that make meaningful demands of the S’s that can change them (like invent new throws), & then ask what they thought (dialogue, thumbs up, demonstrate, etc).

When it comes to learning or knowledge or capabilities, assessment just adds to it (& can stimulate it as well). It isn’t necessary to verify it. The doing itself verifies it. The DOING always involves knowledge & learning & doesn’t need assessment for it to occur.