Omnivore\'s Dilemma Popham on Level

Omnivore's Dilemma

Popham on Level 3 assessment -- Level 3 formative assessment requires a fundamental change in the entire classroom environment: learning expectations, responsibility for that learning, and the perceived role of the classroom assessment. The shift in learning responsibility moves from the teacher providing the learning environment to a more collaborative effort between students and teachers. In the same manner, individual assessments become more group assessments with students taking responsibility and interest for other students -- and helping them with their progress. Thus, the role of the formative assessment tool is simply a guide for all the participants in the learning environment to note where on the learning target the individual and then class are, and then finding ways to express a cooperative shift in achieving those goals. I believe it would be most effective to share the responsibility of learning; to explain that the role of the instructor is to nourish learning, to ask questions that foster learning; but that it is the student's role to actively participate in the learning mode so that the learning targets are mastered.

Part 2 -- Popham and classroom change. For an individual classroom, steps to changing the classroom are dependent upon several issues: a) when in the school year this is being implemented (beginning of year or once habits are already made); b) the type of classroom (regular, highly capable, or special education); c) age of the group (some steps can be implemented faster and more forcefully with older children). Given a regular classroom mid-year, it would seem that in order to get "buy-in" on any form of classroom change, the student's should give their opinion and advice on issues, directions, even certain aspects of curriculum development. For instance, a small example might be to introduce the idea of a democratic classroom in an American History lesson; allow the class to decide if today we are studying the "what if" about the Articles of Confederation, the popular history of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense," or a mock "what would you do" if you were the British facing rebellion, or a shopkeeper in Boston right after the Tea Party. Allowing the students to "choose" the lesson, both empowers them and allows them a more engaging learning experience.

Part 3 -- Questioning - Ineffective questioning typically asks for a rote memorization paradigm, as opposed to a more robust use of higher-level questions designed to go beyond the text and make the issue relevant, personal, and interesting. Instead, look at the learning target and formulate questions that will continually guide the students towards discovering answers -- not the answer. Use nonverbal clues such as nodding, eye contact, moving around the classroom. Continually ask students "why," or follow up on another student's answer with, "Mary thought this, in your situation, what would you say?" In effect, if the teacher can take Bloom's taxonomy of learning, and simply superimpose that on every lesson (certainly not using every issue every time), but more of a method of moving to evaluation, analysis, and synthesis; the material will stay with the student far longer, and become more relevant; particularly if you ask them for examples or thoughts.