Weekly Message
Monday, December 7, 2015
Essential Component of the Classroom!
“Firm evidence shows that formative assessment is an essential component of classroom work and that its development can raise standards of achievement.”
P. Black & D. Williams (1998) inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment. Phi Delta Kappa, 80(2)
Improving by Doing!
Increase level of Rigor.
Match assessment to identified level of thinking.
Use Models of Strong and Weak Work!
Make sure students know which items match learning target.
Increase Cognitive Demand!
Use Applying Webb’s Depth of Knowledge Levels for Mathematics to increase Rigor in Math!
Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrix (Math and Science)
Applying Webb's DOK Levels in Math
Reasoning, planning, using evidence, and a higher level of thinking than the previous Levels 1 and 2. In most instances, students must explain their thinking if question is at Level 3. Activities that require students to make conjectures are also at this level 3.
The cognitive demands at Level 3 are complex and abstract. The complexity does not result from the fact that there are multiple answers, a possibility for both Levels 1 and 2, but because the task requires more demanding reasoning. An activity, however, that has more than one possible answer and requires students to justify the response they give would most likely be at Level 3. Other Level 3 activities include drawing conclusions from observations; citing evidence and developing a logical argument for concepts; explaining phenomena in terms of concepts; and deciding which concepts to apply in order to solve a complex problem.
Complex reasoning, planning, developing, and thinking, most likely over an extended period of time. Requires applying significant conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking. For example, if a student has to take the water temperature from a river each day for a month and then construct a graph, this would be classified as a Level 2. However, if the student is to conduct a river study that requires taking into consideration a number of variables, this would be a Level 4. At Level 4, the cognitive demands of the task should be high and the work should be very complex. Students should be required to make several connections—relate ideas within the content area or among content areas—and have to select one approach among many alternatives on how the situation should be solved, in order to be at this highest level.
Level 4 activities include designing and conducting experiments and projects; developing and proving conjectures, making connections between a finding and related concepts and phenomena; combining and synthesizing ideas into new concepts; and critiquing experimental designs.
PLT
Next week Applying Webb's DOK in Science!
Lodge Community School
Website: http://www.edlinesites.net/pages/Lodge_Community_School
Location: 2000 Lodge Avenue, Evansville, IN, United States
Phone: (812) 477-5319