Unit 307, Outcome 1: Support Assessment for Learning
Support assessment for learning Compare and contrast the roles of the teacher and the learning support practitioner in assessment of learners achievements In order to assess pupil’s achievements the teacher will take the main lead in doing so and the learning support practitioner will take guidance from the teacher’s assessments in order to support the pupil’s progress.
In order to have a clear vision of the students ability and how they are progressing, the class teacher will monitor and assess students achievements, conduct reports of the achievements found for the department; other staff including year learning co-ordinators; and for the parents, they will also have meetings to share examples of pupil’s progress and discuss why they think that child is working at that particular level, this will further help the teacher to shape and adapt their teaching to a child’s individual needs.
The teaching assistant’s role at this time will be to support the teacher and have an input by discussing how they also believe the student is coping with the subject and to help set targets that can be put into the report so the student can achieve to their full potential.
In order for students to progress in a lesson a teacher will plan each lesson by producing a scheme of work, so that the learning objectives for that lesson are clear, the teaching assistant will support the teacher by looking at the scheme of work prepared and after discussing with the teacher will prepare differentiated materials for SEN and targeted students and make sure these are done before the lesson is due to take place.
The teaching assistant can also support the teacher by helping manage classroom behaviour, and keeping students especially targeted students focused on the task at hand, encouraging students by making positive comments and prompting them to participate in the lesson. Summarise the difference between formative and summative assessment. A formative assessment assists the teacher in developing their lesson so that they can improve the student’s attainment and is designed to give pupils eedback in order to improve in their learning. There are many different types of formative assessment which include; observations to understand how a student works and what strategies they use; write backs; diagnostic testing which can be done at the beginning of a term to check students strengths and weaknesses in learning; and engaging pupils in reviewing progress where at the end of the lesson teacher asks questions about the material that has just been learnt to check they have understood the learning objectives.
Whereas a summative assessment comes at the end of a topic, term or year for a summary of what the student has learnt and is the formal testing. The results of these tests are then used for different types of reports including whole school, departmental, and parent reports. Explain the characteristics of assessment for learning. The main characteristics of assessment for learning are to encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own learning.
This can be done by; making sure that pupils are actively involved in lessons from the very start; students are continuously referred back to the learning objective throughout the lesson so they know they are on the right track; helping students understand and know the standard of work that they are aiming for in class by reflecting and questioning themselves, for example ‘what have I learnt? ’ and ‘what could I have done/do to improve that piece of work? ; allowing time for peer assessment and getting students to provide each other with constructive critism; teachers providing constructive feedback that will help pupils identify improvements and by also educating pupils in self assessment methods in order to ascertain areas for development. Explain the importance and benefits of assessment for learning Assessment for learning is an essential part of education as it defines whether or not students have fully understood the learning objectives.
However assessment for learning plays a significant role in raising a student’s academic achievements and is centred on the belief that in order for pupil to progress in school, they must understand the purpose of their learning, where they are in relation to this purpose and how they can achieve their goals, and research has shown that students that are involved in the assessment process are more likely to show higher motivation for their learning and take an active role in making improvements to their work by reflecting on their own development.
If a pupil is given the opportunity to discuss their learning either with a teacher or one of their peers then they will develop a deeper understanding of their learning which can build confidence, raise their self esteem and motivate them as students. Effective assessment will identify individual educational needs of all children as well as informing them about their specific performances and achievements, this will then allow teachers to use approaches that are personalised to the needs of a child.
Assessment can be used not only to measure learning but also to promote learning by teaching pupils how to ask questions as well as answering them, by emphasising to a child that it is acceptable to ‘have a go’ and that by giving the wrong answer is still an opportunity to learn. It further provides the student with an understanding of what levels they are working at, what level they would like to working towards, and plan on how they are going to reach that level. Explain how assessment for learning can contribute to planning for future learning carried out by:
Day to day assessments are a crucial phase of effective teaching, and consists of the teacher and teaching assistant in the class focusing on how the students learning is progressing in that particular lesson and defining where improvements can be made. If also allows both the teacher and teaching assistant to recognise what steps should be taken to support each student achieve to the best of their ability. The teacher It is important for the teacher to carry out a number of observations on their students and conduct topic knowledge test to have a greater understanding of students’ abilities.
Once this is done the teacher can measure what the child can do and what they know, and they can determine what is successful and what approaches they are going to take when they are planning their lessons i. e. do some students need differentiated materials, does pair/group work activities need to be incorporated within the lesson to help students growth and development of their skills and knowledge. When this is in place the teacher will be able to measure the students progress and then they can encourage the pupil to take responsibility for their own learning and be involved in the assessment process as a whole
The learners The assessment process for students will encourage and teach them to reflect on their work on a regular basis, and question themselves on whether they have met the learning objective for that lesson. This in turn will teach them to assess their own work and look at how they can make improvements to it, in accordance to the criteria they need to meet, furthermore it will make them feel included in the learning process and provide them with the confidence to ask for help when they are unsure or to say when they feel they have not understood the learning objectives correctly.
The learning support practitioner The teaching assistant (TA) should always work in partnership with the teacher, to gain a greater understanding of how you can support and enhance the learning of the students. If you have more than one students who is low ability or a targeted SEN student, it can be an idea to sit them at the same table so that the TA can sit with them all so they can work at a pace that is suitable for them.
This also allow the TA to help clarify the learning objectives for the lesson by asking questions such as “what are we learning about today? ”, “can you highlight the key words in the learning objectives? ”. It also provides low ability students’ with an opportunity to ask questions about their work and have clarification that they are on the right path. Thus assessment for learning provides the teaching assistant with knowledge of the students’ abilities and what types of questions to use to gage their understanding.
