Assessment
The planning and use of assessment for teaching and learning purposes is important for the achievement of student learning outcomes. The use of formative and summative assessments for the continued development of student learning progression was essential to my teaching practice. Formative assessment was used to broaden and develop student knowledge and understanding of biological and scientific concepts, which helped prepare them for the completion of summative assessments. According to the ACARA and SACE Stage 1 Biology curriculum, the ‘Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics’ unit of work requires students to complete a Science as a Human Endeavour (SHE) Task. The SHE Task required students to critically evaluate the links between science and society according to the 4 SHE concepts of Communication & Collaboration, Development, Application & Limitation and Influence. The students were required to evaluate the links between science and society in the area of conservation, which fits into the ‘Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics’ unit of work. This required students to select and research an endangered species and present the findings in a multi-modal format. As the SHE Task was a summative assessment, the use of feedback was prioritised so that students were able to reflect on and improve their learning, which led to positive learning outcomes.
During my final placement, I designed a unit plan for Stage 1 Biology according to the ACARA and SACE Stage 1 Biology curriculum outlines. The initial unit plan outline that was developed included lessons that covered formative assessment tasks for the purpose of preparing students for the summative SHE Task assessment. The use of formative assessments to evaluate student knowledge and understanding of the SHE Task concepts informed me of how much lesson time should be dedicated to teaching and learning about the SHE Task concepts. Hence, in response to students presenting with uncertainty about the SHE Task concepts, more class time was dedicated to teaching them, as made evident by the adjusted lesson plans, which prioritised learning about the SHE Task concepts. To further ensure that students had an additional opportunity to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the SHE Task concepts, students were able to submit a draft of the summative SHE Task, and feedback was provided. The feedback functioned to support learning and improve student outcomes via constructive feedback.
- Stage 1 Biology Unit Plan Overview
CUE_6 Week Unit Overview_Stage 1 Biology_annotated.pdf
- Stage 1 Biology Lesson Plan (SHE Task)
CUE_Stage 1 Biology Lesson Plans Week 3_annotated.pdf
- Summative SHE Task Draft with feedback (Student 1)
CUE_Summative SHE Task Draft_Feedback_annotated.pdf
- Marked Summative SHE Task (Student 1)
CUE_Summative SHE Task_Marked_annotated.pdf
Through the development of a unit plan overview that permitted the flexible introduction of the summative SHE Task, I was able to respond to student learning needs associated with assessment processes. Notably, it was observed that students were hesitant about the summative SHE Task, when it was briefly introduced to inform the students of summative requirements. Therefore, by evaluating student readiness, knowledge and understanding of the SHE concepts during lesson time, my lesson plans were able to be adjusted based on this information. As a result, I adapted my weekly lesson plan to provide students with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the SHE concepts via the use of formative assessment, which ensured that students were better prepared for the summative SHE Task. Therefore, more class time was dedicated to working on the SHE Task to support student learning. Lastly, in order to facilitate improved learning outcomes, the students were able to submit of draft of their summative SHE Task. The feedback that was provided was constructive and was designed to help them further deepen their learning, and therefore, also improve their achievement outcomes for the summative SHE Task. The combined use of formative assessment and feedback in preparation for the completion of the summative SHE task led to all students of the Stage 1 Biology class achieving a passing grade.
Final Placement Report Feedback: Reference to use of feedback for the SHE Task
Graph: Stage 1 Biology summative SHE Task Results
I believe that the long-term planning for the teaching and learning of the SHE concepts was essential to how I responded to the students’ learning needs. The use of a unit plan overview that aligned with the ACARA and SACE Stage 1 Biology curriculum allowed me to plan for learning that was both relevant and essential, but also allowed for adjustments in how and what content was taught in order to cater to student learning needs. Therefore, as there was an observed need to dedicate more time to the knowledge and understanding of the SHE Task concepts, I was able to develop lesson plans in response to this, which enabled the students to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the SHE Task concepts. Overall, I believe this resulted in higher quality drafts for the summative SHE Tasks, as the students had a better understanding of what was required. More so, by allowing the students to submit drafts, they were also able to reflect and incorporate the constructive feedback that was provided, which also contributed to better learning progress and outcomes. Conclusively, I believe the use of formative assessment and feedback for the SHE Task contributed to every student achieving a passing grade, and more so, students attaining a higher standard of achievement, as demonstrated through most students attaining ‘A’ and ‘B’ grades.
1.1: Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students The SHE Task could be presented in a multi-modal format, which took into account a variety of characteristics, particularly student learning style preferences. |
1.2: Understand how students learn Utilising students’ interest and confidence with ICT for the purpose of engaging them in the SHE Task i.e. presented in a multi-modal format. |
1.3: Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic background were engaged in learning through interest i.e. students were able to choose what endangered species to research for the SHE task. |
1.5: Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities The students were able to complete a SHE Task presentation in a multi-modal format about an endangered species of their own interest, and so, students across a range of learning needs and abilities were encouraged to participate in learning. |
2.1: Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area During placement, the unit and lesson plans that were developed to teach the SACE Stage 1 Biology unit, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, demonstrated my knowledge and understanding of how to structure content and teach it using a wide range of teaching strategies in a sensible and chronological manner. |
2.2: Content selection and organisation During placement, the unit and lesson plans that were developed demonstrated my ability to organise content into an effective learning sequence. The adjustment of lesson plans to ensure that students understood the SHE Task concepts is an example of this (introducing the concept earlier introducing the concept earlier using formative assessment). |
2.3: Curriculum, assessment and reporting The unit plan was based on the Stage 1 SACE Biology educational outcomes, which correlates with the ACARA curriculum. |
2.5: Literacy and numeracy strategies The SHE Task worksheets included information that elaborated on key biological concepts and aspects of the task in order to support science literacy. |
2.6: Information and communication technologies (ICT) SHE Task drafts were submitted and returned to students through the school’s Learning Management System. |
3.1: Establish challenging learning goals The SHE task is a major summative assessment set by the SACE Stage 1 Biology curriculum, and it was developed to be challenging as it involves critical thinking, and so, I used formative SHE Tasks to help develop student knowledge and understanding of the SHE Task concepts, and provided them with feedback to ensure that the learning goal was challenging but attainable. |
3.2: Plan, structure and sequence learning programs The Stage 1 Biology unit plan overview was used to guide overall learning for the Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics unit of work, but the development of the actual lesson plan sequence reflected the learning needs of the students i.e. the SHE Task introduced earlier to provide more class time to learn about it. |
3.3: Use teaching strategies Allowing students to select an endangered species of interest to research for the SHE Task helped increase student engagement. |
3.4: Select and use resources Microsoft word was selected and used to comment on student drafts, which made the process of providing feedback very efficient. |
3.5: Use effective classroom communication The use of the SHE Task assessment worksheet provided educational information to students in a verbal and non-verbal manner, as it was used to teach and provide information to students about the task. |
3.6: Evaluate and improve teaching programs The review of student learning needs led to the development of an adjusted lesson plan sequence to ensure that students were prepared for the summative SHE Task. |
4.1: Support student participation Student participation in the SHE task was encouraged by allowing students to choose the endangered species they researched, and also how they presented the SHE task (multi-modal format). |
4.3: Manage challenging behaviour Challenging behaviour was minimised by allowing students to select their own endangered animal to research for the SHE Task, which resulted in minimal disruptive and challenging behaviour because students were engaged in learning. |
4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically The SHE Task was distributed via the classroom OneNote and used according to the school's ICt safety protocols and procedures. |
5.1: Assess student learning To prepare for the summative SHE Task, lesson plans were developed to assess and broaden student understanding of the SHE Task concepts based on informal student feedback via observation and conversations with students about the SHE Task concepts. |
5.2: Provide feedback to students on their learning Constructive feedback was provided to Stage 1 Biology students for their summative SHE Task, which was used to help deepen their learning and meet the achievement outcomes. |
5.3: Make consistent and comparable judgements The grading of the SHE Task provided me with the opportunity to moderate assessments against the SACE Stage 1 Biology SHE Task standards. Each student’s work was marked against the rubric that addressed SACE criteria, and was compared with one another to verify consistent and comparable judgements of the students’ learning objective achievement. |
5.4: Interpret student data The use of formative SHE Task activities and in-class student feedback provided me with the information needed to modify lesson plans to suit the learning needs of the class i.e. introducing the SHE Task earlier based on students expression of hesitation about the SHE Task concepts. |
5.5: Report on student achievement The SHE Task assessment results were graded according to the SACE Stage 1 Biology Curriculum rubric and submitted for grading via the school’s Learning Management System. |
7.1: Meet professional ethics and responsibilities I was required to uphold the school’s ethical responsibilities in relation to ICT use when using the school’s Learning Management System to receive and return SHE Task drafts. |
