WK 11

Assignment Two Reminders

• Due Date: Wednesday, May 28, by 2 PM.

• Weighting: 60% of the final grade (Assignment one is 40%).

• Questions are available on the Assignment Two Blackboard folder; choose only one question. This assignment requires a deep dive into the research question you select, ensuring that you address all aspects of the prompt comprehensively.

• It is a research assignment; you should use relevant course readings and additional academic literature to support your position. Ensure that your arguments are well-supported by credible sources and that you engage critically with the literature.

• Use APA referencing (UQ Library has a referencing guide). Accurate and consistent referencing is crucial for academic integrity. Pay close attention to the APA guidelines provided by the UQ Library to avoid any issues.

• AI Usage: Acknowledge AI use; failure to do so is an academic integrity issue. AI may not be helpful due to its inability to distinguish between disciplines and poor citation skills. If you choose to use it, cross-reference and check for accuracy and proper citation. UQ Library provides information on how to properly attribute AI if you choose to use it. Be aware of the limitations and potential inaccuracies of AI-generated content. Always verify the information provided and ensure it aligns with academic standards.

Research Tips for Assignment Two

• Identify existing resources as a starting point:

  • Relevant module two readings (core & additional). Start by reviewing the assigned readings to gain a foundational understanding of the key concepts and theories.

  • Relevant policies in lecture PowerPoint slides. Refer to the lecture slides for important policy documents and frameworks that are relevant to your research question.

  • Names of academics researching in the field (author searches). Identify leading researchers in the field and explore their publications to gain insights into current debates and perspectives.

  • Journals where course readings are from (UQ Library). Explore the journals where your course readings are published to discover additional relevant articles and research.

• Use simple and advanced search techniques:

  • Boolean operators (connectors). Use Boolean operators (e.g., AND, OR, NOT) to refine your search queries and narrow down your results.

  • Advanced search tools in platforms like OpenAlex, Internet Archive Scholar, Google Scholar, and UQ Libraries. Take advantage of advanced search features in these platforms to conduct more targeted and efficient searches.

• Plan and write down search terms and phrases to resume research efficiently. Keep a record of the search terms and phrases you use to avoid repetition and ensure a systematic approach to your research.

• Try different search engine platforms and understand how they work. Explore different search engine platforms and familiarize yourself with their unique features and functionalities.

• American federal government defunded one of the core education databases in research called ERIC. It has been relaunched but in a much smaller, less good version.

  • Solution: If you go into a specific journal, most journals are owned by a publishing house, and there's about three different publishing houses that own all of the journals. And if you go and search within the journal, this is often what it defaults to, you can then change it to anywhere. So this acts like a surrogate database for you to search any of that publishing houses' journals that they own. Utilize this workaround to access a wider range of articles and research materials.

BED Primary Students - Assignment Help

• Two Zoom sessions will be held by the lecturer during week 13 instead of the regular lecture to compensate for placement.

• These zoom sessions will be held on Thursday at 8AM and 3PM the zoom link is available on blackboard. Make sure to attend these sessions to clarify any doubts and get personalized guidance on your assignment.

Lecture Topic: Assessment, Testing, and Post-Schooling Advice

• Purposes of assessment. Understand the various purposes of assessment, including formative, summative, and diagnostic assessment.

• Impact of different assessment purposes on students. Analyze how different assessment purposes can impact student motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes.

• How learning is located in each of the assessment models. Explore how different assessment models conceptualize and measure student learning.

• Lived experiences of standardized testing on young people (e.g., NAPLAN). Examine the real-life experiences of young people with standardized testing and the potential effects on their well-being and academic performance.

• Need to scrutinize post-schooling advice in schools. Critically evaluate the post-schooling advice provided in schools and consider its potential implications for students' future pathways.

Why a Sociology of Assessment Matters

• Assessment occurs everywhere. Assessment is not limited to formal educational settings but permeates various aspects of life.

• It's used as a gateway to further opportunities (e.g., tertiary education access). Assessment plays a crucial role in determining access to higher education and other opportunities.

• Significant time and money are invested in assessment (external exams, standardized testing). Large amounts of resources are allocated to assessment processes, highlighting their importance in the education system.

• Assessment receives significant public attention. Assessment is a topic of public interest and debate, with discussions surrounding its validity, reliability, and impact.

• Students place a lot of emphasis on doing well in assessment. Students' perceptions and attitudes towards assessment can significantly influence their academic performance and overall well-being.

Three Dominant Frames for Thinking About Assessment

• Assessment for Learning: Regular part of teaching, assists students, and shapes future activities. This type of assessment is integrated into the teaching and learning process to provide ongoing feedback and support student progress.

• Assessment of Learning: Ascertains student standing and often compares education systems or schools. This assessment is used to evaluate student achievement and compare performance across different schools or education systems.

• Inclusive Assessment Practices: Recognizes and responds to learner diversity. This approach to assessment aims to accommodate the diverse needs and backgrounds of all learners, ensuring equitable opportunities for success.

Assessment of Learning

• Commonly refers to summative assessment. Summative assessment is typically conducted at the end of a unit or course to evaluate overall learning outcomes.

• Focuses on how much a student has learned, often without feedback. This type of assessment primarily measures student achievement without providing detailed feedback for improvement.

• Used to file, rank, and provide an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). Summative assessment results are often used to rank students and determine their eligibility for tertiary education.

• Judgmental and often contrasted with assessment for learning. Summative assessment is often perceived as judgmental and focuses on assigning grades or scores rather than promoting learning.

Assessment for Learning

• Instructional decisions should be supported by evidence of student learning. Teachers should use assessment data to inform their instructional decisions and tailor their teaching to meet student needs.

• Dylan William is a key figure in this space. Dylan William is a prominent advocate for assessment for learning and has contributed significantly to the research and practice in this area.

• Feedback is a core component, benefiting both learner and teacher in understanding learner progress. Timely and constructive feedback is essential for both students and teachers to understand learning progress and identify areas for improvement.

• Considers how the structure of educational institutions invites opportunities for feedback. The design of educational institutions should facilitate opportunities for ongoing feedback and communication between teachers and students.

Five Common Strategies in Assessment for Learning

• Questioning: Closed (e.g., scale of 1-5 confidence level) or open questions to gauge understanding. Teachers can use a variety of questioning techniques to assess student understanding and encourage critical thinking.

• Feedback: Comments on learning application, annotations on summative tasks. Providing specific and actionable feedback on student work can help them understand their strengths and weaknesses and improve their performance.

• Peer Assessment/Feedback: Students assess each other's work (can be more effective if done informally). Peer assessment can promote collaboration, critical thinking, and self-reflection among students.

• Self-Assessment: Learners reflect on and evaluate their work (e.g., learning logs). Self-assessment can help students develop metacognitive skills and take ownership of their learning.

• Formative Use of Tests/Exams/Assignments: Students use feedback to set new learning goals. Tests, exams, and assignments can be used as formative assessment tools to provide feedback and guide future learning.

Culturally Inclusive Assessment Practices

• Key words: Cultural validity, cultural relevancy, cultural responsiveness. These concepts are essential for creating assessment practices that are fair, equitable, and meaningful for all students.

• Avoid Eurocentric assessment. Assessment tasks should be designed to avoid bias towards Eurocentric perspectives and values.

• Gay (2010): Culturally responsive teaching uses diverse students' cultural knowledge, experiences, and performance styles to make learning more effective. This approach recognizes the importance of incorporating students' cultural backgrounds into the learning process.

• Ladson-Billings (1994): Culturally relevant pedagogy empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically using cultural references. Culturally relevant pedagogy aims to empower students by connecting learning to their cultural identities and experiences.

• Culture includes lived experiences, not solely ethnicity. Culture encompasses a wide range of factors, including socioeconomic background, language, and personal experiences.

• Culturally responsive assessment centers students' cultural experiences and sociocultural backgrounds. This approach involves designing assessment tasks that are relevant and meaningful to students' cultural backgrounds.

Activity: Apply Learning Goals from Assignment 1 Feedback

• Set two learning goals based on written feedback from assignment one. Use the feedback you received on your first assignment to identify specific areas for improvement.

• Write down steps to achieve these goals. Develop a plan of action with concrete steps to help you achieve your learning goals.

• Take these learning goals to the tutorial this week. Discuss your learning goals with your tutor and seek their guidance and support.

• Common learning goals:

  • Time management. Develop strategies for managing your time effectively and meeting deadlines.

  • Referencing (APA style guide). Improve your skills in using APA referencing style accurately and consistently.

  • Unpacking and explaining ideas (analysis). Enhance your ability to analyze complex ideas and communicate them clearly and effectively.

  • Research. Develop your research skills and learn how to find and evaluate credible sources.

• When do you put a page number in in text referencing?

  • When it's a direct quote. Always include a page number when you are directly quoting from a source.

  • When it's a specific idea. Include a page number when you are referring to a specific idea or concept from a source.

Impacts of Assessment: Standardized Testing (NAPLAN)

• Angelique Howe's work explores the impacts of NAPLAN. Angelique Howe's research provides valuable insights into the effects of NAPLAN on students and schools.

• NAPLAN aims to compare states/territories and countries but lacks learning. NAPLAN is primarily designed to compare student performance across different regions and countries, but it may not effectively promote student learning.

• Howe’s study: 100 children across five classes in two Catholic schools (years 3, 5, and 7). Howe's study provides a detailed analysis of students' experiences with NAPLAN in a specific context.

• Qualitative data via drawings and discussions - young people's perceptions of NAPLAN were overwhelmingly negative. The qualitative data collected in Howe's study reveals predominantly negative perceptions of NAPLAN among young people.

• Students' comments indicated:

  • Failure to see any purpose of the test. Many students reported that they did not understand the purpose or value of NAPLAN.

  • Feeling nervous and inadequate. Students expressed feelings of anxiety and inadequacy in relation to NAPLAN.

  • Feeling overwhelmed and isolated. NAPLAN was associated with feelings of being overwhelmed and isolated for some students.

  • Putting pressure on the Students, making the students feel uncomfortable. The pressure associated with NAPLAN caused discomfort and stress for many students.

• Sociological question: Is there a way to make standardised test productive? This question invites critical reflection on how standardised tests can be designed and implemented to promote learning and positive outcomes for students.

• Feedback from NAPLAN is often late and disjunctured from learning. The timing and nature of feedback from NAPLAN can limit its effectiveness in supporting student learning.

Analyzing a Sample Assessment Task (Year 10 History)

• Task: Rights and Freedoms in Australia.

• Students complete a case study on the significance of a civil rights event for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. Students are required to conduct in-depth research on a specific civil rights event and analyze its significance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

• Develop a script with references and deliver a spoken presentation. Students must develop a well-researched script with proper citations and deliver an engaging spoken presentation to their peers.

• Potential Problem: Has a preloaded list of events that invites significance being taken up as progress, it erasing all the unsuccessful attempts. The pre-selected list of events may inadvertently promote a narrative of progress while overlooking the ongoing struggles and challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

• Issue: The list of pre-selected events invites a positive reading of change, while silencing all the struggles that occurred. This can lead to a biased and incomplete understanding of the complexities of civil rights issues in Australia.

• Need for cultural responsiveness in assessment: Consider how knowledge is constructed in assessment tasks. It is essential to critically examine how knowledge is constructed and presented in assessment tasks to ensure cultural responsiveness and avoid perpetuating stereotypes or biases.

• Solution: Building in choice and allowing students to take on another point of view. Providing students with the opportunity to choose their own topic and explore different perspectives can promote a more nuanced and critical understanding of civil rights issues.

• There needs to be alignment with what you're asking the student to know and do. Ensure that the assessment task is aligned with the learning objectives and that students are assessed on what they have been taught.

Post-Schooling Advice

• Year 10 SET (Senior Education and Training) plan.

• Guidance counselors and teachers advise students on subject choices and post-school plans. Guidance counselors and teachers play a crucial role in advising students on their subject choices and post-school pathways.

• Emphasis on assessment results when giving post-schooling advice. Assessment results are often used as a primary factor in determining the advice given to students regarding their future plans.

• A case study of a school in a low socioeconomic area showed problematic attitudes among staff involved in SET planning. This case study highlights the potential for bias and inequity in the provision of post-schooling advice in disadvantaged communities.

• Negative views of students' capabilities based on generational poverty and social issues. Staff members may hold negative views of students' capabilities due to factors such as generational poverty and social issues, which can influence the advice they provide.

• There needs to be a logic underlying these sentiments, those kids were starting from a place of unbelievable hardship, so they require a lot of support. But the support they were getting had a negative trajectory rather than a positive. The students require a lot of support due to their starting point of unbelievable hardship but the support they were getting had a negative trajectory rather than a positive one.

• In this case study school:

  • Students were asked not to participate in the QCS test. Students were discouraged from participating in the QCS test, which could limit their opportunities for higher education.

  • Encouraged to pursue vocational education. Students were primarily encouraged to pursue vocational education, which may not align with their aspirations or potential.

• Summative assessment results can limit opportunities and be a snapshot in time, it is important to use them in an assessment for learning approach. It is crucial to recognize that summative assessment results provide a limited snapshot of student performance and should be used as part of a broader assessment for learning approach to support student growth and development.