Activity Resource 5: Summary of research and further reading

Assessment for learning

Highlights of research findings in this area include the following work.

Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment (Black and Wiliam, 1998)

This is an influential pamphlet that summarises the main findings arising from 250 assessment articles (covering nine years of international research) which were studied by Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam. The document is well known and widely used, and acts as a touchstone for many professionals in the field of assessment.

In particular, with regard to feedback, this publication raises the following issues.

• ‘Teachers’ feedback to pupils often seems to serve social or managerial functions, often at the expense of the learning functions.’
• ‘Feedback to any pupil should be about the particular qualities of his or her work, with advice on what he or she can do to improve, and should avoid comparisons with other pupils.’
• ‘When anyone is trying to learn, feedback about their learning has 3 elements – the desired goal, the evidence about their current position, and some understanding of a way to close the gap between the two (Sadler, 1989). All 3 must to a degree be understood by anyone before they can take action to improve their learning.’
• ‘Feedback has been shown to improve learning where it gives each pupil specific guidance on strengths and weaknesses, preferably without any marks.’

Inside the black box identifies five key factors which improve learning through assessment. It is interesting to note the prominent place of feedback in these key points:

• providing effective feedback to pupils;
• actively involving pupils in their own learning;
• adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment;
• recognising the profound influence assessment has on the motivation and self esteem of pupils, both of which are crucial to learning;
• considering the need for pupils to be able to assess themselves and to understand how to improve.

Working inside the black box: assessment for learning in the classroom (Black, P. et al., 2002)

Working inside the black box picks up where Inside the black box (Black and Wiliam, 1998) left off. It suggests that the key issues for feedback when marking are as follows.

• Written tasks, alongside oral questioning, should encourage pupils to develop and show understanding of the key features of the subject they have studied.
• Comments should identify what has been done well and what still needs improvement, and give guidance on how to make that improvement.
• Opportunities for pupils to follow up comments should be planned as part of the overall learning process.

To be effective, feedback should cause thinking to take place.

Assessment for learning – putting it into practice (Black, P. et al., 2003)

This publication, by Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall and Dylan Wiliam, reflects the KMOFAP project (King’s, Medway, Oxfordshire Formative Assessment Project) and details research findings for a variety of AfL strategies. With reference to the ways in which teachers were encouraged to envisage how feedback might be used differently in their classrooms within the project, they found that it:

‘involved more than not giving a mark or grade. It involved finding the best way to communicate to the learners about what they had achieved and what they needed to work on next. It was also about engendering behaviours in the learners that would lead them to take action on the feedback and about providing a support system that fostered this approach.’

Good assessment practice in music – secondary (Ofsted, 2003)

The use of informal assessment is an important feature of work in music. For example, teachers observe and listen to pupils individually, in groups and as whole classes. Pupils also are given opportunities to listen carefully to their work before discussing how music making can be improved and developed. The development of secure listening skills is essential if pupils are to contribute to evaluation of their work. Good teachers judge carefully when to interrupt or intervene, so as not to disturb the flow of activities; it is often appropriate to listen or to participate, rather than use verbal discussion to gain evidence of progress.

References

• Assessment Reform Group (1999) Assessment for learning: beyond the black box.
  University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education. ISBN: 0856030422. Used with kind permission.
• Assessment Reform Group (2002) Assessment for learning: 10 principles.
  Used with kind permission. Available from aaia.org.uk.
• “Extracts” from Inside the Black Box
  © Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam, 1998 Published by nferNelson Publishing Company Ltd, The Chiswick Centre, 414 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5TF, UK. All rights reserved. nferNelson is a division of Granda Learning Ltd.
• “Extracts” from Working inside the Black Box
  © Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall and Dylan Wiliam, 2002 Published by nferNelson Publishing Company Ltd, The Chiswick Centre, 414 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5TF, UK. All rights reserved. nferNelson is a division of Granda Learning Ltd.
• Black, P., et al. (2003) Assessment for learning – putting it into practice.
  Oxford University Press. ISBN: 0335212972.
• Ofsted (2003) Good assessment practice in music – secondary.
  HMI. 1479.
• Sadler, R. (1989) ‘Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems’. Instructional Science,18. pp. 119–144.