Pedagogy as a Process – Growth in Assessment Competence

The purpose of this Unit is to assess a task associated with a lesson utilising

a rubric for equitable assessment. The first section will address the issue of

Concept explanation and concept assessment through a sample task and

rubric. There are many ways of assessing students’ work. Therefore, it is

important that the assessment be consistent and fair for all students; as they

should all be evaluated with the same scale and criteria. The task and rubric

are effective tools that can be designed to focus on certain aspects of the

completed task. In this section we will examine what a rubric is and why they

are often used in the classroom. The lesson contained outlines the task

whereby the students will explore various modes and demonstrate using an

art form of choice the ability to communicate accordingly. The main concept

is an understanding of the ways in which one can communicate using art

forms can convey any message or influence the thoughts of others with

effective delivery. A rubric is designed to assess the effective delivery of the

task assigned.
 Concept explanation and concept assessed through sample task and rubric

Topic: Communication – Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

Objectives:  Obtain a working definition of verbal and non –verbal

communication.
 The ability to differentiate between types of verbal and non-verbal
communication.
 Understand various art forms used to express verbal and non-verbal
communication.
 Demonstrate the ability to use art forms both verbal and non-verbal.
 Identify the ways in which media can be used to influence others.

Instructional The instructional unit will expose students to various media of

Unit: communication both verbal and non-verbal. This will be achieved by

playing different genres of music, folklore stories from the Caribbean, the

exploration of art pieces (paintings and sculptures) and regional dance

forms to extract the message that is being communicated via the medium.

The aim of this approach is to expose students to material with deep

meanings that are being transferred to them either verbally or non-verbally.

The students must pay attention to hidden words and meanings behind each

medium to determine exactly what the sender in this case the artiste/artist is

conveying via their work to the receiver or the student.

The purpose of such is to illicit an in depth analysis of each art form and to

extract the message being conveyed. Students are often exposed to

messages that go without full understanding as their level of analysis takes

place at the surface.

The lesson will jerk their critical thinking skills to prompt them to go deeper

into the art form and extract the true meaning of what is being conveyed via

the media.

The importance of this lesson is to assist students in identifying the ways in

which the messages being conveyed in the material they expose themselves

to influence the concepts they hold.

 a) A sample task that will be used for assessing the student’s understanding is their

portrayal or explanation of any art form. The students will be given the option

of portraying any of the following:

 A song

 A poem

 A dance

 A piece of art (painting or sculpture)

The presenter will display the art form to the class and the recipients will provide

feedback to the sender. The sender will provide further explanation and clarification of the

message.

The purpose of this task will be to assess their understanding of the concept of verbal and

non-verbal communication using media to convey messages. The students will be given

the opportunity to convey a message to their classmates that is hidden in the art form of

choice. The message will then be analysed and feedback provided.

The purpose of this assessment is to expose students to various art forms and the

history and rich culture of the region that is hidden. Students often relate folklore stories

told by family members but are unaware of the root and history behind the story and how

it has influenced modern day thinking and values. It is important to expose students to

various media and the messages contained in various art forms and to give birth to their

own creativity in formulating an art from of their own.

 b) Rubric for Verbal or Non-verbal Communication presentation using an art

form.

Skills Excellent - 4 Good - 3 Satisfactory -2 Poor - 1

Requirements All requirements All of the Most of the One requirement
met and exceeded. requirements were requirements were was met.
met. met.

Content Art form chosen Art form chosen Art form chosen Art form was
clearly portrayed was mostly able to was partly able to unable to display
verbal or non- portray verbal or display verbal or verbal or non-
verbal non-verbal non-verbal verbal
communication to communication to communication to communication to
the audience. the audience. the audience. the audience.

Originality Creative and Some original Use of the ideas of No evidence of

innovative way of thought used in others in originality in
communicating communicating communicating communicating
verbally or non- verbally or non- verbally or non- verbally or non-
verbally using an verbally using an verbally using an verbally using an
art form. High art form. Work art form. art form.
amount of original shows some new Little evidence of
thought. ideas and insight originality.

Presentation Well-rehearsed or Rehearsed fairly Delivery not Delivery not

smooth delivery of sufficiently with smooth but able to smooth.
presentation that smooth delivery. maintain the Audience’s
held the audience’s Held the interest of the attention was lost.
attention audience’s audience most of
attention most of the time.
the time.
 Principles of Classroom Assessment

Two classroom assessment principles selected are inclusive and equitable assessments and the
manageability of assessed work. These principles were selected as they refer to issues often
raised and never truly addressed by teachers. Teachers are often not in sync with their fellow
colleagues, despite belonging to the same department and teaching the same level. Teachers
often complain about time for assessments and the amount of work completed at varying
points throughout the term, disabling their students to be assessed via the same assessment
tool at the end of the term. Additionally, students often lament about examinations
containing information they were not taught and unable to attempt. The following will
address the two principles and the significance to the teacher’s assessment practice given the
fact that assessment is a part of curriculum delivery as it will highlight the gaps in content
delivery. Teachers must evaluate their work as it relates to the what was learnt by the
student. Assessments are important in motivating the students as they are able to see how
they are performing in a class, they are able to determine whether or not they understand
course and what measures may be taken for success in their academic pursuit.

The two principles of classroom assessment to be discussed are as follows:

I. Assessment should be inclusive and equitable and;

II. The amount of assessed work should be manageable.

i) Assessment should be inclusive and equitable.

The first principle speaks to the inclusiveness and equitability of the assessment. This

concept can be discussed from different angles as it relates to the actual assessment and the student

being assessed.

Firstly, post examination remarks by students often express their inability to understand

the structure and wording of questions, and not being taught content that was present in the

examination.

In discussing this situation with teachers, they would defend the construction of the

examination claiming that it is based on content taught. The discussion would indicate the issue

as not being about what was taught, but what information was understood by the students.
 Gathercoal (1995) speaks of assessment as one of the most arbitrary and idiosyncratic

activities that teachers engage in, articulating the issue of assessment practices as being based on

the teacher's perception of the student, the form and content of the course, and the intended

outcomes of the course of study.

This sheds light on the principle of inclusiveness and equitability in conducting

assessments. Inclusiveness speaks to the construction of an assessment that does not disadvantage

any particular group or individual. However, the possibility of constructing an examination

according to the syllabus may in itself be exclusive of the reality of groups and individuals. As

indicated by Gathercoal (1995) assessments can also be arbitrary and idiosyncratic, which

questions the validity and reliability of the results, as they results may be a reflection of the

teacher’s perception of the student and not the student’s capabilities.

Another concern is the assessment of various concepts which may be challenging for

students to comprehend as they exists far away from the student’s reality, but are contained within

the syllabus that teachers are mandated to teach and assess.

To highlight this point I draw on the topic of Humanitarian Law, a topic I have decided to

exclude from my scheme of work due to the inability of students in my care to comprehend.

Various techniques have been attempted to assist them in understanding this concept, to no avail.

When such concepts are included in an assessment, it enters a zone where it lacks inclusivity and

equitability, as my students would not have been taught such a concept.

Therefore an assessment must be inclusive and equitable despite the curriculum. The

students must be equipped with a clear understanding of content that is not strict to the syllabus,

as this gives them a fair chance in their attempt of the assessment.

Students feel demoralised when an assessment is far removed from their understanding and this

may be based on curriculum requirement and not practicality which fails in the attempt to assess

their understanding of concepts.

Gathercoal (1995) states, teachers have a professional, ethical, and legal responsibility to

convey accurately and truthfully their knowledge about their students' academic achievement. As
a result, assessments should provide for equal opportunity, ensuring inclusiveness of class, race,

age, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.

Scott et al. (2013) indicate that assessments must be differentiated to accommodate the

ability, social, cultural and linguistic background of students. Placing responsibility on school

communities to challenge the complacency associated with accepting indefensible assessment

practices. Therefore, constant revision of content and the methods of assessment are

recommended, to ensure inclusiveness and equitability amongst all students.

ii) The amount of assessed work should be manageable

In discussing the second principle chosen I will attempt to address the issue of

manageability of assessed work. This principle encompasses factors such as the number of

students per class and the number of classes to be taught per teacher. Many teachers would argue

about workload as it is a reoccurring topic on most staff agendas. Given this issue teachers’ time

management which is inclusive of time for assessments is quite important.

Assessments should be done periodically and usually recommended on a monthly basis.

In planning lessons the teaching of an adequate amount of content over a four week period is

achievable and that will allow sufficient comprehensible content for an assessment. It should be

scheduled and the students made fully aware of this structure for which they can prepare

themselves.

Some may opt for unscheduled assessments; this however, may be faced with a number of

delays and may never be achieved as the school term is often filled with unscheduled disruptions

that affect the operation of the school along with the assessment.

Assessments can be manageable if scheduled on a structured basis where both students and

teachers incorporate it into their plan and time is allocated to facilitate such. In the event of any

disruptions the assessment is scheduled and an opportune time will be allocated to facilitate such.

Stiggins (2011) recommends student-centered classroom assessments as having the ability to

manage the teacher’s workload given the fact that the results are mainly utilised by the students.
b) Critique of Assessment

This section will critique an assessment administered to students at the form two level at

the end of the third term. The assessment would have been based on topics covered throughout

the academic year at the form two level.

The assessment comprised of three sections and the structure is as follows:

A. Multiple Choice questions

B. Fill in the Blank

C. Short answers

In light of the first principle explored “Assessment inclusivity and equitability”, the assessment

tool was inclusive of various topics taught throughout the academic year. The first section mainly

encompassed content taught in the first term and a few topics from terms two and three. The

second section of the assessment dealt with content taught in the second term and the last section

assessed content covered in the third term of the academic year. This approach is inclusive of

content that was planned and gave the students a fair advantage to display their understanding of

the content.

The assessment was administered to all students at the form two level and this may have

caused some exclusivity and inequity as some students may not have been exposed to some of the

content included in the assessment as there are four teachers at the form two level. The teachers

would have all agreed on the assessment tool, but the students would not have all understood the

content in the same way given differentiating modes of delivery.

To address such an issue I suggest team teaching as teachers who are more adept in certain

content areas can deliver the lesson to all of the students at each level. This strategy would give

the students a fair advantage as they are all exposed to the same content by the teacher more adept

at delivery of such. Teacher collaboration is another strategy as teachers can ensure they deliver

the content is like manner to ensure comprehension of the topics. The teachers can all administer

the same assessments throughout the term to ensure the students are treated with equity.
 The second principle of assessment is that of managing the amount of work assessed. The

content of the assessment tool was manageable as it would have covered topics taught throughout

the academic year.

There is argument that content taught over a year can be difficult to recall by the students

given the magnitude. The assessment tool being critiqued did present the content covered in the

first term in the form of multiple choice questions taking into consideration this information would

be harder to recall compared to the content taught more recently. The second section assessed

content taught in the second term with a fill in the black option, which also addresses the concern

of recalling information not recently taught. However, the terms were provided for filling in the

blank spaces.

The last section of the assessment was based on content taught in the most recent term

which would have required students to provide definitions and short answers. The approach took

into consideration the ability of students to recall content taught throughout the academic year.

Some may argue that the examination would have been too simple for those with greater capacity

to recall content taught throughout the academic year, placing them at an advantage as the

assessment may not have been challenging for them.

The task is preparing an assessment that is manageable by all students and not just those

with greater aptitude. For those students with less aptitude the assessment may not have been

manageable as it called for the recollection of content they may not have understood throughout

the academic year. It is no easy task to prepare an assessment after an entire academic year that

will be manageable by all students, with varying capabilities. However, the assessment did contain

multiple choice, words for filling in the blanks as well as graphics, making the assessment tool

manageable for all.

In conclusion, the assessment tool would have been met with varying views all dependent

on the capabilities of each student. The arrangement of the assessment and strategies used for

design was inclusive and equitable as well as manageable to most students. The design of an

assessment to suit the needs of all students is no easy task but it is the duty of the teacher to ensure

the assessment can be managed by those willing to make the effort to do such.