PSPH 228 Assessment in K-12 Science Education

Fall 2010

Dr. RUSSELL G. WRIGHT

russ@gwu.edu

301-806-7252

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Agenda

Introductions

Pretest

Syllabus and Course Schedule

Textbook Distribution

To Know vs. To Understand (Activity)

Can We Believe Our Eyes? (Video)

What do you understand well?

How do you know you understand it?

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Introductions

Russ Wright Science Teacher Retired from MCPS

Program Coordinator The George Washington University

Award-Winning Author Event-Based Science

Grading and Motivation Guru Success for All: The Median is the Key

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Pretest

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Textbooks

Understanding by Design

Educative Assessment

Assessment, Equity, and Opportunity to Learn …

Benchmarks for Science Literacy

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To Know vs. To Understand

Follow the directions on To Know vs. To Understand

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Can We Believe Our Eyes?

Before we see the video, I want you to draw a diagram showing how you could light a bulb with one battery and one wire.

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Can We Believe Our Eyes?

Watch video…

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Can We Believe Our Eyes?

Work in pairs to summarize any lessons you have learned from watching this video.

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What do you really understand?

There must be at least one thing that you really understand.

Select one concept or skill (besides lighting a light bulb) that you understand well…

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What do you really understand?

How do you know that you really understand it?

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Homework

•Read Chapter 2 in Understanding by Design

•Go to the Annenberg Foundation Web Site and Watch Workshop 1:

http://www.learner.org/resources/series93.html

You will have to register, but the site is free.

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Understanding Understanding

Up until now we assumed that we all shared a common understanding of the meaning of the word understanding.

But what are you really aiming for when your goal is understanding?

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Understanding Understanding

have a critical g

rasp of

have thorough knowledge ofinternalize knowledge of

grasp the essence of

My students will…

really understand

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Understanding Understanding

My students will…

What does understanding really mean?

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Understanding Understanding

Teachers want their students to understand the concepts they are

teaching.

…a slippery goal without definitions.

Also, are there different levels of understanding?

Benjamin Bloom 1913-1999

his Taxonomy of Educational Objectives was

…an attempt to classify different degrees of understanding.

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Bloom’s Contributions

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Research on early childhood; testified on behalf of Head Start

International influence

Mastery learning

Gifted students; all students have innate potential

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Bloom’s BiographyBorn 1913, in Lansford, PA

BA & MS in 1935 from Penn State University

PhD in 1942 from University of Chicago

Lived in Chicago at time of death in 1999

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Career Beginnings

Staff member of Board of Examinations at the University of Chicago, 1940-43

Under mentorship of Ralph W. Tyler

Growing interest in organizing educational objectives by cognitive complexity

Became University Examiner in 1943(In this position, he developed tests to determine if undergraduates had mastered material necessary for them to receive their bachelor’s degrees.)

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Developing the Taxonomy

Bloom attended the American Psychological Association convention in 1948…

His discussions with other university examiners lead to the

utility of a hierarchical classification system for various educational goals

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Developing the Taxonomy

They wanted to:

clarify language about educational objectives

have convenient system for describing test items, exam techniques, and instruments for assessment

be able to compare and study educational programs

show a real order among educational objectives

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Developing the Taxonomy

Continued to meet after convention

Defined three “domains” or classifications for educational objectives:

Cognitive

Affective

Psychomotor

Formed committees of study for each

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The Cognitive Domain

1956 book, Bloom as editor with Engelhart, Furst, Hill + Krathwohl

Focus on students’ thought processes

Taxonomy:

Hierarchical according to cognitive levels of difficulty

Each level encompasses, builds on and is more difficult than that at the levels below it

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The Cognitive Domain

There are three low-level orders: Knowledge

Recognition/recall of information Remember just as learned

Comprehension Organize and arrange information Rephrase (describe in own words)

Application Apply information to find answer to problem Apply rule or process to new situation

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The Cognitive Domain

There are three higher-level orders:Analysis

Think critically, in depth; no rule of thoughtIdentify reasons, uncover evidence, make conclusions

SynthesisPerform original and creative thinkingProduce new material, predict, problem-solve

EvaluationJudge merit, offer an opinion, assessNot careless critique: according to a standard

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The Cognitive Domain

Source: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm

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Using Bloom’sTaxonomy in the Classroom How do you use

Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Classify educational objectives

Plan to help students achieve higher levels of mastery

Structure questioning and assessments

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Critizing Bloom’s Taxonomy

Synthesis and evaluation are one and the same

Synthesis and evaluation should be switched

No past history or context

Some knowledge is harder to retain; some knowledge is harder to restate in ways that prove comprehension

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A New Taxonomy

Source: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm

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Using Bloom’sTaxonomy in the Classroom

Practicing Levels of the Cognitive Domain

Remembering: Ask a classmate a question assessing their memory of Bloom.

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Using Bloom’sTaxonomy in the Classroom

Understand: Ask a classmate a question assessing their understanding of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

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Using Bloom’sTaxonomy in the Classroom

Application: What kind of homework might I give to test your ability to apply what you’ve learned today about Bloom’s Taxonomy?

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Using Bloom’sTaxonomy in the Classroom

Analysis: Write a question that will require a classmate to analyze Bloom’s Taxonomy?

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Using Bloom’sTaxonomy in the Classroom

Evaluation: Based on your knowledge and experience, would you recommend Bloom’s Taxonomy to other teachers? Why or why not?

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Using Bloom’sTaxonomy in the Classroom

Creating: Any ideas on how to ask a class to create a product related to Bloom’s Taxonomy?

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Benchmark Authors Describe the Problem

On page 312 of Benchmarks for Science Literacy its authors describe the problem they faced in framing benchmarks for science teaching and assessing…

(see page 36 of UBD)

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Understanding Understanding

Understanding and Apparent Understanding

What would you find if you dug a hole in the earth? John Dewey (See page 48 of Understanding by Design.)

If students have trouble answering this question, is it the wrong question?

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Understanding Understanding

What evidence of understanding is adequate?

Is knowing facts and doing well on a test of knowledge the same thing as understanding?

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Understanding Understanding

Apparent Understanding

Delivery of the right word, the right definition, the correct formula.

…using learning in new ways. (Bloom’s Taxonomy)

…the ability to think and act flexibly with what one knows. (David Perkins)

Real Understanding

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Understanding is About Transfer

When we understand something we can use it in new settings.

We can take what we know and use it in numerous ways!

Understanding is about

Transfer!

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Understanding is Not About Inert Ideas!

What are inert ideas? (p. 41)

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To Know vs. To Understand

To Know vs. To Understand

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Misunderstanding Provides Insight

Misunderstanding Is Not Ignorance

Misunderstandings are ideas that are mapped on plausible but incorrect frameworks.

It takes a fair amount of knowledge to misunderstand something.

Students often think that experimental error happens because of avoidable mistakes in

procedure and/or measurement.

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Misunderstanding Provides Insight

Howard Gardner (1991) sums up the research on misconceptions:

Read quote on page 52 of Understanding by Design.

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Misunderstanding Provides Insight

Why is it colder in the winter and warmer in the summer?

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Misunderstanding Resist Change

Audrey ChampagneState University of New York, Albany

Difficulty inchanging students’ misconceptions.

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Misunderstanding Provides Insight

Conventional testing reveals the problem:

Most US teenagers study and pass Algebra 1. Yet, NAEP results show that only 5 percent of our students perform at a proficient level on tasks that require higher-order use of Algebra 1 knowledge (NAEP, 1988).

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Six Facets of Understanding

1. Explanation

2. Interpretation

3. Application

4. Perspective

5. Empathy

6. Self Knowledge

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Six Facets of Understanding

Group Activity –

• Fellows will work together in small groups (3 or 4) to develop 10 – 15 minute presentations on one of the six facets of understanding.

• Groups will present their findings using PowerPoint or other visual aid.

• Each group will provide a handout describing one facet of understanding, with examples, and 2 exam questions.

• Groups will divide the task into explicit responsibilities for each person in the group.

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Six Facets of Understanding

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Six Facets of Understanding

Group Presentations –

• Groups will have 10 – 15 minutes to present their facet of understanding.

• At the end of each presentation the audience will complete the appropriate section of the Facets of Understanding chart.