Session 2Monitoring Students’

Writing

Aims• To introduce the concept of

developmental learning and assessment

• To explore a range of (writing) progress maps in order to identify their purposes, similarities and differences

• To identify ways in which they can be used at the individual student, classroom and/or whole school levelPage 27

Activity Worksheets

• Developing Adult Relationships• Developing Pigeon Hole Management

Skills• Early Development Continuum

Developmental learning •All individuals follow a unique pattern of

growth

•Their progress is not age related

•Developmental milestones can be observed and recorded

•Generalisations can be drawn from these patterns

•Appropriate support assists developmental learning

•Writing is not a natural process. Students have to be taught how.

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5

•Students typically go through stages as they learn to write

•Their progress is shaped by what happens in the social context of their learning environment

•Stages of learning can be recorded as a continuum of development, a sequence of learning outcomes, or a progress map

•The stages are usually expressed as a combination of descriptions of student learning, with work samples

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Activity•Reconstruct the Writing Developmental Continuum

Role play

Role play

Experimental

Experimental

I went to see a crane at school.

Experimental

cave

could

elephant

Experimental

Early

Transitional

Conventional

Proficient

AccomplishedAnother interesting feature of The Handmaid’s Tale is that throughout the novel Offred’s real name is never actually revealed. Offred is now labeled according to the Commander she is with. This signifies the womens loss of identity. It however is important to note that although the reader never knows Offred’s real name Offred remembers it and is comforted by the reminder of who she really is.

“I keep the knowledge of this name like something hidden, some treasure I’ll come back to dig up… This name has an aura hidden around it, like an amulet, some charm that’s survived from an imaginably distant past… the name floats there behind my eyes, not quite within reach, shinning in the dark.”

In the time of Gilead it seems the knowledge of her name is the only thing Offred could call her own. By keeping it safe and hidden the reader sees Offred’s struggle to hold onto the one thing that is left of herself. This selection of detail by Atwood reminds the reader how Offred and the Gilead society are defined and controlled by others.

PHASES      DESCRIPTIONS

Role Play  Not included for middle years

Experimental  Knows some letters and the sounds associated.  Writes 1,or 2, or 3 letters to represent a word. Uses the most obvious sound when they say the word.    Writes as they would speak.

Early Writes a simple text.  Most words are phonetic. Does have a bank of known words.   Has a sense of an audience so they will put in things like “yesterday, then we, a boy named Tim” to try and orientate the reader.

Transitional Has a large bank of words which are spelt correctly. Writing can look quite lengthy and well structured.  MAJOR thing here is that they can group sentences and have a sense of paragraphing but does not use all the conventions of paragraphing.

Conventional Concept shift is that they have paragraphing under control.

Proficient Very proficient writing with some sophistication.  Has control over conventions and write a wide range of text.  Quite sophisticated writing and has a sense of  satisfaction when reading it

Accomplished Extremely sophisticated writing across ALL genre. Most people do not reach this standard of writing.

Summary

Teachers have a crucial role in providing: • a supportive context for writing

• explicit teaching

• appropriate learning activities

• opportunities to practise writing

• appropriate support

• successful experiences

• encouraging feedback

The learning, teaching and assessment

cycle IDENTIFYINGWhere are they now, with regards to their literacy skills and learning outcomes?What do they know?What can they do?Assess / identify and plot on progress map.

PLANNING & SUPPORTING What do I now need to do to help them make further progress? Consider:

- Development Levels- Explicit Teaching- Prior Knowledge- Meaningful Tasks- Scaffolding Strategies- Learning Styles- Relevant Resources- Individual or small group work within the learning program

MONITORING ONGOING PROGRESS How are they going?- Ongoing observation and monitoring of

progress- Formulate and summarise processes- Collect data- Plot progress on a progress map- Change what is not working

REFLECTINGTeaching How effective were the things I put in place?

- Reflect - Evaluate

Learning What did they learn? Did they make progress?- Reflect- Evaluate

The following diagram outlines the teacher’s role in the teaching, learning and assessment process.

Developmental assessment Is an integral part of the learning and

teaching process

Identifies a student’s current position in relation to the stages of a progress map

Can also identify behaviours across a range of levels

Informs the planning of further learning opportunities

Comparing progress maps What is the purpose of each of the two

progress maps ?

How are they similar?

How are they different?

How could you use these progress maps in the classroom to improve student learning?

SimilaritiesFirst Steps and SACSA Outcome

Statements Provide a framework against which student writing can be located

Identify what a student can do and what he/she must do next in order to improve

Use descriptions and work samples to support teacher judgements

Can be used to provide a combination of diagnostic and summative judgements

Are focused on developmental learning, not age or grade related performance.

Rely on and value teachers’ professional judgements about student performance

Differences First Steps SACSA Outcome

Statements

fine-grained descriptions, intended for diagnostic purposes

global descriptions, intended for summative judgements

specific advice on teaching focus on learning, with implications for teaching

separate continuum for spelling

spelling included, as a strategy for writing

phases determined by key developmental changes in student learning

levels determined by roughly equal points (or milestones or markers) - along a continuum

Focus question

Why does only one of the

progress maps focus on

spelling?

Closed tasks •A closed task is one that requires a

specific response. •These tasks are based on the

assumption that there is a right and

wrong response. •They do not accommodate a range

of ability levels, nor do they foster

divergent thinking.

Open-ended tasks Open ended tasks can be answered in a variety of ways. They can be aligned to a

specific learning area, or integrated across different learning areas.

They allow students to:• engage with the task

• use different learning styles

• take risks

• enter at different entry points, and achieve at different levels.

Why use open ended tasks? For the student:

• they provide opportunity for students to make their own decisions

• they allow for exploration of concepts in a purposeful situation

• they encourage risk taking because there is no one right way to perform it

• they invite students to represent and record the world in their own way

• they encourage students to talk about what they are doing

• they encourage students to reflect on their own work.

Why use open ended tasks?

For the teacher:

• they provide information about what students can and can’t do

• they cater for a variety of levels

• they provide direction for planning.

CharacteristicsOpen ended tasks….

• have boundaries in their content, processes, or products

• are teacher dependent

• involve risk taking

• are acts of negotiation

• require flexible time periods

• reveal patterns of students’ abilities, interests, and preferences.

Progress maps Name of

progress mapFirst Steps Writing

Development Continuum

SACSA Outcome Statements

ESL Scope and Scales

Stage of development

Conventional Phase Middle Years BandStandards 3 and 4

Scales 1 - 14

Skills descriptor

Key Indicator: Writers are familiar with most aspects of the writing process and are able to select forms to suit different purposes.

Texts and Contexts•3.4 and 4.4Language•3.8 and 4.8Strategies•3.12 and 4.12

Four Band Levels:• Early• Primary• Middle• Senior

Teaching suggestions

Major Teaching Emphases are provided for each phase.

Can be used to inform teaching and learning.

Age related tasks inform teaching and learning programs.

Purpose Diagnostic tool Maps student development

Maps student development

Where it can be used

• students• class/learning areas• whole school• system level

• students• class/learning

areas• whole school• system level

• students• class/learning areas• whole school• system level

TEXTS AND CONTEXTS

3.4 Composes a range of texts that include ideas and information about familiar and some unfamiliar topics and applies an understanding of audience, purpose and context.

4.4 Composes a range of texts that include detailed information and explore different perspectives about a range of issues and adjusts texts for particular audiences, purposes and contexts.

LANGUAGE

3.8 Selects and uses a variety of language aspects when planning and composing a range of well-structured fiction, factual and media texts about familiar, new and possible experience.

4.8 Controls and adjusts most aspects of language when planning and composing an extensive range of written and multimedia texts on different themes and issues.

STRATEGIES

3.12 Selects and uses a variety of strategies for planning, composing and reviewing own written texts and for consistently spelling most common words accurately.

4.12 Uses, compares and adjusts multiple strategies for planning, composing and reviewing written texts.

SACSA

Aims• To introduce the concept of

developmental learning and assessment

• To explore a range of (writing) progress maps in order to identify their purposes, similarities and differences

• To identify ways in which they can be used at the individual student, classroom and/or whole school level