1 Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning (CPAL) CCEA AfL Conference 12th January 2006 Chimney Corner Inn Research team:

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Consulting Pupils on the

Assessment of their Learning (CPAL)

www.CPAL.qub.ac.uk

CCEA AfL Conference12th January 2006

Chimney Corner Inn

Research team:Ruth Leitch,

On behalf of: John Gardner, Laura Lundy, Peter Clough, Despina Galanouli and Stephanie Mitchell

School of EducationQueen’s University Belfast

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Three aims for this morning’s presentation

• Inform you about CPAL

• Share some underpinning ideas on pupil rights in context of learning and assessment

• Present preliminary views from teachers and principals on Assessment for Learning (AfL) and pupil consultation

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Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning(CPAL)

• Eighteen month research project (June 2005- December 2006)

• Focuses on pupil rights and consultation in relation to assessment

• Collaborative

• Located in current NI policy context

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Core research team CPAL Research Team

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Collaboration with CCEA, ELBs and schools

Attendees at CPAL September Launch

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• focusing on pupil participation in assessment as an extension to the work on teaching and learning;

• to consider the issue of pupil consultation through the lens of children’s rights and to ‘test’ a model of ‘pupil voice’;

CPAL’s Aims

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(CPAL) Three interrelated studies

STUDY 1

STUDY 2 STUDY 3

Pupil Profiles at KS2

Assessment for Learning at KS3

Teachers’ andParents’

Perspectives

Pupil Rightsand

PupilParticipation

Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning

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(i) Children’s Rights Perspective and ‘pupil voice’

(ii) Assessment for Learning and pupil participation and consultation

(CPAL) Underpinning key issues

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Children’s Rights’ Perspective – ‘Voice is not enough’

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

Article 12… gives children the right to express their views:

Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning Study 1

‘States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child’.

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Children’s Rights Perspective

SPACE VOICE

The right to express views

The right to have views given due

weight

Conceptualising Article 12 of the UNCRC

ARTICLE 12

INFLUENCE AUDIENCE

*Space: children must be given the opportunity to express a view

*Voice: Children must be facilitated to express their views

*Audience: The view must be listened to.

*Influence: the view must be acted upon as appropriate

(Lundy, 2005)

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Assessment for Learning and Children’s Rights (participation)

‘AfL is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go, and how best to get there.’

(ARG, 2002)Four key processes (Black and Wiliam, 1998):

eliciting information

providing feedback

sharing criteria

peer- and self-assessment

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Assessment for Learning claims evidence for:

(i) Improved learning and standards;

(ii) Improved self-esteem for pupils.

CPAL interested in how AfL engages pupils through:

Involving pupils in decision-making

Conveying a sense of progress

Putting less emphasis on grades

Making learning goals explicit

Developing self-assessment skills

Promoting learning goals and confidence to improve

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Study 2: Consults pupils at KS3 about their experiences of learning in AfL classrooms

• Small-scale and in-depth ethnographic study

• Focus: Year groups 8-10

• Sample: Six post-primary schools engaged in AfL• Methods: Classrooms: Observation of classroom

experience in AfLPupils:Focus groups

Creative/structured activitiesTeachers: Structured conversations

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CPAL Research questions:• Pupil views’ about assessment and AfL

What is KS3 pupils’ understanding of assessment and their role in this?

- how do pupils feel in AfL classes?- what is different in AfL classroom?- how do pupils feel they are engaged (or not)?- in what ways do they participate/ are they consulted?- what are the gains/ benefits/limitations?

• Understanding classroom processes What is specific to AfL classrooms in terms of how pupils are engaged/consulted?

- what is the difference in language used in AfL classrooms?

- how does AfL pedagogy affect pupil participation?- how do teachers negotiate greater pupil involvement?- what characterises teacher-pupil relationship in AfL

classrooms?

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Study 3: Teachers’ perspectives

Emerging bodies of research on:

- Key role teachers play in innovations

- Narratives of teacher identity which link early socialisation and emotional experiences to later attitudes and flexibility of behaviour.

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Study 3: Consults teachers at KS3

The are TWO dimensions to this element of CPAL:

(i) Evaluate teachers’ perspectives on AfL- mapping responses to the increasingly participative role for pupils, specifically focusing on pupil rights in learning and assessment

(ii) Understanding teachers’ narratives of identity- to understand the role of teachers’ own autobiographies (beliefs, values, motives, fears, moral purposes) in encouraging or inhibiting pupil engagement in classrooms.

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Teacher views on AfL and pupil participation

Motivation and self-esteem• ‘My children have never been so interested in receiving their work back before. Being

specific about what was good really motivated the children and focused both the teacher and the children to make improvements. All the children took on board the wish and corrected that part. Was good for self-esteem as they felt proud of the 2 stars.’

Primary teacher• ‘There is almost an immediate positive response from pupils.  They are intrigued when

they see the posters appearing in the room. ‘No hands’ and Think Time…but it takes time…’ Secondary teacher

Inclusion• ‘No hands’ has involved more of the pupils, no pupils are excluded from questions and all

pupils are engaged at some point in the discussions. Previously the number involved may have been less than a third of the class.’

Secondary teacher• ‘Some lesser able pupils do seem to be having more success when they follow the

Success Criteria on the board.’Primary teacher

Consultation• ‘We have discussed all the strategies used with the children and they are extremely

positive about this assessment approach.’Primary teacher

• ‘I did ask my class about the learning board, and their general response was that they liked being able to see through the lesson what they had to do so they could "check they were right".  They also liked to know what I wanted, and that I told them when I checked their work against what was on the board.’ 

Primary teacher

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TEACHER IN CONTROL

PUPIL IN CONTROL

DIRECTING ADVISING INFORMING CLOSED OPEN LISTENING FACILITATING PUPIL PUPILQUESTIONS QUESTIONS UNDERSTANDING INQUIRY FEEDBACK

CONSULTATION

Balance of power and control in teacher/pupil interactions

ParticipationExams and grading

Pupil self-assessment

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How AfL alters power balance in classroom: Primary teachers’ views

• ‘It’s about the handing over of control from teacher to pupil...I ask the children for success criteria’

(P2 teacher: female)• I say ‘If you (pupils) were teaching, what would you be looking for?

Then questions and prompts are generated with a class...’(P7 teacher: male)

• I ask them ‘what would you like to learn about..?..;I ask for feedback from the children.. Then ‘ That was my question. Ok I am going to use your questions for us to learn about this project’..’ and ‘Which answer do you like best? – all this gives them more control over their learning.’

(P6 teacher: female)• ‘I like the idea of them becoming the teacher..It’s amazing what little

ones can take on board…getting then to give success criteria, that is powerful/important…..we get the dialogue going. I love giving them the space to talk..’

(P2 teacher: female)• ‘Children love pointing out to you when you have done something

wrong...You made a mistake ..so what?’ (P4 teacher:female)

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Grammar School Headteachers’ Views on Pupil Consultation in Assessment

Very supportive in principle

- ‘high priority’

- ‘should happen as fully as possible’

Articulate rationale

- ‘pupil motivation’’

- ‘ownership’

- ‘engagement in relation to schooling’

Qualifiers

- ‘easier in some subjects’

- ‘needs to be linked to age /ability’

- ‘with caution’

- ‘need to change culture and practice of schooling’

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Enduring research questions we seek your ideas on

• To what extent do teachers see AfL as a set of ‘skills’ for learning rather than putting the pupil back into the heart of learning?

• How widely do teachers espouse pupil entitlement to be involved in their own assessment?

• How widely do teachers take on board teacher learning as part of AfL?

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Reflection and research discussionHow did you react to the Pupil Rights’ model?

You will receive a sheet with the model of Article 12 for consideration which we will, by agreement, gather in at the end of the session.

Individually write some written reflections (don’t have to be profound) on how you personally make sense of the four terms – space, voice, audience and influence. (5-6mins)

In groups of approx. 8: which aspects of the pupils’ rights model do you view as problematic or potentially problematic? Please record on flipchart.