Maybe it’s because I’ve been a band director, choir director, and music teacher, but I believe one of the best places to learn about authentic formative assessment is in the performing arts. That’s not to disparage any other discipline. I just know that a student with an instrument in hand playing a piece of music with other students is constantly evaluating his/her performance. The student may be asking questions like:
- Where am I now?
- How does my work compare to that of others?
- Where do I go next?
- What else do I need to learn and do?
Based upon the answers to those questions – and a myriad of other similar questions – the student will make adjustments and continue to learn and grow. This is the formative assessment cycle at work.
In the book Classroom Assessment Essentials, author Susan M. Brookhart shares the following strategies that teachers may wish to use to foster the formative assessment cycle (pp. 7-8):
- Teach students that making mistakes is part of the learning process.
- Use learning-focused language all the time.
- Give students helpful feedback.
- Teach students how to self-assess and model that in your own work.
As you prepare for next week, think of ways you might begin to teach and use formative assessment in your own classroom. You and your students will be glad you did!
Phil Harrison Coaching 