Workshops For Educators

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

Involving Students in Classroom Assessment

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

Assessment for learning involves using powerful and practical classroom-tested assessment strategies based on sound research. During this one-day workshop, learn about assessment practices that keep students focused on learning. Strategies include involving students in:

  • setting criteria
  • self-assessment, and
  • collecting, organizing and presenting evidence of their own learning.

This day is packed with classroom-tested ideas for all educators. These ideas result in more engagement, ownership and responsibility. As one high school teacher said, “Teaching like this is heaven.”

Materials Needed: Knowing What Counts series and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full Day

Preparing for Reporting

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

When we provide students with more learning time, we mark or grade work less. Yet report cards still have to be done. What kind of evidence is needed in a classroom where assessment for learning is stressed? How can you be confident that you are collecting the right evidence in relation to what students are to be learning? During this one-day workshop you will learn:

  • ways to ensure the evidence of learning you collect is reliable, valid and of good quality
  • questions to consider when you determine the ‘right’ evidence to collect given your teaching responsibilities
  • ideas for ways to teach children a common language of assessment and involve them in collecting evidence of their own learning
  • how to use both qualitative and quantitative data to support reporting out to parents and others

This workshop is packed with classroom-tested ideas for all educators.

Materials Needed: Making Classroom Assessment Work and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full Day

What is GOOD Evidence of Learning?

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

In this session, Dr. Anne Davies will help participants think through ways to assess and collect evidence of learning with the ‘end in mind’ while ensuring that the classroom evidence collected is reliable and valid. This session leads participants through a practical process that builds teachers’ confidence while increasing the quality of the classroom collection of evidence of learning. Participants will leave with concrete ideas to use with colleagues.

Materials Needed: Making Classroom Assessment Work and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Assessment Lessons From Technology-Rich Classrooms

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

One-to-one computing classrooms are teaching powerful lessons about classroom assessment. In this presentation, Dr. Anne Davies will highlight the classroom assessment lessons to be learned – based on the results of a major study – and invite participants to reflect on how these lessons can help help us view current classroom assessment practices differently.

Materials Needed: Making Classroom Assessment Work and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Moving Beyond Labels: Feedback that Feedforwards to Learning

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

Our brains can’t learn without quality feedback – feedback that helps one understand what to keep doing, what to stop doing, and what to do differently. Together teachers and students are learning ways to increase the specific, descriptive feedback students receive to support their learning during the learning. This session will focus on a variety of ways to make sure students are receiving enough quality feedback-feedforward information to support their learning, including the power of involving students in setting criteria, using exemplars, increasing the sources of feedback, and tapping into the power of technology. This session will also look at ways to transform and translate current feedback so it supports learning, rather than merely labeling it. Participants will leave with concrete ideas to use in classrooms.

Materials Needed: Knowing What Counts series and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

The NEW Language of Assessment: Practical, Powerful and Time Saving

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

In order for students to assess their way to success they need to work with teachers to create a common language of assessment. In this “show and tell” session Dr. Anne Davies will help participants learn more about why this is important and how teachers can facilitate this simple yet powerful process. The session will look at practical and possible assessment strategies that do double time – they teach students what they need to learn and what quality looks like, as well as practical ways to involve students in assessing their own way to success in the classroom. Participants will learn through analyzing a collection of classroom examples and stories that illustrate what this process looks like in classrooms K-12. Participants will leave with concrete ideas to use in classrooms.

Materials Needed: Knowing What Counts series and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Creating Useable Classroom Assessment Plans

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

In a standards-based environment, it is essential to link instruction with assessment. Participants will have the opportunity to follow a step-by-step planning process that includes identifying what students need to learn, considering specific evidence that will show the learning, and looking at ways to help students understand what success looks like.

Materials Needed: Making Classroom Assessment Work and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Setting Criteria and Developing Rubrics With Students

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

When students are involved in developing a “picture” of what’s important, they are more likely to understand where they are going and how to get there. When students share a common language of assessment they can more fully support their own learning and the learning of others. Participants will have opportunities to think about and discuss:

  • a four-step process for setting criteria with students
  • ways to use criteria to develop rubrics

Materials Needed: Setting and Using Criteria and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Feedback to Feed-Forward for Learning

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

Precious energy is spent “marking” student work. How can we offer students the kind of information they need to learn while reducing marking? The purpose of this session is to look at practical, effective ways of assessing student work that support learning and increase achievement without marking or grading it. Descriptive feedback supports learning when students know: “This is what I do well.” “This is what I need to improve.” “This is what I need to learn next.”
The focus of this session is:

  • giving students concrete ways to remember what is important
  • using descriptive feedback in relation to criteria to help the learning
  • responding to student work without marking or grading

Materials Needed: Setting and Using Criteria and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Self-Assessment and Goal Setting

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

Self-assessment is an essential element of learning because it is a time when one gives feedback to oneself to support learning moment by moment. In this session participants will consider the research and learn about a variety of ways students can be involved in self-assessment.

When students set goals, they decide on something they need to work on and take steps towards achieving that goal. They have a clear focus for learning. In this session, participants will have an opportunity to:

  • look at key reasons for goal setting
  • explore various strategies for students choosing realistic goals
  • learn about a process for monitoring, supporting and celebrating goals

Materials Needed: Self-Assessment and Goal-Setting and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Collecting and Organizing Evidence of Learning

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

If classroom assessment is to support learning there needs to be a range of evidence collected. Involving students in the process is key. This session will focus on ways of collecting and organizing evidence of learning in a standards-based classroom. Specific ideas for involving students in collecting and organizing evidence will be presented while participants explore:

  • ways of observing student learning in relation to the standards
  • different strategies for collecting products of student work
  • the value of talking and listening to learners

Materials Needed: Making Classroom Assessment Work and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Making Portfolios Practical and Possible

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

Portfolios give students a way to show what they’ve learned, what they are still working on, and what they need to learn next. In this session, participants will:

  • examine key questions about portfolios
  • look at different items students and teachers include
  • explore ways contents can be organized

Participants will also construct a simple portfolio and leave with ideas about unique ways students can share portfolios during school time and at home with their parents and others.

Materials Needed: Making Classroom Assessment Work and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Writing Report Cards and Having a Life

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

Communicating learning is difficult. This session is designed for teachers who spend hours marking students work, preparing grades, and/or writing report card comments, yet are often left wondering whether or not parents understand what their son or daughter has learned. The focus will be:

  • gathering useful assessment information
  • involving students in self-assessment
  • using specific phrases that make the writing easier
  • organizing the information in a frame that works for parents

Materials Needed: Making Classroom Assessment Work and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences: Communicating Evidence of Student Learning

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

When students are involved in communicating evidence of learning they learn important life skills and receive valued feedback. Parents and others have an opportunity to be involved and informed. It has value for all students, parents and teachers. Participants will learn a collection of useful strategies as well as a process for involving students in successful student-parent-teacher conferences. This session will focus on ways to:

  • involve students in communicating evidence of learning during the term
  • prepare students, parents, and teachers for the conference
  • use a step-by-step procedure for the conference
  • involve students in setting goals during conferences

Materials Needed: The Knowing What Counts series and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day

Involving Students in Communicating about Learning

Educators | Professional Development Leaders

Communicating with parents is more important than ever. Participants will look at practical ways students are taking a lead role in showing proof of their learning by using work samples or demonstrations. This informal type of communication offers parents the opportunity to see some of the learning that is taking place in classrooms without coming to the school for formal meetings or conferences.

Materials Needed: Conferencing and Reporting and a comprehensive handout

Time Required: Full or partial day