K-5+Inquiry+Strategies+Resource+BL

=Inquiry – Thoughts, Views and Strategies for the K-5 Classroom= [www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf99148/pdf/nsf99148.pdf]

“Assessment in the Inquiry Classroom” by Wynne Harlen

assessment tasks may be, and should be, good learning experiences

as the students work, the teacher can watch how systematically they investigate see how thoroughly they observe observe how students communicate/explain note what vocabulary students use

students may be asked to write and draw their thoughts, and the teacher can collect this work to analyze students’ understanding use of evidence reasoning process

formative assessment is carried out for the purposes of helping the teaching and learning process

summative assessment reports student achievement at a given summary point, often through some form of quizzing or testing.

formative assessment is essential to inquiry teaching because it is used to gather information about ongoing learning and using that information to develop next teaching steps

for this type of assessment to be most useful, it must be concerned with process skills as well as the understanding of scientific ideas outcomes must be clearly identified progression through skill levels must be clear

four significant methods of gathering information have been identified 1. observing students engaged in inquiry 2. asking questions designed to probe reasoning and understanding 3. looking closely at evidence from class work 4. setting special tasks or assignments

on the basis of this type of assessment, the teacher can have a better idea about the kinds of further experience and discussion that will help students’ understanding and decide what issues should be addressed, and whether the need applies to all, or just some, of the students

regarding teachers’ evaluation of student work, it is generally felt that “a few pieces of work, valued by both students and teacher, are of far greater value for learning than are many pieces of work to which both teacher and students may give less attention.” (p.94)

the teacher must devote thought and attention to deciding which investigable questions should be raised and how variables should be changed and controlled and what should be measured by students