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Educators exploring ways to practice AFL in their classrooms will often find some parents and students a little confused as to exactly why teachers are doing what they're doing.  Unfortunately, over the years schools have conditioned people to view grades as summative in nature.  Many parents and students do not understand how to use feedback from a score or grade in part because they have not been given the opportunity to do so.  The feedback they received wasn't formative - it wasn't provided as a way to guide learning but as a way to determine a final grade.  The AFL practitioner, though, understands that students need to use feedback to guide and improve their learning.  Therefore, the AFL practitioner must be very explicit and intentional in how he or she trains students to use feedback and in how he or she communicates with parents about classroom expectations.

 

Recently, Jenn Shannon, a math teacher at Salem High School, shared with me an email she sent home to parents about one of her AFL practices.  I think it's a great example of intentional communication intended to educate parents about how AFL practices can help their children learn.  With her permission, here is a copy of that email:

 

Dear Parents/Guardians
I gave each student a rubric on Tuesday to help them self-evaluate how they are progressing in the given unit.  We have worked on filling in the rubric during class, but I encourage you to ask your student to see their rubric.  Students know that they should be striving to have mastery in each area on the rubric by Tuesday, November 1 (test day!) 
 I have attached a copy of what this rubric looks like and how they are assessing themselves. 
I hope that this rubric encourages the students to take responsibility for their learning, as well as provides them a tangible way to know whether or not they are really prepared for their test.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

 

 

I believe that we all have something to learn from a simple email like this.  Let's not underestimate the potential benefits of involving parents by communicating with them very directly.

 

On top of being a great example of AFL communication, Mrs. Shannon's rubric is also a great example of how to get students to assess themselves.  It's very similar to Anika Armistead's use of a science review sheet as it lets students know up front what they will be required to know and then gives them a means to assess their progress.  Here is a copy of Jenn's rubric in case you would like to use it in your classroom as well:

 

PDF version of Rubric11148392473?profile=original

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An AFL Email to Parents and Students

I recently received this email from one of my daughter's teachers. I thought it was worth sharing for a few reasons. It is an excellent example of:

1. Productive/proactive communication between the school and the home.
2. A teacher educating students and parents about the reasons behind classroom decisions.
3. A teacher training her students to use AFL strategies to take ownership of their academic progress.
4. A teacher realizing that using AFL doesn't require a teacher to change everything. Instead AFL is often a good way to describe the BEST of the TRIED and TRUE. AFL increases our focus to make sure we increase our use of TRIED and TRUE methods.

(By the way - I underline the word "and" in TRIED and TRUE for extra emphasis. Sometimes after years of teaching we think we're using TRIED and TRUE methods when we're actually only using TRIED methods.)

So here's the email - (the underlining/bolding was added by me):
Hello Parents and Students!

We are wrapping up our last major unit of the year!! Time flies when you're having fun!

We will be having our end of the 5th six weeks test this Thursday and Friday. The test will cover chapters 8, 9 and a small piece of chapter 10. Students are to look over their old tests and quizzes to gain an understanding of what they have struggled with in the past. Salem High School (students, faculty, and administration) has really been working together on the idea of Assessments FOR learning. If students can recognize what they don't know, they can spend their maximum amount of time and effort reviewing and practicing that specific material instead of practicing material that they have already mastered. This is nothing new, but instead, it is a classic tried-and-true method of studying.

To prepare for this cumulative test, I have uploaded several practice quizzes on our class website as well as notes. Please feel free to access all of this material as needed.

If you have any questions I will be available before school by 7:15 each morning.

Good luck studying!

Beth Denton

So what do you think? Nice communication. Nice attempt to train students and parents in the ways of AFL. Give some thought to how you could let your students know about how/why you use AFL in your classroom and how you want them to use it in their studies.
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