Author(s): Amy Trauth-Nare, Gayle Buck
Published: January, 2011 in Science Teacher
URL to article
Research Focus Area: Grading systems that work and are meaningful in the 21st century especially for colleges and employeers, and for topics like PE, arts, and health
Abstract:
Due to the student-centered nature of problem-based learning (PBL) and project-based science (PBS), it is easy for teachers “not” to provide students with adequate feedback or enough support to promote critical thinking. However, research has shown that PBL and PBS are most effective when appropriate learning goals are defined, embedded supports and feedback are part of instruction, and there are multiple opportunities for self-assessment and revision (Barron et al. 1998). Instructional supports for student learning come in many forms. In this article, the authors describe how formative assessment can be used to support PBL and PBS to maximize student achievement. (Contains 7 figures.)
Research Question(s):
How can formative assessment be used throughout a project-based learning (PBL) unit to maximize student learning? How should assessments be introduced?
Methods:
Literature Review
Key Findings:
- Formative assessment is assessment for learning that is conducted regularly throughout the unit to elicit students’ understanding and guide instructional decisions.
- Formative assessment, as a primer, can be used as a pre-assessment to reveal student interests, background knowledge and pre-conceptions about science topics.
- Students often lose sight of the learning goals during PBL; thus, formative assessment should be used regularly to monitor student learning and help them refocus.
Implications:
Formative assessment in the form of daily or weekly reflections is only effective if it is used to:
- Monitor student learning in order to reteach concepts or adjust portions of the unit.
- Provide direct, specific feedback to students on their progress towards learning goals.
- Help students reflect on what they do and do not understand, rather than grade them.
Limitations:
This study is written as a literature review and an instructional guide for PBL instruction for science teachers with specific examples for implementation. As ages and demographics were not mentioned, this guidance may not be appropriate for all classroom settings without more controlled studies.