|
Performances of Understanding |
Ø What
are performances of understanding?
Performances of understanding are the tasks or
work students complete to show their degree of
understanding about the content, skills, or
concept being studied. A range of classroom
tasks and performances should be collected over
time to determine the degree of student
understanding about particular concepts.
Ø Why
are performances of understanding important in a
thinking-centered curriculum?
If
schools are ‘schooling minds’ rather than
covering content, students need to be assessed
through a range of performance tasks that are
purposefully designed to assess different levels
of thinking or understanding. Thoughtfully
designed demonstrations of understanding require
students to use content knowledge and skills,
reasoning strategies, and literacy skills to
effectively communicate their understanding. At
times students will be given traditional
multiple-choice paper and pencil tests to check
their content knowledge. More often students
should be engaged in tasks that ask them to
solve real problems. A critical part of all
problem solving tasks includes having students
explain their thinking and justify their answers
with facts and logical reasoning.
Ø What
are the characteristics of assessment that
address a thinking-centered curriculum?
The
range of assessments which should be evident in
a thinking-centered curriculum could include the
following:
-
Multiple-choice
tests
-
Writing samples
in all content areas
-
Student
analysis of their own work when compared to
rubrics and exemplars
-
Teacher
observation and documentation of student
skills and growth
-
Metacognitive
logs or journals which describe and reflect
on learning goals
-
Performance on
extended projects
-
Problem-solving
tasks that are grounded to authentic work
-
Portfolios of
students’ work that they can explain to
multiple audiences. Student explanations
would address questions such as:
-
What are
the big ideas shown in this collection
of my work?
-
How have I
grown as a learner/thinker?
-
What do I
know and understand now that I did not
know at the beginning of this course?
-
What skills
have I acquired and how will I use them
outside this course?
Ø If
you would like more information…
Literature and
Research Base:
Costa,
Arthur L. Developing Minds. Virginia:
ASCD, 1999.
Perkins, David. Smart Schools. New York:
The Free Press, 1992.
Wiggins, Grant and Jay McTighe. Understanding
by Design. Virginia: ASCD, 2004.
Related Links:
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/info3e.cfm
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/info3d.cfm
