BOOK INSPECTION
AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
LOOK AT STUDENT WORK
CURRICULUM LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
LANGUAGE LEARNING SUPPORT SECTION
08 FEBRURAY 2012
Today’s menu
9:30 – 10:00
10:00 – 12:15
PART ONE
1. Warm-up activity
2.
Book inspection practices in HK schools
3. The purposes and potential benefits of book inspections
PART TWO
1. Looking at student work together – the I in the Book Inspection
PIE
BREAK 11:00 – 11:15
LUNCH – 12:30 – 14:00
14:00 – 16:00
16:00 – 16:45
PART THREE
1. The rest of the Book Inspection PIE
BREAK 15:00 – 15:15
2.
Wrapping-up and key messages
3.
CLN - next steps & graduation + Next steps for CLD
By the end of the workshop, the participants should be
able to:
• identify and describe the different purposes of
Looking At Student Work as part of the Book
Inspection task;
• explain how Looking At Student Work can add a
professional dimension to the Book Inspection task;
• plan effectively for Looking At Student Work as part
of the Book Inspection task;
• make use findings to inform better learning and
teaching
3
THINK
Read the following statements carefully. Which ones are
true for you?
a. I dislike doing book inspections – it’s very time-consuming
and completely pointless.
b. Book inspections are a tool for the principal to control
the teachers.
c. As a curriculum leader, I find book inspections really
useful.
d. I’d rather spend my time marking an extra piece of
writing than be involved in a book inspection.
e. Book inspections are only useful to check the amount of
work done by the teachers and the students.
PAIR
Now talk to your partner. Do you all have the same opinions?
Which statements do you disagree on?
SHARE
Summarise your discussion and report back to the whole
group.
Based on a very small scale survey carried out
amongst our Curriculum Leadership Network
schools (9 in total), we have been able to paint
the following picture…
Frequency
1/3 – (3) times, 1/3 – (twice), 1/3 –
(once)
When
Over half do it in January and/ or
between May-June
Who
In over half the schools, the Principal,
the PSM (CD) and the Panel Head
Sampling
• by Ss learning abilities/ performance
(5)
• randomly (2)
• different parties check different
kinds of work to avoid duplication (1)
• select average work (1)
• select 1 piece that demonstrates the
development of the main focus of the
year (1)
• by class (1)
Work collected
Major strengths
Major weakenesses
Teachers
• Careful marking and
accuracy
• No follow-up
Students
•
Assignments completed
on time
•
Careless mistakes,
handwriting and attitude
• The sample shows that our
member schools collect a wide
range of student work;
• However, not all types of
student work are worth
collecting for the purpose of
developing a deep understanding
of how students learn
Difficulties faced when
conducting book inspections
• time & resources
• giving constructive
feedback
•
Feelings associated with this
task
worthwhile and necessary
takes a lot of effort
lacks focus
giving realistic assessment
• linking student and
teacher performance
feels like an appraisal
Despite the difficulties, the Book Inspection
exercise allows the Curriculum Leader to monitor
the quality and outcomes of the Learning and
Teaching process
To what extent does/ should the book inspection
reflect a curriculum leader’s:
•planning skills
•subject knowledge
•ability to develop a common understanding of goals
related to student and teacher learning
Which description is the closest to what happens in
your school?
The panel head and/ or the
principal ask all teachers to
collect the relevant books
for inspection. They
inspect the “books” on
their own and then
complete the book
inspection form and
submit it to the general
office to be filed.
The panel head and/ or the
principal ask all teachers to
collect the relevant books for
inspection. Everyone knows
why certain “books” have
been chosen. After the
inspection, the panel head
and/or the principal sit with
the teachers and discuss the
major findings. These findings
are used to set priorities for
the next subject plan.
Objectives
Data
Teacher
Appraisal
Followup
Teacher
Learning
…gain deeper
understanding
of student
learning
…plan and
deliver needsbased
professional
development
…develop a
common
language of
expectations
and standards
…improve
teaching
effectiveness
We carry out
book
inspections in
order to …
…inform future
planning and
set targets
…comply with
school
requirements
Setting the scene
•Observation from our mini-survey :
Some schools already have protocols and
standard procedures for doing book
inspections, e.g. specifying inspection focuses
for different kinds of student work, such as
dictation, reading, writing, etc.
Conformity
Attitude
Accuracy
English writing
Constructive feedback
English dictation
Focus on students’ work
English exercise books
Focus on teachers’ work
Content
Attitude
Corrections
English writing
Grammar & structure
English dictation
Focus on students’ work
English exercise books
Focus on teachers’ work
Setting the scene
• So the focus of this workshop will be:
To help curriculum leaders look deeper and
make better use of the Book Inspection task
exercise to reveal more about student learning
and hence better inform the
learning and teaching process
What to begin with?
Where to begin?
3 days before the Book Inspection exercise
Class, you need to
submit your books to me
soon.
• Have you completed
all unfinished exercises?
• Have you all done
your corrections?
• How about recorrections?
• How about parents’
signature?
… Blah, blah, blah…
Looking at Students’ Work - 1
Comment on whether
this piece of student
work is good or not.
What do you notice
about evidence of
student learning?
Exhibit
1
Looking at Students’ Work - 1
• Knowing the background and
objectives is important when
looking at student work during
book inspections
• Panel heads may examine or
scrutinise work selectively going for depth may be more
productive than going for
breadth.
Inter-school lesson observation
Lesson
objectives
Observation
focus
Methods
used
Observable
success
criteria
Design a
scrutiny
cover sheet
so your
job can be
made
easier.
Sample scrutiny cover sheet
•
•
•
•
•
Work type chosen
Prepared by (optional)
Level & class
Class background
Previous learning and/or
scaffolding
• Learning objectives:
–
–
–
–
Language skills
Grammar
Vocabulary
Text-types
• Measures to cater for
learner diversity
• Student attainment
• Difficulties encountered
• Reflection
Looking at Students’ Work - 2
Comment on whether the
design of the reading task is
good.
Make further suggestions on
how to enhance the task with
reference to the objectives
set.
Exhibit
2
Scrutiny
cover
sheet
a purpose
a context
involvement in a way of thinking
and doing
opportunities to use prior
knowledge and skills
leads to a product
Source : English Language Curriculum Guide (P1-6) 2004, p.128
Looking at Students’ Work - 2
• To look at student work effectively, we
need to set standards so that there is
a common language shared among
panel members about student
learning evidence.
• Possible standards to set: task design
Looking at Students’ Work – 3a
Discuss the complexity
of the exercise and
whether it suits the
needs of the students.
Exhibit
3
Scrutiny
cover
sheet
Looking at Students’ Work – 3a
• Possible standards to set: task design,
school-based English curriculum
(grammar, language skills, vocabulary,
etc.)
Looking at Students’ Work – 3b
Discuss how better task
design can be used to enhance
students’ grammar learning.
Suggest ways to modify the
task to cater for the more
able students.
Exhibit
3
Scrutiny
cover
sheet
Looking at Students’ Work – 3b
• Possible standards to set: task
design, school-based English
curriculum, catering for learner
diversity with the same learning
objectives considered
Looking at Students’ Work – 4a
Focus on the language demands
of the reading exercise.
Discuss if you think it is
appropriate for P2 with
reference to your school’s
context.
Exhibit
4a
Scrutiny
cover
sheet
Looking at Students’ Work – 4b
What modifications would you
suggest to make the task more
suitable for P2 students at your
school?
You may give thought to the
learning objectives set. You
may also consider the following:
• question type
• sequence of questions set
• language demand
Exhibit
4b
Scrutiny
cover
sheet
Looking at Students’ Work
– 4ab
• The school-based English curriculum,
Curriculum Guide or other official
curriculum documents can be good
sources/ reference to help set the
standards.
• Looking at Student Work is more
effective when standards that everyone
knows and understands are in place.
Looking at Students’ Work – 4c
Discuss your views on :
- scaffolding of the writing task
- clarity of task requirements
- marking practice
What do you like about this
sample?
Would you propose any changes?
Exhibit
4c
Scrutiny
cover
sheet
Looking at Students’ Work
– 4c
• Do not only focus on the polished output. When
looking at student written work, looking at the
scaffolding work is important as it allows us to
understand better the learning process and hence
see the learning gaps.
• Task requirements should be well-aligned with
marking criteria.
• Use of measurable and observable marking
criteria is important.
• Teachers’ constructive feedback can help
students to focus attention.
Constructive
feedback should be:
• Precise and relevant to the
focus of assessment
• Informative to learners on
how well they have
performed and how they can
do better
• Presented in a positive tone
Suggested stems for marking:
Giving compliments :
• Good use of….
• Good description of ….
• A good piece of writing
with….
• The use of... has
added colours to your work.
• I like your idea of…
Suggested stems for marking:
Making recommendation for improvement :
• It would be better if …
• You can try …..
• Be careful with……
• Perhaps something like
… will be…
• You’ll have a great piece of
writing if/ when you...
Looking at Students’ Work - 5
To what extent are the pre-writing
tasks aligned with the task
requirement(s)? To what extent
are they effective?
How would/ could you address
learner diversity in the context of
this task?
Exhibit
5
Scrutiny
cover
sheet
Looking at Students’ Work - 5
• When looking at student work, in addition to
focusing on whether marking practices, e.g.
codes, accuracy, etc. are properly used, try to
look beyond and find out what has been done
/ what could have been done to enhance
student learning.
• Looking at student work as part of the Book
Inspection exercise allows us to learn more
about how students learned throughout the
process and how effective that process was.
• Looking at student work as part of the Book
Inspection is an exercise to look for and look at
students’ learning evidence for different purposes.
It allows teachers to look critically at the output
and the learning process.
• Looking at student work should be done in context
and selectively.
• ALL teachers should play an active role in the
“looking at student work” part of the Book
Inspection task.
• Book Inspections are a more effective and richer
task when standards ( e.g. curriculum, task design,
measures to cater for learner diversity ) are set
how we look at student work.
Where do the
standards come
from?
What follow-up work
should I do with my
fellow panel members
after looking at
student work?
Where should the
standards be specified
and how they should
be made known to
all English teachers?
How should I
communicate the
findings with my fellow
panel members?
WILL START
Evaluation
Planning
Implementation
When we look at the books submitted by the
teachers, we evaluate what we can see – we
know what is good, what is OK and what is not
so good. Right?
Three broad categories of
Questions to help you write your
Possible
Assessment criteria
Descriptors
Sources
• What should teaching and learning in
my school look like?
Standards
Development focus
Progression
Curriculum & Assessment Guide
Department/ Panel Handbook
Galton’s Six Principles of Effective
Teaching & Learning
• What are my development priorities?
• What do I need to focus on to
improve overall quality of teaching
and learning?
• Which areas/ skills must I pay
attention to in the short, medium and
long term?
• What competencies, knowledge and
skills should my students be
developing?
• Are we on the right track?
• What is the right track?
• Do we need to make a detour?
School development plan
Subject plan
Internal and external assessment
data
BCs – Basic Competencies (TSA)
LPF – Learning Progression
Framework
Three broad categories of
Questions to help you write your
Possible
Assessment criteria
Descriptors
Sources
Standards
• What should teaching and Curriculum & Assessment Guide
learning in my school look Department/ Panel Handbook
like?
Galton’s Six Principles of Effective Teaching &
Learning
• which language sub-skills (listening, speaking,
reading and writing) and language
development strategies we should help
students learn through our teaching;
• which generic skills our teaching and learning
should help students develop (collaboration,
communication, creativity, critical thinking,
information technology, numeracy, problemsolving, self-management and study skills)
• the five features of a good learning task:
purpose
context
involvement in a way of thinking
and doing
opportunities to use prior
knowledge and skills
leads to a product
• the place of exercises (e.g. grammar and gapfill exercises in the workbook) and generic
skills in the context of good learning tasks
generic skills
language skills
and language
development
strategies
five features of
good learning
tasks
Curriculum
&
Assessment
Guide
exercises and
generic skills in
the context of
task-based
learning
Three broad categories of
Questions to help you write your
Possible
Assessment criteria
Descriptors
Sources
Standards
 What should teaching and Curriculum & Assessment Guide
learning in my school look Department/ Panel Handbook
like?
Galton’s Six Principles of Effective Teaching &
Learning
Imagine you have just been given a teaching
post at ABC School. The panel head has given
you the Department/ Panel Handbook so you
can familiarise yourself with what is expected of
you as a teacher.
Based on the information you have been given
(extracts 1 and 2), what do you learn about:
1. the context of this school, how it affects the students and
the main goal of English lessons ?
2. the kind of teaching and learning activities you would see
if you looked at the “books” of a colleague at this school?
Context
Impact
Students
• Students have little receptive
or productive exposure to
English outside the classroom;
• Housing estate in a
predominantly Chinesespeaking area;
• Students lack confidence to
interact in English without
prompting or support, or to
take risks;
Goal of English language L& T
activities
• address primarily the issue of
confidence and motivationbuilding
Expected Teaching & Learning Activities
• meaningful communicative tasks […] to communicate confidently in English
in everyday situations;
• plenty of opportunities to interact with each other and the teachers in
English;
• interactive activities to enable the students to personalise what they learn
in class and use English to express their feelings and thoughts;
• make use of both listening and reading texts to create opportunities for
speaking;
• motivational feedback regarding […] performance
Three broad categories of
Questions to help you write your
Possible
Assessment criteria
Descriptors
Sources
Standards
• What should teaching and Curriculum & Assessment Guide
learning in my school look Department/ Panel Handbook
like?
Galton’s Six Principles of
Effective Teaching & Learning
More assessment for learning
learning
Clear statement of learning
objectives – what is the purpose?
goals
alternative
forms of
assessment
Less corrective feedback –
more informative feedback
questioning
Six principles of
effective teaching &
learning
Extended and carefully planned
questioning
pupil
feedback
participation
cooperation
More pair and group work
More active pupil interaction
learning
goals
alternative
forms of
assessment
Six
principles of
effective
teaching &
learning
feedback
questioning
Principle 1- State learning objectives clearly
…and describe them…
• … in student-friendly language
• … in terms of task and purpose
• …using action words
…and make sure that they…
• …capitalise on students’ ability and prior knowledge
How to describe the learning objectives in
terms of action words
• Use verbs that describe observable actions or actions that
generate observable products/ behaviours:
e.g. •to identify
•to predict
•to speak
•to locate
•to list
•to explain
•to select
•to write
• Avoid using verbs that are difficult to assess:
e.g.
•to know
•to enjoy
•to understand
•to comprehend
•to think
•to familiarize
•to value
•to love
An example:
You have asked your students to read a
story and complete the comprehension
questions. Which objective(s) is/ are
more precise?
A: To comprehend a story
B: To skim and scan a story to locate the names
of the characters and the setting of the plot.
Principle 2 – Use extended, carefully
planned questioning
Ask a mix of…
• …lower order questions - recall information and
demonstrate understanding
• …higher order questions -critical thinking and
creativity
• …follow-up questions
- think more deeply
Rephrase & break questions into smaller parts…
• …to make them clearer and easier to follow
Principle 5 – Use corrective feedback less often
and give informing feedback more frequently
• Give feedback that is specific and constructive.
• Praise effort as well as success
• Give reinforcement to students through verbaland non-verbal communication
• Give students opportunity to think critically
• Give students opportunity to self-correct
Principle 6 – Use assessment to promote learning
• Explain success criteria of an activity explicitly to
students before it begins
• Include and value different modes of assessment,
e.g. peer, self, teacher, etc.
• Collect evidence from different sources, e.g.
student work, students’ responses, class work
Three broad categories of
Questions to help you write your
Possible
Assessment criteria
Descriptors
Sources
• What are my development
priorities?
Development focus
• What do I need to focus on to
improve overall quality of
teaching and learning? (the type
of questions asked/ the tasks set/
scaffolding for task completion?)
• Which areas/ skills must I pay
attention to in the short, medium
and long term? (development of
particular listening/ speaking/
reading/ writing skills?)
School
development plan
Subject plan
Schemes of work
T& Learning
Materials
Internal and
external assessment
data
Three broad categories of
Questions to help you write your
Possible
Assessment criteria
Descriptors
Sources
• What competencies, knowledge
and skills should my students be
developing?
Progression
• Are we on the right track?
• What is the right track?
• Do we need to make a detour?
Where to? Why?
BCs – Basic
Competencies (TSA)
LPF – Learning
Progression
Framework
Basic Competencies
The minimum standard
students are expected to
achieve by the end of P3, P6
and S3.
the bare minimum expected at the
end of a Key Stage
Learning Progression
Framework
A framework of 8 levels for
each of the 4 language skills.
It provides a reference for
understanding students’
starting points and plan the
next steps
a development continuum to identify
current level of performance and
stretch the potential of all students
Source: Adapted from CDI Presentation on Using the Learning Progression Framework (LPF) to Enhance the Learning, Teaching and Assessment
of English Language 4 & 5 December 2009
Review students’ performance to
identify a) their strengths and
weaknesses, and b) current level
by making reference to the
Learning Progression Framework.
Provide adequate teacher
support (e.g. through CLP)
to facilitate progression in
the development of the
four language skills
Select appropriate teaching
strategies and design
teaching/learning &
assessment activities and
scaffolding to help students
move to the next level
Reflect on whether the
teaching, learning and
assessment tasks have
provided opportunities for
students to demonstrate
their knowledge and skills
Identify gaps in your current
practice (teaching plans,
teaching & learning materials,
quality of feedback given by
teacher)
Protocol
A protocol is a structured format with:
o a set schedule;
o specific guidelines for communication
among participants
Some are used to find out what students know
and can do, others are used to solve
instructional problems
In Turning Points – Transforming Middle Schools
Purposes
1. To find out what students know and can do;
2. To analyse student learning with reference to
standards (either at school level, or in other
documents such as the BCAs or the LPF);
3. To look at whether teacher assignments are
designed in ways that produce the desired
results;
4. To look into strategies for improving T&L
In Turning Points – Transforming Middle Schools
Roles
Facilitator
Presenter - teacher who
brings a) student work, b)
the assignment, c) the
rubric that was used to
assess the work, and d)
the standards it addresses
Facilitator – person who
monitors the time, keeps
the discussion going and
everyone on task and
asking probing questions
Teacher
Teacher
Presenter
Teacher
Teacher
Time
Action
5 mins
Presenter describes the assignment and the learning objectives that apply, and
frames a question for the group discussion
5 mins
Teachers may ask clarifying questions that require short, factual answers.
5 mins
Teachers score the work using the presenter’s rubric/ criteria.
10 mins
Teachers discuss differences in scoring and questions the work raises
15 mins
Presenter restates the question; team discusses the work with reference to the
standards
10 mins
Presenter shares his/ her perspective and what he/ she heard from the group
10 mins
Group develops action plan stating what needs to be done to help students
complete similar tasks
Work in groups of 4 to 5.
1. Decide on who is going to take on the two
key roles – facilitator and presenter.
2. Study the set of materials given. (10 minutes)
- The presenter should think of a question for
the group to focus the discussion.
- When everyone is ready, the facilitator should
initiate the discussion.
- Try to follow the protocol given.
Looking at Students’ Work - 6
Discuss
• the relationship between the
scaffolding task and student output
•
the relationship between the student
output with the task requirement
•
if there is evidence to show the
learning objectives have been achieved
•
teacher’s marking
Exhibit
6
Scrutiny
cover
sheet
To what extent does/ should the book inspection
reflect a curriculum leader’s:
•planning skills
•subject knowledge
•ability to develop a common understanding of goals
related to student and teacher learning
• The Book Inspection exercise serves a variety of purposes
and is not a box-ticking or merely an administrative task;
• Book Inspections are an opportunity to Look at and Learn
from Student Work – this can help inform teacher and
curriculum development;
• Looking at student work with critical eyes as part of the
book inspection task is what makes the book inspection a
professional rather than administrative task;
• Planning and Implementing a fruitful and focused book
inspection requires a common understanding amongst
panel members of what constitutes good student work;
• We develop this common understanding by:
1. setting clear standards – what should good T&L
activities look like in my school?
2. selecting development focuses – what am I looking
for when I look at student work?
3. building progression into our school-based
curriculum – where are we and where do we go
next?
• In order to learn as a team from looking at student
work as part of our book inspection, we can use a
protocol – this focuses and structures our discussion
CLN Colleagues – Please stay in
this room.
CLD Colleagues – Please go to
room E303
• King’s College Old Boys’ Association Primary School
• Chai Wan Kok Catholic Primary School
• Leung Kui Kau Lutheran Primary School
• Sau Ming Primary School
CLN
Task: Book Inspection
Assignment: Book Inspection Task
Planning
Evaluation
Reflection
Implementation
Assignment: Book Inspection Task
Minimum Requirement:
ONE CLASS
Assignment: Book Inspection Task
Soft copy will be sent to you via e-mail.
CLN Schedule
Book Inspection Task
Review & Reflection with support officer
Self-reflection
Review, Reflection, Sharing &
Celebration with CLN