At the TEAN Assessment workshop held at the University of East
London, Stratford campus on April 12th 2011, delegates provided
examples of diversifying assessment.
Many thanks to the delegates represented here who share their ideas.
1. Group presentations to peers/lecturers in Modern Languages
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2. Patchwork texts
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3. Research project presentation
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4. Video assessment in micro teaching (peer assessment)
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5. Using negotiated assessment criteria
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6. Peer Progress Monitoring
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7. Peer review of assignment proposal several months prior to hand in
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Diversifying assessment methods in teacher education: Reviewing and
developing practice
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Helen Mackay
University of Dundee
h.mackay@dundee.ac.uk
Name of assessment method
Group presentations to peers/lecturers in Modern Languages
The nature of the assessment method
The students are invited to choose a theme/context in groups of
approximately six and to generate a series of lessons based on this. This is a
collaborative task in which they are required to work together, to get a sense
of continuity, progression, promoting engagement and active learning in MFL.
The context is of their own choosing to promote commitment/ownership to
develop a sense of what appeals to pupils and promotes learning. They are
allowed to work on these in contact time and benefit from lecturer support
when so required, as well as in ‘directed time’. All associated lesson
plans/resources are shared. The ‘finales’ is the presentation day at which peer
and tutor formative feedback is given.
What do you think would be helpful to share with others in teacher
education who may be interested in trying this method? Have you
changed things as you have gone along? What has been the student
and staff response to it?
Students enjoy and benefit from the task, in terms of gaining/reinforcing
language skills and pedagogical skills. The sharing of ideas/sense of
‘audience’ and teamwork all prepares them their career ahead and future
study (this takes place in Year 1). There is a degree of resentment that this is
formatively assessed and a sense that ‘real assessment’ is summative
regrettably!
We have learned to set out clear guidelines/practical advice and to suggest a
‘sign in’ system for group meetings to encourage/track fair distribution of tasks
(at the students’ request). Lots of super ideas/resources are produced and
shared as a result. The whole really is greater than the sum of the parts.
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Diversifying assessment methods in teacher education: Reviewing and
developing practice
Annette Bindon
Nottingham Trent University
Annette.bindon@ntu.ac.uk
Name of assessment method
Patchwork text
The nature of the assessment method
Module based around three units of content. Students make individual
responses to each unit and post for discussion and feedback – student choice
significant. Final assignment is pieced together from patches.
What do you think would be helpful to share with others in teacher
education who may be interested in trying this method? Have you
changed things as you have gone along? What has been the student
and staff response to it?
Some patches very reflective and personal and not well informed by reading.
Helping students to provide challenging responses to posted patches ongoing. Some issues of concern about spreading work load by monitoring
patches and having a summative assignment also.
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Diversifying assessment methods in teacher education: Reviewing and
developing practice
Simon Butler
University of Worcester
Name of assessment method
Research project presentation
The nature of the assessment method
Students select an area of practice or issue to investigate during summer term
of Secondary PGCE. They research and present findings back to subject
group and it is assessed by tutor.
What do you think would be helpful to share with others in teacher
education who may be interested in trying this method? Have you
changed things as you have gone along? What has been the student
and staff response to it?
This is in the early stages of implementation.
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Diversifying assessment methods in teacher education: Reviewing and
developing practice
Debbie Redshaw
Newcastle University
Debbie.redshaw@ncl.ac.uk
Name of assessment method
Video assessment in micro teaching (peer assessment)
The nature of the assessment method
Students videoed each other micro-teaching an important session around
How Science Works. The plan was then for students to assess each other
and give feedback in a few different areas e.g. Clarity, ability to explain, use of
keywords, meeting the Learning Objectives etc. However I did not organise it
well enough so it did not quite work out – I am repeating it next year!
What do you think would be helpful to share with others in teacher
education who may be interested in trying this method? Have you
changed things as you have gone along? What has been the student
and staff response to it?
I asked students to get into groups of six (and assumed they could). This
would mean that I could then reform the groups with one member of each
original group and then micro-teach. Students actually formed groups of two,
four, six and seven so it did not work out. They did video but used it as self
assessment. Students enjoyed doing it and were prepared to assess each
other but this was always to be in a positive way.
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Diversifying assessment methods in teacher education: Reviewing and
developing practice
P.Wakefield
University of Dundee
p.wakefield@dundee.ac.uk
Name of assessment method
Using negotiated assessment criteria
The nature of the assessment method
Tutor and students reflect on module aims and learning objectives.
Students define criteria that they feel reflect the demands of the module.
Students can choose form of presentation: e-portfolio; blog; essay; poster
What do you think would be helpful to share with others in teacher
education who may be interested in trying this method? Have you
changed things as you have gone along? What has been the student
and staff response to it?
Tutors need to be willing to hand over some responsibility to the students.
Students need to see examples of how it works in practice.
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Diversifying assessment methods in teacher education: Reviewing and
developing practice
Doreen Connor
Nottingham Trent University
Doreen.connor2@ntu.ac.uk
Name of assessment tools
Peer progress monitoring
The nature of the monitoring method
The programme aims to provide a different way of looking at their
development as a teacher as opposed to the Standards.
At a couple of points during the year following the formal school placement
assessments the trainees are asked to fill in a self-evaluation sheet using the
continuum as a focus.
Towards the end of the year in May they are given an individual progress-todate summary sheet, asked to self-evaluate themselves again and asked to
predict a final outcome with their main strengths and areas they still need to
focus on.
This sheet is used to both help them feel that they have some ownership and
real input into their own assessment process and helps to inform their CEDP
as they approach their first teaching posts.
What do you think would be helpful to share with others in teacher
education who may be interested in trying this method? Have you
changed things as you have gone along? What has been the student
and staff response to it?
Good links to assessment as learning.
Informal feedback received so far indicates that the trainees both appreciate
the opportunity to give their take on hoe they are performing against
standards and like the way the continuum is presented in a totally different
format to the standards. (The idea for the continuum was taken from the
UCET conference and people from St John’s at York.
This is the first full year of operation so it will be evaluated in a few months’
time. When introduced during the year last year I had 22 of 25 individual
progress reports completed and sent back to me and also found that the
trainees were discussing aspects of them during subject visits and tutorials
giving the impression that they were valued.
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Diversifying assessment methods in teacher education: Reviewing and
developing practice
Doreen Connor
Nottingham Trent University
Doreen.connor2@ntu.ac.uk
Name of assessment method
Peer review of assignment proposal several months prior to hand in
The nature of the assessment method
Trainee Peer Review
A 300 word proposal, setting out the assignment focus, why the trainee
decided on their topic and how it fits into the brief, is peer reviewed during an
in-University day three months prior to the assignment hand in date.
The peer review is conducted using a guidance sheet with ten questions for
the peer reviewer to comment on and the trainee to show a response to. The
peer review is conducted in groups of three trainees across subject strands to
enable collaboration and co-operation.
Following the peer review the trainee can draft and adapt their assignment.
Reference to consideration of the peer review is included in the success
guidance given for the assignment.
The proposal and peer review are handed in with the actual assignment.
What do you think would be helpful to share with others in teacher
education who may be interested in trying this method? Have you
changed things as you have gone along? What has been the student
and staff response to it?
Feedback to the peer review was fairly mixed as you can see from the
verbatim comments below:
‘Peer Assessment – really good, helps you to go in the right direction.’
‘Made me think of wider issues within placement – interesting reading
the work of my peers/getting feedback.’
‘’Peer review convinced me to focus on one aspect of Staying Safe
during EPS assignment.’
‘Peer review would have been better if feedback came from staff.’
‘Peer review was useless they wouldn’t know if it was right or wrong.’
‘Peer review was good to see how others interpret your work and how
well it reads.’
‘Peer review very useful because it gave me an indication of where I
was lacking.’
‘The peer review was a useful talk, however feedback from tutors on
improvements in future assignments would have been beneficial.’
‘The peer review has the potential to knock a person’s confidence if
handled incorrectly.’
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‘I found the peer review unhelpful so the comments were not relevant.
However our tutor let us have a meeting with her to discuss the assignment
which was very helpful.’
‘Peer review very valid approach, useful to get other subject views on
EPS.’
‘Peer review – rubbish. Would have benefitted from a review by
someone who knew what the criteria were.’
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