Assesment and Evaluation

Assessment and evaluation tasks appropriate for discussion consist of finding ways to follow up on discussions and to grade students for their contributions.

A. Follow up Discussion

Experienced teachers make both formal and mental notes for themselves following discussions. These notes can help determine subsequent lessons, for example :

• A discussion identifies some serious gaps in students’ knowledge about a topic
• Learning this might prompt a teacher to plan a presentation on a particular topic that came up in the discussion or to find suitable reading materials to assign students.
• A discussion can also identify aspects of a topic in which students are particularly interested.
• Teachers use the information they gain during discussions to plan lessons that will take advantage of this natural interest.
• The conduct of the itself will give the teacher information about the strengths and weaknesses of students’ thinking processes as well as the group’s ability to engage in purposeful dialogue.
• Future lessons can then be planned to strengthen areas targeted for improvement.
• Another aspect of following up a discussion is obtaining formal information from students about what they thought of the discussion and their role in it. The rating scale ilustrated in figure below can be an effective tool for gathering this type of assessment information.

How did you feel about today’s discussion ? Class treatment of issues superficial                                 1       2       3          4          5              thorough and deep Helpfullness of discussion to your understanding low                                              1       2       3          4          5                       high The class’s overall level of engagement low                                              1       2       3          4          5                       high Quality of your own participation poor                                            1       2       3          4          5                    excellent

B. Grading Classroom Discussion

Teachers use two ways to grade a discussion :

• give bonus points to students who consistently appear to be prepared for discussions and who make significant contributions.
• use the discussion as a springboard for a reflective writing assignment. The grade in this instance is given not for participation but for the student’s ability to reflect on the discussion and put in words that the discussion meant to him or her.

Classroom Discourse Patterns

A Final Thought

There is almost universal agreement among scholars and researchers that for real learning to occur, a different discourse pattern than the one currently found in most classrooms must be established. When asked about how they are going to teach, most beginning teachers will attest to the importance of providing opportunities for students to discuss important topics and to exchange ideas with each other and with the teacher.

Yet year after year, classroom observes say this is not happening. Teachers continue to dominate the talk that goes on in classrooms by presenting information and giving directions for students to follow. From research that teacher dominance of classroom discourse patterns and the rapid pace of this discourse are harmful.

Although most teachers agree that classroom discussions are an important part of the learning process, actual discussion time is often quite limited.