| CODE | EPE3018 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Assessment in the Primary Classroom | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Early Childhood and Primary Education | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit primarily covers the 'why' and the 'how' of how to assess the development and learning of children, as pupils, at school with teachers in Malta and Gozo. The umbrella aim of this unit is to identify how assessment and its proper and professional practice is a powerful tool to help pupils learn in the best possible way for them. This unit commences with a presentation of the main theories underpinning assessment. It then proceeds in examining the differences between formative and summative modes of assessment and their typical implementation in more Westernised educational systems. Following this, the unit especially focuses on (1) different types of formative modes of assessment, (2) how teachers can set-up such formative modes, especially, using paper as well as digital methods, (3) how teachers can use formative paper/digital methods to scaffold learning for pupils, (4) how teachers can use formative paper/digital methods to engage in meaningful academic conversation with their pupils, and (5) how teachers can use formative paper/digital methods to inform and engage with parents about the development and learning of their children when at school. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - Engage students in thinking about the 'why' and the 'how' of how to assess the development and learning of pupils attending local primary schools; - Engage students to identify the different modes of assessment (formative and summative) and for them to be able to adapt and/or differentiate assessment according to the needs of the classroom group, different ability groups, across and within the cognitive, social and affective domains, and to the individual needs of pupils; - Engage students to think critically and independently about the ways in which they can adopt a school-based, or a broader, system of assessment and integrate their own ideas/concepts for assessment in order to be more pupil responsive to the individual learning needs of pupils both in and over time; - Engage students to think about their choice of delivery of assessment and how they can use digital technologies when assessing to complement paper methods of assessment; - Engage students to think critically and independently about the ways in which they can invite and welcome parents and to value them as partners in the development and learning of their children through the educational tool of assessment. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Recognise the characteristics of summative and formative modes of assessment; - Discuss the main modes of assessment and how these are typically implemented; - Identify the principles underpinning summative and formative modes of assessment and in connection with the relevant theories of development and learning, teaching and instruction; - Describe the main features of more Westernised systems of assessment; - Analyse the main features of assessment in the Maltese schooling system; - Evaluate ways as to how they are likely to involve parents meaningfully in the learning journey of their children; - Mine the relevant literature in order to identify and retrieve peer-reviewed articles of relevance. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify the differences between summative and formative modes of assessment; - Understand, discriminate and apply the principles of summative assessment; - Understand, discriminate and apply the principles of formative assessment; - Understand and criticise established systems of assessment. - Devise their own system of class-based assessment; - Communicate well (to themselves, pupils, parents, other professionals/para-professionals such as the head teacher/learning support assistants)their own philosophy for assessment and any ideas/concepts relevant to assessment which they are likely to devise as teachers; - Gain sufficient confidence in identifying and retrieving peer-reviewed articles of relevance to integrate lessons learnt as part of their practice. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Johnson, S. (2012). Assessing Learning in the Primary Classroom. Taylor and Francis. - Bartlett, J. (2015). Outstanding Assessment for Learning in the Classroom. Taylor and Francis. Supplementary Reading: This will be made-up of at least one peer-reviewed article for each lecture. This list will be announced nearer to the date of delivery of this unit since it is considered best to provide a list that is mainly constituted by the very recent papers (last 3 years) given the very rapid changes in education especially post-COVID. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Lara M. Said (Co-ord.) Clare Marie Wigg |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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