See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265692111 Presentation for a conference on middle schooling Article · June 2009 CITATIONS READS 0 44 1 author: Mark E Gould 36 PUBLICATIONS 2 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Practical implications of motivation theories for teacher professional development View project Using motivation theory to create a positive ecology in schools. View project All content following this page was uploaded by Mark E Gould on 17 September 2014. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement 3 Underpinning ideas What students believe about themselves in school impacts strongly on how they approach learning.
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement 3 Underpinning ideas The best thing you can do for kids in school is to keep them believing in themselves as learners.
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement 3 Underpinning ideas Positive messages about learning can be enhanced by careful design of the schooling experience.
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement My agenda is for you to: • Accept that you can influence students’ beliefs about their ability to succeed in school in a positive way. • Believe that curriculum, pedagogy and assessment can be designed so as to maximise positive messages to students about their beliefs. • Understand some of the ways in which messages can be tailored to meet students’ needs. • Decide to be proactive in designing what you do to send positive messages.
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Theoretical basis for these ideas 1. Learning theory, 2. Psychology and 3. Sociology with aspects of Cultural studies and Critical literacy
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Theory in a nutshell (1) The first 3 theories - Learning theory, Psychology and Sociology, say that you develop understandings and beliefs: • about the world (learning theory), • about yourself (psychology), and • about your place in the world (sociology) through the conclusions you draw personally about everything that has happened to you.
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Theory in a nutshell (2) Cultural theory says that you absorb beliefs and ideas from the culture that surrounds you, and that those beliefs and ideas affect the way you act. Culture acts on you through language, signs and symbols. Note - culture can be big ‘C’ Culture eg indigenous, Chinese or small ‘c’ culture eg from Ipswich or Kenmore.
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Theory in a nutshell (3) Critical literacy/Linguistics/Semiotics These studies believe that language, signs and symbols carry meanings that are interpreted in terms of the reader/viewer’s context.
Anyone over 40 would have absorbed these ideas from the culture of the time. Anyone under 40 would have a completely different take on them
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement So: everything that has happened to you, and is currently happening to you, affects your beliefs and hence your future behaviours and actions. Reference 14
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Putting it together Your total ACTION eg to: environment forms Take action try, based on beliefs your beliefs, and avoid, Adopt beliefs about the world your beliefs drive behave, Draw your actions listen, conclusions misbehave, Make assumptions based on meaning ignore, Existing Psychological etc Add personal meaning Sociological & Cultural beliefs Select data from affect ALL of what is observed these steps Observe - data and experiences Reference 13 ENVIRONMENT
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement And specifically in an educational context
‘Messaging’ - a working model Everything that happens Action to students sends them ‘messages’ and they then interpret those messages in a way that reinforces or changes their belief system. These messages can be desirable or undesirable, intended or unintended, true or false. Environment
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement So!!!! It is absolutely critical that we, as teachers, accept the truth of, and then learn to understand the complex interaction of our environment on our beliefs, and of our beliefs on how we choose to act. So we can influence students’ beliefs about themselves at school at least?
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Beliefs HOW? You’ve got to - accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch onto the affirmative. Don’t mess with Mr In-between
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Beliefs What specific messages do we want students to take • about themselves at school, and • about their ability and need to learn?
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement We need to accentuate positive beliefs like: • I can ‘do’ school, • School makes me feel good, • Effort = success, failure = no effort, • Learning at school will help me to DO a good job (note - not perform in assessment nor get a good job), • Success is worth the effort, • Teachers help me do a good job, • When I work I succeed, when I work harder I succeed better. • The jobs I do at school are interesting and/or useful, • Doing a good job makes me feel good, • etc Any others?
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement and eliminate negative beliefs like: • Even when I try, I fail. • If I don’t try, I can’t fail. • School is boring/useless. • Teacher likes me because I get A’s. • It’s easy to get an A. I don’t need to try. • School ‘sux’. • I can’t do school. • School makes me feel bad. • There is no point trying if it doesn’t count. • Learning at school is just to pass exams. • My teacher hates me. • I’m in a ‘vege’ class. • etc Any others?
Why do I bother trying?
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Designing the school environment to send desirable messages Working backwards - an outcomes approach Think of the beliefs you would like kids to develop, then think - ‘ What conditions would help me send messages that might develop those beliefs’
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement designing Curriculum or ‘What you do at school’
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Curriculum design Curriculum is more likely to be successful when it is designed to develop the beliefs: • School is about doing a job just like in ‘real life’. • The job I am doing now is ‘real life’ (or ‘life like’). • The job I am doing now is interesting. • I can do this job. What design will help develop these beliefs?
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Curriculum design Successful design features include: Task based – a task is a ‘long’ term continuous effort where the completed product is also what is assessed. View sample tasks Negotiated – where students perceive that they have some opportunity to control the context of their work. Contiguous – The task, assessment and curriculum are the same thing. What else?
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Designing Assessment or ‘ How you know how well you have done at school’ AND more importantly ‘How you know what you need to do better next time.’ Reference 17
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Assessment design Assessment is more likely to be successful when it is designed to develop the beliefs: • Assessment is about getting credit for what I can do . • Assessment shows how I’ve improved . • Assessment will help me know what to do to improve . • I can do this. • I will get credit for what I do. • This will be my ‘personal best’. What design will help develop these beliefs?
Designing curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to maximise engagement Assessment design Successful assessment designs include: • Honest – Students need to know clearly where they are now and what they need to do to improve. • Progressive - no reference to pass/fail. Progression along a path or up a ladder. With a clear description of current position and next step. NB! ‘personal best’ approach is another approach to this. • Focus on collection of positives – student ‘bank’ credits for demonstrating what they can do. • Focus on what to do next to improve – a clear reference to the next step. What else? View assessment ideas Reference 17
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