Putting in somebody else's shoes

Chapter 5 provides practical and straight-to-the-point procedures so as to make the most of assessment of the learning process and the expected understanding.

Only written tests as means of assessment are too limited to realize understanding. Yet, by broadening the range of activities which pursue the same objective and provide evidence of understanding, the teaching and learning process is enriched. Our role of teachers as task designers is to be adapted to assessors, assuming a role that we might not be that familiar with.

Hence, learning by doing is highly effective in our students. Wiggins points out the ‘doing of a problem’ as means of assessment, through undergoing different processes and experimenting. Albeit, this kind of activities have to be carefully planned in order to go through different thinking skills and be able to raise evidence of the processes. When the latter has been achieved successfully, there is understanding.

As guidelines, the three basic questions help to organize our work as assessors by questioning the kinds of evidence we need to find; questioning student responses in order to determine if the expected results were accomplished; and if the evidence gathered allows us to conclude students’ knowledge, skill, or understanding.

In so far as GRASPS and the six facets (explain, interpret, apply by, see from the point of view of, empathize with, reflect on) build understanding through the efficient collection of evidence, and can be used as a rubric to measure the level of understanding of a learner process. On the one hand, GRAPS provides the purpose, the setting and the expected steps of the process to be followed. On the other hand, the six facets put forward the progression from various points of views which raise evidence of the procedure.

To wrap up, the question now is if we teachers know how to do this, and actually put this into practice in the classroom? How willing are teachers to go beyond the simple tasks and putting into the assessors’ shoes?

Finally, this Calvin & Hobbes's strip summarises how important evidence and explicitness in our classroom are:

Choosing the correct target

When teachers start designing our annual planning, there are several aspects to be taken into account. One of them, are those goals we expect our children to achieve at the end of the academic year. However, they are usually higher and therefore not plausible to be targeted.

Thus, the main issues which arise are how we choose the aims, and what we do in our classrooms to have our children achieve them.

First of all, we have to bear in mind the goals which the government states in their programs, so we can outline what it is expected for every level and the means to do so.

Then, as part of the means, it is definitely a must to teach our children how to learn and assess the process of learning at all times, providing effective and permanent feedback. Evidencing understanding to our children is also a way to encourage them in the understanding process. On the other hand, integration of contents becomes a need among the different areas of learning and with EFL. Having our children make connections promote higher thinking abilities and transference: evaluation, analysis, application, and even creation through the big ideas.

Big ideas, as defined by Wiggins, are definitely the best tool to have our students understanding, considering their pedagogical power.

Big ideas have to be tackled and brought down to earth, in order to be manageable by both teachers and students. Students are to know the process, the different steps, the causes and effects which belong to different areas of learning, in order to fulfill the expected outcomes proposed in a learning unit and/or activity.

Wiggins also mentions representative challenges as a means to reach understanding. Supporting and boosting learning to explore new contents from the inside, following even unknown processes. The latter have to be clear and explicit in terms of what it is expected and how it has to be pursued. In addition, assessment, if included, has to be explicited beforehand.

All in all, Wiggins puts forward a test for teachers in both macro and micro level. The former, when seeing the scope of what we desire and look for in our learners at the end of a process - based on a bigger scope: what it is desired by the authorities: the policy makers and curriculum designers. On the other hand, the micro level, which is the classroom practice. What do we want our students to do in a class? Are our goals clear and attainable? How do we guide, provide and encourage students to go through the right track to do so? Finally, what is our role to do so?