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E14 - 3 Important Distinctions to Improve Assessment in PBL

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PBL and Assessments

This episode focuses on improving assessment in Project Based Learning (PBL). It emphasizes the importance of intentional assessment practices and outlines three key distinctions to guide teachers in creating meaningful and effective evaluations.

Key Concepts:

  • Intentional Assessment: Teachers need to move away from arbitrary grading practices and focus on intentional assessments that provide clear insights into student learning. This involves carefully considering the purpose of each assessment and what it aims to reveal about student progress.
  • Ongoing Assessment Methods: Regularly assess skills like collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and content knowledge throughout the project. Formative assessments help guide instruction and provide feedback to students.
    • Use rubrics to communicate expectations for collaboration and other skills.
    • Structure assessments to provide specific feedback on different skill areas.
    • Individual Over Group Assessment: Separate individual learning from group work to ensure fair and accurate grading. This addresses concerns about uneven contributions within groups and provides a clearer picture of each student's progress.
      • Design PBL units with opportunities for individual research and work.
      • Use workshops and individual assessments to gauge content mastery.
      • Self-Assessment Over Peer Feedback: Encourage students to reflect on their own performance and use rubrics to guide their self-assessment. Peer feedback can be valuable, but it should not be used for grading purposes.
        • Guide students in using rubrics for self-evaluation.
        • Focus on students' understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement.

          • Recommended Resource:

          • Life's a Project by Andrew Larson is recommended for teachers seeking to improve their understanding and implementation of assessment in PBL. The book provides a deep exploration of assessment strategies within the context of real-world project-based learning scenarios.

            • Call to Action:

            • Check out the PBL Movement Online Community
            • Magnify Learning - www.magnifypbl.com
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