Multiple intelligences and learning styles

Assessment type Formative
Assessment method/tool Interview
Operationalisation (what is being assessed and why, how to conduct it) This assessment method is made for exercise 2 - Show your intelligence targeting logical-mathematical learners.

The learning outcome that is covered by this assessment tool is
  • Develop alternative assessment tools and strategies for STEM learning outcomes

  • The idea behind this method is to choose a slightly more complex topic/process from the STEM area, e.g. differences between a Diesel and an Otto engine.
    There are different types of interviews that can be used for the purpose of assessment - casual chats with learners, five-minute interview assessments and structured/unstructured interviews. The same principle applies here, depending on what the teacher/trainer wishes to achieve.

    If the purpose is to simply find out whether the learner has grasped the basic differences between the two abovementioned concepts, then a short 5-minute interview works really well. However, in depth "structured" interviews with a handful of carefully selected learners will enable the teacher/trainer to readily judge the extent of understanding the learners have developed with respect to a series of well-focused, conceptually-related scientific ideas.
    In its simplest form a structured interview is simply one person asking another person a series of questions about a carefully selected concept/topic or asking her to perform a task. Any materials to be used (props, problems, etc.), many of the questions to be asked, and some responses from the teacher/trainer to expected statements or actions of the trainee are carefully planned in advance. Importantly, however, the teacher/trainer is free to ask additional questions that focus on issues arising during the course of the interview. It is this freedom to follow the trainee, to ask for clarifications, and to focus on errors, misconceptions, and gaps in knowledge, that makes the interview so much more fruitful than more traditional methods of assessment.
    During a structured interview, the teacher/trainer uses a set of questions, called "probes" (and sometimes selected photographs or other props) designed in advance of the interview to elicit a portrait of the learner's understanding about a specific concept/topic but it is typically required to go beyond simple recognition of a concept to construct a detailed personal explanation.
    It is also important to note that the goal of the interview is to describe how a learner understands a scientific concept or phenomenon, and not simply to provide a measurement of the degree to which this understanding approximates the scientific explanation.

    Teaching Goals
  • Analyses problems from different viewpoints.
  • Recognizes interrelationships among problems and issues.
  • Applies principles and generalizations to new problems and situations.
  • Demonstrates a basic knowledge of the concepts and theories of this subject.
  • Demonstrates synthesis and integration of information and ideas.
  • Uses appropriate synthetic and analytic methods to solve problems.
  • Communicates effectively.

  • It is important to document learner progress. Sometimes working with paper and pencil is the best way to go about it. Have a simple tracking sheet in front of you as you have a conversation with the learner. When you have a computer, you might be focused on the data entry rather than on listening to the learner.
    A documentation tool allows teachers/trainers to quickly collect data in a way that does not distract or detract from the meaningful conversation. As a teacher, you can choose to have it during the conversation or to fill it out very soon afterward. You might decide to have a sheet for each learner that lists learning goals, the conversations (assessments) you have with that learner, and a score for each assessment.
    Remarks
  • Structured interviews are designed to elicit how a learner understands a scientific concept. As such, they should be used in addition to, not instead of, other forms of evaluation.
  • Interviews are quite time-consuming. Teachers/trainers should interview a broad sample of learners in a class in order determine how learners are reacting to and understanding concepts presented in class.
  • The usefulness of the interview technique is largely determined by the nature and quality of the probes and follow-up questions. Thus, a substantial amount of planning may be required to design an informative interview.
  • Useful LINKS/ATTACHMENTS:

    http://archive.wceruw.org/cl1/flag/cat/interviews/interviews1.htm

    https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-smart-fast-ways-do-formative-assessment

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