My experiences in the MET program opened my eyes to the value of PBAs and informed how I will incorporate them in my future training programs. I used a PBA in my last training program without fully understanding what PBAs are and how effective they can be. In this program I had the learners produce […]
Continue reading Workplace Learning PBA Posted in: Week 10: Product-Based Assessments
Have to echo the thoughts of those before me in that I really enjoy the product based assessment that has occurred in our MET courses versus cramming for a test that regurgitates info. It has also made me think about how I evaluate my students. I have to admit that there are a few more […]
Continue reading Product Assessment Posted in: Uncategorized, Week 10: Product-Based Assessments
Hello!
We found as we were working through planning the week that PBA is in action all around us. The MET is packed with PBA (look at this assignment as an obvious example) and the non-RRR (reading, writing, ‘rithmetic) subjects always seem to focus on some type of product. A big part of PBA for me is taking the lessons learned from outside of those RRRs, and applying those assessment techniques in the RRR subjects.
What do you think?
Dear Kristopher,
I agree that PBA definitely surrounds us in MET. And I’m certainly not complaining 🙂 As for applying those assessment techniques into the RRR subjects, it would be great. I have found that as I change my assignments into project/product based ones, the kids are actually more engaged and they do seem to learn more. Or maybe it’s the fact that they think it’s more fun to do a project than write a quiz! I actually think they are doing more work even though they may not realize it! I do find that it takes more time and preparation to get a really good project going but it’s worth it.
Thanks for the response!
Hi Michelle,
Hope that concert #1 was a success, and break a leg with #2 tomorrow. It is really interesting to hear your thoughts on assessment for both English and music, and more subject should have opportunities to show what the students know like a concert. I agree that the MET program has provided us with more than a fair share of end-products that we should feel comfortable bringing into our classrooms as inspiration for students to do the same. But we must also be aware that students should be prepared to take quizzes at some future stage of their education, so we should be hesitant to do away with them entirely.
Kyle
I’m always forced to stop and think (a good thing, perhaps) about the similarities and differences between the ideas of project, product, and problem-based learning. For my own understanding, I always seem to think of them as fairly similar – the main differences being that in problem-based, there may be no final answer or product, […]
Continue reading P, P, or PBL – My Thoughts Posted in: Week 10: Product-Based Assessments
Thanks for the link!
In my mind, sometimes we are a bit too succeptible to reductionism, where we try to make too many subdivisions in something that doesn’t need it. I can continue along these lines with some of my own music analogies. I used to dj house music and sometimes myself (or others) would be a bit bothered by too much segregation of house genres. It created divisions and lines where they didn’t really exist. For the most part this wouldn’t matter, but sometimes it leaves use with false restrictions.
When working through this project, I think we also felt the pressures of division between problem, project, product etc. A lot of this is a bit nebulous and not strongly defined, either by academia or, more importantly in our context, by EVM. From my perspective, I think it is better to do something that makes sense and fits right. Kind of what it looks like you are doing when find something for attaching meaning.
cheers
Doug
I think you touched on the essence of PBA– that the assessment is meaningful and authentic. It is much more a focus on assessment for learning than it is an assessment of learning.
I would add Performance to you P’s as well, but like Doug says, we’re really creating divisions where divisions aren’t all that necessary. If we can find a way to focus instead on the outcomes (authentic learning, etc.) instead of how to get there, we don’t need these definitions. Now the question becomes this week, how can one sell this type of assessment?
hi Kristopher,
It is interesting to hear the analogy between the many different P’s to be found in assessing students’ learning, and agree with Doug’s comparison to the many different (yet essentially the same) brands of house music. Different ways to assess learning eventually lead to the same place: is someone able to do something or not? As much as educators are responsible for finding effective ways to get students on the able side of the equation, I find myself confused between one brand of PBA and another, as if I can’t hear the melody for all the musical variations.
Kyle
It’s fitting, too, Kyle, that different people may have issues with understanding different “songs” or products. Since different cultures have different musical scales, some things just don’t seem as tuneful to others. I think of skilled immigrants who come here and are unable to get work in their field because their skills / degrees aren’t valued the same way here as they are somewhere else. I wonder if there are (or could be) standard products for certain jobs that would put a person on equal, qualified footing almost anywhere in the world.
This looks like a very interesting topic! Â I am quite passionate about the topic of assessment, as I am experiencing first-hand, the difference in product-based assessment vs traditional assessment formats in our MET program. Â As I am completing the courses and creating a variety of products, my colleagues in other Masters programs are cramming for […]
Continue reading My MET Assessment Experience Posted in: Week 10: Product-Based Assessments
Thanks for the post Brenda. I think you hit on some key terms there, when you talk about authenticity, engaging and challenging. As I was coming home from work today, I was reflecting upon some marking I had just completed. I decied to assess a unit in junior science (chemistry) by using a concept map, as opposed to making the students memorize parts of the periodic table. So I feel your pain with regurgitation and hope that we can continue to discover and explore different aspects of product based assessment, and what it means for our ability to offer this to the EVM.
cheers
Doug
Hi Brenda,
While reading your post, the word balance was becoming more and more bold in my mind, and low and behold as I continued you came to triangulation. Triangulation is a great was to describe the relationship that different types of learning/assessment must build in a learning environment. I have found that the MET program has had a decent combination of product-based assignments (like this course’s assignment 2), as well a huge value placed on contributions to discussion, and finally an essay or two along the way.
Thanks for the thoughts,
Kristopher
Hi Brenda,
I appreciated your links to Bloom’s Taxonomy. Many times PB learning is criticized for not offering “real” learning outcomes. Like you, I enjoy creating project as part of my learning. You mentioned authentic learning, and I think that is such a KEY piece of PBA. Have you checked out the video about PBA using mobiles and authentic learning
http://edtalks.org/video/tools-learning-mobile-phones-and-authentic-learning-tasks
I got it from nic peachy’s tech portal….:)
http://www.scoop.it/t/learning-technology?page=2
Thank you for your great IPad App site as well! http://appitic.com/ It is phenomenal and it provides some great examples of how to integrate Apps into any class, project or product…..
Verena:)
Hi Brenda,
Thank for mentioning Bloom in your post, and the movement from remembering (or regurgitating) to higher levels of evaluating and creating. I just saw an excellent TED talk, from last year (so it is probably old hat by now), with Sugata Mitra explaining child-driven education where most of the time, he would set up an impossible task for children, not give full instructions, and walk away. In a couple of months, he’d return to find the children had nearly mastered the task set out for them, and continued to seek more challenging work. It seems like they are knocking out the bottom base of Bloom’s Taxomony, and finding ways of applying knowledge on their own. While it seems to be a success story for product-based learning, I find it a bit worrisome that students are less curious about the what’s and how’s, even if they are capable of thinking at the why and why not level.
Kyle
Welcome to a daring week of product based assessment, intended to whet your appetite about the potentially rewarding world of PBA and define the market as it emerges.Visit The Plan for more information on how we anticipate the week playing out. Cheers, Andrea, Doug, Kristopher, and Verena
Continue reading Product Based Assessment coming down the tracks! Posted in: Uncategorized, Week 10: Product-Based Assessments
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andrea 6:59 pm on November 8, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Julie, what a cool project! I love that it was iterative, with people getting feedback and revising throughout. Publishing our materials to the big wide world can be a bit intimidating, but it sounds like this process support the best possible products with feedback from you and peers, and a collaborative approach to improving the work. I love your service idea – your learning session becomes not only about people learning new skills but also immediately applying those skills to the business. This would make so much sense in the business world – people are learning and innovating, getting the most out of their time.
Julie S 10:37 pm on November 8, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks Andrea, you’re right, it was intimidating for the learners to publish their work. At times I had to pre-review their work for them so that they would feel confident enough to publish the product to the wider group for feedback. The good news is that the peer feedback was constructive so the fear of going public subsided quite quickly.
Kristopher 6:06 am on November 9, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Julie,
As I read your post (specifically the third paragraph, I began to map out your idea of interim products along the way that encouraged assessment. It reminded me a little bit of Bloom’s taxonomy in that in order to achieve the higher levels of learning, one has to do those that come before it. I wonder if there is a model to construct in regards to PBA that includes products, problems, performances, etc.?
Thanks for the thoughts,
Kristopher
Julie S 9:08 am on November 9, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Kristopher,
Funny you should mention Bloom’s taxonomy. I’m in another class where I’m now developing a training program for follow up to this program. I’m following Bloom’s taxonomy to organize the instructional plan and activities. I wasn’t as familiar with Bloom’s taxonomy when I designed the first program but you are right – the levels do need to be followed and I’m glad I’m following a more structured approach for this next program. Your question about a model to follow is a good one. I’ve been following some learning theorists, Yrjo Engestrom for one, that are crossing boundaries of education, information technology, and psychology and I don’t think it will be long before there are some new models in place.