A little unhinged

No, this is not a hilarious reference to my mental state at the moment. I'm more like this:

Actually, I'm lucky to be participating in a Teacher Learning Community (TLC) this year - a group of teachers all reflecting upon our pedagogy and researching current trends associated with formative assessment (or Assessment for Learning).

A TLC is based in the research of the wonderful Dylan Wiliam, who maintains that formative assessment and feedback are tools for learning that have a massive impact on student achievement; a sentiment supported by John Hattie, who notes a 0.72 effect size on achievement. 

(For those not in the know, thats MASSIVE. An effect size of 0.4 is equal to 1 years academic growth. Feedback has an effect size of almost double that!)

Hattie's Barometer of effect sizes

In our TLC, we share success and failures, celebrate achievement and are constantly looking to improve our practice so to engage students in their learning. We bravely go where no teacher (at our school) has gone before - trying out new techniques and working collaboratively on seamless integration of content into previous programming.

My area of focus at the moment? Hinge questions!

Hinge questions are a tool that can be used about halfway through a lesson to gauge student understanding. Usually presented in a multiple choice format, they act as a reflection point for students, but also a pedagogical road map for the teacher to direct future learning.

BUT....these are no regular questions!

Hinge questions not only assist in determining whether students understand the content, but also allow a teacher to consider a student's cognitive decision making process, and the thought patterns behind selecting a certain response. It's not about getting the only answer, its about determining which answer is most correct, and justifying why.

Awesome, right?

Taylor Swift really loves a good hinge question.

So as I began my hinge question quest, I started by doing some research into what makes a real cracker of a hinge question - because if I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right.

I found they were a little more complicated that I initially thought - in fact the 'hinge' questions I had been posing to my students were a little unhinged - they weren't really giving me the feedback I needed for my teaching.

I stumbled across this post by Sally Heldsinger on Assessment Community that really broke down what a great hinge question should entail. She notes that hinge questions should show a student's developing understanding of a concept, so by considering their answers, we can see the depth of understanding the student has about a given topic.

She also had this lovely quote from Margaret Heritage (2010), that I really think encapsulates the importance of feedback:

'...Assessment is not unidirectional, but rather involves both teachers and students in a reciprocal activity to move learning forward within a community of practice. This reciprocal activity is characterised by teachers and students engaged in responding to evidence about learning, minute-by-minute, day-by-day, through the provision of scaffolding, self-monitoring, and self regulation on the part of the students'

I love the idea of assessment being a symbiotic relationship - it is an activity that benefits both parties, and enriches our understanding of the other's purpose in the teaching-learning relationship. Unfortunately, I think this ideal is somewhat lost  in the typical 'assessment for assessment's sake' ideology that is all too present in schools currently. 

I know it sounds all butterflies and unicorn farts - too idealistic, overly optimistic for your everyday school - but if we can do it in classes we've fondly nicknamed 'The Behaviour Unit', then I think it's possible anywhere.

I'm still on a journey of discovery with hinge questions, so if you have any insights, discoveries or burning questions, share below!