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Action Research

Julia Dobbin, Head of Biology, Aldenham School

Aldenahm School is a co-educational independent school of around 750 pupils. I have focused my action research project on Year 10 pupils undertaking IGCSE Biology. I have chosen to carry out my research on a cohort of 67 pupils, who span over the full range of abilities.

The Issue

Pupils show varying abilities in understanding where they are in their learning and how to improve. They can also be disorganised – which may lead to an inability to understand what is expected of them when it comes to addressing gaps in their learning or knowing where those gaps are. My aim was to devise a method to improve pupils’ ability to see where they are in their learning, become more aware of what is expected of them and how to improve.

Review of Current Practice and Research

Within my department, I discussed the issue of pupils’ learning and how their engagement with their own learning could be improved. At that time, no formal Assessment for Learning practices were in place across the department.

A number of pieces of literature show that Assessment for Learning can improve learning and progression. “Assessment for learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there”. Assessment Reform Group, 2002. This forms the basis of the ideology behind the design of the booklets – how can I make learning explicit for our pupils? If I can clearly show pupils what they need to learn then they can start to assess where they are in their learning.

Developing resilience in learning, pupil progression, raising attainment and improving attitudes to learning is at the heart of teaching and learning. In order to design resources to raise attainment pupils should be clear about what they are learning and what success looks like. “Assessment for learning is a powerful way of raising pupils’ achievement. It is based on the principle that pupils will improve most if they understand the aim of their learning, where they are in relation to this aim and how they can achieve the aim (or close the gap in their knowledge).” The Assessment for Learning Strategy, 2008.

In discussions with the department, I looked at how I could design a resource to share learning outcomes, give opportunities for feedback on past paper questions and encourage pupils reflection on their own learning. “The main strategies considered important for Assessment for Learning (AfL) – sharing learning goals, formative feedback, peer and self-assessment, and the formative use of summative tests – have been found to be overwhelmingly positive in terms of their potential to promote improvements in teachers ‘classroom practice. “Assessment for Learning: effects and impacts, University of Oxford, 2013

In designing the resources I decided to focus on two key factors identified as important to encourage progression in learning “The research indicates that improving learning through assessment depends on five, deceptively simple, key factors:

the provision of effective feedback to pupils the active involvement of pupils in their own learning adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment a recognition of the profound influence assessment has on the motivation and self-esteem

of pupils, both of which are crucial influences on learning the need for pupils to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve.”

Assessment for Learning – Beyond the Black Box, Nuffield Foundation, no date.

Self-reflection in the form of looking at one’s own performance, analysing revision and homework methods and understanding what and how to improve was another area that I felt was important to include in the resources. “Self-assessment by pupils, far from being a luxury, is in fact an essential component of formative assessment.”Inside the Black Box, Black and Wiliam, 1998

“Research suggests that pupils who understand what they are being asked to learn and how they will recognise success are more likely to make learning gains than those who don’t. This is particularly true for less able pupils. “Assessment for Learning: Embedding and Extending, Eric Young 2005. As Aldenham School has an extremely wide intake of ability levels, this was an important development for less able pupils who were required to access a high level examination in Biology.

My Research Question

“If pupils use booklets modelled on Assessment for Learning will they be more able to identify where they are in their learning and how to improve?”

My target group of pupils often asked questions such as:

“Is this all I need to do?”

“What do I need to know?”

“Which bits do I revise?”

“Is this correct?”

These questions indicate that pupils are not confident in identifying what they needed to do, how to do it and how they learn.

The Project

I elucidated the following requirements I deemed vital for progression in developing better learners.

1. Pupils should have access to Learning Outcomes in every lesson2. Pupils would benefit from exposure to past paper questions throughout the course3. Pupils should have checklists so they can identify where they are in their learning4. Pupils should have opportunities to reflect on their own learning

I designed three booklets for Year ten which included the four requirements and covered all required content for Edexcel IGCSE Biology.

Findings

I surveyed the cohort of 67 Year 10 pupils after using booklets one and two (two terms of use) to ascertain if they were more able to identify gaps in their learning and address those gaps.

I informally interviewed staff members to determine if they could see any improvement in pupils learning. The department also reviewed the booklets for development next year.

Findings – Pupil Questionnaire

Answer Options Response Percent

Response Count

Strongly Agree 25.4% 17Agree 50.7% 34Disagree 3.0% 2Strongly Disagree 1.5% 1No Difference 19.4% 13

answered question 67

75.1% of pupils stating that they felt their organisation improved with the introduction of booklets.


Response Count



One of the key reasons for designing the booklets was to make the learning outcomes clear and accessible in every lesson. Over 80% of the cohort agreed that learning outcomes were clearer as a result of the booklets.


Response Count



This question is the primary reason for designing the booklets. 74.6% of pupils agreed that they could more easily identify gaps in their learning with 11.9% seeing no difference in their ability to see where they are in their learning. The next question was asked to see if pupils could not only see where they are in their learning but also if they used the booklet to address any issues and move on in their learning.


Response Count



44.8% of pupils used the booklet to address the gaps in their knowledge. I also wanted to know exactly how the booklets were used by pupils to progress in their learning.

How do you ensure you have understood all the learning outcomes from the booklet?

Answer Options Response Count

67answered question 67

This was an open response question to determine how pupils used the booklets to address gaps in their learning. Pupil responses were put into 6 categories and tallied to get the following results:

I use

Pas

t pap

er q

uesti

ons

I use

chec

klis

ts a

nd g

o ov

er th

e ch

apte

r

I rea

d th

e te

xtbo

ok

Ask

the

teac

her

I tes

t mys

elf

I don

’t kn

ow h

ow to

or I

don

’t do

this

Pupil responses 12 22 11 3 4 15

Overall, 52% of pupils used the booklet to think about where they are in their learning. 17% read the textbook, 4% ask the teacher, 5% test themselves and 22% do not try to understand all the learning outcomes. Pupils use a variety of methods to identify where they are in their learning. No pupils mentioned the analysis of tests and homework to assess where they were in their learning.

The cohort was then asked about ways in which they address gaps in their learning to gain an understanding of pupil progress without the booklets. Interestingly some pupils took this question to be asking about catching up on missed work rather than an identification of where they are in their learning.

What do you do to address any gaps in your learning?

Answer Options Response Count

67answered question 67

I red

o th

e Pa

st p

aper

que

stion

s

I use

chec

klis

ts a

nd g

o ov

er m

y no

tes

I rea

d th

e te

xtbo

ok

Ask

the

teac

her

I tes

t mys

elf

I don

’t kn

ow h

ow to

or I

don

’t do

this


6% try to do past papers again, 28% use checklists and go over work in the booklet, 31% read the textbook, 18% ask the teacher for help, 5% test themselves and 12% do not address gaps in their learning. Pupils may have misinterpreted this question to mean gaps in their work rather than gaps in their learning indicating that the notion of addressing gaps in learning is not intuitive to this cohort of pupils.

Do the booklets make understanding Biology clearer than last year?


Response Count

Yes 79.1% 53No 20.9% 14


Clea

r Dia

gram

s hel

p m

y un

ders

tand

ing

I am

bett

er o

rgan

ised

The

Lear

ning

Out

com

es a

re cl

ear t

o m

e

The

Past

pap

er q

uesti

ons t

hrou

ghou

t rea

lly h

elp

No

Com

men

t

I pre

fer a

n ex

erci

se b

ook


79% of pupils agreed that Biology was clearer to them than last year.

Is it easier to identify what is required to learn for your exams?


Response Count

Yes 85.1% 57No 14.9% 10


Yes -

wha

t I h

ave

to le

arn

for e

xam

s is c

lear

er

The

pas

t pa

pers

hel

p m

e t

o u

nder

stan

d w

hat

is

requ

ired

for t

he e

xam

Keyw

ords

hel

p m

e pr

epar

e fo

r the

exa

m

Chec

klis

ts h

elp

me

No

diffe

renc

e

Pupil responses 49 7 2 3 6

85% of pupils agreed that the booklet made exam revision easier by allowing them to clearly identify what they need to learn.

Other responses showed that 66% of pupils felt that the booklets helped them to revise. 91% felt that past paper questions helped them prepare for the exams. Only 27% felt that reflection on their performance in helped them to progress but only 30% actually used the reflection sections.

Findings - Teacher Informal Interviews

From informal discussions and department meeting minutes, teaching staff were very positive about the impact of the booklets on pupil progression. It was felt that the keywords and past paper sections were very useful and equipped learners with the skills to improve their performance in exam questions. It was also felt that pupils became more independent in their learning by having access to checklists and learning outcomes. Teachers commented on the effect the learning outcomes had on their own teaching. They felt that they were more focused on the outcomes during lessons than before. More effort next year is to be given to encouraging reflection and identifying ways for pupils to improve. Buy-in from teachers has been so positive that they have now re-designed and further developed the booklets in their own time.

Lessons Learned

Providing resources based on Assessment for Learning made the subject clearer, improved organisation and made revision easier for pupils. Some pupils improved in their ability to see where they are in their learning and some could use the booklets to close the gaps in their learning.

Teachers achieved greater focus on learning objectives in lessons and, as a result, the subject content became clearer to pupils. To develop pupils’ ability to engage with their learning, further time and planning should be given to providing pupils with opportunities to reflect on their learning in class and teaching them ways to address any gaps they have identified. Further development on this is ongoing in the Biology Department.

Bibliography

http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/assessment-reform-group

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-00341-2008.pdf

http://cdn.cfbt.com/~/media/cfbtcorporate/files/research/2013/r-assessment-for-learning-2013.pdf

http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/beyond_blackbox.pdf

Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment. Front Cover. Paul Black, Dylan Wiliam. Granada Learning, 1998

Assessment for Learning: Embedding and Extending, Eric Young 2005

http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/beyond_blackbox.pdf

http://cdn.cfbt.com/~/media/cfbtcorporate/files/research/2013/r-assessment-for-learning-2013.pdf



http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/assessment-reform-group

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