Professional Learning Goals

Teachers gained knowledge of the benefits of using pedagogical documentation in their math program. They gained a deeper understanding of the effects of using ongoing Assessment As Learning and Assessment For Learning through the use of apps like Seesaw and simply recording the student’s thinking through videos and pictures. Either in small group conferences or with the larger class, teachers reviewed this documentation and either recorded their descriptive feedback on observed students’ work (Assessment For Learning) or had students record their own personal feedback (Assessment As Learning). By incorporating these ongoing methods and sharing these methods with other staff, teachers obtained a deeper understanding of student strengths and needs. There was an increase in understanding of how to implement effective assessment practices (Assessment As/Of/For Learning) and how these methods could be utilized in a meaningful way in an Early Years setting.

Activities and Resources

During their first meeting, teachers participated in literature reviews, reviewing the Capacity Building Series monograph “Pedagogical Documentation” to ensure that all team members have a sound understanding of the purposes of pedagogical documentation. They also reviewed selected pages from Growing Success (p. 27-37), which described Assessment As Learning and Assessment For Learning, to ensure teachers understand the theory and purpose behind these forms of assessment and their place within an effective assessment cycle. A presentation on pedagogical documentation was given to the participating teachers in the Teacher Learning Co-Op Project and later on to the whole staff to widen their understanding of pedagogical documentation, with a focus on the benefits and challenges associated with this form of assessment. Through their ongoing analysis of pedagogical documentation, different ways of implementing descriptive feedback in the classroom arose when teachers conferred with each other. For example, through the app Seesaw, one kindergarten teacher described how they were able to send what a student had learned in math directly to the parent through email and the actual conferencing that was happening between the teacher and student to strengthen the student’s understanding. Another teacher explained video recording  Grade 1/2 students explaining their thinking on the Ipads helped her see/hear if the students were using math language to provide them with an opportunity to engage in deeper “math talk.” Pictures with captions of student work were also useful to some teachers because they were able to catalogue the students’ work as well as show their parents their achievements during parent-teacher interviews. Teachers were able to build on their understanding of pedagogical documentation and make note of the variety of resources (and apps) available to them to support the use of this type of assessment in a meaningful way.

Unexpected Challenges

Teachers felt the activities were helpful in meeting our goals for the most part. However, the only setback teachers faced was the need for more opportunities for co-teaching and conferencing with each other. Also, in a class with only one adult, it was at times difficult to manage the class as well as effectively record students’ voices. To avoid neglecting both duties, teachers trained the children in the class to record their classmates while they were learning. This had the added benefit of promoting peer-assessment.

Enhancing Student Learning and Development

Our project could enhance target students’ work and progress by making it more visible through pedagogical documentation. Through group analysis of this documentation and collaborative problem-solving to find supports or instructional interventions, it is hoped that this will increase student achievement and strengthen mathematical skills and knowledge. By bringing teachers together to share multiple strategies to help students, it is hoped that teaching practices will be strengthened and diversified to impact a wider number of students in a more meaningful way.

Sharing

Participating teachers in the TLC Project will present their findings from their pedagogical documentation and collaborate with the rest of staff through a meeting after school. A PowerPoint presentation on pedagogical documentation will open the forum to provide the staff with a clear platform of what this type of assessment entails. Video footage of actual work samples and voice recordings of students’ work and their thinking will be presented to the staff along with lesson plans to make connections to the learning goals. The staff will participate in collaborative analysis of the pedagogical documentation taken place in the primary classrooms using a teacher survey where they are able to share their thoughts, professional suggestions and inquires.

Project Evaluation

To measure the effectiveness of this initiative, teachers responded to pre- and post- teacher surveys. At the onset of the grant, participating primary teachers answered a brief Google Forms survey to determine their level of understanding of pedagogical documentation, Assessment For Learning, Assessment As Learning, and their purpose. At the culmination of the grant, teachers answered this same survey. It is hoped that the increase in teacher knowledge around these topics will be analyzed to determine how successfully teachers have met their learning goals. Anecdotally, the degree to which teachers have felt successful in their implementation of these practices in their classes was also taken into account to determine the grant’s success.