TA week 4 Reflection

The topic for this week is Assessment & Feedback. I will be drawing on my observations from week 1-3 for the reflection as I did not have the opportunity to observe Home-based lessons this week.

Summative assessments are typically done at the end of each semester (e.g. SA1 / SA2), whereby students will be graded against the learning outcomes for their level. During time-tabled time with the art teachers in week 1, they discussed shifting to a more cumulative form of assessment that would be done on a termly basis, so as to enhance the accuracy of grading across the year. When planning for the lessons, teachers will take into account the learning outcomes that students will be graded against. So for instance, if the learning outcome require students to “talk about what they see feel and experience using art vocabulary (LO7)”, they will ensure that the opportunity is provided for students to engage in art-talk by planning for art discussions in the lesson.

At the start of her lessons, my CT would usually do a review session with the students on last week’s class. By asking students to reflect on and recall what they’ve learnt and done previously, it allows her to make formative assessments of students’ understanding. Through the enthusiasm and clarity of student’s responses, we would be able to tell if students had grasped the prior knowledge required for future learning and identify some of the learning gaps.

What I observed was that lower primary students generally struggled with retaining bigger art terms such as the ‘wax-resistance’ technique or shape categories of ‘organic’ and ‘geometric’. Seeing that the students were struggling, my CT gave prompts that pointed them towards the art-making experience itself, which served as sensory triggers and slowly guided them towards the art terms. Crucially, when students gave responses that were not quite right, she acknowledged their attempts and built on them by redirecting their focus or rephrasing her question, rather than putting them down. She would then reinforce the key learning points and address the relevant knowledge gaps in the lesson.

I also got to observe an in-class SLS lesson for the P4s. After viewing the videos, students were prompted to answer questions by either typing, drawing, or inserting images to show their understanding of the lesson content. Students were given exit tickets to complete at the end of the online lesson. The exit tickets served as evidence of learning as students reflect on the information gathered. It informs the teacher of the learning gaps that students may have. I observed as my CT read through students’ exit tickets in-class and commented on them. She added questions to probe further thinking and offer clarifications. She could also pick up on common errors and address these misconceptions with the class.

Performance assessments are conducted informally, as part of the gallery walk and reflection segment at the end of the lesson. I observed that in my CT’s lesson with the P2s, she invited students to the front of the class to share about their artwork. Students were asked about the idea behind their artwork, as well as the creation process – what challenges they faced and what they liked about their work.

In closing up the lesson, my CT would do a quick question-and-answer before summarizing the points from the students. She would also give a class-based feedback on their behavior and work ethic that day. It could be positive: “All of you did a good job today! Give yourself 2 claps!”, as she had said to a class who paid close attention to instructions and was engaged with the lesson activity. Or it could be less positive, where she would address students’ struggles and express a desire to see improvements in future lessons. This short but essential closure segment helps students consolidate their learning, keeps them aware of their behavior, and ends the class on a positive note!