Active Assessment Research (ongoing)
Following the success of Concept Cartoons as a formative assessment strategy, Brenda Keogh and Stuart Naylor researched and developed other strategies that could make formative assessment manageable and effective. They call this new approach Active Assessment, to highlight the active role of the learner (see Active Assessment Project). The initial focus for Active Assessment was science education, and it has now been extended into mathematics and English.
Evaluations of the Active Assessment professional development programme (see Active Assessment project) appear to suggest that this approach with its accompanying strategies has a positive impact on teachers’ understanding and use of formative assessment. The research involves examining these responses in more detail and finding out more about the impact of using an Active Assessment approach.
Research questions:
• What is the impact of an Active Assessment approach when it is used in the classroom?
• To what extent can professional development focused on Active Assessment lead to change in professional beliefs and practice?
The focus for the research is two groups of teachers who have engaged in one of the Active Assessment professional development programmes, supplemented by data from other teachers who have attended courses elsewhere. The research uses a combination of questionnaires and more in-depth interviews. Teachers are invited to self-reflect on the impact of the strategies on pupils, and the impact of the course on their professional practice. This is triangulated with data from other sources.
The main findings are that students respond positively to the Active Assessment approach and that teachers make significant changes in their classroom practice in formative assessment.
Publications by Brenda Keogh and Stuart Naylor et al
Naylor S., Keogh B. and Turner J. (2011) Changing teacher practice through professional development in formative assessment. Paper presented at the ESERA Conference, Lyon France
Naylor S., Keogh B. and Turner J. (2009) Active assessment in mathematics. Scottish Mathematical Council Journal, 39, 30-31.
Naylor S. & Keogh B. (2009) Active Assessment. Mathematics Teaching, 215, 35-37.
Naylor S. & Keogh B. (2007) Active Assessment: thinking, learning and assessment in science. School Science Review, 88 (325) 73-79.
Publications related to the professional development programme are:
Keogh B., Dabell J. and Naylor S. (2010) Active assessment: thinking, learning and assessment in mathematics. Millgate House Publishers.
Keogh B., Dabell J. and Naylor S. (2007) Active assessment: thinking, learning and assessment in English. Millgate House/David Fulton Publishers.
Naylor S., Keogh B. with Goldsworthy, A. (2004) Active assessment: thinking, learning and assessment in science. David Fulton/Millgate House Publishers.
