- Title: Using Diagnostic Classroom Assessment: One Question at a Time
- Authors: Ciofalo and Wylie
- Access the original paper here
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Paper summary
This article advocates for using diagnostic classroom assessment, specifically diagnostic items (single multiple-choice questions targeting common student misconceptions), as a formative assessment tool to improve teaching and learning. The authors argue that unlike summative tests, these items provide immediate feedback, allowing teachers to adjust instruction based on students’ understanding and misconceptions. The article details how to create effective diagnostic items, emphasizing the importance of aligning them with learning objectives and common errors. It proposes using these items within daily lessons, not just for assessment but also for professional development among teachers. The authors suggest this approach addresses the need for improved classroom instruction highlighted by the No Child Left Behind Act.
What are the key implications for teachers in the classroom?
Here are some key implications for teachers in the classroom based on the sources you provided:
- Diagnostic classroom assessments, such as diagnostic questions or items, can provide teachers with valuable insights into students’ understanding and misconceptions. These insights can be used to adjust instruction and provide targeted feedback to students.
- The use of diagnostic items as part of formative assessment can have a positive impact on student learning. This type of assessment focuses on frequent, interactive assessments of student progress and understanding, with the goal of using this evidence to adjust teaching and learning.
- Diagnostic items are different from traditional test items. They are specifically designed to uncover and address student misconceptions. By including answer choices that reflect common misconceptions, teachers can gain a deeper understanding of students’ thinking and identify areas where instruction needs to be modified.
- Diagnostic items can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. They can be used at the start of a lesson to establish a baseline of student understanding, during a lesson to guide instructional decisions, or at the end of a lesson to assess student learning.
- The use of diagnostic items can also be a valuable tool for professional development. Discussing student responses to diagnostic items with colleagues can help teachers develop a better understanding of student thinking and identify effective teaching strategies.
The sources emphasize that while standardized testing can highlight potential learning challenges, it cannot, on its own, improve student performance. Instead, the sources advocate for the improvement of classroom instruction. They suggest that a focus on formative assessment, specifically using diagnostic questions or items, provides a framework for instructional improvement. The sources posit that using this lens to examine the daily interactions between students and teachers has a positive impact on learning.
The sources argue that diagnostic items are particularly useful for formative assessment because an incorrect response not only reveals a lack of understanding, but also provides specific insight into the nature of the student’s misconception. This allows teachers to “diagnose” the learning problem and tailor their instruction accordingly.
The sources explain that formative assessment involves evoking information about student learning and using it to modify teaching and learning activities. Diagnostic items are a valuable tool for evoking this information, and can be used flexibly within the classroom. They can be integrated at various stages of a lesson to inform instruction and provide feedback to students.
Finally, the sources suggest that diagnostic items can be a valuable resource for professional development. By discussing student responses to these items, teachers can gain insights into student thinking and share effective teaching strategies. They can then collaborate to develop content-relevant and age-appropriate strategies to support student learning.
The sources ultimately aim to help teachers improve instruction by better utilizing questioning and discussion strategies within the framework of formative assessment. By embedding a focus on questioning strategies, teachers can provide a natural extension to their practice, rather than requiring a major shift in their mindset.
Quote
What makes diagnostic items particularly formative is that an incorrect response to a diagnostic item not only provides information that a student does not clearly understand a particular topic; it also provides specific insight into what it is that the student does not understand—in other words, the nature of his/her misconceptions. Hence use of the term diagnostic—the student’s response to the question helps the teacher “diagnose” the learning problem
