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Estimating how long does it take students to complete assigned readings and formative tasks
Estimating how long does it take students to complete assigned readings and formative tasks
Think carefully about how much a student can read and long it will take students to learn particular concepts and skills in planning curriculum implementation.
The ACT BSSS curriculum is looking for depth over breadth of knowledge understanding and skills.
Spending more time on knowing some things deeply and developing the skills and conceptual understanding to learn the rest is preferred.
Here is a reading on how many hours language learning takes for your consideration and critique.
Ben Knight - Cambridge University Press
Peter Fox
(Photo- Erik Weiss , Wikipedia, 2020)Research on Reading, Activity, and Assignment Completion Times
Research on Reading, Activity, and Assignment Completion Times
Some research on this topic is available below:
https://cte.rice.edu/resources/course-workload-estimator
While the research considers first year university students at a prestigious university in the USA, with thought, it can be used as a reflection exercise for considering how much time it takes students to complete assignment work.
Considering Assessment Weightings
Considering Assessment Weightings
As a general principle, the more cognitive demand, time and effort a tasks takes, the more it should be weighted.
A similar principle is that the more parts of the curriculum covered in a task, the more it might be weighted.
Weight more discriminating and reliable tasks more heavily.
Heavily weighted tasks need strong risk management procedures to ensure academic integrity.
Some schools assemble many small tasks each with a small weighting into single portfolio task with a larger weighting. This has risks and benefits. A risk with many small tasks assembled into a portfolio or summative score, is that the small tasks will not sufficiently differentiate students, leading to problems with ranking and spread of scores. Another pitfall is that they might not be of consistent and comparable standard and result in a distorted picture of student capacity. Designing a portfolio of tasks of sufficient challenge and consistent standard in a laborious task, therefore fewer parts are generally better than many parts. To support students and prevent them doing it all at once at the end, it also requires regular grades based feedback to ensure students understand their progress. Another concern with this model is that formative assessment becomes conflated with summative assessment thereby placing too much pressure on students who will not get a chance to learn through trial and error in a low stakes environment. Consider carefully the number of tasks to be included in the portfolio.
Questions in an exam should be targeted on content and standards. For example, Two out of five for a questions has little inherent meaning, unless it is transparent to the student how they got two out of five and what standard two out of five represents in the Achievement Standards. For example, take the following scenario:
Mary was shopping one Wednesday. Her electric kettle was broken. She had been using a saucepan to boil water. She was looking at the kettles. She likes blue, so she was looking for a blue kettle. She looked at one kettle. It cost $100. "That is too expensive, and it is not blue!" She said to herself. She looked at all the kettles. 'They are all ugly!" She thought. I will use the saucepan. One day, I will find a cheap, blue kettle.
Why didn't Mary buy the kettle. (3)
"There be three resons Mary did not buy kettle. First she say it was 'ugly'. second it was too much 'expensive', and three, 'it not bleu'. Also, I think she is parsimonious and saving cash."
In this sentence, what mark out of three should the student get?
The substance of the answer is entirely correct. There is additional interpretation that has no textual support. There are register inconsistencies, and punctuation, spelling and grammar errors.
There is no guide to the student about 1, 2,or 3 out of 3 means.
This questions is designed to test comprehension of a straight forward text. As a reading comprehension test without regard to production, the question allows the student to "describe language", not analyse it. 3 out of 3 would only indicate a C. With regard to production, there is "some accuracy" and an application of "appropriate conventions", so perhaps evidence of a B or C. Therefore, if taking this point based approach care needs to be taking that scoring well in 'C' questions only results in a 'C' score, whatever that means in your scaling group. Alternatively, a such questions can be used to inform marking with a rubric.
Estimating Time and Word Length
Estimating Time and Word Length
The best practice in determining how many words or how much time is needed to write an answer is to have a colleague at school or in your network, who hasn't seen the task, develop part or all of an answer, in prose or dot points.
In terms of time, a student will take longer than a teacher. Apply an appropriate multiplier, in terms of A/T/M, complexity etc, to the time it took your colleague.
This will also enable you to see if the question can be answered in the number of words you have set, or if there are problems with the question.
This might also serve as a model answer to support student learning when returning work.
'Glockenspiel on Marienplatz', https://themunichguide.de/tourist-attractions/glockenspiel-munich-marienplatz/
Elements to Consider in Setting time limits
Elements to Consider in Setting time limits
There is an interaction between expectations of quality and time limits. Expectations should be made clear in the rubric.
Written Work
Do you want them to draft and redraft? They will need more time for redrafting. Reflect this expectation of accuracy in the rubric.
Did they conduct research out of class?
Do they have notes to assimilate for the unseen in-class question?
Will they be typing or writing? Typing take less time and it is easier to edit, so quality expectations will be higher than if they are writing. Reflect this expectation in the rubric.
How complex is the question? If there are several parts to the question, that will require considerable planning time to coordinate a logical response. It will also take more words to answer with appropriate depth
Is the material familiar and the question predictable? They will need less time if the question is expected and the material familiar.
Investigating in a library
(Image Wikipedia Commons)Considerations- Investigation Task
Considerations- Investigation Task
When deciding on the word, character, or time length of a task consider how many words or how much time it takes to make a point in an investigation for different language levels. You may disagree with the word counts, but consider the parts of a logical point in an Advanced Investigation essay, comparable to investigation tasks in English and HASS, and how many words it takes to complete the parts.
Consider the following elements for an 'A' answer in one paragraph. The following estimates of words counts on the elements are suggested for consideration.
Topic sentence (20 words)
Quotation from evidence(10 words)
Explanation of quotation (50 words)
Link to the argument (40 words)
Outlining counter argument/ Reference to supporting or opposing critical literature ( 50 words)
Resolving the counter points raised by counterargument/critical literature with the thesis of essay/ Explaining alignment with thesis of essay (100 words)
summative conclusion (20 words)
So if one shorter paragraph is 300 words, then the standard five paragraph essay is 900 words plus introduction and conclusion to make three points in an argument. This calculations needs variation for characters.
For Beginning and Continuing, consider the following elements for an 'A' answer in one paragraph.
Topic sentence (10 words)
Quotation from evidence(10 words)
Explanation of quotation (20 words)
Makes connections between research and own perspective. ( 20 words)
Evaluates other perspectives (30 words)
argumentative conclusion (20 words)
So if one shorter paragraph is around 110 words, then the standard five paragraph essay is 500 words, including an introduction and conclusion to make three points in an argument. This calculations needs variation for characters.
More work in the library
(Photo GFreihalter Lesesaal, Salle Labrouste, der Bibliothèque nationale de France, Site Richelieu-Louvois im 2. Arrondissement von Paris, Wikipedia Commons)Investigations Tasks in Language Classes
Investigations Tasks in Language Classes
There are many approaches to investigation tasks in Languages. Investigation can include investigating language elements and usage as much as topical content. Here are some collated ideas for consideration.
Beginning
A cultural research task conducted in English.
e.g.
Critically analyse the representation of modern Italian society in Favolacce (Bad Tales) (2020) or Selfie (2020). Write an essay.
A simple cultural research tasks conducted in language
e.g.
Describe the tradition of Befana in Italy.
Assemble a research portfolio of vocabulary, grammar structures, and cultural considerations. Use that research to write and perform a dialogue within a particular context.
e.g. one of the following:
making friends at your new Swiss boarding school and apologising to the principal for accidently starting a fire in your room.
going to your friend's Grandma's funeral in Korea and talking with your friend and their parents.
going to dinner at your new Chilean friend's house in Santiago and talking with his mother the university professor and his four year old sister.
going to your new school in Germany to talk with teachers to choose classes and meet the student who will take you on a tour and telling them why you don't want to smoke a cigarette.
A socio-linguistic study conducted in English.
e.g.
Critically analyse the the use of English terms in Italian.
Analyse the difference in body language in Italian and your own culture.
A socio-linguistic study conducted in language and English.
e.g.
Research language variation for formal/informal, upper-class/lower-class, or standard/dialect. Teach others to use simple greetings and a dialogue in those settings.
Set a goal for production in Language. Inquire into the necessary grammar, vocabulary, idiom and usage for the target product by developing a portfolio of annotated language artefacts. Produce the targeted language use. Write/speak a rationale justifying language choices with reference to research in portfolio.
Continuing
A cultural research tasks conducted in English.
e.g.
Critically analyse the representation of modern Italian society in Favolacce (Bad Tales) (2020) or Selfie (2020). Write an essay.
A cultural research tasks conducted in language
e.g.
Explain the origins and changes in the Befana tradition in Italy.
Explain why motor scooters and small cars are popular.
A socio-linguistic study conducted in English.
e.g.
Critically analyse the use of English terms in Italian.
Analyse the difference in body language in Italian and your own culture.
Develop and perform a television advertisement for a popular Italian product in Italian. Explain your cultural and linguistic choices in a rationale in English and Italian under test conditions.
A socio-linguistic study conducted in the target language and English.
e.g.
Research language variation for formal/informal, upper-class/lower-class, or standard/dialect. Present textual examples of the variations to the class in language and describe the socio-economic problems the linguistic variation reveals.
Evaluate the Google translation of idiomatic language use in the target language, e.g. song lyric, casual conversation, proverb. Correct the translation and explain the choices in a class presentation in English and the target language.
Advanced
A literary research tasks conducted in the target language.
e.g.
Critically analyse the representation of modern Italian society in Favolacce (Bad Tales) (2020) or Selfie (2020). Write an essay.
A cultural research tasks conducted in the target language.
e.g.
Write a short story featuring the Befana tradition as a symbol. Write a rationale explaining the literary choices.
In group, develop a new food product, conduct market research with native speakers, and develop an advertising campaign for the product.
A socio-linguistic study conducted in the target language.
e.g.
Critically analyse the political conflict over the use of English terms in French and the role of the French Academy.
Analyse the difference in body language in Italian and your own culture.
Research language variation for formal/informal, upper-class/lower-class, or standard/dialect. Critically analyse the representation of non-standard language use/ analyse the barriers to social mobility for speakers on non-standard language.
Critically analyse the authorial purpose of the use of non-standard language in a short story/novel/movie and evaluate its effectiveness.
Evaluate the google translation of idiomatic language use in the target language. Correct the translation and explain the choices in a class presentation in language.
Task 3.1
Task 3.1
Which of these possible tasks do you think would be most reliable is assessing student competence and best meet the requirements of the course goals and content descriptions and achievement standards? and Why?
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