PERSONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

Aquino, Loren A.

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

The Conference The Interview

WHAT?
Definition Purpose Characteristics Teachers Role Considerations

THE CONFERENCE DEFINITION The Conference is a formal or informal meeting between /among the teacher and student and/or parent.

PURPOSE
Exchange information or share ideas Explore thinking and suggest next steps Assess level of understanding Enable a student to move ahead more
successfully Review, clarify, and extend present progress Helps to internalize criteria for good work

CHARACTERISTICS
Provides a clear focus for discussion May take place as the learner is exploring a new
concept or topic, or be a goal-setting session or a report on progress Is brief, informal/formal and occurs routinely Can be effective for both diagnostic and formative assessment

TEACHERS ROLE
Comes to the conference prepared with
specific questions Gives individual feedback and clarifies misconception Puts students at ease, and supports student progress Focuses on the process of reasoning

CONSIDERATIONS
Can be part of collaborative planning
and decision-making Can be an extremely useful formative assessment strategy for students involved in major projects or independent studies

THE INTERVIEW

DEFINITION
The Interview is a form of conversation in which all parties increase their knowledge and understanding.

PURPOSE
Focus on inquiry where the purpose of the meeting is
based on investigation Explore the students thinking Assess the students level of understanding of a particular concept Gather information, obtain clarification, determine positions and probe for motivations Help determine students understanding of qualities of good work

CHARACTERISTICS
Tends to be a meeting which involves
inquiry Can be adapted to probe any problem or any consideration Occurs routinely Is usually guided by planned questions

TEACHERS ROLE
Is responsible for the initial questions that
guide the conversation, as well as the flow and movement of the exchange Generates information during the interview which may lead to decisions, agreements, solutions Allows students to take the lead in the

CONSIDERATIONS
Needs time built in for conversations especially when the purpose is an honest and thoughtful exchange

ORAL STRATEGY
(if you know what I mean)

ORAL STRATEGY

The Questions & Answers The Classroom Presentation

THE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

DEFINITION
Questions are posed by the teacher to determine if students understand what is being/has been presented or to extend thinking, generate ideas or problem-solve. Answers provide opportunities for oral assessment when the student responds to a question by speaking rather than by writing.

PURPOSE
Provide a mechanism which monitors a
students understanding while assessing student progress Gather information about a students learning needs

CHARACTERISTICS
Questions and Answers help teachers and students clarify their purpose for learning and link previous information with new understandings.

TEACHERS ROLE
Notes how students answer questions
during instruction Should ensure that

all

students

participate

CONSIDERATIONS Can help to ensure that all students

are involved if tracking is done to ensure that all students participate Is used with consideration that some individuals are not comfortable or fluent expressing themselves orally

THE CLASSROOM PRESENTATION

DEFINITION
The Classroom Presentation is an assessment which requires students to verbalize their knowledge, select and present samples of finished work and organize thoughts, in order to present a

PURPOSE
Used to provide summative assessment
upon completion of a project or an essay Used to assess students when it is inappropriate or difficult to test a students understanding or knowledge with penciland-paper test.

CHARACTERISTICS

Can provide students with an

opportunity to use concrete materials to express their ideas and talents May be a teaching tool if the presentation is designed to further

TEACHERS ROLE
With the students or alone, sets the criteria
for the assessment of the presentation Monitors student progress at selected stages during student preparation Provides oral or written feedback after the presentation

CONSIDERATIONS
Is a natural form of assessment for speeches,
debates, and subjects such as the study of languages Holds the potential to increase peer comparisons which may be harmful to some students because of the oral and visual aspects of presentations Is a critical skill to be taught, practiced, assessed and evaluated

THE REFLECTIVE STRATEGY

THE REFLECTIVE STRATEGY

Self-Assessment The Response Journal

SELF-ASSESSMENT

DEFINITION Is the process of gathering information

and reflecting on ones own learning Leads a student to a greater awareness and understanding of himself or herself as a learner

PURPOSE
Used to assist students to take more
responsibility and ownership of their learning Provide insights and information that enable students to make decisions about their learning and to set personal learning goals Help students critique their own work

CHARACTERISTICS
Promotes the development of metacognitive
ability May involve an introspective observation, a product assessment or a test Includes questions such as How do I learn best?, What are my areas of growth?, Where do I need to improve? Used to determine if a students beliefs about

TEACHERS ROLE
Guides students by helping students
understand how to reflect on learning Can use student self-assessment to determine change or growth in the students attitudes, understandings, and achievement

CONSIDERATIONS
Used to compare whether the student and
the teacher have similar views of expected performance and criteria for evaluation Can help students to witness personal growth through comparison with their own previous work, regardless of ability

THE RESPONSE JOURNAL

DEFINITION
The Response Journal provides frequent written reflective responses to a material that a student is reading, viewing, listening to, or discussing.

PURPOSE The Response Journal is used to record personal reflections, observation, and interpretations.

CHARACTERISTICS
Allows time for students to formulate wellconsidered responses Includes both factual information and the students personal reflections Can include visual representations Can be used in all subject areas

TEACHERS ROLE The teacher writes comments in the spirit of a dialogue.

CONSIDERATIONS
Focuses on the process of reflective thinking Includes depth of thought and connection with
understandings and experience as appropriate criteria for assessment Respects the personal nature of a journal and the learners desire for privacy Does not emphasize the formal aspects of writing style or correctness

COMBINATION OF STRATEGIES

THE PORTFOLIO
The Portfolio is a purposeful collection of samples of a students work that is selective, reflective, and collaborative. It demonstrates the range and depth of a students achievement, knowledge, and skills over time and across a variety of contexts. It has student involvement in selection of portfolio materials as part of the process. It is also a visual presentation of a

PURPOSE
Provide a comprehensive view of the
students progress, efforts, and achievements Provide a focus for student reflection on their own learning

CHARACTERISTICS
Tracks student progress on a variety or
assessments over a period of time Provide a focus for student reflection on their own learning Promote an ongoing process where students demonstrate, assess and revise in order to improve and produce quality work

TEACHERS ROLE
Makes regular formative assessments during the
portfolio process to determine individual needs and progress toward specified learning expectations in order to provide further instruction Determines or negotiates with the students the purpose for the portfolios, the criteria for selection and the time frame for use Reads the reflections and comments on the

CONSIDERATIONS
The Portfolio requires standardization regarding what is included if the portfolio is used for evaluative purposes.