- Teachers designed an assessment instrument and described the success criteria
they would adopt as evidence of inquiry learning; - Teachers participated in lectures and seminars which presented a theoretical
basis for formative and summative assessment.
Teachers across all twelve countries, through experience with these assessment
activities, recognised opportunities for and the value of different assessment
strategies and appreciated the richness in diversity of implementation in classroom
practice.
II. Trialling IBSE and Assessment in the Classroom
The focus of this element was to facilitate teachers obtainingfirst-hand experi-
ence with their own students conducting inquiry activities and considering the
impact of this approach on their student’s learning. Teachers were supported to trial
inquiry and assessment activities or adapt their own lessons towards an inquiry
pedagogy in their classrooms. Educators used the SAILS units to exemplify inquiry
and assessment approaches in the classroom. Additionally, teachers were encour-
aged to trial different assessment methods with their students and in particular to
trial assessment to collect evidence of student learning during the inquiry activity.
Following trialling in the classroom, the teachers were given an opportunity to
reflect on the implementation in their classroom through discussion with other
teachers and educators. Teachers were also encouraged to bring evidence of their
students’learning to share during these follow-up discussions. If these were not
available, then examples from the SAILS units were used as the basis for plenary
discussions. The key aspects raised during these discussions were: - Identification of the skills that were assessable in an inquiry activity;
- Difficulties that were overcome during implementation (e.g. group work, time,
etc.); - Different assessment methods and their applicability for different groups of
students; - Preparation of students for different modes of assessment;
- What feedback should be given to students and where to next?
III. Developing IBSE and Assessment Resources
A significant aspect of all TEPs was to support teachers in the development of
their own inquiry activities/lessons. The ability of teachers to develop their own
resources was considered as a critical element for the preparation of teachers to
adopt an inquiry-based pedagogy and use a variety of assessment strategies to
assess the extend and breath of their student learning. With the support of their peer
group and teacher educators, teachers (individually or in small groups) decided on a
topic area and developed their own inquiry resources and assessment strategies for
use in their classroom. Teachers developed these inquiry and assessment resources
and in some cases, trialled them in the classroom, and were facilitated to share their
resources and experiences with their peer group. In this way, teachers were sup-
ported in not only implementing assessment strategies in their classrooms, but also
in developing and adapting other resources to suit their needs.
834 O.E. Finlayson and E. McLoughlin