Chapter 3

Assessing Learning by
Modeling
Assessment
Assessment

Assessing Learning by Modeling

Assessment Assessment
What is learning in education today?

Memorization

Test Multiple
Scores Choice
Recall

Education today has come under the scrutiny of the public to achieve standardized levels for
students learning. This method of assessment has left us with a school system that suffers
financially for poor results. In response to this many educators have focused more on test results
which in itself results in time spent lost preparing for the test and not learning. Add to this the
student attitude toward these test result in memorization and multiple choice recall instead of
problem solving skills. The system fails to gauge the student’s assessment of conceptual change.

Through research it has been found that students verbalize problems in order to fit them
into a form that they can rationalize and solve. This is a Mindtool students use to model the
information given to create their answer. Other Mindtool’s need to be identified and taught to
build student confidence and foster an ability to work through problems.

It is the author’s intention to identify other methods that students can develop and it is
these models that should be used to determine a student body’s level of learning. Teachers must
learn to convey their assessment in a way that accounts for the ability to solve problems without
first knowing the answers. These rubrics must be created by each educator in their area of
specialization to determine a student’s capabilities to learn.
 Assessing Conceptual Change
With Student-Constructed Models
Databases Mind Tools Experts Systems

Semantic Networks Spreadsheets

Systems Modeling

Dynamic Modeling

Scaffolded Computer
Hypermedia Knowledge Bases Conferences

Top of Assessing Learning by Modeling

 Assessing Knowledge Construction

Q. How do most schools and teachers assess student learning?

Assessing learning and thinking that results from modeling with mind tools

Knowledge assessed through other methods (essays, examination), along with modeling, must
assess

 Knowledge construction and meaningful learning

If students use Mind tool to model phenomena, but are assessed by tests of recall, they will infer
Mind tools don’t count.

Assessing knowledge construction

 Building models requires learners to construct their own knowledge

 Assess the kind and extent of knowledge, not regurgitation of ideas
 If learning is personalized models will differ, so don’t judge by similarity
 Common knowledge need not be the goal of education

As learning changes so should assessment of learning

 Emphasis on self assessment and alternative forms of assessment

 Opportunities for students to express their knowledge

Self assessment process

 Students assess their project before submitting

 Rubric must be included

A. Most schools and teachers spend too much time preparing students to preform well on tests,
rahter than teaching critical thinking skills.

Learning and assessment with out Mind tools and modeling

Professor lectures, shows Power point

Students take notes, study notes and text book
Assessment through recall test
Knowledge
 Learning Assessed using Mind tools and modeling

Students discuss ideas

for projects

Lecture w/ Individual or
power point group
presents research
assignment

Rubri
Student Critical thinking
c
Professor discussion skills developed
Concept for
project
Provides
memorable
examples

Project
created
Project
Assessment presented
by Rubric
Sample Rubric for assessing knowledge construction

To what extent do student manipulate objects, make observation, and reason from those
experiments?

Observation and reflection

Students rarely think about or Students often stop and Students share frequest
record the results of action think about the activites in ovservation about their
taken during activites which they are engaged activites with peers iand
nterested adults
Learner Interactions
Students manipulate none of Students manipulate some Students manipulate all of
the variables or controls in of the variables or controls the variables or controls in
the environments in the environments the environments
Originality of interpertations
Knowledge basses included Knowledge basses included Knowledge basses included
teachers’ ideas or textbook some orriginal ideas but ideas that were conceived,
material with no original were bassed on included organized and represented
interpertation teachers’ or textbook by students
Curisity/Interest/Puzzlement
Learners engage in learning Learners are frequently Learners are consistently
activities only because they motivated by a sincere striving to resolve the
are required. curiosity about the topic disparity between what is
observed and what is
known, operating on a
scincere desire to know
Constructing mental meodels and Making meaning
Learners rarely create their Learners are often Learners routinely wrestle
own understanding expected to make sense of with new experiences
new experiences and becoming experts at
develop theories identifying and solving
problems

Top of Assessing Knowledge Construction

 Assessing Self-Regulation
The purpose of assessing is not to provide society with the information t needs to judge
those who created/designed the model, but rather to enable the learner with feedback with their
progression of learning and to help the learner better direct their learning. In order to use mind-
tools, the learner must require and foster self-regulation. The learner must their own goals,
determine their own activities, and self regulate based on their goals. In order to being and
continue this process, they need to assess what they know (articulation) and identify how able
they are to learn a particular skill or subject (reflection). Most importantly, they must assess
their own knowledge growth.

Assessing Self-Regulation
(Must assess their own knowledge)

Set own goals Determine activities Self regulate

to complete base on goals

Goal Articulation of Mind-tools used Learning how to

directedness goals as focus of to support learn
activity learning
 Assessing Collaboration

Mindtools

Collaboration

What is collaboration?
Accepts roles and

Assessment responsibilities

Minimally Engages with

engages with others How do you assess learners?
others Some division of
roles and
responsibility

Interaction Among
Distribution of Roles
Learners
and Responsibility

Minimally
divides roles and
responsibilities
Interaction with People Social Negotiation
Outside of School

Minimally Engages with Minimally confers Often confers with Confers with team
engages with others outside of with team members team members members
others outside of school
school
Collaboration:
When working together or collaboratively on mindtools, learners will produce
better models and will learn more during the process.

Assessment:
Students should not be evaluated independently, if they are using mindtools
collaboratively. “The conditions, performances, and criteria for the assessment
should replicate those stated in the learning goals and used during instruction”
(Jonassen p.32). Therefore, removing collaboration from evaluation would violate
the most basic of assessment premises.

Interaction Among Learners:

How well does the learner engage with peers? Does the student engage or does the
student minimally engage with peers? The following rubric criteria are listed:
“Little of the learner’s time is spent gainfully engaged with other students/
Learners are often immersed with peers results in success” (Jonassen p.32).

Interaction with People Outside of School:

How well does the learner engage with others outside of school? Does the student
engage or does the student minimally engage with peers outside of school? The
following rubric criteria are listed: “Students rarely seek information or opinions
outside of school/ or Students consistently seek information and opinions of others
outside of school” (Jonassen p.32).

Social Negotiation:
How well does the learner confer with others in order to complete tasks? Do the
students confer and agree, often confer and agree, or minimally confer with team
members? The following rubric criteria are listed: “Little evidence that learners
work together to develop shared understanding of tasks or of solution strategies/
Learners are often observed in the process of coming to agreement on the nature of
problems and on best course of action/ or Learners collaborate with ease.
Negotiations become almost invisible, yet the ideas of all team members are
valued” (Jonassen p. 32).
Distribution of Roles and Responsibility:
How are student’s roles and responsibilities divided? Are the roles and
responsibilities accepted or shifted by team members? The following rubric
criteria are listed: “Roles and responsibilities are shifted infrequently. Most
capable learners accept more responsibility than less capable/ Roles and
responsibilities are shifted often, and such changes are accepted by both the most
and least capable/ or Students make their own decisions concerning roles and
responsibilities, freely giving and accepting assistance as necessary” (Jonassen p.
32).

Top of Assessing Collaboration

Assessment of Critical Thinking for Learning Mindtools

Critical Thinking
Assessment

Student’s Rubrics to evaluate Student’s

ability to student knowledge ability to
Evaluate Connect
Ideas

Uses Uses Cannot Understands

irrelevant relevant describe cause & effect
information information relationships
Student’s
ability to
Analyze

Unable to recognize Able to classify

elements or main information or
ideas recognize main
ideas
 Critical Thinking Assessment

Mindtools encourages critical thinking of which

the outcome should be assessed. A student’s critical
thinking process is difficult to evaluate because it is
context dependent; different subjects requires different
critical thinking skills. Developing a rubric offers the best
solution to evaluate the critical thinking students use while
constructing models with Mindtools (Jonassen, 2000,).

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