Online course

Assessment for Learning in STEM Teaching

Get to grips with Assessment for Learning with one of three courses for teachers from the National STEM Learning Centre.

Assessment for Learning in STEM Teaching

Overview
Topics
Start dates
Requirements
Educators
Try it
Overview
Topics
Start dates
Requirements
Educators
Try it
  • Duration 6 weeks
  • Weekly study 3 hours
  • Learn Free

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Why join the course?

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is a term that’s widely used in education, but applied in ways that are variable in their effectiveness. This free online course - designed for STEM teachers in primary and secondary schools, and sixth form and further education colleges - will help you understand and use it more effectively.

Enjoy your teaching more

As the course progresses, you’ll be encouraged to try things out in your laboratory and classroom; actively reflect on what you discover in the process; and share your experience as part of the course discussions.

You’ll also be invited to read some of the scientific literature about Assessment for Learning. Your learners will gain as a result - and you’ll enjoy your teaching more.

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What topics will you cover?

  • The key principles of Assessment for Learning.
  • Intentional dialogue.
  • Hinge-point questions.
  • Questioning as a source of evidence.
  • Acting on the evidence.
  • Evolving your practice teaching in a formative way.

When would you like to start?

  • Date to be announced
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What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Identify the main principles of Assessment for Learning
  • Assess some of the research literature about Assessment for Learning
  • Reflect on the role of intentional dialogue in supporting teaching in a formative way
  • Explain the key characteristics of a hinge-point question
  • Improve ability to create hinge-point questions through a peer review design and evaluation process
  • Contribute to a crowd-sourced repository of hinge-point questions
  • Collaborate with peers, educators and mentors to try out activities and share thinking in order to help shift practice
  • Evaluate a range of practical ideas that can be used to elicit evidence from students
  • Collect and analyse evidence from students on changes implemented in the classroom in order to critically reflect on own practice in order to prioritise next steps in own development

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for English-speaking teachers of STEM subjects in primary and secondary schools, and sixth form and FE colleges. It’s also relevant to trainee teachers; teacher trainers; those thinking about a career in STEM teaching; and developers of STEM-related course materials.

It is a CPD course for people who, in the main, have a degree level qualification, or who are in the process of obtaining one.

Who will you learn with?

Chris Harrison

Chris Harrison

Reader in Science Education and Chair of ASE 2014-2015. Lead UK Researcher on Assessment for Learning. Research interests in Inquiry-learning, professional learning and CPD.

Andrea Mapplebeck

Andrea Mapplebeck

Former physics teacher, now supporting educators to develop teaching. Commissioned by National STEM Learning Centre to work with Dylan Wiliam & Chris Harrison to design & support AfL & DfL courses

Dylan Wiliam

Dylan Wiliam

Former school teacher, academic, and university administrator, now working with teachers and leaders around the world to improve educational outcomes for young people.

Who developed the course?

The National STEM Learning Centre provides world-class professional development activities and resources to support the teaching of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.

Get a taste of this course

Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join: