Course: Introducing Assessment for Learning

In this video Dylan begins to draw the course to a close emphasising: how the boundary between hinge-point questions and other kinds of formative questions is somewhat blurred; the extent …

Jonathan and Martha share their reflections about using hinge-point questions in their lessons. They refer to the classes we’ve shown in the videos in this course. Key lessons learnt As …

This video contains six short extracts from lessons covering different subjects at different levels. Each ends with a frame containing a question for you to think about. Radiation. If this …

Below are eight interrelated questions about hinge-point questioning. You can also download a summary of these points as a PDF you can refer to when reviewing classroom footage later this …

This week our focus moves on to explore the action that you take on the evidence that your questions elicit. In this video Chris emphasises how every teacher needs a …

The classroom footage above shows Jonathan Lye (from Aston Academy, Sheffield), and Martha Worthington and Emma Rowe (St Matthias Church of England Primary School, Malvern) using hinge-point questions with: Year …

In this video Dylan explains hinge-point questions step-by-step. As Dylan outlines: a hinge is a point in a lesson when you need to check if students are ready to move …

In this video, Dylan Wiliam draws together some key points about intentional dialogue, emphasising, in particular: the importance of deciding on questions at the planning stage; the way in which …

The initial research into Inside the Black Box found that teachers who encouraged intentional dialogue often used rich questions. A ‘rich question’ is one that cannot be answered immediately, but …

Selecting a good question and facilitating the discussion are both higher-order teaching skills. This is an area of pedagogy that we all need continually to work at, if we want …

In summary, assessment for learning is a formatively-driven approach to learning and teaching that involves both teachers and students as co-owners of the process. In a formatively-driven classroom we would …

Ensuring classroom talk that enables teachers to tap into student thinking is central to assessment for learning. In the previous step you thought about the types of effective actions teachers …

Watch and re-watch the four clips of teaching and learning from two classes of different ages. These involve whole class discussion and questioning, and group or paired work. Think about …

Chris explains the primary functions of assessment for learning are to: promote domain-specific dialogue; help teachers understand what learners think; give learners formative feedback. One approach you could use to …

In this video Chris discusses the importance of seeing classroom assessment as a combination of opportunities for acting on evidence of student learning and understanding. Chris stresses that if we …