Effective alignment addresses outcomes/goals, activities, and assessment (Learners Mindset, 2021). There needs to be a balance between all three so that students are made aware of the learning goals and success criteria, what learning activities they need to complete, and the assessment must be non-bias and transparent to all learners.
On the continuum, I would say that I place my assessment practices at the “convergent” end of the spectrum (Learners Mindset, 2021) when I first get a new class. At this point in the learning, most material is content centered and I as the teacher have control over the method of delivery and assessment. For example, at the start of the semester, students learn how to play in an ensemble setting with their peers. I select the piece of music and have the students learn through daily practice in multiple formats; solo playing, small groups, and in a class setting. Then, I conduct an individual playing test performance. Depending on the results of the performance evaluation, I will be able to see how many students resonated with the learning. It will provide me the opportunity to reflect and adjust assessment practices if necessary, or review content or concepts that students may require extra clarification on.
As the semester progresses, I tend to shift towards the “divergent” end of the continuum (Learners Mindset, 2021). Once students have developed confidence in the classroom and are practicing higher-order thinking skills, I transition to more learner-centered assessment and control. An example of divergent learning in my music classroom would be to have students select a piece of their choosing for their final solo performance. On top of preparing to perform the music, students have to research the composer and present their findings in a creative format of their choosing. Prior to this, students would have engaged in self-reflection and goal setting practices. By creating these activity opportunities for assessment, my hope is that students will be able to engage in their learning on a deeper level and understand why it is important for them to be learning the content that they are. I hypothesize that students will be able to observe cross-curricular connections between this course and their other subjects. They will be able to identify next steps for improvement and self-regulate their own learning practices.
References
Learners Mindset. (2021, February 24). Aligning Outcomes, Activities & Assessments: Learners Mindset Fundamentals [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsmbuD00Vfg&ab_channel=LearnersMindset
Port Perry, December 2022
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