Formative Assessment for Teaching and Learning

"A unique blend of scholarly research-based principles of effective formative assessment with practical suggestions for use in the classroom. The authors show how the essence of formative assessment is in teachers' responses to the substance students' understandings, with a focus on how teachers can use pedagogical strategies to move students forward toward important learning outcomes. I highly recommend the book for both researchers and practitioners. It is an engaging, in-depth, sophisticated treatment of formative assessment." (James H. McMillan, Virginia Commonwealth University). Formative Assessment (AFL) supplies the strategy to support effective teaching, and to make learning deep and sustained. This book shows how to develop your planning for learner-centred day-to-day teaching and learning situations through an understanding of formative teaching, learning and assessment. Within each chapter, based on real teaching situations, the strategies of the 'formative assessment toolkit' are identified and analysed: guided group teaching; differentiation; observation & evidence elicitation; analysis & feedback; co-construction; reflective planning; self-regulation; and dialogue & dialogic strategies. The principles set out in this book can be applied to any age or stage in education, but will be particularly useful to current practising teachers, students following international and national teacher training courses; CPD or in-service work; and MEd and MA post-graduate assessment/teaching and learning modules.