My Best Assessment Experience Ever!
When I was in grad school at Penn State, I encountered the concept of Dynamic Assessment through two professors, James Lantolf and Michael Poehner. According to Poehner, "Dynamic assessment (henceforth DA) is a structured approach to interaction in which a teacher or assessor cooperatively engages with learners, helping them extend their performance beyond levels they could reach independently." While we didn't have much time to explore the concept nor did we discuss it much, I was attracted to the idea of "assessment as a way for and as teaching." I kept it lodged in the recesses of my mind until recently when a particular situation arose and I was forced to reconsider the idea of learning through through an assessment.
My students completed a reading in class on a school in a Spanish speaking country. You can see the one that I used here. We completed the reading, answered questions and looked at the brochure's structure. Their assessment for their school unit was going to be to make a brochure, similar to the one we had read, for their own school. I allowed them to use the English to Spanish dictionary, which we use in class regularly, and we have discussed how to use a dictionary at length. At the end of the period, they were not nearly done. They had gotten very creative in the process. I was in a bind because the process of creating the brochure in class was too long; they wanted to add more. So I was obliged to think fast and find a solution. Should I grade them "as is" or think of another solution? I first thought to just let them complete it the next week. Then I decided that I would use that as a draft, correct it with correction codes, give them suggestions and then we would do it again in class for an assessment grade. Looking at the students brochures before they completed them, gave me an idea of what they could possibly do, instead of what they did. And I was going to facilitate the extension of their ability from what they had done to what they could do.
The day I returned the brochures to the students, they worked in class on corrections and additions, and I met with them individually to talk specifically about how they could improve their brochures. The next day, without the draft, they completed a second brochure. It was the exact same format, same requirements, same rubric, and same task. Only this time they worked beyond their original abilities, with the scaffolding I had provided them with through feedback. You might be asking, how this isn't just a project. I think since they were not allowed any resources to help them, other than the dictionary, that it was different than a project. It was also completed within the restraints of class time, like a test, but there was feedback and growth involved. It also didn't have the stigma some students associate with retaking.
Though this is not at all the core idea of Dynamic Assessment, it was a dynamic process for me and for my students. I will certainly repeat the experience. They certainly "extended their performance beyond levels they could reach independently." What teacher doesn't want to help students understand their own potential, just a step away within the ZPD? My students were still tested but I felt that the test was a learning process and not the end of one. This was such a better learning exchange between myself and my students than any test I had given previously. I will certainly be recreating the experience again soon.
