Learning+From+Student+Work

**ATLAS- Learning from Student Work**

**1.** **Selecting Student Work to Share **  Student work is the centerpiece of the group discussion. The following guidelines can help in selecting student work that will promote the most interesting and productive group discussions.

 Choose assignments that involve lots of thinking and that give students some freedom in how they approach the task. Avoid work that consists primarily of answers with little explanation or that involves the application of well-defined procedure. At times it may be useful to share several pieces of student work that show different approaches to the same assignment.

 Ambiguous or puzzling work tends to stimulate the best discussions. Since it does not readily match expectations, it encourages close attention to details and affords multiple interpretations. If this feels uncomfortable, it may be useful to start by examining anonymous samples of student work collected from within the group or gathered from other sources.

 Another approach for selecting student work is for the group to plan a classroom activity jointly, teach it independently, then bring the student work back to the group for discussion. This approach is a good way to begin examining teaching or assessment practices based on what the group has learned from looking at student work.

**2.** **Sharing and Discussion of Student Work **  Discussions of student work sometimes make people feel “on the spot” or exposed, either for themselves or for their students. The use of a structured dialogue format provides an effective technique for managing the discussion and maintaining its focus.

 A structured dialogue format is a way of organizing a group conversation by clearly defining who should be talking when and about what. While at first it may seem rigid and artificial, a clearly defined structure frees the group to focus its attention on what is most important. In general, structured dialogue formats allot specified times for the group to discuss various aspects of the work.

 Consider the student whose work is being examined to be a silent member of the group. Assume, as for any member, that the student is acting in good faith and has put forth his or her best effort.

**3.** **Reflecting on the Process ** Looking for evidence of student thinking … Listening to colleagues thinking … Reflecting on one’s own thinking …
 * What did you see in this student’s work that was interesting or surprising?
 *  What did you learn about how this student thinks and learns?
 *  What about the process helped you to see and learn these things?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> What did you learn from listening to your colleagues that was interesting or surprising?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> What new perspectives did your colleagues provide?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> How can you make use of your colleagues’ perspectives?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> What questions about teaching and assessment did looking at the students’ work raise for you?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> How can you pursue these questions further?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Are there things you would like to try in your classroom as a result of looking at this student’s work?

**Further Thoughts About...** **Learning from Student Work** //Written for use with the ATLAS Protocol. Published in HORACE, November 1996 (p. 2), Coalition of// //Essential Schools. The “Learning from Student Work” protocol was developed by Eric Buchovecky of ATLAS Communities, drawing on the work of Mark Driscoll at Education Development Center and that of Steve Seidel at Harvard Project Zero.// //The guidelines (summarized below) help participants to stay focused on the evidence before them and listen to multiple perspectives, rather than getting bogged down in assumptions.//

**When looking for evidence of students thinking**

 * Stay focused on the evidence that is present in the work.
 * Look openly and broadly; don’t let your expectations cloud your vision.
 * Look for patterns in the evidence that provide clues to how and what the student was thinking.

When listening to colleagues’ thinking

 * Listenwithoutjudging.
 * Tune in to differences in perspective.
 * Use controversy as an opportunity to explore and understand each other’s perspectives.
 * Focus on understanding where different interpretations come from.
 * Make your own thinking clear to others.
 * Be patient and persistent.

When reflecting on your own thinking

 * Ask yourself, “Why do I see this student work in this way? What does this tell me about what is important to me?”
 * Look for patterns in your own thinking.
 * Tune in to the questions that the student work and your colleagues’ comments raise for you.
 * Compare what you see and what you think about the student work with what you do in the classroom.

When you reflect on the process of looking at student work

 * What did you see in this student’s work that was interesting or surprising?
 * What did you learn about how this student thinks and learns?
 * What about the process helped you see and learn these things?
 * What did you learn from listening to colleagues that was interesting/surprising?
 * What new perspectives did your colleagues provide?
 * How can you make use of your colleagues’ perspectives?
 * What questions about teaching and assessment did looking at this student’s work raise for you?
 * How can you pursue these questions further?
 * Are there things you would like to try in your classroom as a result of looking at the student’s work?