Assessment
For the rubrics that will be used in this unit, please see below:
Activity Log Rubric
Sales Pitch Rubric
Activity Log Rubric
Sales Pitch Rubric
Focus on the Teacher
The timeline includes when and how students will be assessed throughout the project. There is a # symbol included next to each assessment task on the timeline and a link that includes the actual tool and how the students will be assessed. There will be a variety of both formative and summative assessments used during the PBL that afford opportunities for student to teacher feedback and enable student revision to make better products. Formative assessments will include Gallery Walks, KWL's, Probing Questions, and a daily Activity Log. Summative assessments will include math content quizzes and the final project. The content quizzes will allow the teacher to assess content while the activity log will give opportunity for student processes. Assessments for the student products will be the Gallery Walk, Scale Model Net, and the Final Presentation.
Feedback will be provided through different activities that are teacher lead and student lead. For example, the Activities Log is a daily activity that allows the student to reflect upon the learning of that day. The teacher will read through those activity logs and provide a daily debrief session the following morning responding to any major questions that students might have. For example, if 1/3 of the students in the class are missing a major concept that was taught the previous class the teacher will lead a discussion to reteach those standards. Students will play a role in providing feedback to one another through the Think, Pair, Share and Gallery Walk activity. The Gallery Walk, for example, will allow the students to walk around and comment on each students poster board providing feedback on their projects to enable to students to revise and create better products.
Final Assessment Details
The final assessment for this project will occur in three different pieces. First students will participate in the final sales pitch competition, which will be used to assess their development of 21st Century Skills, their final design, and their knowledge of nanotechnology. The second portion is a written reflection, in which students will be asked to reflect more specifically on their group’s process. Finally, the students will complete a summative math content quiz to more thoroughly assess their mathematical understanding. The final assessment is structured this way in order to continue to provide exposure to the types of math questions students may be expected to answer on departmental summative exams.
In the final sales pitch, students will demonstrate the results of their process and abilities to collaborate with their peers and solve problems. During the final sales pitch students will communicate their design clearly and effectively. They will use their technology appropriately for the mode of their presentation. Students will also incorporate key components of their nanotechnology understanding when persuading the investors to choose their device. This presentation will be assessed by a panel of experts, which may include parents and teachers in addition to any of the experts that are available. These individuals will use the teacher rubric to evaluate the presentation. Throughout this PBL, the students will have developed a 3D model of their device using their knowledge of nets. This model can be presented during the presentation to demonstrate a portion of their math content knowledge.
In the final reflection, students will be asked to recall their group’s process. They will reflect upon how well they worked as a team, the challenges they faced, and how they overcame those challenges. They will also be asked to identify what they would do differently the next time they work on a group project. This reflection will also help support the evidence of their 21st Century Skills. The teacher can assess the understanding each student developed regarding how to effectively collaborate with their peers as they work towards a larger goal.
We understand that the math content may not be as visible as needed for assessment during the presentation, therefore it will be more thoroughly assessed through the final quiz. This quiz will focus on the mathematical skills the students should have acquired throughout the course of the PBL. The results of this quiz allow the teacher to plan on retouching any incomplete standards, based on student performance, in future units as needed. By delivering the final math assessment as a quiz, students can also become familiar with style of questions they will be required to answer on departmental or standardized exams. We will leave the grading of the quizzes to the teachers discretion. One example of grading is making each problem worth three points and giving three points for mastery, two points for a calculation mistake, and one point for a conception mistake. The quizzes are linked here: Quiz 1 and Quiz 2.
Since the final assessment for this PBL is divided into three parts, assessing both the group product and individual contributions is fairly simple. The final sales pitch and product will be assessed as the group portion of this PBL. This assessment will occur using a rubric, which will be completed by the panel of experts. The potential investors (peers) will also vote for their favorite design by placing their funny money in the corresponding project’s box. This information will be complied to form each group’s final score. The individual portion will be assessed through the daily activity logs, reflections, quizzes, and peer evaluations. The final reflection and peer evaluation, specifically, will be used to determine individual student contributions to the overall group project. The final quiz will be used to assess each individual student’s understanding of the math content covered in this PBL.
Focus on the Students
The students will give and receive feedback from the teacher and one another. During the team time, students will have the opportunity to adapt to instructor feedback. Opportunities included in the timeline are the Activity Log, Gallery Walk, and morning debrief sessions will be a soft scaffold as students need fit. The Gallery Walk is the opportunity for students to give feedback to one another and the Activity Log is a chance for students to get feedback from the teacher.
The Final Sales Pitch will go through continuous revisions from the teacher and the students. The KWL will give the teacher a chance to provide feedback to students from the teacher on the learning gaps they still have. The Gallery Walk will give the students a chance to give feedback on the Final Sales Pitch and allow each group to make revisions based off that feedback.
The Sales Pitches by each group will be the summary activity. At the beginning of the sales pitch competition, each individual who is entitled to vote should be given a $100 bill (of funny money). Students should write their name on their money before voting. After each group has presented their pitch, the individuals will be able to vote by placing their money in the box corresponding to their favorite device. The order of the presentations can be determined by set-up time for different groups, or by random drawing. Students will be expected to fill out a reflection while they watch the other teams present. They will turn this form in for their vote to count.
The teacher should monitor the groups daily and provide scaffolding as needed. Ensure students have identified the optional skill sessions they will attend. If they have not, ask the students what skills or knowledge are they lacking. In addition, the teacher should ask additional prompting questions to determine group progress:
- “Based on the conversation during the KWL chart, is there anything else you need to understand as you design your device?”
- “What type of a device would you like to design?”
- “How has nanotechnology already played a role in its development?”
- “How would you like to present your device?”
Student work will be assessed through the provided rubric on both a group and individual level. Students will complete peer evaluations at the conclusion of the project and intermittently as needed. Group presentations will be voted on by the class and a panel of experts based on the amount of “money” each group earns. Student understanding will also be assessed through their insights on a final reflection, which will be completed after the final sales pitch.
During this unit students will have ample opportunities to receive feedback from the teacher and peers. The three primary tools for receiving feedback are the Gallery Walk, Peer Evaluations during the final presentation, and through the teacher rubric of the final presentation. These avenues will provide feedback in the following ways:
- Gallery Walk- Students will receive invaluable information from their peers regarding the feasibility of their product, the marketability of their product, and any necessary improvements
- Peer Evaluations- Students will receive a final evaluation from their peers to further reflect any alterations to their product after their initial Gallery Walk suggestions
- Teacher Rubric- Students will get a final evaluation from their instructor to reflect how well they followed the rubric requirements when designeing their product