Assessment for Learning †the Case for Formative Assessment Essay Example for Free

Assessment for Learning – the Case for Formative Assessment Essay This paper provides findings on assessment for learning, It begins with analysis of the formative approach in exemplary practice carried out in secondary schools in eight education systems. The second half of the paper comprises key analyses on formative assessment in adult language, literacy, and numeracy provision, and a framework for strengthening policy and practice across the sector as well as for building the evidence base. Assessment is vital to the education process. In schools, the most visible assessments are summative. Summative assessments are used to measure what students have learnt at the end of a unit, to promote students, to ensure they have met required standards on the way to earning certification for school completion or to enter certain occupations, or as a method for selecting students for entry into further education. Ministries or departments of education may use summative assessments and evaluations as a way to hold publicly funded schools accountable for providing quality education. Increasingly, international summative assessments – such as OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – have been important for comparing national education systems to developments in other countries. But assessment may also serve a formative function. In classrooms, formative assessment refers to frequent, interactive assessments of student progress and understanding to identify learning needs and adjust teaching appropriately. Teachers using formative assessment approaches and techniques are better prepared to meet diverse students’ needs – through differentiation and adaptation of teaching to raise levels of student achievement and to achieve a greater equity of student outcomes. But there are major barriers to wider practice, including perceived tensions between classroom-based formative assessments, and high visibility summative tests to hold schools accountable for student achievement, and a lack of connection between systemic, school and classroom approaches to assessment and evaluation. The principles of formative assessment may be applied at the school and policy levels, to identify areas for improvement and to promote effective and constructive cultures of evaluation throughout education systems. More consistent use of formative assessment throughout education systems may help stakeholders address the very barriers to its wider practice in classrooms. This overview shows how formative assessment promotes the goals of lifelong learning, including higher levels of student achievement, greater equity of student outcomes, and improved learning to learn skills. The chapter then discusses barriers to wider practice of formative assessment and ways in which those barriers can be addressed, and outlines the study scope and methodology. Meeting goals for lifelong learning Each of the national and regional governments participating in this study promotes formative.

Antony and Cleopatra :: essays research papers

The representations and interplay of types of power: In Shakespeare’s famous play Antony and Cleopatra, the powerful are portrayed including their personalities, their reactions to other powerful figures and the interplay of these powers as the characters interact. Antony’s Power: Shakespeare uses Rome and Egypt as binary opposites not just to reflect qualities inherent in the two places, but the changes that come upon Antony depending on which place he is in. The changes in Antony’s behaviour and power-usage patterns can be seen through Shakespeare’s constant juxtaposition of the Egyptian and Roman worlds. Antony’s behaviour tends to change as in the exotic place that is Egypt Antony is allowed to escape from his Roman self : "I will to Egypt†¦I'th' east my pleasure lies.â€Å"2.3.38-40. The word â€Å"pleasure† indicates that Egypt has a sexual appeal to him in the form of Cleopatra. He adores his role as king in Egypt, being the self-indulgent lover of Cleopatra. However in Rome, Antony must attend to his political ambitions, duty to administration, his citizens and soldiers. These are duties he does not wish to be burdened with: "Let Rome in Tiber melt and the wide arch / Of the ranged empire fall!† Antony describes his feelings while in Egypt as a hyperbole, which reflects how his behaviour becomes irrational. Moving on to Cleopatra’s Power, it can be seen that she uses her coercive sexual power to entice and manipulate Antony’s behaviour and decisions, inevitably ending in the weakening of their relationship. Cleopatra knows her powers of manipulation: "I drunk him to bed;/ Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilst I wore his sword Philippan.â€Å"2.5.21-23. She makes a mockery of him as he is the Philippan victor that is metaphorically stripped of his sword and therefore his political and sexual power, by a woman. She is described by him in a metaphor, as an â€Å"enchanting queen† which connotes a sense of uncontrolled mesmerisation with a powerful figure. To those removed from the situation, such as Caesar, she is described as a â€Å"whore† and Antony's life with her is full of â€Å"lascivious wassails† demonstrating the wanton behaviour that Cleopatra has almost imposed on Antony.

Birmingham Letter Illusions Essay

Letter from Birmingham Jail Allusions in Section 3 Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most well known documents in American history. King’s profound ability to articulate important ideas, values, concepts and Biblical perspectives made for some of the most powerful and inspirational pieces of American literature ever produced. One technique that King used in his public speeches and letters was his allusions to historical figures, the Bible and opposing congressmen. During the 60’s when cultural prejudice still held strong roots in Congress, it was King’s talent to inspire the public that revolutionized America’s racial injustices. King’s frequent use of allusions in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail proved his intelligence and greatly attributed to his success and popularity during the 1960’s. His allusions demonstrated his referential capabilities while also making his messages readily relatable to the public. It was often said that it was not King’s intelligence that made him seem so acumen, but that he was â€Å"well read†(knew much from reading). His frequent allusions to major documents and famous statements in contest to his adversaries ultimately lead to his dominance in public speech. In the paragraphs 12 through 14 when king references the election of mayor Albert Boutwell, he states, â€Å"We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham† in paragraph twelve. The millennium is an allusion to a specific verse from the Bible’s book of Revelation interpreted as the 1,000 years in which Jesus comes back to earth to restore peace. He made many correlations to the Bible and major public documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights to make his arguments accurate and mainly understandable by restating vital rules and quotes that even the illiterate could comprehend. In these paragraphs he quoted the Bible by using phrases like â€Å"moral light, â€Å"abyss of despair† and â€Å" unjust posture. † King used the word â€Å"wait† in this section of the letter multiple times as a allusion to the current denial of rights to African Americans that had been going on for the last 340 years. He also stated that â€Å"justice too long delayed is justice denied† in correlation to the current racial dilemma in America at the time. All of these direct references made for some of the most significant and powerful American literature ever created and made Martin Luther King one of the most successful authors in this period of civil revolution. By reinforcing his argument with allusions that the public could relate to, King was able to greatly impact the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and ultimately bring around the social turning point of the century that provided racial equality to all and smother prejudice in America thereafter.

Alchemy as the Precursor to Modern Medicine Practices

Chemical medicine originates from medical alchemy of the medieval period. Its nature was controversial and the acceptance and practice of chemical medicine caused problems with those who had strong ties with Scholasticism that rooted them in the Galenic tradition and made them wary of new practices and innovations. The fact that chemical medicine became quite popular thanks to the sixteenth-century Swiss doctor Paracelsus only increased the controversial nature. Paracelsus was well-known for his â€Å"miraculous cures† as well as for rejecting the European medical organization (De Vos, 2007). Paula De Vos (2007) wrote an article about the introduction of chemical medicine into Mexican medical practices during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. She shares a case of a Doà ±a Michaela de Sierra, whose legs had been paralysed for over 25 years but had been cured with a series of medications that were a combination of traditional Galenic treatments and chemical medicines. This shift of treatments, from the purely Galenic preparations to the inclusion of chemical medicines, is validated by the appearance of contemporary pharmaceutical texts in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The change occurred at the same time to a similar alteration in Spain. The inauguration of Charles II to the throne started an era of acceptance to changes in medical practices. This medical development happened later in Spain and Mexico compared to other European countriesShow MoreRelatedAlchemy As The Precursor to Modern Medicine Practices1705 Words   |  7 Pagesthe ea rly days of alchemy, many scholars doubted the authenticity and credibility of alchemy as a scholarly field of study. They labeled it as â€Å"mystical† and challenged greatly the possibilities of alchemical transmutations and any practitioner’s credibility. However, alchemy was still practiced and discussed in all levels of society. Alchemy has been discovered in recent times to have been central to the development of early modern science and medicine. The practice of alchemy has made many contributionsRead MoreAstrology and Alchemy - the Occult Roots of the Mbti4990 Words   |  20 PagesBoard Psychologists and managers may be surprised to discover that the origins of the world’s most widely used psychometric instrument lie in pre-modern systems of knowledge. Astrology and alchemy – the occult roots of the MBTI by Peter Case and Garry Phillipson There appear to be no reputable investigations into the influence of astrology and alchemy on organisation and management, which is surprising given the continuing popularity of astrology. Aside from some research into how marketing executivesRead MoreBacteria As An Intermediate ( Jia Et Al. Essay1591 Words   |  7 Pagescontinuously stirred tank, and oxygen is supplied by bubbling air through the solution (Hromatka and Ebner, 1949). Employing modern applications of this method, vinegar of 15% acetic acid can be prepared in only 24 hours in batch process, even 20% in 60-hour fed-batch process (Hromatka and Ebner, 1959). Historical review of acetic acid has uncovered many primitive practices that involved the use and misuse of the compound and its derivatives. Martin, 1917 reports that ancient civilizations aroundRead MoreCompilation of Mathematicians and Their Contributions11615 Words   |  47 Pagesfavourite mathematician, Euclid deserves most of my kudos for laying down the foundation of geometry. II. Mathematicians in the Medieval Ages Leonardo of Pisa Birthdate: 1170 Died: 1250 Nationality: Italian Contributions: * Best known to the modern world for the spreading of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system in Europe, primarily through the publication in 1202 of his Liber Abaci (Book of Calculation). * Fibonacci introduces the so-called Modus Indorum (method of the Indians), today known as