Primary Teacher Resource Centre - Forum

Chilli Queen · Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 452 Location: Lancashire

My school is having a big push on AFL. We're following some sort of DVD based course presented by Dylan William and as part of this we have to do peer observations as we try out different AFL techniques. The trouble is the DVDs are primarily aimed at secondary schools and we have had very little input on the sorts of AFL techniques which work in primary schools, particularly at FS and KS1.
I know about things like talk partners, thumbs up/down, no hands up etc but I was just wondering whether anyone had any other good ideas for AFL techniques to use with ks1.

stevarnam · Joined: 14 Aug 2009 Posts: 99 Location: Chesterfield

We use something called tickle me pink in literacy. This is where a child highlights their best letter, word or sentence in pink highlighter and then tells everyone why they thought it was good! They quite like it and it's dead easy to manage! We also put a happy/sad/striaght face after a piece of work to self assess, and swap books in lessons with friedns so they peer assess! We also have a blub tree thingy with lots of characters on and the children say which character they felt like today and why. I think if you google blub tree it will come up with an image!

magpie nic · Joined: 26 Oct 2008 Posts: 7483 Location: Tyneside

I used little fans- smiley, sad and straight face, that the children showed to say if they had found it easy, hard, not sure, or understood, nearly there and not at all. Mini plenaries during lessons to find out whether they are progressing as much as they can. Clear LO and SC, sometimes generated by the children. I'll keep thinking

smileylady · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:41 pm Post subject:

I use 'so now what?' the children assess how well they think they have done in the lesson but then either write what they need more help with or feel ready to try next or sometimes just what they would like to know now!
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ccbaa1 · Joined: 23 Nov 2008 Posts: 279

Can't find anything on Blub tree when I google anyone else found it?

thehawk · Joined: 01 Nov 2008 Posts: 1986 Location: here

we use traffic lights - children each piece of work by putting in a red, yellow or green dot.
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Rainbow_Bright · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:05 pm Post subject:

I used traffic lights last year but now I have a red, yellow and green tray and the children decide where they are going to put their work at the end of each session. Works really well (think the idea came from either here or TES) and we have the same system across the school so all are familiar with it.
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Chilli Queen · Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 452 Location: Lancashire

Some great ideas - thanks Very Happy

When you use the traffic lights / coloured trays do you ask the children to think about how well they have done measured against a set of success criteria or just how easy / hard they found the task?

Rainbow_Bright · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:22 pm Post subject:

Usually against the success criteria for the task involved for lit and num. For other things, it's sometimes a bit more along the lines of hard/easy.
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magpie nic · Joined: 26 Oct 2008 Posts: 7483 Location: Tyneside

Think stevearnam meant blob tree?

ccbaa1 · Joined: 23 Nov 2008 Posts: 279

Thanks MN!!

jog_on · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:10 pm Post subject:

I love the tickle me pink idea - thank you Smile

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bluerose · Joined: 27 Oct 2008 Posts: 2675

Think pictorial scriteria are useful lower down and if dont get LO and SC right its hard for children to do all the other stuff as what are they measuring themselves against.

Good use of talk partners and thinking time, asking lots of people rather than just one and random rather than just those with hands up is important

Shirley clarke books are well worth a look and simple and easy to understand

gorgeous51 · Joined: 28 Oct 2008 Posts: 1945

We use something calld 'Little Red Man'. We have ppts (pm me if you want copy - it is at school though) and the red man is up in our class near the IWB. We say "Our red man has been watching us today - what has he seen us learning? What did he SEE us DO? What did he HEAR us DO? What did you find easy? What did you find tricky? What do we need to get better at?" We do this after every session and the children then give thumbs up, down, in the middle to show how well they think they have done. They are all very keen on it and it certainly encourages them to think about what they have learnt.

YR/Y1 by the way.

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tired teacher · Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:31 pm Post subject:

We got the kids to put Y M or H next to learning objective- meaning
Yes ,
I get it Mostly
or Help

I couldn't face children having to search for three different colours. We use the same code back when we mark. Even the foundation children are quickly able to do this.
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redredrobin · Joined: 01 Nov 2008 Posts: 1336

There's some great ideas here. Love the little red man!
Are you just looking at self-assessment or all AfL?

Chilli Queen · Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 452 Location: Lancashire

It's all AFL really and how we use our day to day assessments to inform planning or how we use spontaneous assessments during lessons to impact on teaching and learning.

bluerose · Joined: 27 Oct 2008 Posts: 2675

Gorgeous i love the red man idea why did you choose a red man in particular is it significant.

bluerose · Joined: 27 Oct 2008 Posts: 2675

Just thinking a competition for a design for a learning detective logo to have at front of room would be good to use like little red man

stevarnam · Joined: 14 Aug 2009 Posts: 99 Location: Chesterfield

here is the tree...its actually called a jelly baby tree!

Click to download file