Assessment in a Constructivist,

Technology-Supported Learning
Learning transcends
memorization of
facts.
 Facts

Concepts
Meaning

Meaning

Application
Authentic Assessment
Measures collective abilities, written
and oral expression skills, analytical
skills, manipulative skills, integration,
creativity and ability to work.
Assessing Activity
To what extent does the environment you have created to promote manipulation of real-world
objects and observations based on activities?
Learner Interaction with Real-World Objects
Little of the learner’s time is Learners are often engaged
spent engaged with tools in activities involving tools
and objects found outside and objects found outside
school. school.

Observation and Reflection

Students rarely think Students often stop and Students share frequent
about or record the think about the activities observations about their
results of actions taken in which they are engaged. activity with peers and
during activities. interested adults.

Learner Interactions
Students manipulated none Students manipulated some Students manipulated all
of the variables or controls variables and controls in or nearly all variables/
in environment. environment. controls in environment.

Tool Use
Students used no Students used some cognitive Students used nearly all
cognitive tools. tools to support explorations/ cognitive tools effectively.
manipulations.
Assessing Construction
To what extent does the environment you have created cause learners to perceive
puzzling dissonance and form mental models to explain the incongruity?

Dissonance/Puzzling

Students engaged in learning Learners frequently seem to Learners are consistently

learning activities because be operating based on sincere striving to resolve disparity
activities are required, curiosity about the topic of between observed and on
rather than being an study. a sincere desire to know.
intrinsic interest.

Constructing Mental Models and Making Meaning

Learners rarely create their own
understandings of how things
work.
Learners are often expected
to make sense of new
experiences and develop
theories.
Learners routinely wrestle
with new experiences,
becoming experts at
identifying and solving
problems.
Assessing Cooperation
To what extent does the environment you have created promote meaningful interaction among
students and between students and experts outside of school? To what extent are learners
developing skills related to social negotiation in learning to accept and share responsibility?

Interaction among Learners

Little of the learner’s time is Learners are often immersed

spent gainfully engaged with in activities in which collaboration
other students. with peers results in success.

Interaction with People Outside of School

Little of the learner’s time is Learners are often involved in activities

spent gainfully engaged with in which there is significant learning
experts outside of school. outside of school.
Assessing Cooperation
Little evidence that learners
work together to develop
shared understanding of tasks
or of solution strategies.
Acceptance and Distribution of Roles and Responsibility
Roles and responsibilities are
shifted infrequently; most
capable learners accept more
responsibility than the less
capable.
Social Negotiation
Learner’s are often observed
in the process of coming to
agreement on the nature of
problems and on the best
courses of action
Roles and responsibilities are
shifted often, and such changes
are accepted by both the most
and least capable.
Learners collaborate with ease.
Negotiations become almost
invisible, yet the ideas of all
team members are valued.
Students make their own
decisions concerning roles
and responsibilities, freely
giving and accepting
assistance as necessary.
Assessing Authenticity
The tasks learners face
have been designed for
schools (i.e. separated into
“subjects” and developed
to simplify learning).
A large percentage of what
is expected is memorization.
Students are rarely asked to
evaluate, synthesize, or create. the abilities to create and reason.
Complexity
The tasks learners face are
embedded in theme-based
units that cross disciplines and
present issues in context.
High-Order Thinking
Students are often asked
to develop ideas and solutions,
often in groups, and demonstrate
Students accept challenges as
they exist in real world using
languages, math science, and
technologies to accomplish
important tasks.
Learners routinely generate
hypotheses, conduct
investigations, assess results,
and make predictions.

Recognizing Problems
Students are not expected Students occasionally face Students frequently face
to be problem finders, but ill-structured challenges and ill-structured challenges and
are instead expected to be are expected to refine their develop proficiency in
able to solve occasional problem as well as solve it. identifying and defining problems.
well-structured problems.
“Right Answers”
The “problems” presented to learners The problems presented are new to learners,
tend to have “right answers”, “correct” and generally are involve complex solutions of
solutions that the students are varying quality, rather than “right answers”.
expected to eventually reach.
Assessing Intentionality
To what extent does the environment you have created cause learners to pursue important,
well-articulated goals to which they are intrinsically committed? To what extent can learners
explain their activity in terms of ho the activities relate to the attainment of their goals?

Goal Directedness

Learners are often pursuing activities Learners are generally engaged

that have little to do with the attainment in activities that contribute to the
of specified goals. attainment of specified goals.

Setting Own Goals

Learning goals are provided Learners are sometimes Learners are routinely responsible
by educators. involved in the establishment for developing goals.
of learning goals.

Regulating Own Learning

Learners’ progress is monitored Learners are involved Learners are responsible

by others. as partners in monitoring for monitoring and reporting
and reporting progress progress toward goals.
toward goals.
 Learning How to Learn

Little emphasis is placed on metacognition. The culture of the learning environment

There are few opportunities to discuss promotes frequent discussion of the
the learning process with peers or educators. processes and strategies (both successful
and unsuccessful) involved in learning.

Articulation of Goals as Focus of Activity

Learners don’t see the relationship Learners describe the activities in which
between the activities in which they they are engaged in terms that relate
are engaged and specified learning directly to the specified learning goals.
goals.

Technology Use in Support of Learning Goals

The use of technology seems The use of technology contributes The use of technology makes
unrelated to the specified to the attainment of specified a powerful contribution
goals. learning goals. to the attainment of
specified learning goals.
Prepared by:

SHELA S. QUIAWAN