Task I.D: Assessment and Critique

Table of Contents

• Lesson Overview
  • Instructor Notes
• Lesson Details
  • Assessment (Reference: AIH - 6-1)
  • Critique (Reference: AIH 6-10)
  • Conclusion
• ACS Requirements
• Memory Sheet

Lesson Overview

Overview

The student should develop knowledge of the elements related to the critique and evaluation as required in the CFI PTS.

References

• [FAA-H-8083-9A] - Aviation Instructors Handbook, Chapter 5

• FAA-H-8083-9A.

• AIH, Chapter 6: Critique

• PDF Version

Elements

1. Assessment

2. Critique

Schedule

1. Discuss lesson objectives

2. Present Lecture

3. Ask and Answer Questions

4. Assign homework

Equipment

1. White board and markers

2. References

3. iPad / Projection Device

IP Actions

1. Discuss lesson objectives

2. Present Lecture

3. Ask and Answer Questions

4. Assign homework

SP Actions

1. Participate in discussion

2. Take notes

3. Ask and respond to questions

Completion Standards

The student has the ability to properly critique and evaluate students using the methods and characteristics described.

Instructor Notes

Attention

This is the part of instruction that takes soft skills. How to test people, which most people hate and then how to give them critque, which they hate even more than testin. This is how you do it in the least offensive way.

Overview

• Review Objectives and Elements/Key ideas.

What

The critique refers to the instructor’s role as a critic, and the evaluation portion discusses creating and conducting effective evaluations.

Why

The instructor must be able to appraise student performance and convey this information back to the student. Also, throughout a course, and at the end of a course, a student must be evaluated to measure and document whether or not the course objectives have been met.

Lesson Details

Assessment (Reference: AIH - 6-1)

Assessment is an essential component of teaching and learning, and it provides the instructor with immediate feedback on the quality of instruction. Instructors continuously evaluate a learner’s performance in order to provide guidance, suggestions for improvement, and positive reinforcement.

Purpose of assessment

1. Provides instructor & student with information on student progress.

2. Feedback to the student, direction and guidance.

3. Contributes to learning ADM and judgment skills.

4. Guidance to instructor on where further help is needed.

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General characteristics of effective assessment

• Objective - The assessment should be focused on student performance; it should not reflect the personal opinions, likes, dislikes, or biases of the instructor.

• Flexible - The assessment should evaluate the entire performance in the context in which it was accomplished.

• Acceptable - Assessments presented fairly, with authority, conviction, sincerity, and competence. Nobody likes being critized, use compassion and tact.

• Comprehensive - Cover strengths as well as weaknesses; but don’t overdue it and be too verbose.

• Constructive - Praise can be very effective in reinforcing.

• Organized - Almost any pattern is acceptable as long as it is logical and makes sense to the student.

• Thoughtful - An effective assessment reflects the instructor’s thoughtfulness toward the student’s need for self-esteem, recognition, and approval.

• Specific - At the conclusion of an assessment, students should have no doubt about what they did well and what they did poorly.

Traditional assessment

• Written testing, such as multiple choice, matching, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank; normally used to judge or evaluate the student’s progress at the rote and understanding levels of learning.

Authentic assessment

• The student is asked to perform real-world tasks and demonstrate a meaningful application of skills and competencies; requires the student to use critical thinking skills and exhibit in-depth knowledge by generating a solution instead of merely choosing a response.

Oral assessment

• Direct or indirect oral questioning. Questions typically classified as “fact” questions or “HOTS” questions.

  • Answers to fact questions are based on memory or recall and usually concern who, what, when, and where.

  • HOTS questions involve why or how and require the student to combine knowledge of facts with an ability to analyze situations, solve problems, and arrive at conclusions.

Characteristics of effective questions

1. Apply to the subject of instruction.

2. Are brief and concise, but also clear and definite.

3. Are adapted to the ability, experience, and stage of training of the students.

4. Center on only one idea (limited to who, what, when, where, how, or why — not combination).

5. Present a challenge to the students.

Types of questions to avoid

• Puzzle - questions with many subparts.

• Oversize - questions that are too general, covering a wide subject area.

• Toss-up - questions for which there is more than one correct answer.

• Bewilderment - questions with unclear content.

• Irrelevant - questions that are unrelated to what is being discussed.

• Trick - questions that cause students to think they are in a battle of wits with the instructor.

Critique (Reference: AIH 6-10)

An effective critique considers good as well as bad performance, the individual parts, relationships of the individual parts, and the overall performance. It may be oral, written, or both, and should come immediately after a student’s performance while the details of the performance are easy to recall.

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Methods of Critique

1. Instructor/student critique - The instructor leads a group discussion in which members of the class are invited to offer criticism of a performance. This method should be carefully controlled by the instructor. It must have a clear purpose, be organized, and not be allowed to degenerate into a random free-for-all.

2. Student-led critique - The instructor asks a student to lead the assessment. Because of student inexperience in the lesson area, student-led assessments may not be efficient, but they can generate student interest and learning.

3. Small group critique - The class is divided into small groups, each assigned a specific area to analyze. Each group presents its findings to the class and the combined reports from the groups result in a comprehensive assessment.

4. Individual student critique by another student - The instructor may require another student to present the entire assessment. Discussion of the performance and of the assessment can often allow the group to accept more ownership of the ideas expressed.

5. Self-critique - A student critiques their personal performance. A self-critique must be controlled and supervised by the instructor.

6. Written critique - This method has three advantages. First, the instructor can devote more time and thought to it than to an oral assessment. Second, students can keep written assessments and refer to them whenever they wish. Third, the student has a permanent record of all suggestions, recommendations, and opinions.

Conclusion

Assessments and critiques are an integral part of the teaching process. Knowing how to create meaningful assessments and effective critiques improve the student outcome.

ACS Requirements

To determine that the applicant exhibits instructional knowledge of assessments and critiques by describing:

1. Assessment:

   1. Purpose of assessment.

   2. General characteristics of effective assessment.

   3. Traditional assessment.

   4. Authentic assessment.

   5. Oral assessment.

   6. Characteristics of effective questions.

   7. Types of questions to avoid.

2. Critique:

   1. Instructors/student critique.

   2. Student-lead critique.

   3. Small group critique.

   4. Individual student critique by another student.

   5. Self-critique.

   6. Written critique.

Memory Sheet

1. Assessment:

   1. Purpose of assessment.

      1. A good assessment provides practical and specific feedback to learners, including direction and guidance on how to raise performance

      2. Provides an opportunity for self-evaluation and enhances the learner’s aeronautical decision making and judgement skills

   2. General characteristics of effective assessment.

      1. Objective - To be effective, a critique must be honest, and based on the facts of the performance as they were, not as they could have been

      2. Flexible

         1. The performance must be examined in the context it was accomplished

         2. Fit the tone, technique and content of the assessment to the occasion, as well as the learner

         3. Allow for variables

         4. The ongoing challenge for the instructor is deciding what to say, omit, stress, and minimize

      3. Acceptable

         1. Confidence in the instructor’s qualifications, teaching ability, sincerity, competence and authority make an honest assessment acceptable to a learner

      4. Comprehensive

         1. Cover strengths AND weaknesses

      5. Constructive

         1. An assessment is pointless unless the learner benefits from it

         2. When identifying a mistake or weakness, give positive guidance for correction

      6. Organized

         1. It needs to follow some pattern of organization otherwise it may lose its impact

      7. Thoughtful

         1. An effective assessment reflects thoughtfulness toward the learner’s need for self-esteem, recognition, and approval

      8. Specific (rather than general)

         1. Learners cannot act on recommendations unless they know specifically what the recommendations are

   3. Traditional assessment.

      1. Generally refers to written testing, such as multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, etc.

      2. Characteristics of a good test:

         1. Reliability

         2. Validity

         3. Usability

         4. Objectivity

         5. Comprehensiveness

         6. Discrimination

   4. Authentic assessment.

      1. The learner is asked to perform real-world tasks, and demonstrate a meaningful application of skills and competencies

         1. Learners must generate responses from their knowledge rather than choosing from options

   5. Oral assessment.

      1. Most common means of assessment

      2. Comprised of direct or indirect questioning of the learner

   6. Characteristics of effective questions.

      1. Apply to the subject of instruction

      2. Be brief and concise, but also clear and definite

      3. Be adapted to the ability, experience, and stage of training of the learners

      4. Center on only one idea (limited to who, what, where, when, why, or how and not a combination)

      5. Present a challenge to the learner

   7. Types of questions to avoid.

      1. Yes//No questions have no place in effective quizzing

      2. Puzzle

      3. Oversize

      4. Toss-up

      5. Bewilderment

      6. Trick Questions

      7. Irrelevant Questions

2. Critique:

   1. Instructors/student critique.

      1. The instructor leads a group discussion in which learners offer criticism of a performance

   2. Student-lead critique.

      1. A learner is asked to lead the assessment

      2. This can generate learner interest and learning, and be effective

   3. Small group critique.

      1. Small groups are assigned a specific area to analyze and present their findings on

   4. Individual student critique by another student.

      1. Another learner is requested to present the entire assessment

         1. The instructor must maintain firm control over the process

   5. Self-critique.

      1. A learner critiques their own personal performance

      2. Do not leave controversial issues unresolved, or erroneous impressions uncorrected

      3. Make sure the learner realizes the mistakes

   6. Written critique.

      1. 3 advantages:

         1. Instructor can devote more time and thought to it

         2. Learners can keep written assessments and refer to them whenever they wish

         3. The learner has a record of suggestions, recommendations, and opinions of all other learners

      2. Disadvantage is that other members of the class do not benefit

   7. General Ground Rules for Critique

      1. Do not extend the critique beyond its scheduled time limit and into time allotted for other activities

         1. Point of diminishing returns is reached very quickly

         2. No more than 10 – 15 min (Definitely not more than 30 min)

      2. Avoid trying to cover too much

         1. Get the main points (4-5 things to correct at most)

      3. Allow time for a summary of the critique to reemphasize the most important things to remember

      4. Avoid absolute statements (most rules have exceptions)

      5. Avoid controversies with the class and don’t take sides

      6. Never allow yourself to be maneuvered into defending criticism

         1. Don’t let the learner argue and tell you that you are wrong

      7. If part of the critique is written, ensure it is consistent with the oral portion