ALTERNATIVE

ASSESSMENTS FOR
A DIFFERENTIATED
CLASSROOM
MACHAELA LARAMEE

PROCESS ORIENTED TARGET LABS

GUIDED INQUIRY
LEARNING
Transform the Classeroom
Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning
(POGIL) is a method of teaching that
focuses on student inquiry. POGIL follows
3 characteristics:
1)Lessons are designed with student
inquiry in mind.
2)The lessons guide students to a new
understanding without directly giving them
the solutions.
3)They facilitate higher levels of thinking
and learn how to apply topics to real-world
scenarios(What is POGIL).
Student control over their
grades.
Target labs are designed with a
differentiated in classroom in mind. The
target lab takes the students to a new level
of thinking. The students take the
responsibility for their own learning and the
numerical value they come out with for the
lab will convert to their grade. Students are
literally able to choose their grade and
grow to understand the material while in
the process of the assessment.
This does two essential things; it gives
students control over their education, and it
teaches self-determination because they
may repeat the lab until they get the grade
they want (Target Lab Discussion).

WHY USE ALTERNATE ASSESSING TECHNIQUES ?

Students all think in different ways and they have different ways of processing information. So,
why are we making pen and paper tests the regular when fewer students now think and learn in
that format? One research article found that there could be up to seventy-one different models
of learning styles (William,30). This, again, begs the question of why are we catering to just a
few styles. Alternative testing techniques allow for more variation in the learning styles and they
allow for students to show a higher level of thinking because they have more control. Studies
have found that when students intelligences are met the students learning will improve
(William,30). Something like a target lab will allow students to go off and develop the lab to their
learning style. Students can all take different paths to get to the same conclusion. The same
can be done in student designed labs. These labs also allow students to design their own
experiment which reaches the highest level of bloom's taxonomy (Armstrong).
Armstrong, P. (2018, August 13). Bloom's Taxonomy
STUDENT LABS Retrieved November 15, 2018, from
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-
taxonomy/
Student designed labs are where teachers facilitate a
lab environment with prompting problems. Students
Importance of Hands-on Laboratory Science. (n.d.).
are then able to research and design a lab that will
Retrieved November 15, 2018, from
prompt the answering of the teachers questions. An
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/policy/publicpolic
example of a prompting question that a teacher can
es/education/computersimulations.html
ask would be to, ‘identify an unknown metal based on
what you know about heat transfer and
Target Lab Discussion. (2016, November 05).
temperature.’ Questions like this are broad enough
Retrieved November 15, 2018, from
so that students can have freedom to explore the
https://www.flinnsci.com/target-lab-
topic and close enough so that they have to be doing
discussion_f7a1d5c8/vel1695/
similar experiments that will lead to a conclusion.
This type of learning will appeal to most learning
Wiliam, D. (2018). Embedded formative assessment
styles and it is essential for effective teaching science
(2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
(Importance of Hands-on). “ Hands-on experiences
significantly advance learning at all levels of science
What is POGIL? (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2018
education when appropriately designed and guided
from https://pogil.org/about-pogil/what-is-pogil
by qualified educators” (Importance of Hands-on).

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