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Alaska Department of Education & Early Development

Interviewing/Conferencing

The following page is reprinted with permission from Transformations: Kentucky's Curriculum Framework, Volume II (1995), p. 103. Thomas C., Boysen, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Education.

Interviewing and Conferencing

Interviewing and conferencing allow teachers opportunities for obtaining information regarding a student's thoughts, understandings, and feelings about a given subject area. An interview includes a planned sequence of questions; whereas, a conference implies discussion with students and teachers sharing ideas. This process is beneficial to both students and teachers. A student receives encouragement and feedback from the teacher and is given unique opportunities to develop learning potentials. Although time-consuming, teachers find conferences and interviews help diagnose the needs of individual students and can provide valuable information about the direction of instruction for a class.

Sample Questions for Interviewing/Conferencing

1. Task Comprehension

(Can students understand, define, formulate, or explain the task?)

*What is the task about? What can you tell me about it?

*What do you know about this part?

*Would you explain that in your own words?

2. Approaches and Strategies

(Do students have an organized approach to the task? How do they record? Do they use tools appropriately?)

*Where could you find the needed information?

*What have you tried? What steps did you take?

*How did you organize the information? Do you have a system, a strategy, a design?

3. Relationships

(Do students see relationships and recognize the central idea?)

*What is the relationship of this to that?

*What is the same? What is different?

4. Flexibility

(Can students vary the approach if one approach is not working? Do they persist? Do they try

something different?)

*Is there another way to draw, explain, or say that?

*Would another recording method work as well or better?

*What else have you tried?

5. Communication

(Can students describe the strategies they are using? Do they articulate their thought processes?)

*How would you explain this process to a younger child?

*Would you reword that in simpler terms?

*How would you explain what you know right now?

6. Curiosity and Hypotheses

(Do students show evidence of conjecturing, thinking ahead, checking back?)

*What do you predict will happen?

*How do you feel about your answer or response?

*What else would you like to know? What do you think comes next?

7. Self-Assessment

(Do students evaluate their own processing, actions, and progress?)

*What hare your strengths and weaknesses?

*What have you accomplished?

*Was your own group participation appropriate and helpful?

Observations

Social Skill Attributes

Dates

Observed

Comments

The child usually:

1

Approaches others positively

2

Expresses wishes and preferences clearly; gives reasons for actions and positions

3

Asserts own rights and needs appropriately

4

Is not easily intimidated by bullies

5

Expresses frustrations and anger effectively and without harming others or property

6

Gains access to ongoing groups at play and work

7

Enters ongoing discussion on the subject; makes relevant contributions to ongoing activities

8

Takes turns fairly easily

9

Shows interest in others; exchanges information with and requests information from others appropriately

10

Negotiates and compromises with others appropriately

11

Does not draw inappropriate attention to self

12

Accepts and enjoys peers and adults of ethnic groups other than own

13

Gains access to ongoing groups at play and work

14

Interacts non-verbally with other children with smiles, waves, nods, etc.

Source for Social Attributes: McClellan and Katz, 1994.

PERFORMANCE EVENTS/EXHIBITIONS

See the next section of this chapter (Designing Performance Based Assessments and Scoring Rubrics).

PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT

PORTFOLIOS

A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student production that tells the story or demonstrates effort, progress, growth, achievement, and awareness over a period of time. (Spandel, et al, 1994; Grady, 1994) When connected with other alternative assessments, the focus in student portfolios should be on student thinking, growth over time, connections with other subjects, views of oneself as a learner, and problem solving. See assessment criteria for portfolios at the end of this discussion.

An instructional portfolio differs from an assessment portfolio in several ways.

Assessment Portfolios

Instructional or Working Portfolios

  • belong to the institution
  • follow students from year to year
  • are more structured
  • use criteria for evaluation
  • look alike
  • consider reflection as a bonus
  • require more teacher management and time
  • belong to the student
  • retire after use in the classroom
  • are less structured
  • use criteria for self-evaluation
  • appear highly individual and unique
  • use reflection for essential learning
  • require more time and skills for students to manage

In summary, "It is a portfolio when the student is a participant in, rather than the object of, assessment." (Paulson, 1991)

Portfolios offer a more complete picture of a student's achievement than do other assessments (K) and tend to be successful in classrooms where (Spandel, et al, 1994):

In the ideal situation, students will keep an instructional or working portfolio and a separate assessment portfolio. The working portfolio can hold the student's work for a period of several weeks, such as a grading period of nine weeks. At the end of that time, they can review their work in order to create the more permanent assessment portfolios.

If teachers and students are going to evaluate the student's portfolio, if teachers, students, and parents conference together about the portfolio, or if the portfolio is assessed to measure the student's achievement, some possible criteria follow.

SUGGESTED CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING PORTFOLIOS
Evidence of Critical and Creative Thinking Does the student's work show that they have:
  • demonstrated an understanding of the responsibilities of citizenship?
  • organized and displayed data?
  • conjectured, explored, analyzed, or looked for patterns in assignments?
  • made use the of the intellectual tools of analog and inquiry?
  • evidenced an understanding of democratic values and social responsibility?
  • used concrete materials (or drawings or sketches) as an aid for interpreting and analyzing problems or issues?
  • used technology (video excerpts, computers, graphics, or calculators) to suggest solutions to problems?
  • searched for information, and explored and critically examined research data?
Quality of Activities and Investigations
  • Will the student's activities or investigations help them develop an understanding of significant history, geography, and/or government/citizenship concepts? Doe the activities cut across these and/or other social science disciplines?
Variety of Approaches and Investigations
  • Does the portfolio provide evidence that the student used a variety of approaches?
  • Does the portfolio include a variety of resources and provide research to support opinions and differing approaches to solving a problem?
  • Does the portfolio include a variety of activities or investigations?
Demonstrate Understanding and Skill in Situations That Parallel Previous Classroom Experience
  • Does the portfolio provide evidence that that student understands the reason for using certain procedures, what they are looking for, and what the data mean?
Assessment Should be Integrative
  • Is assessment oriented toward critical thinking and solving problems, not simply based on recall?

Source: Adams and Hamm, 1992.

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