Reflection and evaluation

Developing students’ skills around reflection and critical evaluation are vital to building resilience. Not every prediction, idea or action will be effective, so building this aspect regularly into the inquiry learning and action cycle is important. Of course, reflecting on what went well and celebrating effective action is just as important.

It is vital to scaffold the development of skilled reflection. Begin by creating a class vocabulary of words and meanings for student use – include both content vocabulary and key te ao Māori concepts. Encourage students to work peer to peer and individually on if/how the actions met their prediction or vision, what went well, what they might do differently and what their next steps might be.

Evaluation can be formal or informal. Formal evaluation could include pre-assessment and post-assessment to ascertain changes in science knowledge, te ao and mātauranga Māori concepts, content vocabulary or understanding of the nature of science. Alternatively, students can evaluate the effectiveness of the planning and action and whether it had the desired impact on the issue. Students can also self-evaluate their learning, individual efforts and/or change in attitude or perspective.

Resources

• Pūtātara – supports schools and teachers to create learning opportunities that expand learners’ understanding of complex issues and take action for change

• Education for sustainability – tools and resources

Questions to consider

• What do we think/how do we feel about the issue now?

• Have our attitudes changed?

• Have the attitudes of people around us changed?

• Did our actions meet our vision?

• What have we learned?

• What went well?

• What could we change?

• How can we monitor the effectiveness of our actions?

• What should our next steps be?

• Are there new or continuing actions we can take as a result of this project?

Waimea Inlet, © Kathryn Brownlie. Sourced from