CAESL toolkit

Description
Participants engage in an activity in which they are challenged to melt an ice cube in three minutes and then reflect (as a group) on what strategies worked best and why. They then take a series of tests (multiple-choice test, enhanced multiple-choice, justified multiple-choice, and open-ended tests) to assess the knowledge they gained by doing the activity. Tests are debriefed from the standpoint of how effective they are at measuring levels of understanding. Participants gain an awareness of different types of assessment and their effectiveness in measuring/assessing levels of understanding, ranging from initial awareness through in-depth, lasting understanding. The activity provides participants with an opportunity to recognize that different assessments provide different information regarding student understanding and have different advantages and disadvantages.

Use
Can serve as a stand-alone activity illustrating the strength and versatility of a performance task and other types of assessment. Good follow-up to DMV Discussion.

This session is geared toward a sophisticated and highly motivated audience interested in more detail than most groups. For example, those interested in learning about different forms of multiple-choice tests.