Formative Assessment Probes

Page Keeley, et. al., discuss formative assessment probes and using the information to modify curriculum, alter teaching, and provide feedback. By their definition, formative assessments are for learning, not assessments of learning.

The two parts of a probe are:

1. A prompt is given about familiar phenomenon and followed by a question that has students select from a set of likely student-held responses.
2. Students explain their thinking or explain the scientific rule they think explains their answer.

The authors consider the probes to be "enhanced selected response items." This way misconceptions are easy to detect. The lists of questions also help deteremine whether or not students are trasferring their learning from one context to another. Scientific phenomenon can be explained by certain rules and these rules often cut across different contexts. Also, using the probes can assess the learning by providing enough information “without putting ideas into students’ heads." This allows the teacher to make sure the students are thinking along the right line, or maybe highlight their misconception.

I think the idea of the probes is an interesting concept. In the excerpt we read, the authors elude to notes later in the reading that will help teachers decide how and when to use probes, link the ideas to standards, examine research that informed development of probes, and considered new teachings. I think I would have to read the later chapters to fully assess if I could accurately use probes as a formative assessment tool. I think I need more information about probes, I am not sure when to use them and if I am revealing what I want to be revealed. At this point I think my probes would look more like just another teacher asking questions rather than someone using a specifically developed probe for the purpose of directing instruction.