Title
Authentic assessment for the middle school theatre teacher

Workshop description
In this Studio teachers will explore the role of assessment, types of assessment and assessment tasks in a drama/theatre programme as part of the middle school curriculum.

Learning outcomes
Teachers will:
Be introduced to the use of realistic and meaningful tasks, products and performances to give young people the opportunity to demonstrate their understandings, skills and capabilities.
Explore ‘real life’ assignments giving students the chance to apply learning to solve challenges they may encounter in real life.
Be exposed to ways of gathering information regarding a student’s development and progress.
Understand how authentic assessment is related to assessment objectives identified by the teacher or as part of the programme the school is following.
Examine objectives for the middle school and the alignment of tasks with objectives.
Explore assessment as a ‘performance of understandings’ using ISTA pedagogy as a framework.
Examine approaches to assessing and rewarding progress.
Explore the formulation of different types of criteria and how these can be designed to make marking fair and standardised.
Explore a variety of tasks and products that can be used both as formative and summative assessments, making learning and understanding visible.
Gain an understanding of backward planning and curriculum design driven by authentic assessment.
Consider different ways to develop a reflective habit and explore how it can inform assessment. This will include peer and self evaluation, empowering students to take charge of their learning.

How this workshop will benefit teachers in their curriculum delivery
Having completed this Studio teachers will gain an in-depth understanding of assessment and how to develop appropriate tools and tasks in the middle school theatre course. They will be able to design authentic assessment tasks that fairly demonstrate a student’s understanding. Teachers will develop these tasks aligned with course objectives, making learning transparent. They will be able to design criteria in order that both formative and summative assessment is fair and standardised ensuring student agency in learning.

Target audience
Middle school theatre teachers from any programme or anyone interested in using theatre in their classroom. The Studio is also relevant to all IBMYP Drama teachers.

I’m a playwright, director and education consultant working in the United Kingdom and internationally. I was writer-in-residence at Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and am currently working with them on a new musical and with Birmingham Royal Ballet on a youth empowerment programme. I’m the creative learning director of UCAN, working with blind young people and artistic director of the Celebrating Our Stories Verbatim Theatre Festival for December 2020.

My passion is for Verbatim Theatre, working with communities to discover empowering ways of theatrically presenting untold stories. My work with students and teachers focuses on reflection, the role it plays in learning, in making art, in social activism and in building compassion. As an artist I am inquiring into what it means to make art with kindness.

I have an interest in curriculum and was manager of the curriculum review of IB MYP Arts. As a consultant I am involved in the development of the IB Diploma Theatre course as well as Diploma Literature and Performance and Diploma Music. My work involves the design of Diploma Theatre teacher workshops, online courses and teacher support materials (TSM) and the overseeing of whole school change programmes.

This Studio runs over a period of three weeks with sessions taking place as follows:

Week 1 – Monday – 2 hours; Wednesday 2 hours
Week 2 – Monday – 2 hours; Wednesday 2 hours
Week 3 – Monday 2 hours; Wednesday 2 hours

Session #1
Monday 1st March 2021 (2 hours)
6:00-8:00pm CET; 5:00-7:00pm UK time
Introduction to authentic assessment and ISTA pedagogy

Session #2
Wednesday 3rd March 2021 (2 hours)
6:00-8:00pm CET; 5:00-7:00pm UK time
Assessment objectives and criteria

Session #3
Monday 8th March 2021 (2 hours)
6:00-8:00pm CET; 5:00-7:00pm UK time
Drama for understanding; assessing concept based learning and understandings

Session #4
Wednesday 10th March 2021 (2 hours)
6:00-8:00pm CET; 5:00-7:00pm UK time
Theatre making; assessing and evaluating process and product

Session #5
Monday 15th March 2021 (2 hours)
6:00-8:00pm CET; 5:00-7:00pm UK time
Backward planning for success

Session #6
Wednesday 17th March 2021 (2 hours)
6:00-8:00pm CET; 5:00-7:00pm UK time
Resource sharing, reflection and closure

Total course time – 12 hours

Event coordinator
Helen Abbott

The workshop will take place using the platform Zoom.

Places are limited to 20 participants per Studio.

We will send out Zoom meeting information shortly before the workshop.

The registration fees for this Studio are:
ISTA members: GBP £200.
Non ISTA members: GBP £225.