Thinking with Technology

Use Multiple Methods of Assessment Throughout the Project

The Seeing Reason Tool provides multiple opportunities to monitor learner progress and learning during project work, as well as assess final products and performances. An effective project plan will include assessment that provides explicit expectations and methods for learners to demonstrate their learning, promote learner self-management, and allow for teacher monitoring of progress.

The Seeing Reason Tool allows you to monitor your learners’ initial understanding and to see their progress in interpretation and integration of information. Use a series of saved maps and learners' writing to see how understanding changes over time. Assessment tools should look at how a map contributes to the understanding of the problem or system, rather than simply the number of factors and relationships in a map.

Ideas for incorporating multiple methods of assessment when using the Seeing Reason Tool include the following:

Ask learners to review their maps and write about the development of their understanding of the problem or system. Remind learners to focus on the problem or system, not simply on the map itself.
Assess the quality of explanation regarding how learners’ thoughts have changed as they revised their map. Ask for explanations for the addition or removal of factors or for changes to the relationships among factors.
Ask learners to negotiate with their partner while they build their maps. Ask them to assess how closely they agreed with each other as they created factors and relationships and decided which ones were valid.
Pose a thought-provoking scenario that adds a major influence related to the system or problem, and ask learners to predict what it would do to other factors on their maps.
Ask learners to describe in their own words some aspect of the system that the map represents. Ask them to pick the most critical factors that influence the system or problem and explain why those factors are so critical, using information shown in the relationships defined on the map.
Ask learners to take what they have learned from their map and apply it in another context.

Thinking with Technology Module 8 - Considering the Seeing Reason Tool for Your Project

	Use Multiple Methods of Assessment Throughout the Project The Seeing Reason Tool provides multiple opportunities to monitor learner progress and learning during project work, as well as assess final products and performances. An effective project plan will include assessment that provides explicit expectations and methods for learners to demonstrate their learning, promote learner self-management, and allow for teacher monitoring of progress. The Seeing Reason Tool allows you to monitor your learners’ initial understanding and to see their progress in interpretation and integration of information. Use a series of saved maps and learners' writing to see how understanding changes over time. Assessment tools should look at how a map contributes to the understanding of the problem or system, rather than simply the number of factors and relationships in a map. Ideas for incorporating multiple methods of assessment when using the Seeing Reason Tool include the following: Ask learners to review their maps and write about the development of their understanding of the problem or system. Remind learners to focus on the problem or system, not simply on the map itself. Assess the quality of explanation regarding how learners’ thoughts have changed as they revised their map. Ask for explanations for the addition or removal of factors or for changes to the relationships among factors. Ask learners to negotiate with their partner while they build their maps. Ask them to assess how closely they agreed with each other as they created factors and relationships and decided which ones were valid. Pose a thought-provoking scenario that adds a major influence related to the system or problem, and ask learners to predict what it would do to other factors on their maps. Ask learners to describe in their own words some aspect of the system that the map represents. Ask them to pick the most critical factors that influence the system or problem and explain why those factors are so critical, using information shown in the relationships defined on the map. Ask learners to take what they have learned from their map and apply it in another context.