AFL And Its Impact on Teaching and Learning By: Ms Kashfia Latafat.

AFL And Its Impact on Teaching and Learning

By: Ms Kashfia Latafat.

In my opinion assessment for learning is the heart of teaching and learning and its usage creates feedback which can be used to improve learner’s performance. AFL closes the gap between two points A and B, where point A is representing the current status of learner, and point B represents how learners reach the required level. It’s one way of thinking about AFL that it aims to close in the gap between teaching and learning activities. It makes learners more confident and they become more aware of their learning path. In fact, AFL is nothing without feedback. It’s my personal experience that when timely feedback is given to learners it brings great change in their achievement level, they become incharge of learning process on their own pace and discuss and think about different ways to reach the required level. Teachers role arrives when the question of how to attain the required level comes. The teacher suggest the ways to adopt for improving their progress. According to my observations, the teachers who are using AFL strategies are more successful in their teaching career then those experienced ones. In my opinion it doesn’t matter that teacher is having a masters or bachelor degree, what matters is how effectively she engages her learners in learning process.

 There are five main points which I usually use of the AFL processes, while in the classroom. Questioning is one of the most important technique which I use in order to enhance my learners curiosity and engagement in learning process. It makes my learners aware about their current position. The second one in this series is feedback. I provide feedback to my learners to improve their performances. I often share the success criteria with my learners which make them aware how the successful work looks like for each task they are doing. I conduct self-assessment and peer-assessment in my classroom in order to make my learners more independent and understand how to improve. They learn more effectively by giving feedback to each other and become more mindful of their mistakes and identify ways of how to correct them. The last one is summative assessment (portfolio submission or exams etc.), can also be used as formative assessment by giving them corrective feedback. While checking my learner’s papers alongside grading I write down a detailed comment (with suggestions for further improvement) for every learner on individual basis. By this small practice of mine visible changes in my learners performances are observed. By changes it does not only mean changes perceived in their grades, but my learners equally start thinking about different ways of problem solving as well. Their understanding about the particular subject improves and in some cases they become more independent to deal with different situations which arrives during the learning course.

 While involved in discussions with my learners it makes me attentive of their current status according to which I plan my teaching and learning activities. It’s the easiest way to get yourself informed about your learners and it’s really very important to improve your own teaching.

While reviewing literature about formative assessment I came across a definition by Paul Black and Dylan which encompasses all the discussed aspects and it stated that formative assessment as encompassing all those activities undertaken by teachers, and, or by their learners, which provides information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged. I firmly believe that the regular use of minute by minute and day by day usage of AFL in classroom can substantially improve learners’ achievement. As a lead teacher it’s my personal observation that teaching revolves around three basic processes. These processes are finding out where learners are in their learning, finding out where they are going and finding out how to get there. The teacher, learner and peer are playing vital roles in these processes. Teachers must design all the activities of learning according to their learners need and give them feedback to improve their performance .This is an ongoing process of teaching and learning which can be altered by usage of AFL.


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