Protocol+for+looking+at+student+work

Learning from Student Work**
 * ATLAS PROTOCOL

To guide a group of teachers in discovering what students understand and how they are thinking so that those teachers can identify “next steps” for instruction.
 * PURPOSE:**

STRUCTURED FORMAT:

Facilitator reminds the group of the norms of collaboration, and then walks through and explains the steps of the protocol, including the time limits for each segment. .

GETTING STARTED** WHO? Presenting teacher talks (group members listen) PURPOSE: Group members will be clear about what the assignment was asking the student to do.
 * STEP 1 (2 Minutes)

Presenting teacher gives a very brief statement of the assignment. Describe only what the student was asked to do

The presenting teacher should: Avoid explaining what he or she hoped or expected to see. .Avoid giving any background information about the student or about the student’s work. (In particular, avoid any statements about whether this is a strong or weak student, or whether this is a particularly good or poor piece of work from this student.)

DESCRIBING STUDENT WORK** WHO? Group members talk (presenting teacher listens) PURPOSE: Group members will gather as much information as possible from the student work—objective evidence of what the student was doing. One by one, group members describe something that they see in the student work. Group members should: Avoid stating any judgments about the quality of the work, or interpretations about what the student was doing. If judgements or interpretations arise, the facilitator should ask the person to describe the evidence on which they are based. It may be useful to list the group’s observations on chart paper. If interpretations come up, they could be listed in another column for later discussion.
 * STEP 2 (10 Minutes)

INTERPRETING STUDENT WORK** WHO? Group members talk (presenting teacher listens) PURPOSE: To make sense of what the student was doing and why. To find as many different interpretations as possible and evaluate them against the quality of evidence. Using the evidence gathered in the previous step, try to infer: What was the student thinking and why? How did this student interpret the assignment? What does the student understand? What does the student not understand? What was the student most interested in? Think broadly and creatively. Assume that the work, no matter how confusing or bizarre, makes sense to the student. Your job is to see what the student sees. As you listen to each other’s interpretations, ask questions that help you better understand each other’s perspectives.
 * STEP 3 (10 Minutes)

IMPLICATIONS FOR CLASSROOM PRACTICE** WHO? Group members talk (presenting teacher listens) PURPOSE: To identify possible next steps for teaching and assessment in the classroom. Based on the group’s observations and interpretations, discuss any implications this work might have for teaching and assessment in the classroom. In particular, consider the following questions: What steps could the teacher take next with this student? What teaching strategies would be most effective? What other information would you like to see in the student work? What kinds of assignments or assessments could provide this information? What does this conversation make you think about in terms of your own practice?
 * STEP 4 (10 Minutes)

REFLECTING ON THE PROCESS** WHO? Group members and presenting teacher PURPOSE: To reflect on how this process helped one’s own thinking about instruction, and about what went well and what could be improved in the use of this protocol. As a group, discuss and share what you learned about the students, about your colleagues, about yourself. Reflect on how well the process worked, what went well, what could be improved. If the group has designated a process observer, this person should report his or her observations.
 * STEP 5 (10 Minutes)