TheVirginiaJournal_SpringSummer2024

take ownership of their learning. Mapping shot placement helps the student and the teacher see the player’s ability of accuracy for whichever shot they are performing. These maps can also allow the teacher to see where their instruction needs to go in the future, for example, if no one can hit a shot down the line, they may want to give students’ more activities that focus on hitting to targeted spots. The second example is a heat map for territorial and invasion games requiring dribbling. These maps show where students tend to dribble, run, pass, or receive the ball during gameplay. Once again, students are in pairs, one student performing, and one assessing. The teacher creates a map of the perimeter and goals of the playing area. The student assessing will draw lines of where the student ran and use different markings to show where a student caught or passed the ball. These maps also help teachers differentiate between students who truly participate in gameplay versus those who run up and down the court without getting involved, who we call ‘competent bystanders’ (Chng &Lund, 2021). Teachers should be sure to include reflection questions to help students reflect on their performance and brainstorm ideas on how to improve for next time. Below, in Figure 2, is an example of a heat map, adopted from Chng & Lund (2021).

The final example is a statistics collection for a peer’s performance. Once again, students are in pairs and collect data on their partner’s performance. For example, how many successful passes they made, how many baskets or shots they made, landed them in a designated zone, or how many passes they complete. This assessment is used with skills that can be quantified. When using each of the assessment tools mentioned in this tip, it is recommended to make sure the observer is only recording one person at a time and a limited number of actions or cues (Chng & Lund, 2021). In addition, Chng and Lund (2021) recommend to always be sure the observer is in a safe space, out of the way, but not too far, so they can see the skill being performed. Tip Three: Help Students Learn from Their Assessments Providing students with meaningful feedback can greatly enhance their learning and achievement (Stenger, 2014). Assessments are more beneficial when they provide feedback to students on their performance, ways to grow, and what they may want to do differently in the future. Taking an assessment and not receiving any feedback is not beneficial to students because they do not get the chance to understand where they went wrong, what the teacher was looking for, and how to improve. This tip introduces three strategies educators can use to help students learn from their assessments. First, teachers should allow students to take a ‘test replay’, which allows them to reflect on the assessment itself, reflect on their preparation, and offer predictions on their performance, allowing them to make the connection between time spent preparing and feelings of confidence (Kesty, 2022). Teachers should encourage a five-to-ten-minute brain dump, allowing students to reflect on any questions, comments, concerns, or surprises they faced during the assessment. This feedback is not only beneficial for the students, but also for the teacher because they can reflect on and potentially adjust their assessment, instruction, and teachings for the future. Second, teachers can use a slow-motion replay. Slow-motion replay occurs after an assessment, when the teacher walks the class through a guided discussion about the most missed questions and reviews them more in-depth, allowing students to think deeper and more critically about their answer choices. This process allows students to have thoughts and emotions attached to their scores (Kesty, 2022). Teachers may also use the time during the guided discussion to offer students the opportunity to defend their answers and explain why they chose what they did. Lastly, have students create new plays. After working through the first two strategies, students may have better ideas on how to prepare for the next assessment (Kesty, 2022). Teachers can allow them to jot their thoughts down and create a new game plan for the next assessment so they feel more confident and prepared. Giving students these opportunities to reflect, discuss, and plan for the next assessment will help build their self-awareness and critical thinking skills (Kesty, 2022).

Figure 2 Heat Map

SPRING-SUMMER 2024 • Virginia AHPERD • 3