There is tremendous interest in the teaching and assessment of “21st Century Skills”, but educators still find it challenging to integrate them into their existing teaching units and to assess and report on the skills that students are developing.

In this two part online Masterclass led by Dr Claire Scoular, participants will learn how to apply an assessment tool from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to a teaching unit of their own.

In Part 1 of the Masterclass, participants will be introduced to the ACER General Capabilities assessment and teaching framework. This will include the conceptual underpinning of the framework as it applies to the assessment of collaboration, critical thinking and creative thinking. It will include how the assessment framework is built around a problem-based learning approach and will provide examples of the kinds of tasks that are included in the assessments. Participants will learn how the framework can be applied across a range of year levels and subject areas.

In Part 2 of the Masterclass, participants will take part in a hands-on activity in which they will apply the framework to a unit of instruction that they have designed. In groups, they will work through a guided process to produce a draft of a possible problem-based assessment of the general capabilities of collaboration, critical thinking and creative thinking.

The “ACER General Capabilities assessment” is generalizable and is applicable to teachers of students of any year level and curriculum framework. 

Key Details

Date: 23 and 30 January 2021
Regular: US$225
Time: 8am – 11am (+8GMT) each day

About the Presenter

DR. CLAIRE SCOULAR
Senior Research Fellow
Australian Council for Educational Research

Dr. Scoular’s work focuses on the improvement of measurement practices in education. Her expertise is embedded in the application and statistical analysis of psychological measurement. Recent investigations have centered around measurement methodology and application for 21st century skills, including traditional and automated test delivery systems. Her work at the Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Centre involves leading projects in capacity building in relation to psychometrics.