Case studies

Wandsworth City Learning Centre, Part 2

Examples of E-Assessment and use of data

E-Assessment

During the course the students were encouraged to use the recording function on the X tractor so that they could analyse their performances using the Gigajam Analyser.

The students would then be encouraged to listen to back to their recordings and use the GigajamAnalyser software to assess:

The Accuracy of their timing by looking at the position of the notes
Their interpretation of pitch, identifying that they were in fact playing the correct notes
Their understanding and performance of note lengths.

The next two examples illustrate how we can identify issues for students to review so that they can focus on the areas of their performance that need attention.

Example 1. Bass Guitar (Naima-Chestnut Grove)

In our first example, our student starts off well and plays the first 3 notes in the first bar in time and for good lengths. However, at the end of the first bar the timing drifts and it starts to come back in time in Bar 3. There is a wrong note struck at the beginning of Bar 3, shown by the red note (F).

This was a good performance. The student can, however see and hear that when the timing goes wrong a little, it is because she is slightly late on the beat.

Example 2. Drums (Naima-Chestnut Grove)

In our second example, the drummer is focused on pitch and position only. Here all the notes are correct but there is a pattern occurring where the bass drum on the + of 3 is rushed and that is in turn pulling the Snare Drum backbeat on 4 forward slightly. Look at bars 3, 5 and 6.

Collation of data and scores

The main benefit of recording performances into the computer is so that the performance can be analysed both audibly and graphically, giving the student a number of ways of looking at their performances and progress.

However, there are a number of other very useful functions:

The student can email homework to their teacher
Student and class profiles of progress and completion of work can be collated easily into teacher accounts
Marking of work is done automatically
The whole of the terms results can be easily kept, as the files are very small and reviewed at anytime by the student, teacher, or by OFSTED
Students can study their results themselves. For instance, we dropped the scores into Excel and looked for patterns in the scores to assess how the students were developing and also to develop the student’s ability to interpret scores in a meaningful way.

Below is an extract from Joshua Lee’s work compiled from his recorded performances on Guitar and Drums.

We have taken the % scores and dropped them into Excel. We have then produced a simple bar chart to show the % achievement in each subject.

Example 3. E-Assessment Data (Joshua Lee-Southfields)

User comments

Criteria	User comments (Simon Elledge AST Wandsworth CLC)
Innovative Nature of the Resource	This product is innovative as it operates on many levels. It can be used as a teaching tool with opportunity for assessing pupils but it can also be used with unskilled tutors to build groups of children into bands. This in turn allows for the promotion of after school activities. Having a product that can be used with a whole class or a small group and that can be differentiated to different levels is very unusual and should be commended highly.
Impact upon learning and the work of the teacher in the classroom, to what extent and in which areas	There is the clear use of this product to teach music instrumentation in a classroom at secondary level however this product goes significantly further. With the emphasis on ‘jamming’ the product fosters the building of groups within a music culture. There really are few products on the market that encourage this team building and this has led to many enjoying the results of the bands when they perform.
How the resource supports or enhances the everyday life or work of teachers pupils or schools	We have seen success at primary and secondary level with this product and the building of self esteem as the music skills spread through a group of any age should really be considered here. The assessment tool within the product is also very useful as it motivates the children and moves them on at their own pace but within a framework that can still be closely monitored by the teachers and assistants working with the software.
Cost effectiveness in terms of educational aims and results — not just price	This is a very cost effective product as it offers expert help and guidance on four instruments. Many of us can teach one or two instruments but not four. Additionally it allows the teacher to set groups off individually and the after school provision could easily be charged for to recoup outlay.

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“The assessment tool within the product is also very useful as it motivates the children and moves them on at their own pace but within a framework that can still be closely monitored by the teachers and assistants working with the software.”

Simon Elledge,
AST Wandsworth CLC

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e-assessment
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