In short: This example is based on a primary school in Sweden that improved the feedback from students on their entrepreneurial learning processes by using the e-assessment tool LoopMe for formative assessment of entrepreneurial teaching.
Age group: Students were between 7-12 years old.
Initial challenges: Teaching is a profession with constant time pressure and the need to react to circumstances emerging in day-to-day practice. A lesson passes quickly, and many times students do not get a chance to express their thoughts on what works for them. A key communication challenge is how to follow each individual student’s learning process and adapt accordingly, given the time constraints in teachers’ daily work. All of these challenges are particularly difficult when applying entrepreneurial teaching.
What they did about it: The e-assessment tool LoopMe for formative assessment was implemented in the entire school. Each student could reflect on key learning events in their daily experiences at school. Teachers could follow student reflections in real-time, and chat with those students that provided information of particular importance to the efficiency of the entrepreneurial learning environment.
Results: Necessary changes to the learning environment could be carried out sooner when crucial information about things that did not work for students reached the teachers quicker and from more students. Challenges around dysfunctional teams could for example be resolved more quickly by communicating with students through the digital tool. Bullying instances could also be acted upon more swiftly. Private trustful dialogues could be held between the teacher and individual students on the students’ terms, instead of in a stressful environment full of classmates potentially over-hearing the conversation. Students trained their capacity to put words on their emotions and critical learning experiences in a better way than had been possible previously. The overall impression from participating teachers was that the digital tool helped the teachers in many of the most crucial tasks that they had to manage in related to taking care of their students in various ways, both in terms of regular teaching and more entrepreneurial teaching.
Relevance for entrepreneurial teaching: This example illustrates how e-assessment and formative assessment could help teachers in many of the challenges inherent in entrepreneurial teaching. Examples included keeping track of critical learning events, maintaining trustful dialogues with all students, supervising teamwork at a distance and reacting to unexpected deviations.
Applied assessment methods and tools: This is an example of applying assessment for learning, e-assessment, reflective assessment and self-assessment. This is also an example of applying the e-assessment tool LoopMe.
Contact information: Ulrica Skålberg, E-mail: ulrica.skalberg@vastrahisingen.goteborg.se
Website: https://goteborg.se/wps/portal/enhetssida/bjorlandagarden-f-6