Synthesis, Evaluation, and Assessment

Synthesis and evaluation are challenging.

They sit at the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

If learners can do these successfully, they’ll have gone a long way towards mastering the learning.

That’s why they are a fantastic tool for planning and developing lessons and assessments.

They set the bar high and, through doing so, give us the opportunity to help learners get over it.

Before we look at some practical strategies, here’s a reminder of the taxonomy:

• Knowledge
• Comprehension
• Application
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Evaluation

And here’s a set of keywords covering synthesis and evaluation (a full list is at the end of the blog):

Synthesis:

• Combine, Compose, Construct, Create, Devise, Design, Formulate, Hypothesise, Integrate, Merge, Organise, Plan, Propose, Synthesise, Unite.

Evaluation:

• Appraise, Argue, Assess, Critique, Defend, Evaluate, Examine, Grade, Inspect, Judge, Justify, Rank, Rate, Review, Value.

Three Ways to Use Synthesis and Evaluation to Structure Assessment

Method One: Planning Backwards

Having identified successful synthesis and evaluation as being indicative of mastery, or relative mastery, we can seek to create assessments in which we work backwards from either one.

For example, we might plan an end-of-unit assessment in which learners have to create an evaluative summary of the topic as a whole. (Evaluation)

Or we might ask learners to create something that demonstrates the detailed understanding they have developed through the course of the previous lessons. (Synthesis)

Whatever we choose, the process is the same.

We identify which of the two categories we want to prioritise, and we then construct a task that gives learners the opportunity to show what they can do.

The keyword lists above are a good starting point.

For example, imagine you’re planning an assessment for a unit of work.

You decide you want learners to do something creative, so they have an opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the topic.

The keyword list gives you fifteen possible starting points.

Either as inspiration, or as a direct focus for your assessment activity.

You could take the word ‘Compose’ and build around that.

Or the word ‘Construct’.

Or ‘Design’.

This makes life easier by giving you a clear focus through which to channel your thinking.

Method Two: Progressive Question Assessment

Create an assessment containing a series of questions that gradually progress up the taxonomy until they reach the levels of synthesis and evaluation.

These two categories should form the basis of the final questions, and it will be for these that the largest number of marks are available.

This is because they are the hardest things we are asking learners to do.

This is the structure of assessment favoured by many exam boards.

It is easy to replicate.

And it is a great way to assess the class as a whole.

You can even do a question-level analysis off the back of it, allowing you to see which questions learners struggled with and how many learners have been successful with each type of question.

At the end of this blog, you’ll find a keyword list covering all six levels of the taxonomy.

This can help you plan your own progressive question assessment, making your life easier.

Method Three: Identify, Divide, Plan

Start by deciding how you will assess learning at the end of the topic – whether you will focus on evaluation, synthesis or a combination of the two.

Having done this, sit down and think about what learners will need to know and understand to be successful, as well as how they will need to be able to apply and analyse the knowledge and understanding they will come to possess.

Next, divide up what you’ve identified and use it as the basis of the lessons you plan.

This way, you can be sure that you’re teaching towards the challenging assessment piece on which you first decided.

Each lesson will contribute to the stock of knowledge learners will need to establish if they are to be able to perform effectively in the final assessment.

In this example, you are using the final assessment as a tool to frame the preceding planning.

This doesn’t mean every learner will automatically succeed in that assessment.

But it does mean you give everyone the best chance possible of being successful.

Using Synthesis and Evaluation to Create Products for Assessment

Products are the things we want learners to create, and that we will then assess.

The act of creation is an act of synthesis, as we know.

With that said, the products we plan for can have varying focuses.

For example, we could plan a fairly simple product that involves learners mostly just applying the knowledge they have acquired.

This might be fine for an early or middle part of a lesson, but would probably not be sufficiently challenging later on.

Two points suggest themselves.

First, when designing tasks or planning the products we want learners to produce, we can always turn to the synthesis and evaluation keywords as a guide.

Using these in our planning means we are immediately pushing learner thinking down the paths of synthesis and/or evaluation.

This is a simple means through which to ensure you ask for products that are challenging and intellectually demanding.

Second, if we find ourselves asking learners to create a product we feel is not challenging enough, or if we think there is ambiguity about precisely what it is we expect, then we can provide synthesis- and/or evaluation-based success criteria that take learners in the direction we want them to go.

Once again, the keyword list is our friend.

Full Bloom’s Taxonomy Keyword List

Knowledge Keywords:

• Arrange, Define, Describe, List, Match, Memorise, Name, Order, Quote, Recognise, Recall, Repeat, Reproduce, Restate, Retain.

Comprehension Keywords:

• Characterise, Classify, Complete, Describe, Discuss, Establish, Explain, Express, Identify, Illustrate, Recognise, Report, Relate, Sort, Translate.

Application Keywords:

• Apply, Calculate, Choose, Demonstrate, Dramatize, Employ, Implement, Interpret, Operate, Perform, Practise, Role-Play, Sketch, Solve, Suggest.

Analysis Keywords:

• Analyse, Appraise, Categorize, Compare, Contrast, Differentiate, Discriminate, Distinguish, Examine, Experiment, Explore, Investigate, Question, Research, Test.

Synthesis Keywords:

• Combine, Compose, Construct, Create, Devise, Design, Formulate, Hypothesise, Integrate, Merge, Organise, Plan, Propose, Synthesise, Unite.

Evaluation Keywords:

• Appraise, Argue, Assess, Critique, Defend, Evaluate, Examine, Grade, Inspect, Judge, Justify, Rank, Rate, Review, Value.