Microloans: A Globalization Aid?

Formative Assessment: Assessment for Learning Opportunities

Analyze the Potential Impact of Kiva

Involve students in a peer review to provide and receive feedback on the perceptiveness of their analysis of the impact of Kiva. Use the feedback prompts below to provide structure in guiding students through this formative assessment opportunity.

Feedback Prompts:

• Have I explained how microloans could address some of the challenges of globalization for women or children?
• Have I described the potential short-term impact of microfinance?
• Have I described the potential long-term impact of microfinance?

These feedback prompts can be posted on an interactive white board or bulletin board, or incorporated into a feedback tool that can be copied for student use. Samples of tools created for a similar skill within a different formative assessment context may be found in the Social Studies 10-4 Formative Assessment Summary .

Communicate Information

Involve students in a peer review to examine the effectiveness of their communication in the format they have selected. Use the feedback prompts below to provide structure in guiding students through this formative assessment opportunity.

Feedback Prompts (for a blog entry):

In my blog, do I …

• stay on topic?
• use concise language?
• use visual and structural cues to assist the reader?

These feedback prompts can be posted on an interactive white board or bulletin board, or incorporated into a feedback tool that can be copied for student use. Samples of tools created for a similar skill within a different formative assessment context may be found in the Social Studies 10-4 Formative Assessment Summary .

Linking to the Summative Assessment Task

• As students analyze the potential impact of Kiva and communicate information through their final product in the suggested activity Are We Making a Difference?, they will have completed the Summative Assessment Task – Microloans: A Globalization Aid? 
• Students should consult the assessment task and the assessment task rubric  to ensure that they have provided the information required.
• Encourage students to review the feedback received during the formative assessment opportunities to consider enhancements they wish to make prior to submitting their final product.
• If necessary, continue to use the feedback prompts from the formative assessment opportunities to coach students toward completion of a quality product.
• If student performance does not yet fall within the three levels described in the summative assessment task rubric, work with the student to formulate a plan to address the student's learning needs.

Setting the Context for Learning

• Organize students into small discussion groups to share their research about Kiva, or another organization chosen, including some of the case studies they encountered in their research.
• Invite students to discuss how they might determine if the organization is effective in improving the quality of life for women and children.
• You may wish to engage students in critical thinking opportunities as they consider what criteria they might use to determine an organization's effectiveness.

Analyze the Potential Impact of Kiva

• Use a case study from Kiva to model how to analyze the potential impact of the organization. Point out that a successful analysis goes beyond simply providing information about the case study, but rather highlights a cause-and-effect relationship.
• Ask students to describe how loaning funds through Kiva can lead to a positive impact for women and children.
• In their analysis, students should link back to the concepts of quality of life and globalization from previous suggested activities.
• Students may wish to use a graphic organizer such as a T-chart or cause-and-effect chart to assist with their analysis.

Communicate Information

Students will synthesize information from their analysis of the potential impact of the organization with their research from the previous suggested activity.

• Discuss with students that the technical details of a particular presentation format can affect the quality of a presentation. For example, an effective PowerPoint presentation would need to balance text and visuals whereas an audio presentation would need to focus on appropriate volume and clarity of speech.
• Brainstorm with students the qualities of an effective product, and then use the list to guide students' product development. This list can also guide the peer coach in providing specific and descriptive feedback.

Textbook References

Student Basic Resource—Oxford University Press, Living in a Globalizing World:

• Page 324 Kalimani Women's Water Project

Student Basic Resource—McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Exploring Globalization:

• Pages 336–337 The Fair-trade Movement

Teaching Resource—Oxford University Press, Living in a Globalizing World:

• RM 0.3 Analyzing & Discussing Issues 
• AM 1 Demonstrating Understanding Rubric
• AM 2 Generating & Organizing Ideas Rubric Show more
• AM 15 Discussing Issues Rating Scale

Web Resources

Web Links for Online Sources:

Note: The vocabulary found in some of these links may be challenging for students. You may wish to use certain sites for your own reference only.

• Kiva website—sections: About Microfinance and How Kiva Works
• FINCA website—section: Microfinance Programs

Knowledge and Employability Studio (Social Studies): 

• Self-assessment Checklist: 10-4.4 Globalization and Citizenship 

Videos:

• LearnAlberta.ca:
  • Working for Change: Active Global Citizenship
  • Transforming Lives: The Story of Development in Samuye, Tanzania

Distributed Learning/Tools4Teachers Resources:

• LearnAlberta.ca: Social Studies 10-2 Module 6: Global Citizenship

Critical Challenges:

• LearnAlberta.ca:
• Roland Case: Critical Thinking as an Effective Way of Teaching Social Studies
• Roland Case: A Model of Critical Thinking
• Shared Civic Responsibilities Show more
• Urging Others to Act
• Where Do I Draw My Line?
• Taking Responsible Action