EDU 6613

Week 1: What I learned about learning targets

I learned there are different types of learning targets. In my classroom, when I remember or have time, I post a daily learning target  on the board under an actual target poster. I mention our target at the beginning of class and try to say it again at the end of the period. The problem I discovered is that my targets are only knowledge targets. I want students to usually know something by the end of the period. I hadn’t considered using other targets such as reasoning targets while working on a group project, product targets during a lab or disposational targets on the first day of a new unit. I usually left the target blank those days even though there was a target. I will have to broaden my definition of learning targets to include all types including knowledge targets.

Week 2: Percolating Reflection Based Assessment

The most obvious connection I can make to the percolating assessment is Understanding by Design’s essential question. An essential question is guiding, over-arching which has no right answer but can be debated and discussed. Every unit should have at least two essential questions which are the common threads.

Students could choose one of the two essential questions and write it in their journal. At the end of specific lessons, the teacher could ask students to add something to their essential question thereby researching and building their answer. On the unit assessment, students could be allowed to use their notes and thoughts to answer it.

Week 3: Clear and Unclear Assessment Methods

It is clear to me that various types of assessments need to be used in the classroom and one size doesn’t fit all. It is also clear to me there isn’t a best way to assess. While multiple choice exams may be the most popular due to the speed they can be graded, they don’t always accurately assess knowledge and the tests can end up assessing a student’s test taking skills instead.

It is unclear to me what biases and distortions my students have to deal with. I know at times questions have been poorly worded or mis-numbered which can cause confusion and anxiety. I know that students lacking reading skills have difficulty at times and language barriers can play a part in that. It is also unclear to me how to develop an accurate and complete scoring rubric for an essay response question. They rubrics I have done in the past never seem to account for all the errors students may make. (Stiggins, et. al. 2006)

Week 4: Learning Illustrated Performance Assessments

This is a flow chart I created on Word to describe the difference between types of assessments. I also include my conclusions regarding performance assessments and their superiority over the other types.

Assessment Flow Chart

Week 5: Write-It-Down Personal Communication

I wrote in my journal this week various journaling strategies for high school science students. I like the idea of using journals as a way of establishing continuity from week to week and unit to unit. As we discussed a few weeks ago, journals are also a good way for shy students to communicate with the teacher. Dialogue journals seem like a lot of work for the teacher, especially if there are 150 students to read on a weekly basis. I do like some of the ideas such as clear/unclear or main idea, which we have used in this class. I have learned that journals need to be used on a regular basis and also graded regularly to keep the quality high.

Week 6: Get a Job Report Cards

The assessment I used for my project in this class is a good example of job-related skills. Students are asked to create an advertisement about an element from the periodic table of elements. They are given the choice of creating a magazine ad, a commercial, a live infomercial, a radio ad or a billboard. There are specific instructions about what must be included in the ad but the rest is up to them. Part of their grade is based on their creativity and professionalism. These are two traits that I think will set them apart from others in the work place when they seek a job. If their resume is done professionally and they show some ingenuity in the job interview, they will stand out from the other candidates. Every job requires a level of professionalism and creativity which I think are two skills I can build upon in science. Students are upset at times when their grade is not as high as it could be because they created a standard presentation and didn’t put any creativity. Sadly, this seems to be a skill that is missing in many high school students. Professionalism is something every teacher preaches: complete sentences, spelling, neatness, organization, etc. These are all skills which will prepare them for the job market and life in the future.

Week 7: Key Idea Portfolios and Conferences

The key idea I took away from this week’s reading and discussions on conferences was the importance of being specific. It is so easy to speak in general about a student’s performance or behavior in class to parents during conferences but the conversation is so vague, it is difficult to accomplish anything. If improvements need to be made by a student, specific actions are mentioned at times but goals are rarely set. It is important to be specific about how a student can improve and how they will know when they have improved. An example could be a student receiving a C average on their tests. After discussing various topics such as studying habits, homework and performance on formative assessments, it may be determined that a better study area be set up at home. This could be an area free from distractions of TV, music, cell phones or computers. A goal could be to set up the area that night (or next day) and to see if the student can raise the test average from a C to a B by the end of the semester. It is up to the teacher to follow up on this goal but now the parent and student have a specific item to change and a specific goal to work toward. I could see this approach drastically change how I do parent conferences and make a much more effective use of that time.

Week 8: Searching For Connections

1. Reflection should play a major part in all five types of assessments. In order for an assessment to do it’s job, students must reflect and provide feedback on their learning separate from their assessment score and then again after seeing their grade. This information will help students see weaknesses they can strengthen and make important changes for the next unit or class. If students never reflect on their assessments, they will continue to make the same mistakes.

2. The assessment should match the curriculum. Given the many types of assessments, there is no perfect assessment. For example, in science a performance based assessment such as an experiment is suitable for a topic such as combustion. However, a multiple choice or essay based test would be more appropriate for a topic such as astronomy. How the student is taught should align with how they are going to be assessed.

3. A variety of assessments must be used in order to gain a complete picture of the student’s mastery as well as appeal to the variety of learning styles. A student may not do well on a standardized multiple choice test but they may do quite well on a presentation performance assessment. Giving students some choice while maintaining the same rigor on assessments is important.

4. Detailed feedback should be provided on all assessments. This can be achieved through report cards and conferences by involving the student to get their perspective and allowing the parent to ask questions. The more information is provided about how to improve, the better the feedback is for the parents and student.Personal communication can also take place in the form of comments on the assessment or even a grading rubric.

5. Finally, assessment plays a vital role in education but it is not the only piece. Assessment is not perfect and it doesn’t provide a perfect picture of student learning. By incorporating various strategies mentioned in this blog above, students can be motivated by assessments instead of dreading them. Teachers and parents can gain important information and support the learning of the student.