This week in math class we started off with a fun activity. Several volunteers went to the front of the room and were divided into to groups. One group were the judges and three other volunteers were the contestants. The first contestant was asked to clap, which she did. The judges then each gave her a grade between 1 and 5. The second contestant was also asked to clap, but was given a slight advantage. The second contestant was given insight to the activity; she knew that she was supposed to clap and saw the contestant before her clap, giving her an idea of what she needs to do. By the time the third contestant was asked to clap, she had seen the other two contestants perform the activity and was given a success criteria that was created by the judges.
The purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. It is an ongoing process and takes place in numerous forms. When we ask students to clap on the spot without giving them information, we are setting them up to fail. When we provide them with examples and a success criteria, however, we are giving them the opportunity to succeed and learn. This activity showed me that putting a student on the spot and asking them to perform an activity, it makes them feel uncomfortable and unconfident. When you explain to a student what they are being asked to do, they can have fun and enjoy learning while being assessed.
Collaborative Activities
We also continued this week with more collaborative activities. In groups of six, we were asked to go around the classroom and solve the various puzzles presented to us. Each member in the group received a clue that they must orally share. This means that each member in the group had to vocally engage in the activity; you couldn't have another student look at your clue. These puzzles varied in difficulty and setup. There were a few activities where we were asked to create a shape using coloured building blocks. There was another activity that asked us to create shapes using toothpicks. There were also games that asked us to find a specific number from 1-100 using the clues we were given. In each game it was not only crucial that each member read out their clue, but that every member was actively participating to make sure that their clue was seen in the activity.
Collaborative activities are a fun way to get students out of their seats and focused on learning, which was specifically math in this case. We have talked about the use of manipulatives throughout this course and continue to see the value in using them within a classroom. I really liked these activities as they took a problem that could be solved by an individual and made the problem solvable only through collaboration. These types of activities help students develop their learning skills and work habits while developing positive peer relationships.
What Makes a Good Assessment Plan?
We also looked at effective assessment plans this week and the characteristics associated with a good assessment plan. A good assessment plan:- balances the measurement of both mathematics content and processes
- is appropriate for its purpose
- includes a variety of assessment formats
- is aligned with student needs and expectations
- is fair to all students
- is useful in assisting students to assess their own learning
- measures growth over time
- sets high, yet realistic, expectations for students
We also looked at some of the different ways in which assessment data can be gathered:
- portfolios
- performance tasks
- projects
- journals
- observations
- interviews
- homework
- exit passes
- tests and quizzes
One of the main focuses I took from this week's class is the need to step away from old-fashion questions, such as "Does anybody know..." questions. Throughout this course we have been developing open-ended questions where students are free to approach a solution using a variety of strategies. The purpose of a question isn't to see if a student knows the answer, rather to see if a student has a means of getting to that answer. Formulas can be extremely useful in math, but only if a student understands what the formula means. Trying to explain the surface area of a circle to a student can seem difficult without using the
π
r
2
formula, but it shouldn't. There is a reason why people use that formula and breaking it down is a necessary step to teach students about surface area.
As the video to the above explains, assessment used to be simple. We would give something a try and it was obvious when we did not succeed. It was also obvious when we did. With 21st century learners, assessment has changed greatly. 21st Century learners need to synthesize knowledge, communicate clearly with others, and create solutions to problems that we don't even know exist. In order for students to become learners, rather than just graduates, they need personalized, engaging, and useful feedback on meaningful work.
Hi Brandon, I liked how you talked about our discussion about assessment. I think through the assessment course, as well as through our other courses, we have been shown how the different types of assessment can be impactful towards student learning and progress. As students I don't think we considered this, our idea of assessment was primarily based on what we saw on the report card. I know my own thinking of assessment as a student was that the assessment portion was something that told you where you stood as a student, and not necessarily where you could go. I like the idea of using different assignments and tools for assessments because it makes the assessment process less formal and intimidating for students. It also lets students showcase their learning in different ways, and demonstrates their strengths. One of my favourite examples that you listed was exit cards, because these can also be helpful for teachers as a self-reflective process. It forces us to consider if the way we taught the lesson was clear to students, and if not, how can we be better or reach our students in a better way.
ReplyDeleteGood job this week!