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5013S - Research & Assessment: Final Thoughts (A. Reflect on how our…
5013S - Research & Assessment: Final Thoughts
A. Reflect on how our three themes affect your assessment practice...
Research and Assessment as Human Activities
7 Fundamental Principles (Growing Success, 2010).
are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students;
• support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First Nation, Métis, or Inuit;
• are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and, as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs, and experiences of all students;
• are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the school year or course and at other appropriate points throughout the school year or course;
• are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
• provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement;
• develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning." - p. 6
These seven fundamental principles lay the foundation for me in my future teaching practices. They will challenge me to create and lay the foundation of a rich challenging practice to help aid all my students future learning. Having a better understanding of research and assessment will allow me to guide my students, help me with instructional design within my classroom, promote my students engagement, and improve overall student learning.
Improving our students learning through assessment and evaluation should be one of our main goals as educators. Using our students, interest, abilities and goals we must help them learn and show us what they have learned through strategies like "the gradual release of responsibility".
"Show me, Help me, Let me" .
(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010).
As a Family Studies educator I can use this strategy often. For example, in a food lab we will often demonstrate (show me) to our students a kitchen skill. After the demonstration they then have a chance to become familiar with this skill, tool, or recipe (help me) also allowing them to ask questions or express concerns during class time. And finally as they are evaluated in a food lab this is the chance they are given to show their understanding (let me) during this stage as teachers we can evaluate them. Observing as educator also allows for us to see where students may be struggling or need further support in the future.
Messages In, Messages Out
Understanding the messages our students send us directly and indirectly is extremely important. The way we send messages to our students through verbal cues, body language, and written feedback is often how we communicate to our students and how they perceive the success of their own learning. As educators we need to increase our awareness of these signals both in, out, and in their meanings (Bell, 2019).
Body Language
: Being aware of how our students perceive their assessments, marks, or overall learning experience (are they excited, upset, bored, etc). We must ask ourselves questions before students enter class: are our students engaged? Do students make eye contact? Are students falling asleep during class? What is their body language telling you about their learning experience? Then as an educator reflect on how you can make changes to increase not only your own awareness but your students.
Connecting Activities to Messages:
by exposing our students to a variety of activities within the classroom such as, 4 corners, gallery walks, and dotmocracy - Activities can help teachers have a better understanding of their student messages by asking for feedback.
As a teacher, I will be much more cognoscente of the messages I am sending out and the messages attached to them. I will also listen to my students feedback they provide so that assessment is suitable to their needs.
Example
: while incorporating the theme of
connecting high and low,
it is understanding the significance of technology as a major component. In todays classroom, technology is inevitable and I have learned a few strategies for making it work with me, rather than against me. Incorporating personal devices in the lesson plan or assignments gives students the opportunity to use their technology in a productive and more monitored manner.
Connecting High and Low
Although research and practice can seem divorced from each other it is evident that we can use research practically to deal with the realities of the classroom, given the realties of our daily lives. We can take what we know from research as teachers and put it into our daily teaching practices. Based on the outcomes we can see what specific research may work for our specific students and classroom environment (Bell, 2019).
We know our students learning is constantly changing and what may have worked for some students may not work for all.
Resource Tool
: When specifically looking at research gathered to create my resource tool I must be mindful that rubrics created for certain assessments may not always work or be beneficial for other assignments. As an educator I must be in a constant reflective practice to understand this, be aware of what is working and what may not be working and connect what research says to my classroom based on my students specific needs.
B. Explain 3 BIG IDEAS you learned from this course...
Feedback
:
Important for - Students, Teachers, Parents
Feedback is a record of our students learning. Teachers enable students to close the gap in order to take their learning forward and improve. This is considered
Teacher Student feedback.
We must provide our students with clear guidance on how they can improve their learning. This should also help them improve their assessment performance (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010).
Student to Teacher feedback:
allowing suggestions for what is working for our students vs. what is not working. Taking feedback and acting on it (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010).
MarkBook
& Bonus Marks
A big take away I have from this course was better understanding the use of Markbook, as well as the cautionary side of using "bonus marks" (Bell, 2019).
Evaluations & Assessment
Throughout this course it has helped me understand why assessment is important for student learning when utilized in a consistent, clear and equitable manner.
C. List at least 3 specific actions that you are planning to implement in your practice, AND at least 1 specific action that you plan to stop or modify...
Start Implementing
Holistic Rubrics
: would be useful to use during food or sewing labs (Bell, 2019).
deBono's 6 Hats
: allows for all students to become involved and take on a specific role. Could potentially help push students out of their comfort zones (Bell, 2019).
Stop, Start, Continue:
I would want to implement this into my teaching practices to help better understand my students and take their feedback to help better the learning of my future students and continue including what is working (Bell, 2019).
Stop/Modify
Looking at assessment and marking as a chore and rather start looking at it as an opportunity for both myself (teacher) and students learning.