Post 7 – Effective Assessments
Most of you have already begun your classroom observation. The next few blog entries will be based upon what you see in the classroom in which you are observing. If you have not started your observation, answer the questions by observing the assessment practices of one or more of your Lindenwood professors. Please do not use names of teachers, professors or students.
How does the teacher assess the progression of the students’ learning? How does the teacher determine a need for further instruction? How does the teacher determine and document when a student reaches mastery of a learning objective?
I have posted a youtube presentation by Rick Stiggins about Assessment For Learning. Take 6 minutes and watch the youtube - it will help you know what to look for in your classroom.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In my assessment, my teacher has taken the time to individually speak with each of his students. They always know what their grades are and where they stand in the class. My teacher is always prepared and has a variety of different lesson plans so each time I go there, it is something completely different.
ReplyDeleteI have had a professor take the time and invite all of her students to her office. This is her time to go over what the student may need to work on, and also tell the student what he or she is doing correctly. I am sure the professor gathers this information through earlier work. I have also had a professor realize that the class was having trouble understanding the curriculum. This teacher then began slowing down in her teaching instead of continuing overloading the students.
ReplyDeleteTodd, after posting my comment I then read yours. It sounds like we have had the same style of teacher, who takes the time to make sure all students are doing things correctly, and if they are not, they are pushed in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteIn my observation I am unsure about how the teacher completely assess the students. She gives some homework and tests. I assume that she bases her assesment on the student's grades. I also assume that she judges the need for further instruction based on scores as well. For example last week all of her anatomy classes took a test. All classes seemed to do poorly on one section. I don't think she went over with that part again, but told them to study and if they wanted to retake that section of the test they could. I wasn't sure if I agreed with that decision or not. I was in the class when she stated multiple times that that section was going to be on the test. The students were even allowed to use a notecard of information on their test and they still did poor. I sort of feel like she just wanted the test grades to look good and let them retake the test withouth actually recovering the importance of the material.
ReplyDeleteWill and Todd,
ReplyDeleteI have a professor that sets up meetings with his students and goes over their strengths and weaknesses with them. This style really seems to be a very good approach. I agree this helps ensure that both the teacher and students are on the same page. From a teachers point of view it gives them a safety net when students come and say they didn't know about a problem or something, the teacher can point out that they did know because of their meeting.
Most of my college teachers I’ve had doesn’t show that they care that much about their students learning. They probably have so many classes and students that they cannot remember every student they have. After our tests my teacher usually answer if anyone have any questions about it, but thats it. I think as a teacher (and even if you are a college professor) should try to have some sort of knowledge about what your students already know and what they may need to work on some more.
ReplyDeleteKimberlyRuth,
ReplyDeleteI think that it was good that your teacher gave her students a new chance to do the section they did poorly on. Maybe she should’ve decided that everyone that did poorly have to do it again, and not only just give the students the option.
In my observations, I have been noticing where she and her 2nd grade colleagues place their importance. They seem to be drowning in state required testing as well as normal progression tests that are common for classrooms. She has even commented to the students that, "It seems like we are always testing..." Well, that's probably because the times I have observed so far, they are. I think the teacher is more concerned with achieving test scores and not as focused with the actual progress they are making. I observed a DIBBLE test for reading and comprehension, the teacher administered the test and then showed the student how they have not been consistent on scores. But, she doesn't do anything similar to the testing material to improve on the levels. So, instead of offering solutions to the issues of a low reading comprehension score, it is just shown to them as a monitor for their level.
ReplyDeleteKimberlyRuth- I agree with your post and I think we have similar situations with the teacher we are observing. My teacher as well seems more focused on the test score than the material.
ReplyDeleteMy college professors assess their students on mostly tests, a couple of points for participation, and the occassional group project. They don't really care if do not succeed in the class but that is understandable since we are all young adults.
ReplyDeleteKimberly i feel like a lot of teachers are like that in the fact that if a group of students do not perform well on an exam that they will nonchalantly let them retake it. I've had a lot of teachers like that in high school and i just think that it is laziness on the teachers part because if a student does bad on a test then they will not have to face the consequences of a poor grade.
ReplyDeleteDuring writing time for the students my teacher would bring each child back individually to see how their paragraphs or poems are going. She would read each students writings as the time goes when then write it. She wanted to see how well the student made revisions on their own. For the writing she would always come up with a different rubric to follow depending on the writing assignment. As she had these conferences and read all the writing she made sure the students understand what they were supposed to be writing about. If they did not sure would explain it to them in a different way so they would understand. They would be set up as 1's, 2's, and 3's.
ReplyDeleteWill,
ReplyDeleteI have a teacher like that as well. It is more for conferencing about papers and what needed to be changed. I feel that this is really helpful because it makes me understand what I am doing wrong and what I need to change for my next paper.
I had a professor last semester that would help us, they would set up office times for us to come in for help. We did this several times throughout the semester. He really took the time and made sure that each student understood what was going on. He did this not only outside the classroom, but in class too. If we were not understanding a particular subject matter he would slow down and explain it in farther details until we understood it. Doing all of this really helped me succeed in that class.
ReplyDeletewill,
ReplyDeleteI have also had a similiar teacher like this and it really helps me in the class. however most of my professors do not really care if we even pass the class or not. They only give out very few points for tests and an occassional paper or test. It is nice to have a to have a teacher who does care.
My host teacher assesses her students by having a test after each chapter; however, beofore giving the exam, she makes a studyguide as a tool to review some problems. She then will go over each page of the packet and answer individual questions. She never turns down any student even if the whole class hour is taken up with only reviewing time. After the test is graded, the teacher will hand it back to the students so that they can see their grades. Along with the test grade, the teacher adds the student's cumulative grade for the quarter. I think this is helpful because it makes the students aware of where they stand in the class room, and if they need a tutor or additional help, all they have to do is go ask the teacher.
ReplyDeleteTodd S.
ReplyDeleteI think its great that your teacher is able to scheldule a small meeting with all his or her students. However, I realise that that method can get very time consuming, and not many teachers have that much free time or patience to deal with each individual's problem. But if your teacher can do it, that means its possible and more teachers should try and model that method. Its a great way to make the students aware of their grades and answer any questions they might have.
I have a college professor that read us a Dr. Seuss book and applied it to what we were learning is our geography class. It made what we were talking about a lot easier to understand and it made the lesson more interesting. The assessment for learning video talked about how teachers can help students want to learn, and what better way to do that then to make the lesson fun?
ReplyDeleteWill, Todd, and Kimberly Ruth
ReplyDeleteI have not had a teacher that has helped with the students individually like that, but I can see where it would be very helpful. That way you know where you stand in the class and know what you need to work on to do well.
I have only had one day of observation and so far the teacher I have been observing is a very good teacher. In his PE class he knows the students very well and he uses very good discipline. He had a study guide ready for the students also to make sure they learned their material.
ReplyDeleteTodd S., I had a college professor just like that and I think that is a great way for students to really learn what they need to work on. That 1 on 1 time is so important when it comes to becoming a better student and really becoming educated.
I haven't been placed yet, but I have been observing my professors at LU and I have notice that all of the professors that I have deemed as being "good professors" are all the professors how have expressed a genuine interest in who their students are and what makes them unique. I feel like this gives them a better perspective on how to reach each one of us better as an individual. This can also help the teacher know what kind of evaluation the students would perform best on.
ReplyDeleteRyan, not gunna lie. I'm jealous that you are observing a PE class. That sounds way more fun than a stuffy classroom.
I had a professor who used exit tickets - where you write down comments or questions about class that day and the teacher can answer the questions in the next class - and that allowed her to know if anyone was having trouble with a concept or if everyone understood it and it was time to move on. If we did not like the score we received on a test, paper, or project, we were given one day to re-do that section of the test for partial or full credit. It really helped reinforce the topics I did not fully understand.
ReplyDeleteJamie S.
ReplyDeleteI think professors who can relate material to something else that interests the students are the ones who really want the students to do well. It makes it much easier for students to grasp concepts when they are interested in the topic.
This semester I have a professor that uses does not assess us very well in our knowledge of the material being taught. We only have 600 points a semester and he has 2 midterms worth 100 points each, a final worth 200 points 2 papers worth 50 points each a presentation worth 50 and attendance worth 50 points. Every class all he does is lecture the material for an hour and 15 minutes. We rarely have discussion and if no one asks questions he will just keep moving. He has no small tests or quizzes he only has our midterms and final which make it extremely hard to grasp all the information. If you pass these tests you have reached a mastery level for his class. Yes the class is nice because we do not have a lot of hw but it is hard to pass because you have to retain large amounts of information for each test and then after the test you really do not remember anything so it is pretty useless in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteJamie
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the fact that when a professor or a teacher relates a subject being learned to something basic or something that everyone has heard of before it is a lot easier to remember. Learning is all about connections so if you can connect things it makes it easier to remember and understand.
This semester, I have a math teacher who is not the best. He tries to do problems on the board to help us but as soon as some one asks a questions that he doesnt know the answer to, he ignores them and moves on to the next problem. He grades our homwork by completion so I have no idea if what I am doing is correct. Also, some of the questions on the first test we took had nothing to do with what we learned
ReplyDeleteEileen,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. sitting in a class just listening to a lecture for over an hour can get really boring!
When I was watching the Teacher She would help the ones struggling and try to lead them in the right path but not tell them the answers because she still wanted to challenge them to find out on their own. For the students who were smarter and finished faster they would have to help out the other students at their table. If they were all ok they had to sit there quietly. The teacher would motivate them but she would also keep challenging them on their learning level, she would also motivate them when they would get down on themselves and want to give up. She would teach each topic to every student the best she could. This classroom had gifted kids, a kid with autism, on who could speak spanish and had trouble with english, and some with speech impediments. She taught to a very diverse class and all of them learned very well.
ReplyDeleteLauren B, I have had my fair share of teachers like that and when it came time for the teachers to be assessed by the administration upon how well the students learn in their classroom they were put on a teaching probation. All the kids that have ever had this one teacher say he's not a good teacher but a great coach and great man. It's very frustrating to have a teacher like that.
I have a professor who meets individually with thier students to discuss thier standing in the class. Within the meetings the professor shows they naturally care about the students success. They explain subjects that the student may have questions about and information about the student's individual grade.
ReplyDelete