In my EDUC 421 Assessment and Motivation class, I learned many things that I will take into my teaching career with me. The word assessment comes from the Latin word assidere, which means “to sit beside or with.” We can’t do a proper assessment of our students without getting to know them well and spending time with them.
Teachers have many roles in assessment including mentor, guide, accountant, reporter, and program director. The two good reasons for a teacher to ask questions in class are to cause thinking and to find out which direction they will go next. If everyone understands the work, the teacher can move on to the next lesson.
Instead of giving assessment at the end of a lesson or unit (Assessment of Learning), we now use Assessment as Learning, which is the student and teacher working together to find evidence of the individual student’s learning. This means there is no comparison to other students because the only reference points are the student’s own previous work and their new targets that they want to achieve.
The most important factor in a student’s learning is to find out what the learner already knows. It’s the teacher’s job to find this out and then to teach accordingly and plan lessons to ensure the student progresses.
One of my favourite assessment tools mentioned is Exit Slips. The teacher gives the students a very small piece of paper with a few questions from the lesson on it. This is a tool to understand which students have grasped the concepts that were taught that day. If some concepts need to be revisited because students didn’t understand, the exit slips will show this.
I will definitely be using the WALT, WILF, and TIB technique when I teach. Before doing a lesson, the teacher lets the students know exactly what they will be doing, what is expected of them, and why the lesson is important in their lives. Without that information the students may flounder because it may seem confusing and not important.
- WALT – We are learning to…..
- WILF – What I’m looking for…..
- TIB – This is because….
Other techniques that I learned and will be using are:
- Using popsicle sticks to choose random groups
- Give students a few minutes to think or discuss with their partner before they need to report to the class. They can report on what their partner thought so it’s less stressful.
- Once the student finishes answering, ask if anyone else has anything to add. This ensures that everyone can give their answers.
- Giving hints instead of answers is more effective for students learning. By recalling the answers, they increase their storage strength.
