Well, look at us. Finally coming to the end of the course. I love the consistency that these ETE courses have. While reading through the chapter, I couldn't help but think of my ETE 371 course that I took last year. While we covered many of the same strategies as were discussed in the chapter, this book really breaks it down quite nicely. When I think about how quickly we covered all of that material in a 2-week course, it makes me glad to have this refresher so close to student teaching.
Anyway, let's move on to the reflection, shall we? One of the things that really stood out to me was how each example of student assessment had both an "advantages" and a "disadvantages" paragraph. Because, truth be told, there is no perfect assessment; at least not one that I have found. It's important to know the pluses and minuses that go along with each type of assessment so that we can plan accordingly, and apply what we know about our students to the type of test we choose. When it really comes down to it, I think that choosing the appropriate assessment strategy should depend significantly on what will work best for our students, and less about what is easiest or most convenient for us as teachers.
Secondly, I really enjoyed the breakdown of creating assessments based on the objectives that we write. I feel like this should have been obvious to me, but it really wasn't. When I was novice teaching, I wrote a couple of tests over the Civil War. At the time, I thought they were good tests—and they were for the most part. But, looking back, I didn't do enough to align the assessment with the objectives. My objectives were full of take-aways that I hoped the students would get; the tests were just about "how much do you remember?" What a poor assessment. It makes me wish I would have taken this course before I novice taught in a middle school. While I scored high marks, I don't know that I benefited the students near as much as I thought I did.
Overall, I really enjoyed this chapter in what it pointed out to me: no test is perfect, plan accordingly, and never settle for what's easy. While none of us is embarking on this new path so that we can kick our feet up as we copy and paste lessons from year to year, I can guarantee we've all had teachers in our lives who didn't plan lessons/assessments according to us as students, and definitely keep things fresh in the classroom. Let's all strive to not be that kind of teacher.
Colleen: Mr. Daugherty I agree that it is a wonderful feeling to work hard in class and finally reach the end! While reading your blog I noticed that we actually agreed on many aspects of this chapter as well. I loved your statement that there is no perfect test. I too appreciated the section on the advantages and disadvantages of each text type. I also appreciated the examples that it provided so that we could picture different ways to use each assessment.
ReplyDeleteI too received a middle school placement for my first novice teaching experience and I was extremely nervous for my first day. After some time I came to love my students and the wonderful lessons I received are what prompted me to take this class. However, like you, I wish I had completed this class before working in a middle school. I remember writing science tests that at the time I thought were pretty good, I mean I was still learning, but I thought I was doing alright. Now that I have read this section I just feel like I could have created even better tests for my students. I guess that is why I am in school! Your blog was very insightful and you have a flair for words. It was a pleasure reading your blog.