Cathy Ziebarth Chapter 13 Reflection

Ideas Reading chapter 13 I was reminded of the importance of assessment by the teacher and the multiple ways that can be achieved. One statement that stood out was, “teachers need to be knowledgeable of the purposes, uses, and values of different assessment techniques and understand how they affect the learner” (Woolfold-Hoy, 2—4, p. 563). Some of those assessments include: formative, diagnostic, pre-assessments, and summative assessment. An end of unit multiple choice tests may be one method of summative assessment. Teacher should have assessment interwoven throughout the instruction. Formative assessment should be used to gather information and check student progress. The teacher could then use that information to make adjustments in instruction. A diagnostic assessment allows the teacher to anticipate student difficulty. I have recently seen the value of pre-assessment. It has allowed me to tailor instruction to a specific class based on student knowledge, and it also helps the students understand the direction we are going the necessity to cover the information. The most important reason for assessments is for reflection. This gives the teacher the opportunity to make changes and guide future instruction.

Implementation of a technology idea. I was very interested in Mrs. Blake’s world history class assignment. I recently used an idea from our textbook to have students create a technology booklet. I am currently in the process of assessing the lesson and thinking about what changes need to be made. The idea of posing the question; what are some of the most important technological inventions impacting civilization? would make an interesting lesson, especially comparing a 6th graders response to a 7th and 8th grader. Using the internet to research, and possibly integrating this into the technology booklet would enhance the lesson even more. We could use Smart Art graphics to organize and illustrate the information.

Concerns Participating in an assessment class this semester I became more aware of the importance of assessment and was reminded through this chapter, the variety of ways to assess, and realized the impact it has on student achievement and learning. I’m concerned that I don’t always do a good job reaching the specific achievement targets that Stiggins (2005) talked about. Knowledge seems to be straight forward and easy to assess. I frequently have projects (performance skills) to assess, but should incorporate rubrics more. I’m concerned that I should do more in the assessment area. I know that teaching is an ever evolving skill, and I can always work to be better and incorporate new learning such as better assessment techniques.