Watch the Video from 24:45 until 34:20
Hallmarks of a Learner-Centered Assessment
Comment on the Following
1. -How can you break down walls between assessment and learning?
2. -What is one way (make a small move) you can make assessment a process and not an event in your Science curriculum this year?
3. - Give one example of an embedded assessment in Science
4. - What is one way to give students more responsibility with assessment in your Science instruction?
At the end of the year in first grade, we plant a classroom garden and document the growth through a planting journal. After reading and learning about plants, the students select 2 fruits and vegetables and 2 flowers to plant individually, and tend to their "garden" as needed. They also document the care of their plants and the changes that are taking place throughout the last few weeks of school in a student created writing journal. They share their journal writings and individual plants with their peers, and take home their finished products at the end of the year. The students are great writers and great scientists by the end of the year, and love to share with their peers and families when the times comes. With this task, the students are responsible for documenting their growth in their journals, as well as to water and rotate their plants in the sun. When reflecting on this type of learning, I think that an embedded assessment is one tool to help meet the needs of the students in my class, and actually offer quite a bit of information about the learning taking place. I think that at a young age, such as the students in my first grade class, they do need a lot of direction and guidance to be a successful learner, but there is still room for learner centered assessments when appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI think the key to breaking down the barriers between assessment and learning is to have students do more performance tasks and less written tests. Maybe add a performance task to the written test if necessary. Once you say the word "test" mto an elementary student all he or she wants to know is what is on the test so they can get the answers right.
ReplyDeleteThe above answer is also how we make assessment a process and not an event. Performance tasks dont have to be evaluated upon their completion. Observing students at different points should give you an idea of their understanding.
An example of an embedded assessment is the essay I mentioned in an earlier post. Students begin writing the essay as they learn of the respiratory system. It is ongoing with the learning and teaching does not stop for hte assessment.
Giving students more responsibility can be as simple as giving students more choice. Allowing them to choose topics, make decisions based on their beliefs or how to proceed can all allow students to flourish. Also more peer review of other's work is another idea.
I totally agree with the idea of giving students more choices to encourage them to be more responsible!! I find it very difficult in my first grade class to have the students branch out and make choices on their own, as they have never been given the opportunity to have that type of responsibility. With this in mind, one can see how difficult it is to complete any type of individual performance tasks without the direct guidance and supervision of a teacher. Right from the beginning of our school year, we begin to work on student performance tasks and encourage the students to take an active role in their learning, and ten months later, most students have made significant gains as an independent learner! Overall, I think once given the opportunities, the students enjoy making their own decisions and using their beliefs to grow as learners.
DeletePerfectly stated Mark!
DeleteThe chore of breaking down the walls between assessment and learning is easier for science in my opinion because science lends itself to being more of a process then an event when it comes to assessing the students. I know I have mentioned this in previous posts, but utilizing the STEM lab really drives that point. The demonstration we did last week regarding the straw rockets was instruction, learning and assessment all wrapped up into one fun activity. The students were engaged, the task was authentic, and the students were able to act as engineers, and scientists by designing a rocket, testing it out and drawing conclusions based on the results. As far as giving the students more responsibility, that can be done by letting them choose a problem to investigate (within a certain guideline), or allowing them choose one of the elements of STEM and research a career in that field. We are having a STEM Career Fair this Friday in our building for the students. I believe there are going to be a variety of vendors set up and the students will have the ability to talk to a professional in that area and learn more about the career options. There is a post career fair reflection that the students will be responsible to complete in addition to attending the event.
ReplyDeleteKids today are tested way to much. I think the one major component of breaking down these barriers is to continue to make school and science as fun as possible without testing the kids all the time. The kids understand their obligation of "testing" as a meaning to close out a chapter or unit. Hands on authentic assessments are a great way of testing the kids. We recently did a unit on how to measure the volume of certain objects. The kids were working in groups weighing rocks on the triple beam balance, then adding water to a beaker, then adding and subtracting their results all while talking and discussing the process with their peers. It was great just to walk around the room and listen to the "learning" taking place. The entire time we were assessing the kids and stopping to ask to direct questions such as "what do you think will happen? why?".
ReplyDeleteThe kids are the ones that are in charge of their results. We will give them choices as to how they can get their answers.Example: you can get the weight of the object my either using the triple beam balance, graduated cylinder, using the formula, etc. Kids love having the opportunity to use their strengths when finding a solution to a problem.
There are a variety of ways you can break down the walls between assessments and learning. One way is by implementing assessments that are authentic and embedded. This can create more effective science instruction in the classroom. It is essential to incorporate assessments that continue the learning process. One small move I can make is to work with the General Education Teacher and recreate a stand-alone assessment we had planned to use in science. In December, we will be focusing on the Amazon Rainforest. We will be learning about the plants and animals that live in the Amazon. A summative assessment we could use would be to have the students create an Amazon Rainforest “shoebox” display that includes important plants and animals that live in this rainforest. The students can write what animals and plants they included in their shoebox and discuss their role in the rainforest. They can also share their final project with the class. This summative assessment could definitely replace a stand-alone assessment and also incorporates ELA.
ReplyDeleteEmbedded assessments are more creative and effective in the learning environment than stand-alone assessments. They take place over a period of time and do not stop the learning process. There may be multiple formative assessments that lead to a summative task with embedded assessments. Some examples include, hands on learning, projects, research, rubrics, and useful feedback. We can give students more responsibility in science by incorporating more experiments that require them to do the majority of the work. One example of an embedded assessment we have used is the scientific method experiment. This required the students to complete an experiment in groups by following the steps. Experiments in science are a great way to give students more responsibility.
Using the scientific method in experiments is a great form of embedded assessment that can be used throughout the year. This is very helpful to students preparing for theLiving Environment Regents.
DeleteTo break down barriers between learning and assessment we as teachers need to be more comfortable at making assessment an ongoing process. For example instead of giving a written quiz on using a microscope at the end of a topic, teachers could create a check list and assess students as they perform labs that require microscope use. I feel this a very easy way to switch from the traditional formal assessment model.
ReplyDeleteAn example of embedded assessment that I use would be the use of various models and identifying them. Early on in my local Environmental Science course I teach students the different models used in science: graphical, physical, mathematical, conceptual and decision making. Throughout the year we do several activities that incorporate one or more of these models. I basically asses the students informally if they can recognize what model is used in each of the activities.
In terms of giving students more responsibility, I use a biome project with students where they have a choice as to how they will present their findings. They can create a skit, brochure, poster, PowerPoint, or even write a song. I feel all these options allow student to show what they have learned using a presentation form that fits their learning style or interests.