No Excuse University
Assessment
"Assessment is not about you as a teacher, it is about your students" (Lopez, 2013, p.97)
My mindset has not been changed but definitely validated. Assessments are designed to gather information to show the knowledge that a student has obtained in a particular subject. The results acquired from the assessment are supposed to provide teachers with ways to better educate their students. Lopez's quote hits home because I am having to remind myself daily that the service I provide as a student advisor is intended to help my students be successful. I might not provide my students with physical assessments but I find myself having to assess conversations that I have daily. Every time I speak to a student I have to quickly assess our conversation to figure our what the root of the problem is so that I can hopefully provide solutions that will be in the student's best interest.
Four Questions to Consider under "Defending our Assessment Practices" (Lopez, 2013, p.98) Four Questions to Consider:
- Why are you participating in the assessments that you use with students?
- Can you share in explicit detail the value that you find in each assessment?
- Do you participate in assessments that you find no value in for students?
- Are you using an assessment you have no idea how to deliver, but are afraid to ask for help with?
How might you use these questions in your current or anticipated practices?
Personally, these questions are ones that I currently ask myself when new policies or procedures come out at my current place of work. To be able to execute whatever is being required of me there has to be a certain level of understanding. If I am unable to answer the questions that are listed above then I am more resistant to the change that is being requested. By reviewing questions such as listed above then I can make sure that I am providing my students with world class service and making students feel like they are involved in their educational process.
What value might it add to your practice by keeping these questions in mind?
These questions are valuable because they spark the desire to know more and ask more questions. Also these questions could be valuable in my current practice because they open room for collaboration to take place. To make sure that we are all on bored then having open dialogue and receiving different ideas would help.
What ways have your succeeded/failed to make students your partner in assessment?
A failure that I can see is that as a student advisor I find myself taking the conversations or emails "personal". When I make the frustration or worry about me then I am no longer partnering my students but I'm working against them. By taking myself out of the conversation or email then I am able to work with my student and accomplish success.