Assessment for Learning
EDU650: Teaching Learning and Leading in the 21st Century
Assessment
Assessment is a common aspect of each and every classroom. In the twenty-first century classroom, assessment for learning is essential to ensure that students are mastering key skills.
In the video: Assessment of learning we are given the following big five focuses on the major skills of the curriculum: Analytical, conceptual, information management, communication, and meta-cognitive (the working of Gordan Svanelid). This will help us understand how they play into the five strategies that Rystad (2103) was pointing out.
Key Strategies from video
Your own ideas about both formative and summative assessments
I think both formative and summative assessments are good and can work together in a classroom. If formative is more driven by what happens along the way and summative is the end results then I think when you put the two together your are not only being measured by what you do but how well you do in the end.
How both sets of ideas could be implemented to create an effective classroom environment-
The perfect example of the formative and summative assessments are what we use here at Ashford University. Each week, we have discussions that we are to respond to as well as responding to our classmates. We are assessed through our responses and questions asked by both our classmates and instructor then through an assignment or quiz that is also given to help measure our level of understanding which would be formative assessment. At the end of the course we are given a grade based on what we have accomplished throughout the course of the class which would be summative assessment.
Two stars and a wish
A couple of points Rystad (2013) made that really stood out for me were: The “Two stars and a wish:” feedback that focuses on two things a student has done well and one area which need to be improved. I appreciated this because often times teachers point out to students what they need to improve on but forget about what they do or did well on. There needs to be a balance.
The best feedback is.....
I also appreciated Rystad’s (2013) point regarding: “The best feedback is not the feedback given to the student, but the one that is given to the teacher.” Collect and read the work of the class, then plan and adjust your next lesson to meet student’s needs. I believe as a teacher it is important to receive feedback on the way in which students are being taught. To make sure that they were in fact getting something out of the lessons based on the way in which it was presented. Just as it is important for teachers to receive feedback, it is equally important that they take that feedback to learn and grow from it, not look at it as strikes against them.
See three before me
Finally, C3B4ME= See three before me…Train students to always check three different sources before asking the teacher for help (Rystad, 2013). I loved this one because it is always too easy for students to come to the teacher for help instead of turning to resources to find the answer or to figure it out. Sometimes the information a student needs is right in front of them, if they just look.
References
Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Rystad, M. (2013, April 7). Assessment for learning [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcLMlY6R7RM