Assessment is a key component in teaching and learning. The data collected guides our choices throughout the teaching and planning process. Throughout the course: Assessing and Improving Student Achievement with Technology, I spent quite a bit of time reflecting on my practices of assessment and reforming them with technology in mind.
The first artifact I chose to reflect upon is an assessment I created for students with regards to multiplication and division and how the two are related within the path of learning division. I spent time creating this assessment first on a Google Form. Then, I uploaded it onto an online digital assessment platform: Edulastic. The Google Form for assessment is not something I had previously used as an assessment tool. However, the ease of use when creating as well as the ability for sharing this assessment with my team, is something I am positive will elicit my continued use of Google Forms. I also found it extremely easy to see student responses and take data in a timely manner.
Here the link to this artifact. Formative Assessment - Google Form.
The second artifact I am highlighting is the Digital Badge I created with my students in mind. This digital badge came after we created a personalized pathway for student learning. The pathway was something new to me and really demonstrated to me the importance of student engagement to elicit motivation for learning. The ah-ha that occurred for me during this assignment and lesson was the understanding of the difference between differentiation and personalized learning. The main difference is the student centered nature of personalized learning. In pathways for personalized learning, students work at their own motivated pace. They are attempting activities that they have helped design with their teacher. At the end of the pathway, as students have demonstrated mastery of the standard, a digital badge for the skill can be awarded.
Here is the digital badge I created for context clues. I look forward to using personalized learning pathways in my classroom when we return to school in the fall.
- The history of grading is particularly important as I begin this new adventure with e Learning. Though the State Board of Education is mandating these days of learning to be "continuing to the next grade level", students are not to be "penalized" with grades on a specific assignment. therefore, what are the value in grades right now? How do we maintain the quality of expectations without an ability to quantify the student's work? Through motivation and intrinsic values we hope to have instilled or continue to instill in our students. As educators it is our hope that students want to learn more and try their very best to become a better version of themselves. This behavior needs encouraging however. Were grades doing that?
- Right now in my "classroom", or shall I say, collection of ZOOM web boxes with faces of my long lost students, the absence of grades is interesting to endure. Students are "turning in" assignments with the assistance of Google Classroom. Many are doing a fantastic job working to their fullest potential and receive nothing more than a "good job" in the private comment feature. Where many are turning in blank assignments with a hope "my teacher won't notice that I haven't done any of it, I turned it in." Either way, students are trying in their education for something other than a grade. In essence, their motivation is not reliant on a number on a standard ranking scale. They are achieving their level of education motivated by either themselves, or their parents. Either way, the absence of actual grades is making me really stop and recollect on the history of grades.
- The element of intrigue for me surrounds the beginning of education. As stated by Thom Hartmann in the article "for the love of learning", "The model of education from its earliest times was one of mentor-ship, starting with hunter-gatherers taking their children out on the hunt 100,000 years ago, all the way up to the teaching methods employed at the university founded by Thomas Jefferson." This concept or thought that you only continued education for career readiness is something of complete interest to me. It makes sense that we started here. Additionally, it makes sense that college and career readiness is another place we find ourselves in education today. At my school we actually just cancelled our recent addition to this college and career movement. Our Career Day has been the source of intrigue of many of or students on specific jobs or careers they could consider in their future. Parents will come and present to our 3rd and 4th graders about their careers and explain how students need the things they are learning in school to complete many of these jobs as they get older.
- Did the past Career Days instill a motivation in our students that grades could not? I'm not exactly sure. I wonder if by chance students continue to work towards their grade achievement based on motivation by their parents. I'm guessing parental support or criticism could impact performance in school more than grades themselves.
