Post 7 – Effective Assessments
Most of you have already begun your classroom observation. The next few blog entries will be based upon what you see in the classroom in which you are observing. If you have not started your observation, answer the questions by observing the assessment practices of one or more of your Lindenwood professors. Please do not use names of teachers, professors or students.
How does the teacher assess the progression of the students’ learning? How does the teacher determine a need for further instruction? How does the teacher determine and document when a student reaches mastery of a learning objective?
I have posted a youtube presentation by Rick Stiggins about Assessment For Learning. Take 6 minutes and watch the youtube - it will help you know what to look for in your classroom.
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The teacher that I am observing is a great lady and always shows great enthusiasm while teaching her subject (Spanish). She takes mini quizzes that are worth very little points to see where everyone is in the matter (which is very respectable) and she to decide if they need further instruction, just the other day she sat the students down and asked if they had any feedback (although some students might have held back because it wasn't anonymous). To be honest, I'm not sure what she does in order to know if everybody is on the same page, I think that her quizzes and feedback are all that she needs and then she proceeds unless someone needs attention in a certain area, she lets students know that she is accessible for talking with and she's approachable for a student in my opinion so students aren't intimidated by asking questions.
ReplyDeleteI have not started my practicum yet so I'll just talk about a teacher I had last semester. Everyday she would start by telling us what we would be learning about. After the class she would pass out a paper (every class) that asks you to list something important that you learned in class that day as well as anything you still have questions on. She would then start the next class by answering those questions. Our major assessment was a thematic unit. We were graded then given the opportunity to fix our mistakes. The goal was learning not the stress of a big final exam. It really made the class enjoyable and in my opinion I gained more from this class.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Dana...
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that your teacher does mini-quizzes is great. If someone needs help, she doesnt have to wait until the end of unit test, she knows what she needs to fix along the way.
To Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree about getting more out of the class when the teacher prepares you mentally about what you are going to learn about in class that day. I think it's essential to have a little bit of mental time to prepare themselves about what's going on.
I am observing a Catholic School Religion teacher for my practicum. One of the classes she teaches is a specific class called life choices, which is for seniors only. In class today, we were discussing to sacrament of marriage and that led to contraception. That topic is a very controversial one, to say the least. I was watching very closely to the students reactions to what she said, and how they responded. She let the girls speak their mind and start a debate, as long as it was on topic and led to further discussion. I asked her after class how she knows when to draw the line. She explained to me that no matter what the topic, high school students do not like to be told that they are wrong, and that they can't do something. She explained that you have to give them the knowledge and hope that they will one day stop fighting it. Pick your battles.
ReplyDeleteShe showed me that debate is an important part of learning, but it cannot distract from the lesson by trying to have a "winner". You must challenge the students, but don't fight with them.
Dana,
ReplyDeleteAs a student, quizes totally freak me out, but from a teacher's viewpoint, I can see where they are beneficial. In your teacher's case, they are very beneficial, but it they were giving them just to freak their students out, and make them panic, then they are doing it for the wrong reason. So your spanish teacher is being an effective teacher! YAY!!
The teacher I was observing was great and she always very excited to teach something new to the four year olds. The teacher asses the progression of the students by setting up real life examples. For example, the teacher taught the students a resturant lesson that went over the manners needed in a resturant. She had a minature kitchen set up, and the students took turns playing in the kitchen. In the kitchen got to use the manners that they learned. If the students didn't do something good like say "please" or "thank you", the teacher would correct them and explain the importance to good manners. It was hard for my teacher to determine and document when the student reached mastery of learning subject because they are four year olds, but she watched them carefully and made sure that each student got a good amount of time in the kitchen to work on their manners.
ReplyDeleteI'm yet to start my practicum, so I will just talk about one of my professors this semester.
ReplyDeleteHe gives us tests and papers to write to assess the progression of our learning.
He determines a need for further instruction by watching us closely. If we don't understand something, he tries his best to restate it in several ways until we understand it. He'll sometimes ask questions and if we aren't saying anything, he repeats the information dealing with the question.
He determines and documents when a student reaches mastery of a learning objective when we receive a high grade. He also writes something encouraging at the top, like, "Great Job!" etc.
If a lot of us missed a question on the test, he'll go over it in class so we know what we did wrong and not to make the same mistake next time.
In response to Dana..
ReplyDeleteThe teacher you're observing sounds great!
I hope you're really enjoying your time spent with her-even if you don't want to be a teacher. :)
I'm glad to hear she's enthusiastic and approachable. :)
Sadly, I have not been placed yet, so I have not been placed, so I will talk about a professor I had last semester and currently have this semester.
ReplyDeleteMy professor is teaching subject matter that could be very difficult to master. However, to ensure that his class is grasping the key concepts he assigns homework every week that all touch on the concepts the class is supposed to be learning. During the week he encourages the students to stop by his office if they have questions on the homework, and then collects out work at the end of the week. So far the class has had two tests. For both tests all I had to do was study the homework and review some of the material in the textbook.
There have been a few occasions that the professor has realized that the class has not grasped a concept because most of us get a problem wrong on the homework. He will devote part of the lecture time to explaining what we didn't understand. It is from the homework grades and the test grades that he determines whether or not the class is catching on.
In response to Dana
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that your teacher is giving mini quizzes. I have always found that when I have a teacher who does that it takes a good chunk of the stress I have away when I have to take a big test in the class.
In response to Bonnie "Katy" Davis
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that your teacher takes time to go over things that you guys missed on your homework because that shows that he cares about your grades, and he wants you to succeed on the test. I have had plenty of teachers in high school that didn't even grade our homework and just graded it based on completion. Also, it was difficult because these teachers wouldn't even go over it in class. The kids that didn't understand the homework would wind up doing bad on the test.
I am observing a sixth grade English class for my practicum, and I've been really impressed with how controlled the classroom is. The teacher has about one big project due at the end of the week (this past week it was a short expository paper). During the week their homework was all based on completing another step in the writing process, and in class she would go around to see where they were and if they had specific areas (such as grammar) that she needed to cover more thoroughly in class. The kids know that she is always very open to helping them if they need it.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Katy P.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that your teacher is willing to have open class discussion on such a controversial topic; I've had some teachers in the past who are willing to lecture on their views concerning why a certain topic is right or wrong, but not allow the students to share their opinions. I definitely think more is learned when the students are given a chance to defend their views and hear others' thoughts on the subject.
I am observing a 1st grade class. The teacher tests them in math once a week and reading once a week. They take books home every night to read and at the end of the week she listens to them read one on one. It is good that she listens to them one on one but I am not sure that she uses it to her advantage with the kids that are having trouble reading. I have not seen her change anything to help them. She records what she needs in her grade book and will choose new stories for the next week.
ReplyDeleteHow the teacher access his students is he goes step by step with any intructions that he will give them and after giving them step by step intructions he will not move on until everyone has shown a progression in the specific them they are working on. If he feels that the stdents are just not picking up well in that area he will try to work individually with that student to make sure they understand everything. He feels that a student understands the material when everyone can perform the task given with little to no mistake.
ReplyDeleteIn response to what Katie P. said...
ReplyDeleteI think would have been a very objective topic to talk about. I think your teacher is right when she said that high school students don't like to be told they are wrong because I remember as a high school atudent I hated to be told I am wrong. I like that a catholic teacher told you to pick your battles, were their boys in the class room?
In response to Kathleen,
ReplyDeleteI like the way your teacher lets her students know that she is there to help and I like the way she handles the writing process.
I have started my practicum and I really like the class I am observing in. They are a great group of students and they listen quite well. The teacher I am observing is really cool. He is super nice and he answers any questions I have.
ReplyDeleteI think he assesses the students really well. They are usually in individual reading groups when I get there and he pulls the groups to the side on the days their reading assignment is due and asks them questions about the chapters they read. He makes sure he keeps up on the reading which is really nice. Even though their are 4 or 5 groups with different books he reads everyone of them so he can answer any questions they have.
Also, with other subjects such as math and science he keeps a short amount of time at the end of the day to go back over the things they covered and he kind of plays a game with them to see how much they know. He will ask a question and quickly ask a student to answer. They have to hurry and answer it and then they get to call on any student in the class to answer the next one..
I think it works really well and i really like his way of interacting with the students..
In response to Kathleen Wagner,
ReplyDeleteHow do you think she keeps her room so controlled??
I am observing a 3rd grade class. The teacher I am observing is awesome! She is really excited for me to be doing education and she is so enthusiatic about her job and making sure I am understanding why things are being done in a certain way and or pattern. She has great control of the classroom and the children. They are very well behaved and she has several differnt fun ways to get there attention back to her! I think the students will and are getting a lot of learning from her!
ReplyDeleteI haven't started my practicum yet, but i will explain what one of my teachers at school does. He starts off every class by just giving a small brief lecture about what we went over the last time, and asks if anyone has any questions. He makes it easy to keep up with and follow cause each week we do a new chapter, so we know what to expect when we go to class. At the begiining of the semester he has us take an assessment test to see how far along we are in the subject. He can tell if we need further instruction about a topic, when he gives a couple assignments during the week and he collects them but just uses them as a participation grade. If he can see that everyone struggeled with this then he will continue going over the topic in class. He will ask us if we are comfortable and understand what he's telling us and if someone says no he will simply go over the topic in more detail, or at least in simpler terms. He is really good about making sure that we all know what he's talking about and that no one is left behind confused.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Michelle...that is awesome that u are placed with such a great teacher! I haven't started mine yet, but I hope my teacher does as well with me and the students, as yours is doing with you and hewr students!
ReplyDeleteI havent started my practicm yet so this is about one of my teachers.. Everyday at the beginning of class we talk about what we have been learning. This isnt totally necessary, but we do go through a chapter every week so it nice. We also have quizes every friday about what we have been learning and tests over a few chapters. He really makes sure we all know the information were intended to know.
ReplyDeleteI havent started my practicum yet so this will be about one of my teachers. In one of my classes everyday the teacher starts off reviewing what we went over the class period before and what information we need to retain. He then tells us what we are going to talk about during that class period. He have quized every friday and then tests over a few chapters. I really like this way of doing things because I learn the material and remember it.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Melanie.. I dont know about you but that is the best way I learn material. Sometimes its really boring because they go over the material so many times but honestly Im glad.
ReplyDeleteI haven't started my practicum yet, but I did finally get placed today (yay, so I'll be talking about one of my professors. Everyday before we start on new material, my teacher will go over what we learned the class before and ask if we understood something. She'll ask if we had any questions over the reading and go over anything we didn't understand. She also goes over our tests and talks about questions that a vast majority of the class got wrong. Sometimes, she gets a little scatterbrained during lessons but she always back tracks and makes sure we sum everything up.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Katy P.
ReplyDeleteIn in awe of the teacher you've been placed with. Even in public schools birth control is a controversial topic, so for a religious class to be able to discuss the topic so openly really says a lot to me. She sounds like a wonderful teacher and I'm sure your learning all kinds of things from her. I only hope my teacher is that helpful.
I started observing at a kind of bad time. They just did solo and ensemble so for the past few weeks they have just even working with small groups so its been a little different than normal. However I think it is good that I got to see how she had them work. She had each ensemble go into a private practice room and throughout the hour she would go through and coach each ensemble. Each time she helped them she started where she left off. They fixed one thing and would go onto another.
ReplyDeletein response to Michelle Spencer..
ReplyDeleteI think to teach 3rd grade if your teacher wasn't enthusiastic she wouldn't be very effective. I know my 3rd grade teacher was enthusiastic and I loved her so much!
I haven't stated my practicum yet but I can base my answer off what I see in my classes. I notice that a lot of teachers here don't really look at individual progress, in college it tends to be more about the average. In one of my classes, the whole entire class isn't doing very well so instead of helping students he just gives huge curves on the grades and he makes it very clear that if you're confused you're on the right take. However, another teacher I have is completely opposite. She starts every class by briefly discussing what the last class was about and then makes sure everyone is on the right page.
ReplyDelete@ Darron Bardot
ReplyDeleteI really think that is how a teacher should be. They should be concerned if their students know the material or not. Yes, it is a students responsiblity to learn somethings on their own, but they should be able to count on their teacher as a resource.
I am observing in a fifth grade classroom and I am having a great time. The teacher is always very energetic and enthusiastic with all of her students. She uses a lot of group work to help the students learn information. After numerous group work activities and the class working on things as a whole, she usually gives an assessment test to see where everyone truely stands on their on. If the grades are not to her level, she then will reteach it with a new approach. She truely looks out for the best for her students and this makes her the great teacher that she is and the students all lover her.
ReplyDeleteI am observing in a fifth grade classroom and I love the teacher in the class. She is very entusiastic and energetic with her students. She uses a lot of group work activities to help her students learn. After the students work together she usually has them go over their answers as a whole class. After a lot of practice and she feels comfortable with her students level of learning, she will then give a test or quiz for them to complete individually. If the students did not appear to fully understnd the information then she will reteach the lesson with a different approach. All of the students love her and she truely cares about their learning.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Michelle Spencer,
ReplyDeleteYour observing experience sounds a lot like mine! I love seeing all of the teachers methods for getting the students involved and keeping school fun for young kids. Good Luck with the rest of your time!
I have had many teachers to base the progression of students learning on various quizzes and tests. They will see how well everyone did on such quizzes or tests and see if they need to go over certain areas again. They never really make sure that they master the subject just that the students understand it enough to move on in the class.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Sarah Tegarden...
ReplyDeleteI think that is a great way to teach. It shows that the teacher truly cares about her students. That is a teacher I am sure that every parent would love to have teaching their teacher.
I have not started my observations yet, so I will talk about one of my current professors. The professor assesses the students by giving a quiz before the test. The students get to work on the quiz with another student. This helps me out because I learn by talking things out with people. Another way the professor assesses the students is by giving tests after 2-3 chapters. The professor mentally determines if a student knows the material really well by the quizzes that are given. I don't think there is any documentation of this.
ReplyDeletein response to Jordan Roche
ReplyDeleteI agree with teachers not really making sure students master a subject, but they make sure students know enough to move on. I think this happens more in college than in any other grade level.
I have not started my practicum yet but a teacher that I have here at lindenwood will have random times when they will ask the class a bunch of questions and if no one can answer more than a few of the questions he goes back over the material and asks us what we feel we need the most work on. He determines if we have reached a mastery level by giving us a final exam and whether or not we pass.
ReplyDeleteto Michelle....
ReplyDeleteThat is really cool that you have such a cool teacher to observe. I have not been placed yet but I hope I am lucky enough to get a teacher as cool as your's sounds.
I have not started the practicum yet either, but I just had a very weird experience last week for one of my midterms. It tok place in an education class, so it baffled me even more that this happened. My teacher had told us that the midterm would cover everything we've learned so far, and to have a basic understanding of what we have learned. Us students took this to mean that we don't have to memorize the little minuscule details like dates and obscure stats. But that was what the WHOLE test consisted of!! It was insane, and we ALL failed the test.
ReplyDeleteI have not started the practicum yet but so far in my experience at Lindenwood one of my teachers stands out more than others. I think the intentions are good but the teaching methods of this teacher dont excite or encourage the students learning very much. Each class is lecture after lecture each which are confusing and very unfocused which makes it difficult to follow the lecture. The class average of the last test given was near a 60% and about 90% of the students could not understand why everything they studied wasnt on the test. What confused me even more was that the teacher really didnt have any concerns about the grades in the class or advice to give us as to how to improve our next test grades.
ReplyDeleteI am observing a previous teacher of mine. He has a very good grasp on how to effectively teach his students. Watching from the other side of the fence has really shown me how much planning and effort he puts forth in his lesson plans. Every day he goes through exercises that have to do with the subject at hand, and if a student does not understand he goes back over it. This was a very effective way for me to learn.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Deanne,
ReplyDeleteI had a math teacher like that. He would tell you a certain type of problem would be on the test or that everything on a test would be covered in class. Well we didnt always get to everything and this resulted in a lot of bad grades.
In response to Angela,
ReplyDeleteI am the same way. I work best with peers and discussing things. It is unfortunate that lectures are the way I DON'T learn, because it seems that this is the teaching style of most professors here.
First Semester at UMSL my english teacher did a good job of of introducing a paper topic by giving us short stories to read and doing mini assignments. We would go through a writing process that would include all assignments and rough drafts. To determine how we are doing she would set up appointments with each student to see how we are doing. She always willing to give extra time to help us. Based on how well are papers are determined if we mastered the assignment.
ReplyDeleteSome of my teachers at Lindenwood have very little interaction with the students. They say in the beginning how to reach them but you never hear them offer help anymore, you have to just ask yourself. Any feedback that you want you have to ask youself, with the exception of you Mrs. Bishop lol.
ReplyDeleteI have found that my favorite teachers at Lindenwood are the education professors. And I don't think that is a conincidence. Others are either too hard or too easy. I get frustrated easily with teachers and in college you see the most broad range of personalities and standards to be met. One of the professors I'm dealing with now has 0 understanding of absences. For example, I was very sick last week with a fever & sinus infection. I still recieved a 10 point reduction beccause it was my first absence. There was nothing I could have done about being sick, I didn't want to be around others when I was contagious. I found the 10 points lost was not necessary because I missed an entire chapter of lecture. We have a huge exam tomorrow (don't even get me started on the exams 'toughness' scale, it is utterly ridiculous!) and I am feeling the pain of missing that one class because I don't feel confident about that chapter. I feel that that is punishment alone for not being in class.
ReplyDeleteCertain teachers are strict on their policies and I completely understand that. However, there has to be a side of you that cares for your students and wants to seem them do well. I don't believe that at this level of education, pitty punishments like point deductions for each absence is necessary. Students should not be scared to miss class because they are extrememly sick.
On exam days, she has absolutely no sympathy if you're not there. You recieve a zero on the test. She said that if you are in the hospital, she doesn't care. I understand no make-up tests but there has to be rules and exceptions that allow your students to feel comfortable and cared for. I don't feel that way in this class and I feel as though the exams alone are tough enough, let alone dealing with her strict attendance policies!
In response to Deanne Glenn-
ReplyDeleteYour experience sounds familiar. It is so frustrating how some teachers don't or can't put themselves in our shoes. It baffles me to think that this was an education professor! I'm sorry that happened & I hope that someone was willing to politely speak with him/her and ask what happened?
Steven Parks,
ReplyDeleteNo there weren't any boys. It is an all girl school. I really would have liked to hear what boys would have said in this kind of debate, and see how they react to the teacher! Good point!!