Module 6 - Student Assessment

Student assessment has come a long way in the last decade or so. When I was in elementary school (several decades ago), student assessment generally consisted of taking a written test after being taught a lesson, chapter, or unit. The assessment was always graded for accuracy, and its purpose was to show how much information I had retained. It was rarely, if ever, used to help the teacher assess his or her teaching methods.

This module has helped me think about student-centered assessment in a whole new way. If teachers will adapt their assessment methodologies toward actually assessing how their students learn, then everyone in the classroom wins - student engagement increases and real learning occurs.

So, how do we make this shift as educators? We must learn to think about and assess our students' individual learning styles and interests. We must reflect on the 21st century skills our students will need to be successful in life. Next, we must design lessons that will engage our students and equip them to succeed. It is imperative that we move beyond the same old assessments and standardized tests that we likely experienced in the classroom. 

Fortunately, there are many technological tools available that will make this feat easier for busy educators. There are tools online, many of them free, that will assist educators as they assess their students' passions, learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses. Teachers are empowered to create simple surveys and administer them virtually to students, and data is captured and recorded to be used for many purposes, including teacher reflection. This will allow teachers to fine tune lessons that will capture the attention of their students and deliver content that is timely, relevant, and engaging.

In my future classroom, I plan to use Google Forms to administer a survey at the start of every school year. I will ask my students simple questions about themselves that will allow me to determine their learning styles, interests, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses. This will help me tailor lessons, group projects, and assignments that will meet their individual and collective needs. I will reassess students midyear and end of year to monitor our progress.

I also plan to use Quizlet and Kahoot! to help me hone in on specific areas of weakness in my students' understanding. These fun and engaging tools will allow me to assess my students' content knowledge and see if I need to review material or move instruction in a new direction.

Module 2 - Curricular Frameworks Reflection

According to Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy, there are six levels of cognitive learning.  These six levels are applying, remembering, analyzing, understanding, creating, and evaluating. 

The wording in the taxonomy was changed from the original noun form to verbs. Also, when thinking of the levels of learning, it is more helpful to think of them as working cogs which center around the main cog, creating, rather than in the original pyramid form.

Lower order thinking involves remembering, understanding, and applying, while higher order thinking involves analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

"Skills are needed in the 21st century that go beyond basic literacy. Students must be able to read critically, write persuasively, think and reason logically, and solve complex problems. A successful 21st-century student must also be adept at managing information—finding, evaluating, and applying new content understanding with great flexibility." (www.21stcenturyskills.org)

The 4Cs are learning and innovation skills that will help students succeed in today's technological world. These essential skills include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

Critical Thinking involves analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, making decisions, and solving problems.

Communication can be written, verbal, or multimedia messages. Students must be able to share information with others while expressing their thoughts and opinions clearly. Strong listening and evaluating skills to aid collaboration are essential.

Collaboration includes the ability to work well with others to accomplish a goal while remaining flexible and sharing group responsibility.

Creativity encompasses abilities such as brainstorming, refining ideas, being responsive to ideas from others, and making ideas tangible and useful to others.

With Bloom's revised taxonomy and 21st century skills in mind, educators must create lessons that encourage students to explore and master these abilities. Group projects which allow students to effectively communicate and collaborate with others are essential to their success. Students should also be introduced to complex problems to solve and allowed flexibility in choosing technological tools to work with to accomplish their goals.

In my future classroom, I plan to have a project each quarter that requires students to analyze and evaluate a problem. Students will be required to work together using technology to find a creative solution to their problem while engaging the 4Cs in their daily activities.