Reflecting on your assessment practice
The completing of the questionnaire was truly a time of
introspection for me. I was placed in a mood of self-analysis and my methods of
assessment were brought into question.
From the results I discovered that I am making reasonable use of a range
of assessment techniques that if employed more frequently can afford my
students a greater opportunity to succeed. I am of the opinion that I can make
use of more informal form of assessments like portfolios to give students the
opportunity to express themselves and I trace or monitor their individual
learning more.
I was a bit apprehensive to read what students had to state
about the use of the assessment tools used in the classroom and their view of
it. At the end of the questionnaire one student said to that he thinks that
they are tested too often which is quite frustrating and stressful for them. I
entered into his feelings but also reminded him that this has to be done to
prepare them well for the final exams that will determine which Secondary
school they will go to.
This conversation then reminded me of the disparity between
assessment for learning and assessment of learning. The truth is this imbalance
can frustrate teachers and create an awkward tension between classroom
assessment of students learning for accountability purposes and assessment for
learning. Teachers are therefore expected to prepare students to excel on
standardized tests. Being a grade six teacher, I am constantly reminded of
this.
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