In an attempt to come up with suitable assessments for my lesson plans, I came across an interesting article: McKenna, M.C & Walpole, S. (2005) How well does assessment inform our reading instruction? The Reading Teacher. Vol.59 No.1 84-86
Assessment is commonly linked to “high-stakes" testing. The discourse seeks to contrast this view and the norm in the classroom to alternative forms of assessment that can work alongside other measures of assessment which would alert teachers from the onset to problematic areas of reading development; promote diagnostic assessment as an aid; offer progress monitoring and examine outcome measures.
The discourse helps one to realize that this (assessment) is a universal issue. It mirrors the reality of situations faced by teachers within the bounds of the classroom, where at times, a tug-of-war between teaching and learning occurs. The article purports the idea that alternative assessment can be used as a tool for monitoring and that there can be co-existence between assessment and instruction; it seeks to compliment to the core. It demonstrates that if the problem is identified from the onset a crisis can be avoided. Assessment should not simply be summative but a continuous process of monitoring.
As educators we are sometimes faced with the decision of whether we teach for assessment purposes or teach so that adequate learning among our students can occur. We are often forced to choose between the two. This is so mainly because of the inescapable high-stakes tests, for example;S.E.A and CAPE. As a result, one may view the alternative assessment as a detractor in attempting to accomplish this. As a result very little weighting is given to alternative forms of assessing in our classrooms in most instances.
It is my hope that I can now use all the new (Web 2.0) tools and information I have gathered in this course to not only teach literacy but to assess literacy in fun and interesting ways that would motivate my learners.
Well, I guess you should pass on the tools because as you said, many schools and teachers alike teach students not to educate them but rather because a syllabus and course outline restricts them.
ReplyDeleteI think we need to find a middle ground for these "high-stakes" tests otherwise if we only follow the scheme of work dictated by HODs and the like, we may end up only just covering what we MUST instead of what THEY need.
If there are any tools that are related to assessment please feel free to forward to my email.
Thanks. Keep writing.
This makes a case for authentic assessment. The syllabus and time limit the extent to which we can ensure that our students really understand the content as well as their ability to apply what they have learnt. Assessments that do not take the characteristics of the learners into consideration often lead to frustration for both the teacher and the student.
ReplyDeleteAfter much frustration, I began tailoring my coursework and end of term texts to meet the needs of my students. This was not too difficulty since I have 12 students in the class. This has had a positive effect on their motivation and performance. Unfortunately applying this stratgey to my form 1 class of 36 students is not a feasible option. Again, I am limited by time and an overloaded outdated syllabus to cover.
Just a suggestion, maybe some of us who regularly teach lower school classes could create a 'workbook' of teachign strategies, coursework avtivities and assessments. It could only lead to us becoming more efficient in our quest to educate our students.