Work Samples
The Challenges

Quiz#2 - Quiz#3

Quiz #2

One of most challenging assignments was the second quiz (no artifact available since this was an online quiz to which I no longer have access). This quiz was given in the computer lab using a web service, WebAssign. The quiz was timed and was completed in groups. I find such tests to be high anxiety procedures for me and was nervous about taking a test in a group. Though it was an open book test, I did not feel I really had adequate time to master the knowledge in the book and I was not clear as to what I was expected to know for the test. I do not feel that my strength as a student is taking quizzes as I often am not always able to interpret and process information in the same way as the instructor. For example, my most memorable teacher was Ms. Rowe, my AP English teacher, who never said my interpretations were wrong because they were unique, but only asked that I be able to back them up with evidence. Thus, I do best on assignments where I am able to this. Multiple choice tests do not allow for multiple interpretations or personal responses as to what is important or not important in a text.

Working in groups did alleviate some of this bias, but only in a very superficial way. For instance, we only had to briefly find the information in the book and discuss what answer best matched the information in the text. On the other hand, a group essay test would have had the benefit of discussing a concept in-depth and challenge each others interpretations for an even deeper understanding of the material. This processing and reproceessing of the material would allow the creation of various ways of classifying and remembering the material we were being tested on. In fact, I remember one of the most difficult (the only time I had to ask for an extension on a paper) and most memorable papers I wrote in college was a paper I wrote with my roommate. This paper was for an educational philosophy class exploring the importance of dialogue in education – a topic and process I am often reminded of as I develop cooperative learning for my own students. The process of having to write and discuss how discussion ehanced education ingrained this paper in my memory more than most of the papers I wrote in college. However, I do not distinctly remember the many group study sessions for multiple choice tests I have taken in all of my education (except for the sense of anxiety and dread usually invovled in them). Nonetheless, the group effort required by this test was most challenging; I am sure among the many multiple choice tests I have taken, it will be most memorable. I enjoyed working with the group to complete the test and found that one of the biggest obstacles I had to face as a group member was trusting the other member and curbing my compulsion to look up every answer on my own.

Though I learned a lot about working as a group, I do not feel that in the end, this form of assessment helped me to master the material in that chapter. Even as I write, I would have to go back to the book to recall what was in those chapters. On the other hand, the chapters where I created products to use in my class (see “The Best” samples) I feel I could explain those concepts in some depth without using the textbook (i.e. multiple intelligences, cognitive development). Thus, in the end, this assessment, while being an interesting experience, did not achieve the goal of helping me to learn or apply the material covered in the unit.

Finally, in writing this evaluation, I may be tempted to move this activity of reflection into my best sample as I am discovering some great insights as to how my student may approach and respond to tests. So,when they remember the Puritans versus the Native Americans and their view of America to I want them to remember the ideas or the anxiety of having to prepare themselves for what they will expect to be a failing experience. The cooperation, trust, and use of everyone’s knowledge I learned from this quiz would make me consider allowing group tests in my class. Also, I am mostly inspired by how this has triggered memories of my cooperative and non-cooperative education -- what I remember from different teaching styles. I am having a particularly difficult time with my one American Literature class and am seeking creative ways to assess students in formats where they will find success. One of the obstacles is that they also lack cooperative skills and, as Lynn Ealey noted when she came to observe this class, they lack any confidence in their own abilties. Thus, in the end, while I may not have mastered t topics of this unit, I have uncovered new ways to approach assessment of my students. Maybe, in the end, this was the point?

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Quiz #3

The third quiz in the class was another non-traditional format: we had to create the test ourselves for the material covered in the chapters. Again, I approached this assessment feeling frustrated with the lack of clarity of instructions, objectives, and purpose for this assignment. Was I being assessed on my test making abilities? Or was I being assessed on my mastery of the information covered in these particular chapters? Was I being assessed on both? And if I was being assessed on master of information, how was picking out the right things to ask questions about going to prove that I had mastered anything? What if what I think is most important or most useful my teaching practices is not the same thing that my teacher would pick out? Not having answers to any of these questions, I designed the quiz trying to guess what my instructor would find most significant based on what he referenced in class and based on my limited experience of his non-essay quiz. I would say that I fulfilled the requirement in both designing a challenging and fair test that covered the material of the chapter evenly. I feel my questions were not superficial or trick questions, but were in-depth questions phrased in a way to authentically assess understanding, not just comprehension and memorization. However, if the purpose of the quiz was to have me master the material, I would say that this was not achieved as well as it could have been had my time and effort been spent reflecting on the material and applying to actual lesson plans. Thus, in my final analysis of this assignment and my effort and performance, I would say that I put in my best effort and provided an excellent quiz, but that I would have preferred to interact with the text and the theories presented in a different format. One suggestion would be allowing us to design the type of test we think is best for the material provided, in which case I would have focused more on the essay questions, covering multiple topics through reflection and application.

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