Today assessment can sometimes be a nasty word. With all of the state testing that currently exists and more that will be coming in the future nobody, not even teachers like hearing the word �test�. After taking Educational Assessment, I feel that it caused me to look at what I already knew about assessment and how tests are used and re-evaluate it. Tests do not have to be scary for the students or the teachers; they just have to be used in the correct manner. As I continue on with my education, and working in the education field, I feel that this philosophy will always be changing and updated with all of the new information that will be coming out.
When it comes to lesson plans, planning ahead of time is very important when working with high school students. I think that it is always better to over plan, and have more activities than actually needed. In a block schedule, I feel that classroom notes should only take ten to fifteen minutes, and the rest of class should be activities that get the students up and moving around. This helps to reinforce the material that was covered. I also like to include personal stories from different sources into the lessons. This helps students make a personal connection to the material. If the students can make a connection it is more likely that they will retain the information and enjoy learning about the topic that we are covering.
I think that it is important to assess the students while teaching. This helps a great deal when it comes to lesson planning, and also knowing where the students are. Assessing the students during teaching, helps me to know whether we need to spend more or less time on a subject based on the students prior knowledge. The students need to be monitored for understanding. That is why I include summative and formative assessment methods in my class. When the students are working in groups, I like to be able to spend time with each group and listen in to what they are working on. I also like to ask them questions while I am there to see if they really are staying on task. In this case, formative assessment evaluations help me to evaluate myself to make sure the students understand what is being taught.
I evaluate my students using a number of methods. I like using a �closure activity� with them before they leave the classroom. There are a number of these that I use on a regular basis. I consider them to be a �ticket out the door�; it helps to give me immediate feedback about what each student learned or did not learn that day in class. This are usually not graded, but I do look at every one, then I try to go over any questions at the beginning of the next class. I also use rubrics for class projects. These are the outlines for expectations that the students should follow when working on any class project. They are handed out at the beginning of the project, so when it comes time for grading, the students should not be surprised about what criteria they are being judged on. After every unit, I like to give a unit test. This test is usually based on matching, multiple choice, and identification questions. There is also usually a labeling activity of some kind, and there is also always one essay question. Performance tasks are another form of assessment that I use. These are usually group projects of some kind, where the students are asked to come up with something related to the unit of study that we just completed.
There are several methods that I use to reflect about my teaching. The first method is usually after I finish a class, I make notes right on my lesson plans. I write down what seemed to work and what did not. I also make notes about timing, whether something took too long, or if an activity was finished too quickly. Also I try to include the students� responses whether or not they acted bored, or if they were enjoying whatever is was that we were working on. This to me is immediate feedback. Another way that I evaluate my teaching is by using the closure activities. This helps me to determine if I need to spend more time on a subject, and if the students are actually getting the material, or if I need to develop another way of teaching the unit of study.
Every student has their own textbook that is used most days in class. This is something that should be brought with the students every day when they come, whether we are going to be using it or not. Usually textbooks are a good reference to have in class. There are several computers located in classroom that students have access to. They are available to for school related topics. Students have access to these during work periods in class, study halls, and after school. There will also be other materials available to the students during different units of study; examples include novels, computer software, and magazines.
At this point in my career and after taking educational assessment I think that performance assessment should be included into the classroom along with paper and pencil tests. There are many benefits to performance assessment, the only downside appears to be having enough time to cover everything, and give enough time the performance assessment so that it is successful. I feel that I have learned a lot about assessment, which I previously did not know before, and at the same time many I learned more about many subjects. I also feel that as I gain more experience teaching and take more classes, my philosophy on assessment and how I use it in my classroom will continue to evolve.