During the few weeks I have been working on my game plan a major insight has been in relation to the assessment process. I have been reminded that there is more to assessment then generating grades for a report card. Cennamon, Ross, and Ertmer (2010) describe assessment as “doing more than just determining grades; it is information that can be used to inform teachers and improve learning” (p.137). This has been a wake up call for me to consider that I may not be using the assessment process to its full potential!
Most of the resources I need to achieve my goal of Promoting and Modeling Digital Citizenship and Responsibility are available in the middle school I teach at. I have not had the opportunity to collaborate with my colleagues as of yet. The plan is to meet with teachers, the librarian, and the local police officer who visits our school. I believe a team effort is needed to teach the importance of digital responsibility to all students at our middle school. I want my students to understand that technology is a relevant part of all our lives, every day of our lives. “ The best teachers you ever had were not merely those who were smart or knew a lot; they found myriad ways to make their subjects relevant to your life” (Kottler, Zehm, & Kottler, 2005, p.153).
Modification of my plan needs to be on the methods I use to assess my student’s work and also how I use this information to improve my lessons. For example: poor grades which are consistent through out a class can be an indication of a lesson plan which needs to be revised.
I also want to consider using participation and effort as a form of assessment during the instructional phase of a unit. Many of my lessons are hands on and I have noticed students are not as involved in the class discussion phase of a project. I believe if they understand I am looking for their opinions this will encourage students to become more involved.
A new question or consideration I have is on the use of portfolios in my classroom. One of the goals in my GAME plan focuses on Facilitating and Inspiring Student Learning and Creativity. I believe the electronic portfolio project can help achieve this goal. Barrett, and Garrett, (2009) refer to Portfolios as “a students own stories of what they know, why they believe they know it, and why others should be of the same opinion. A portfolio is opinion backed by fact... Students prove what they know with samples of their work.” (p.2). Considering I see the entire school (grades six through eight), this could be an ongoing project my students work on from year to year and hopefully inspires them to continue in high school.
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
Kottler, J. A., Zehm, S. J., & Kottler, E. (2005). On being a teacher: The human dimension (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Online Personal Learning Environments: Structuring Electronic Portfolios for Lifelong and Life Wide Learning by Helen Barrett & Nathan Garrett - a work in progress in GoogleDocs (October 2007) Published in On the Horizon Vol. 17 No. 2, 2009, pp. 142-152, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1074-8121 http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd76m5s2_39fsmjdk
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Hi John,
ReplyDeleteI really like the quote you noted about the best teachers are the ones that could make their subject matter relevant to the students. These particular teacher’s names come to mind first when I take a trip back in time.
I think that a student participating in a class discussion should be a part of the assessment in a unit. I think that at the middle school level though that there could be more than not understanding a concept or problems articulating ideas that holds a student back. This can be a very impressionable age where some students are self conscious and do not want to draw attention to themselves by participating. Have you considered doing small group discussions where the students can discuss a concept? You could then have the students present their findings in a quick 3-4 minute voicethread or video presentation.
The idea of an electronic portfolio following the students from 6th through 8th grade is a great idea and way for you and your students to chart their growth. A website that you may find useful for electronic portfolio articles and websites can be found at: http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic82.htm
John,
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point about the way assessments are often used as a summative assessment for a grade. As an educator it is important to keep in mind our ultimate goal for our students. In my kindergarten class we regularly make assessments in order to help guide our instruction whenever there is a need to revisit a topic.
Your idea of an ongoing e portfolio for your students encourages student involvement in their learning processes. They create and choose their artifacts to demonstrate their growth over time.
I had recently taken a TAG class on identifying TAG students in primary grades and they suggest using a portfolio to show student progress and aptitude in a variety of ways. I am now considering an e portfolio of primary TAG student artifacts to compliment their other assessments and observations.
Dolores
I would also like to use the portfolios in my class but have limited computer access on a consistant bases. I have used hard copy portfolios in the past and have been happy with the results because students and parents have been able to see products and progress for students.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was searching for electronic portfolios I came across this link that has lots of sources listed. This might be helpful for you. I think that having students build on their portfolio throughout their middle school years is a great idea. They could really see all that they have learned.
Portfolios are great authentic assessment of students knowledge and can be shared with their other teachers.