Part one:
By offering only multiple choice and chapter tests, teachers
limit their students’ learning in many ways. The most apparent is the lack of
authenticity in this sort of assessment. If a student is preparing to test for
a chapter in a multiple choice format, they will simply memorize as many facts
and details as they can before the test. As soon as they take the test, they
will more than likely just forget the material. If a teacher pushes his or her
students to think more critically by assigning activities such as the one
represented in the “Chapter 14” poem, the students will have to study the
material more deeply in order to develop and complete the project. In order to
respond in this sort of poetic format, students must really study the material
in an authentic way, truly beginning to learn the fundamental aspects and key
points. This sort of learning is more of a life-long type learning, rather than
memorizing facts and details just to forget them after the test.
Part two:
Some of the formative assessments that I currently use in my
classroom include in-class reading activities (story maps), in-class reading questions
(written), grammar and vocabulary homework, class participation, class
discussions, group work, and reading quizzes. The summative assessments include
weekly vocabulary tests, essays, and group projects (creating satiric
newscasts). It is important to have a combination of both formative and
summative assessments because without formative, the teacher may not be able to
monitor the gradual, daily learning, and without summative assessment, the
teacher will not know the individual student’s abilities. Formative assessments
somewhat serve as checkpoints before the summative assessment. The teacher will
be able to monitor student learning and accommodate students and modify lessons
if there seems to be a lag in learning. Three kinds of assessments that I would
like to implement in my future classroom include the use of writing portfolios,
individual projects that allow for some student choice, and (I got this one
from the slideshow) interviews. Writing portfolios give students the ability to
take charge of their learning and feel pride in their written pieces. They will
see each entry as a component of their own grand work and edit it to be the
best it can be. Individual projects where students can choose from a list of
suggested activities also allows for student choice and therefore student
ownership in their learning. Interviews would be a personal way to get to know
each student and really understand where they stand on their own in the
learning and it will also help them to speak to authority figures in a way the represents
themselves well, helping them acquire necessary speaking skills.
