Activity 8: Planning an assessment strategy

• What is assessment?

In my opinion, it is the process of identifying students strengths and weaknesses in learning, through the use of an instrument that measures their process, performance and product completed to cover the learning objectives and standards in the curriculum.

• Why will we assess?

We assess in order to ascertain a mark or a score that will represent students' learning. 

• What will we assess?

We assess students knowledge, skills and attitudes in various forms.

• Who will do the assessing?

Teachers and students are both responsible for assessing the students' learning.

• How will we assess? (which includes When? How often? and Where? as well as By what means?)

We will assess during and after instruction, as often as it is needed whenever the learning environment is conducive to do so.

• What will we do as a result of assessment?

We will make decisions based on assessment results.

ICT improves the assessment process by 1st allowing teachers and students to integrate ICT in teaching and learning.

Then as a tool teachers and students are able to create, research, present and share information with ICT.

Finally, it allows for alternative and creative ways to carryout assessments.

Thanks to ICT we are able to complete this course where we would have used and integrated ICT in education.

Activity 7: Giving feedback

Without Feedback teachers and students will not be able to feel a sense of accomplishment in terms of knowing exactly what is there that needs to be improved upon within the learning of the students.

I believe that if an individual is able to reflect well on his or her own learning, then the feedback given to them by another person would more than likely be similar to what they have identified in their reflection.

Based on what we have been doing in this module constructive feedback is what we should aim for with a combination of the positive and negative things identified. In addition, recommendations of making things better rather than just leaving things to be improved on a sour note is way better.

Therefore, why we give feedback is for the better!

Activity 6: Assessing Information Literacy

This activity was one I enjoyed doing, even though it was challenging.

I really liked the idea of using current information. I realized the importance of relating information being taught with real-life experiences. This simply means that during the teaching-learning process students need to be assessed based on processes, performances, and products that they can do once they leave school, to be able to function in today's 21st Century Society.

There are quite a few skills that students will need to conduct a simple research: knowing how to -
1. search for information on the web using key words or phrases
2. use tabs and links on pages
3. select only the appropriate information on the page for the specific task
4. analyse the information
5. present the information in a clear, brief, and creative way
6. assess their own ability in using the information appropriately

Formative assessment and summative assessment of information literacy can both use the same tool, e.g. a rubric, checklist and rating scale. however the purpose for all using the tool vary according to the different stages of the task and skills to be developed.

In addition, the rubric itself can be created first then used in parts to just be a checklist or just be a rating scale.

Finally, information literacy involves:

• communication
• collaboration
• writing, reading and numeracy skills
• critical thinking
• problem solving
• creativity 
• authentic learning
• ICT

It is then concluded that the effectiveness in using web sources depends on the way learning is assessed. 

Activity 5: How we assess evidence - assessment tools

In this activity the key element was to create an 'assessment tool' that would be used to assess, other assessment tools.

What was interesting is knowing what to consider or look for when assessing an assessment tool.

FOR EXAMPLE:

• the name of the learner

• a description of what is being assessed e.g. contribution to group discussion

• a list of criteria that are being assessed

• a place of the level of assessment (a mark or a comment or a tick) to be added

OR

• clearly described criteria
• clear description of allocation of scores
• weighted scores for more important criteria
• opportunity for self-assessment and teacher assessment
• a comment field

The assessment tool I created is the following:

For all assessors

Assessment - Assessment Tool

Indicators	Weak 1	Fair 2	Well done 3	Very well done 4	Total
Criteria	Little or none of the criteria are clear and described	A few criteria are described but unclear	Some criteria are clearly described	All criteria are clearly described
Scores	There is little or no description of allocated scores	There is description of a few allocated scores	There is some description of allocated scores	There is a clear description of all allocated scores
Weight per score	The weighting of little or none of the scores are appropriately done	The weighting of a few scores are appropriately done	The weighting of some scores are appropriately done	The weighting of all scores are appropriately done
Self- and/or peer assessment	There is little or no evidence of self- and/ or peer assessment	There is evidence of few instances of  self- and/or peer assessment	There is some evidence of self- and/or peer assessment	There is evidence in all aspects of self- and/or peer assessment
Teacher assessment	The teacher assessment in little or none of the  instances is valid and reliable	The teacher assessment in a few instances is valid and reliable	The teacher assessment in some instances is valid and reliable	The teacher assessment in all instances is valid and reliable
	Total Points:  Comments:

Activity 4: How we assess- assessment methods

In this activity we covered assessment methods and guidelines.

Based on the readings and discussions it is important to set learning standards, goals and objectives that students will need to meet by a specific time.

In addition, appropriate methods and tools are to be used when assessing the various tasks or behaviours the students will demonstrate.

The assessment is to cover the process (formative aspect) and product (summative aspect) of learning.

It is not to be only teacher created and implemented. The students are to be involved in designing the tools and using the methods of assessment.

Therefore, individual, group, self- and peer assessments along with teacher assessments are to be carried-out within the learning environment.

Overall ICT assists this process by providing alternative ways in which assessment can take place.

Educators are encouraged to have valid and reliable assessments whether they are traditionally or alternatively done.

Activity 3: What we assess - catering for diversity

We Assess Students' Intelligence:

                              

Multiple Intelligences

We Assess Students' Learning Styles:

Learning Styles

We Assess Student's Using Learning Objectives:

Bloom's Taxonomy

How has knowledge of diversity influenced your view of teaching, learning and assessment? 

I now realize that there are so many ways assessment can be done that more than often how we assess limits students learning. Therefore, we must embrace the forms of assessment in our classrooms to enhance teaching, learning and overall ASSESSMENT.

Activity 2: What we assess

What is Assessment?

What do we Assess?

How do we Assess?

Through observation of the different tasks during the process (formative assessment) we use checklists and rubrics to gauge and monitor students' learning.

At the end (summative assessment) when the product is completed e.g. finished report, blog, letter, chart, and video we use the rubric to give the grade to represent students overall performance.

Therefore, formative assessment is also summative but when the focus is changed from providing feedback to taking in the final work to assign a numerical value.


Therefore all that students do: think, write, dance, sing, work in groups, from the beginning of the day to the end of the day can all be assessed, since these are the varying ways students demonstrate what they know, are able to do, and feel. 

Activity 1: Reflecting on your assessment practice

What is my assessment practice?

I practice continuous assessment. I look at gauging students learning, monitoring their progress and grading their performance.

It was refreshing to realize that I am catering for all my students, as they use 21st century skills in the classroom, due to carefully planned lessons, that incorporated different activities that assessed students learning through: observation, questioning, discussion, checklists and rubrics, etc.

Before and during the teaching-learning process I will identify students' weaknesses and provide appropriate and timely feedback. This then allows students to think about their learning process and work on what they need to do in order for them to take responsibility of their own learning, to understand the topic under study. In addition, I would then reconstruct and/or reteach depending on how much the students need additional practice. In other cases, perhaps there is a need to add more, if the students aren't being challenged.


Overall, my assessment practice is a balance of formative and summative assessment that is geared towards students being self-directed or the teaching learning-process focused on the student and not on the teacher.

Hello Activity

Hi, I am Terry-Ann Marsh-Roberts, a lecturer at the Department of Teacher Education at the Antigua State College. I facilitate teacher trainees in the following courses: Educational Psychology, Educational Research, Technology in Education and Teaching Practicum.

I enjoy cooking, reading, swimming, hiking and travelling. However, lately I am enjoying using the computer, as I learn how to integrate it in education.

At my Department we are all equipped with laptops and/or tablets. Therefore to assist our ultimate goal to improve the teaching and learning process at the Department of Teacher Education, one aim we are working on is: To help teachers to become competent and confident in using and integrating ICT across the curriculum.

I am one of the leaders in my department who will orchestrate training sessions for the facilitators. As a result, I hope by the end of this course I will be able to assess ICT integration.