Documenting Growth.

Link to lesson plan 1.

Target sheet for lesson plan 1.

This lesson was taught on March 18th -- the second day we were out in the field.  I was obviously incredibly nervous, tripped over my words more than I should have, and I wasn't clear with my instructions.  Because I wasn't clear with my instructions, the students didn't work as well as I had hoped.  We went to the library to use the computers, but most of the students sat with their friends and chatted.  Students from other classes were also chatting with the students from my class.  It was just a terrible period overall.

My co-op suggested that I set up clear rules for the computer lab. I allowed only two students to a table, they weren't to sit with anyone that wasn't from our class, and the expectation was that they were using their time to work on the assignment.  I kept those rules throughout my time at Miller, and re-iterated them each time we were going to the library.

Link to lesson plan 2.

Target sheet for lesson plan 2.

I've always had an issue with dating my work, and it was no different during my pre-internship.  Essentially what I'm saying is that I don't remember exactly what day this was on.  I believe that I taught this on the 28th of march, so about two weeks after the first lesson I provided.  This one went far better, and the evidence is right on the target sheet.  I established what I wanted students to do, I went over the rules for the library, and the period went incredibly smooth.

I was far less nervous, as I was already roughly two weeks into the placement, and I knew what expectations I had for the class.  I was able to lay out exactly what I wanted from the students.

Assessing Week Three.

Well, that's all she wrote, I guess.  Pre-internship is over, and I had a blast.  Miller is a phenomenal school, the staff was (and will continue to be) fantastic, and the students were fun to teach.

I have only a few comments on assessment this time around.  I am mostly just amazed with how much students care about marks.  They don't really seem to care about what they are learning, just the quantitative end to it.  When you let students know that you're going to be giving them a mark based on how on-task they are during a work period, the quality of work goes up, and the noise level goes down.

I also noticed that the amount of interest a student has in an assignment correlates with their mark.  I had two major assignments during my time at Miller -- An eleven-point paragraph (comparing two poems) and a personal reflective essay.  I had one student that handed in his eleven-point and got a  2/26 -- and 8%.  He clearly didn't take the assignment seriously, and it showed.  I figured that he was going to do the same with his reflective essay due to the fact that during our three work periods, he didn't do a thing for the assignment.  He just complained about how he had nothing to write about.  I tried to help him think, but he was very resilient.  Finally, April 2nd came along.  Everyone was handing in their papers, and, to my surprise, I got his.  It was even longer than the assignment ask for.  Once he found a topic that he wanted to write about, he was able to do it.  It was interesting to read, and he hit every point on the rubric.  In the end, he pulled off an 86% on the paper -- Which also bumped his overall mark to be above a 50%.  He's passing the class!

Lastly, my intern had a really interesting system for students who did poorly on an assignment.  At the bottom of their page, she would write "RL by this date: _____".  RL stands for "re-demonstration of Learning."  If she feels a student could have done better on an assignment, she'll give them time to prove it.  I really liked this, as it puts the responsibility back on to the student -- they have a chance to bring their mark up, and whether or not they take it is up to them.

Just as an overall, I really enjoyed my time as a teacher.  Building relationship, working with feedback, and evolving into a decent teacher was awesome.  I could see myself grow each and every day.

Yay!

Pre-internship: Looking back at week two.

Now that I've gotten into the groove of teaching, this experience is no longer overwhelming.  I'm not stressing about everything, I know how to plan properly (well, for the most part.), and I'm not spending unnecessary hours mulling over what I need to do for the next day.

I've picked up my second class, now.  It is science 9.  I never thought I'd be one for teaching the younger grades, but every single student in this class was fabulous.  I'm sure much of that had to do with the way Mrs. Robertson had taught prior to my coming, but it was a treat.  The students knew when to have a good time, and when it was time to be studious.

I taught my very first science lab on Friday!  I was terribly nervous for it.  Chemicals and children don't often mix all that well, but there were no issues to be had.  Students followed safety procedures to a T, the experiment worked for everyone, and it was enjoyed by all.  I even had the students ask what kind of gas was produced during the reaction. I wasn't able to answer this, and neither could Mrs. Robertson, so we did what any good scientist would do -- redid the experiment with that question in mind.  Through chemical equations, we were able to narrow it down to either oxygen or carbon dioxide.

These two gases have opposite reaction when exposed to a flame -- oxygen would make the fire grow, and the carbon dioxide would snuff the flame.  As it turns out, the gas was Carbon dioxide.

The science class is polar opposite to my ELA 20 class.  Don't get me wrong, they're a lovely class -- they're just a bunch of chatty 17 year olds.  I found it really hard to be productive in a class of ~22 boys and 5 girls.  Through these three weeks, I was only able to get through 4 texts.  Holy moly.

Well, sometimes you win, sometimes you skin, eh?

Assessing Week Two.

Towards the end of last week, I was able to get into the groove of pre-internship.  The planning, execution, and marking has become less daunting and far less overwhelming.  I've come to the conclusion that exit/entrance slips are possibly the greatest tool for formative assessment and class involvement.

In a three minute step, I can write a few quick questions, have students answer them, and gauge whether or not I've taught my lesson well enough (and whether I need to review anything the next day.)

For my Reflective Essay, I thought about co-constructing the rubric with the students, but they weren't really into it.  The students within the class are fairly apathetic, so it's quite difficult to really get them into doing, well, much of anything, so I just made my own grading scale and asked whether or not they felt that allocation to be fair.

I've been getting some of the other 11 point paragraphs trickling in.  Unfortunately, there are a few left out there that I just don't think I'll get.  I've set up a teacher email for students to send any late assignments for when my pre-internship is over.  Hopefully I won't be marking too far into the summer!

Pre-internship -- Looking back at week one.

Well, pre-internship is certainly one of the most overwhelming but rewarding experiences I've taken part in.  The first class I picked up was an ELA 20, where roughly one third of the class are EAL students, one third are advanced ELA learners, and one third are known to be disruptive -- and I don't think I would change it.  I really enjoy my class, they are phenomenal.

The biggest reality check I have hit during this time is the fact that an hour really isn't all that long.  On Thursday, our co-op asked Tori and myself to provide her with a 3-week unit skeleton for our respective classes by the Sunday after observation days.  We sent them in, and obviously overplanned.  Tori used her 5 hour unit plan that she made for her assessment class.  In theory it is 5 hours, but in practice, it's more like 20 hours.  Wacky.  So far, if I was following my skeleton, I would be in between last Wednesday and Thursday, and I don't think I'll be able to move much further than this.  I have a major assignment being assigned tomorrow, so I have to budget at least 3 work periods if I expect it to be done before I leave the school, and I already know I'm going to have to take a trip back to Miller after the pre-internship is finished to hand them back.

After much turmoil (and asking 3 different teachers) I was able to get into a class for my minor... sort of.  I'm in a Science 9 class, but I'm teaching chemistry.  This is terrifying as I haven't even taken a 20 level chemistry course, but it should be fun.  The teacher I am working with for that offered me a plethora of resources, so planning shouldn't be too bad.

Everything's coming up Milhouse!

Assessing week one.

So far, pre-internship has been an incredibly interesting experience.  It is certainly overwhelming, but dang is it fun.  As it stands now, I've given out one assignment -- it wasn't anything huge, just an eleven point paragraph, and I assigned it last Monday with the intention to have it handed in on Wednesday.  After quick deliberation with the class, they figured Thursday was more fair.  Thursday came around and we weren't anywhere near where we should have been -- in fact, many kids were still in the pre-writing stage, so I pushed it to Friday.  Still no good. 

I worked with the kids who were on schedule and taught them the value of peer editing (and ways in which to do it.)  Finally, today was the final due date, and I got about 80% of the assignments in -- a big win for my class.  So, I guess the biggest shocker is the sheer amount of time things take to work through.  This 11 point paragraph -- something I could write in an hour -- took an entire week.  

I'm moving into the next big assignment tomorrow, and now that I know how the class works, I've allotted far more time for the class to work, and I plan on having the work periods far more structured.  

Here is the link to view my next assignment -- a reflective essay after watching Stand By Me.

Pre-internship goals

The goals I have for my pre-internship are as follows:

1. Stay professional -- This one sounds a bit strange, as we've gone through professionalism courses, but it's something I struggle with (in a sense).  Not so much of the mindset as it is the presentation of myself.  I understand not to text students and not to discuss weekend escapades, etc.  It's more so in my hair, my clothes, and my overall look. I don't believe in a "professional look," but I'm going to have to to finish this degree!
2. Try new techniques -- I want to move away from the whole "read, analyze, and write" motif that English class is thought to be.  I want to work with films, performances, and use strategies that I'm not used to. 
3. Plan seriously & seriously plan -- I need to realize that this is real.  This isn't a hypothetical class anymore.  These students make up my class, so I need to plan for them.  I need to learn how they work and I most certainly need to over plan.

Implementing Treaty Education.

Treaty Education is the newest buzzword of Saskatchewan's educational system, and, unfortunately, not enough people are taking it seriously.  As pre-service teachers, we are kind of thrown to the wolves, so to speak.  We are expected to incorporate meaningful treaty education into every lesson plan, yet we are supplied with minimal resources.  All I have ever gotten for resources is the booklet from The Office of the Treaty Commissioner – and, to be completely honest, it isn’t very valuable.  The contents are a nebulous web of important topics, however there is no way to hash these topics into subject areas.  

Seemingly, even though Treaty Education is governmentally mandated, the Treaty outcomes and the curriculum outcomes are like oil and vinegar – they work together in the sense that they make a good salad dressing to pour onto a student’s learning/life experience, but (as it stands now) no matter how hard one tries to stir them, they do not mix.  I could have one of my routines being a quick “Did’ja kno!”  fact about treaty’s up on the board, and it could count that I have integrated treaties into my lesson, but is that beneficial to anyone?  Absolutely not.  Students will not remember it, as it has no meaningful impact, and the teacher will get an unwarranted sense of self-satisfaction.  

If students are coming into our classroom with absolutely zero pre-conceived knowledge of the treaties, weaving in and integrating Treaty Education into our lessons is going to be utterly useless.  This is why I believe a compulsory Treaty Education class in, let’s say, grade 9 would be extremely beneficial.  This class would give students the foundational knowledge that other teachers can then build upon in their own classrooms.  The argument about teachers neglecting to teach treaties in their classroom because “they have all had a class on it already, so what is the point” begins to arise when the thought of a treaty based class comes up.  Personally, I don’t think this argument holds much substance – it is still a mandated part of the education profession, so teaching it is not only still necessary, but expected.  

For my ECS 410 class, we had a guest by the name of Tim Caleval come in from the Ministry of Education, and right at the end of his presentation, he touched upon the Maori people of New Zealand and how the Government of New Zealand worked hard to raise the graduation rates of these Maori people and changed the educational system to benefit them.  I see a great deal of parallels between Saskatchewan and New Zealand – the only difference is the governmental apathy of our province.  

If we work together -- get the resources, get the plans in place, and all have a mutual understanding of Treaty Education -- we can implement a meaningful way of learning with the treaties.  

Grading Behaviour.

In both my ECS 350 and ECS 410 classes, we have recently had discussions and debates on whether or not a student's behaviour should reflect their mark.  This is a really interesting topic that has opened my eyes to a viewpoint that I wouldn't have previously seen. 

During my elementary and high school careers, I was always the "good" student.  I wouldn't come late to class, I would always put a great deal of effort into assignments and hand them in on time, and I was attentive in class.  When classmates wouldn't hand things in on time, it always irked me.  I'm not entirely sure why, but it usually boiled down "if I got it done, why couldn't you".  Which I now realize is a terrible attitude.

Coming from this place, I would think I weigh behaviour quite highly.  Being a courtious student was clearly important to me.  It still is, but in a different way.  I now understand that people are different from me -- different backgrounds, different issues, as so on.

In my 350 class, we had a case study in a math class that had three very different students:

• A student that very rarely showed up and distracted others when he would, but knew what he was doing and gets 90% on every exam.
• A student who showed up every day, was okay at assignments, but did very poorly on tests
• A student who was a single mother, so she is unable to show up every day, went into the class with a grade 3 level of math, but was improving.  She now has a grade 4 math literacy level.

We were asked to discuss who should be passing the class/have the better mark in the class.  It is very strange to think about, as my intuition would say that the latter two students should be rewarded for their hard work, and the first one should be punished for not being a good student.  Now, however, the biggest question needs to be asked: who hit the outcomes of the class?  The first one did, and the other two did not.  According to outcomes, which is what educators want to strive to hit, the first student should pass the class while the other two would fail it.

Now, however, some rational can be had if we look at the Saskatchewan Curriculum's Broad Areas of Learning.  Could this first student be considered a lifelong learner or an engaged citizen?  The attitude he presents would disagree, but these BALs are not the biggest focus in the classrooms today.

My stance on this is still slightly up in the air.  I think that students need to be held accountable for their actions (late assignments, missing classes, etc) because we do want engaged citizens for the future, but people need leeway. 

Cold-calling in Classrooms.

Now that I have had time to stew after watching the videos entitled "The Classroom Experiment," I would like to respond to something that caught my attention.

First thing's first -- I've always been against the technique of "Cold Calling" based entirely on the fact that next to no one knows why they use it.  Students see cold calling as nothing more than a chance to be publicly embarrassed based on their lack of knowledge of a specific question.  These single questions are not indicative of what a student knows of a topic.  More often than not, teacher use cold calling without explaining to students that it isn't meant to be an exercise in embarrassment and shame and that not knowing something is fine, so long as you try and learn from it.

This is something that I think Dylan William did well within the videos.  He had the teachers he was working with explain exactly what I had mentioned to their students, and that made it a bit less bothersome for me.  I also really liked the way they did the cold calling.  Teachers wrote the names of students on wooden sticks and placed them in a jar and pulled them at random.  This was really cool because it removes any notion of "playing favourites" and "picking on students."

I understand that cold calling has a place within a classroom, and it's fantastic to hear from students that may not always volunteer to answer a question, but teacher do need to be weary about how, why, and when they use it.

While reading an article entitled "Impact of Cold-Calling on Student Voluntary Participation" by Dallimore, Hertenstein, and Platt they make a very interesting assertion by saying "in classes with high cold-calling, students' comfort participating in class discussions increases, while in classes with low cold-calling, students' comfort participating does not change" (305).  This is supported by their findings presented on page 319, and it makes sense.  If they are (for lack of a better word) forced into talking in front of their peers, then they will grow used to it and participating in discussions will become much more naturally.

All things considered, Dylan William and his classroom experiment has opened my eyes to the validity of cold-calling.  That being said, I likely will not use it all that often, if ever, but if I do, I'd like to go about it the way that William has.


Citation of article used:
Dallimore, E. J., J. H. Hertenstein, and M. B. Platt. "Impact of Cold-Calling on Student Voluntary Participation." Journal of Management Education 37.3 (2013): 305-41. Print.

Our World, Our Ways -- Assessment with an Indigenous perspective

The world of assessment is incredibly vast and the "what ifs" that plague it make unpacking it a difficult task for teachers.  While reading through chapter six of this document, many discussions from both ECS 350 and ECS 410 come to mind, as many of the things touched upon in the document link back. For example, on page 113, this list is provided:

As a result of these circumstances, Aboriginal students may be

penalized by a number of common assessment practices, including:

·        single rather than multiple assessment methods

·        inflexible deadlines (with late

penalties or “0” for incomplete

assignments)

·        time-limited assessments

·        marks awarded for class participation and effort

·        awarding zeros for incomplete or missing assignments

·        failure to match testing to teaching

·        surprising students with pop quizzes

It specifically states this for Aboriginal students (and it makes sense based on the fact that it is a document discussing teaching First Nations, Métis, and Inuit learners), but I feel as though each of these points can/should be applied to all learners.  In fact, save for the parts discussing the specific Indigenous cultural aspects, this could be applied to anyone.

Using multiple assessment methods and tools should become common practice among educators.  In our own careers as students, we have experienced that we learn differently than our classmates, and having the option to express what we have learned in different ways, whether it be oral, visual, musical, etc.

The chapter also brings up some really important sample strategies for teachers to use with their students, but to pull one out that I thought was really important, it suggests that we provide an in-class review.  Now, some people may say “well of course you would provide an in-class review, that’s only natural,” without thinking of the bigger benefits that it actually provides.  You will most certainly have students who have parents/guardians that are more than willing and able to aid in the study process.  However, not all students have these supports at home, so if you are to offer these supports, it really “levels the playing field,” so to speak.  These in-class reviews are also beneficial for every student, as they will begin to understand exactly what the teacher is looking for on the exam.  

 Assessment is still a pool of uncertainty, as we can never be sure if our practices are really benefitting every student in the long run.  Until we find a utopian school with practices in place that aid everyone, we just need to be aware of the potential of our students and continue to adapt our practices.

Reading Response -- Chapter 6

Summary:
"Involving Students in Classroom Assessment," the sixth chapter in Davies' text, seems like an interesting topic.  She suggests that involving students while making the criteria (for assignments, lessons, etc) it's easier to tell what your students know, and it gives them a chance to see what they should be learning by the end of it. Towards the end, the chapter discusses goal setting with your students, including the role of the teacher in these goals.

Response:
While reading this article, not a whole lot was jumping out at me, strangely enough.  That being said, I really liked the connection to the previous chapter in the sections that discusses students collecting and presenting their evidence of learning.  This shows accountability for both the student and the school, which I think is pretty neat. 

We've already discussed in class that involving students in their own learning a fabulous route to take.  As a teacher, laying out the base is important, but having students build up the walls of their own learning is very cool.

Reading Response -- Chapter 5

Summary:
The fifth chapter, entitled "Evidence of Learning" touched upon things that I feel passionately about -- a more summative approach to assessment.  Davies discusses the different sources a teacher can look at to assess a student's learning and she introduced the very interesting concept of triangulation.

Response: 
As I had mentioned before, I really love assessing students based on their evidence of learning rather than, for example, memorization for an exam.  I still run into this issue in university.  I've taken a few biology classes over the past two years, as thy correspond with my biology minor, and every syllabus that I would get would be essentially the same thing -- A midterm(s) and a final comprising 80+% of my final grade and a few extra assignments sprinkled in to top off the percentage.  Unfortunately for me, I'm not all that good at exams.  Throughout the years, I have tried several different study techniques, but they've all proven to be sub-par.

I don't feel as though my 60s and 70s are indicative of what I have learned in those classes.  I could tell you exactly why an electric car is useless in Saskatchewan and why Hydro-power isn't as green as people make it out to be, and I learned those things in my environmental biology class.  The class in which I failed the midterm. 

I found the topic of triangulation to be really interesting.  It shows teachers how to balance three different kinds of evidence over a period of time that bring out trends and patterns of people's learning.  The diagram on page 53 showing the triangulation of evidence for a grade nine English class really helped me tie together the theory, and it's something I think I'd like to take a deeper look into.

Reading Response -- Chapter 4

Summary:
This chapter, based on the discussions we had in class, seem to be the most relevant to what we've discussed.  It's about samples, describing success, and reinforcing that not all learners are the same.  They start at different places, and we need to have diverse ways for them to show their learning.

Response:
I found it interesting that this chapter mirrored what our miniature debate was all about.  To refresh, we were talking about the use of samples in class.  Someone had mentioned that samples are obviously a good thing, as it gives students something to aim for, but I felt as though Diana brought up a really interesting thought, and that is as follows:  does sampling snuff out the creative side of students?  If they see what the teacher wanted/liked enough to keep it, are they more likely to just copy it?

I think we came to a fairly good conclusion that giving students creative merit is the most important, but showing samples to those who need a bit of a boost on how the assignment should work isn't a bad idea.

Reading Response -- Chapter 3

Summary:
This chapter was fairly short, but it certainly got its point across.  In essence, Davies is telling us that we should always have an aim and set goals -- "what do  I want the students to learn".  She notes that laying out expectations for assignments is necessary for students success, and clarity is of the utmost importance.

Response:
In my ELNG 350/3501 class, I just had to do a presentation that suggests not giving students length constrictions (I.E. 500 words, 2 pages) if we want them to become good writers.  If we lay out those perimeters, they'll aim for completing the assignment rather than writing until they've said what they wanted to say.  I can certainly see benefits for both sides.  I do, however, think that it changes with age.  I wouldn't ask a grade 6 classroom to write until they're satisfied they've covered everything, but, depending on the students, it could work really well in a grade 11 or 12 classroom.

That being said, I agree with what Davies is saying.  I've been in classes where assignments were convoluted and awful to work with -- it is outrageously frustrating.

Learning Journey -- Week Three's Class

During this class, we were lucky enough to have a guest speaker come in and talk about assessment. Laurie Gatzke, if I'm not mistaken, works for Regina Public Schools as the Supervisor of Assessment and Evaluation, giving a great presentation of the evolution of assessment in public schools. She touched upon norm-based assessment, CAT and RAD testing, and rubrics. 

I found it really interesting when we marked those Grade 9 sample RAD tests.  Due to lack of resources, I was with a partner, and her and I were fairly accurate with our marks, which I found neat.  Looking at the example responses, however, made it umpteen times easier to figure out where the student should be placed. 

Once we returned to class, I learned of one heck of a good resource -- the PBIS website.  It offers a fantastic amount of resources, supports, and information to aid with special education.

Knowing your Students -- Chapter 2 response.

Chapter two, in essence, describes some of the different learners that one may encounter during their time as a teacher.

This chapter indirectly touches upon one of the biggest dissonances that I have when it comes to education classes -- setting up lesson/unit plans for a hypothetical classroom.  This is not a knock against the process of lesson planning, and it's a fantastic thing to learn, but when we gear our plans towards a non-existent group of students, we won't assume that we will have an EAL student, a student who excels at a certain subject, and one who is at a shockingly low reading level.  We will gear our plans as if our classroom is full of miniature versions of ourselves.

As educators, we need to understand that we aren't going to have a classroom of clones.  Students come for different places, so we need to expect this.  Until we get to know our students -- their learning styles, their likes and dislikes, and how they generally function -- we won't know how to teach them. 

I found it very interesting that the chapter also touches upon gender.  It's fantastic that it's showing a focus on gender differences, but they don't, in my opinion, go in-depth enough.  More than two genders exist.  It's hard to accommodate everyone, but we really should open the doors to get away from the gender binary.

Response to Differentiation - Chapter One

To say that differentiation is a good thing is an understatement.  I'd be willing to go out on a limb and say that differentiated education is one of the most important things that we, as educators, need to not only understand, but also implement.  Clearly, by the book's title, the author(s) are going to be teaching us different strategies to use in terms of differentiated education, so that will certainly be nice. 

This chapter, obviously being the first one, gives a brief introduction into differentiated education.  It starts off by letting the reader know what differentiated education is, emphasizing the fact that one size does not fit all students.  The most important statement that this chapter makes is the fact that we need to know that each student has their own set of strengths.  This is something that I feel isn't recognized.  Far too often, teachers will claim to have bad students in their class, when in reality, they're just not being engaged, which reminds me of a tweet/quote from Neil deGrasse Tyson:

As a final note, I just want to add that pre-planning differentiated plans is an awful idea.  Until you've gotten to know where your students are, planning lessons around them won't work.

Learning Journey -- Week Two's Class

As it stands, I very much enjoyed tonight's class.  I'm not really all that good at class discussions, especially when I'm with a group that I don't really know, and even though I wasn't making comments to everyone, I was able to chat a bit with my table group.  There were a few things I wanted to comment on -- mostly based on grading.

Grading:

In class, we had a big discussion on grading and whether or not we should put letter grades or numbers, whether or not we should change the letters that are used, and if we should keep where grades fall a secret.  When it comes to the letter/percentage grades on assignments, it's hard to really make a non-biased statement on them.  That system is what I grew up on, and I was always on "top" of it -- meaning I was a student who received good grades.  Because of that, I see the benefits of this kind of grading, as in, you can see that your work does need improvement, and if you're provided with feedback, you can work on it.  That being said, once you start thinking about how these grades create a hierarchical structure of intelligence and this shoves students into thinking they're not good enough for school and just deflates them.  

If the province adopted a new grading system that hasn't been used before, straying away from percentages, straying away from the A, B, C, ect, I could see the use of quantifiable grading becoming a thing, it just has to be well through out.  

There was also a discussion on not using the Assessment for and Assessment as learning not going towards the final grade of the class.  The dynamic of students not doing work that doesn't go to their grade came up.  My table discussed that if you had a section for classwork or participation, it would encourage students to do their work, but also not evaluate them based on the quality of the work done, simply the completion.

Reading Response - Chapter 11

Summary:

The final chapter of Davies' book was about resources for teachers in terms of assessment -- specifically on that of learning circles.  She explains that using the brains of your colleagues is an invaluable resource.  She offers how to set these learning circles up, how to utilize them, and their benefits.  Finally, at the end of the chapter, she plugs her book many times.

Response:

I think it is really important to note that regardless of where you are in your life, learning still needs to be done.  Another quote that struck me while reading this chapter was either by Bill Nye (and I think it was adapted from H. Jackson Brown Jr., but don't quote me on that) -- "Every person you will ever meet knows something you don't." We all have learning to do, and that's something that we always need to be aware of, and I think it plays a big role in the classroom.  We're there to teach the students, but they know things we don't, so adding the dynamic of students as teachers poses to be very beneficial.  

Reading Response - Chapter 2

Summary:
Again, Davies uses a really apt title, as she goes into the roots of classroom assessment.  She gives four headers for what need to be done in terms of assessment for learning, and they are as follows:
- Mistakes are essential for learning
- Understand feedback
- It takes time to learn
- Recognize that success has many different looks

Response:
While reading this chapter, there is one quote that popped into my head almost instantly. It's by a certain red-headed teacher that I'm sure we all know and love, and it goes like this: "It's time to take chances, make mistakes, get messy!"  Of course, this is by Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus, and it might seem juvenile, but, in context, it's actually really well thought out.  Mistakes are very necessary for assessment -- perfection, in itself, is imperfection.  Once you know what won't work, you're closer to knowing what will work.

Out of the remaining three headers that Davies offers, I'd like to touch on feedback.  In my opinion, feedback is of the utmost importance if you're even almost looking to improve on anything.  Hearing "this is good" or "this is bad" is simply a mood-changer and won't help improve the quality of work.

Boots:

1.) The most important time I learned something was in my English 20 class in high school.  The assignment involved the breaking down of a poem to try and find the meaning within it.  At that point in my English career, poetry was probably my worst subject -- but I, luckily, had some resources at my disposal -- my teacher and a close friend of mine were both able and willing to help me out with this project.  With their help, I was able to read between the lines of the poem, hash it out, and do really well on the assignment.  Since that time, I've developed an interest in poetry and have become fairly skillful at deciphering it.

2.) Obviously positive feedback is better than negative feedback, but there is always room for improvement, so the best kind of feedback is constructive.  If you find something that doesn't really mesh within an assignment, letting them know is the first step, but after that, you need to give them the tools to fix it.

Reading Response - Chapter 1

Summary:
As the title says, the chapter is about making classroom assessment work.  Davies discusses the various ways in which classroom assesment can work and hashes out the differences of assessment for learning and assessment of learning.

Response:
To start off, I would really like to draw attention to the parachute analogy, as it put my thoughts into perspective.  If we view at students who are struggling and look at their progress rather than the overall skill level, we really get a sense of who is learning.  When we were asked which person we would like to be packing our parachute, of course we would choose number three, as their skill level at the end of the class was satisfactory, even though they started poorly and struggled to get there.

I found the "three general parts to classroom assessment" to be not only interesting, but also helpful.  They're three very basic ways to begin assessment -- starting with a review of the curriculum, followed by bringing students into the world of their assessment, and finally the evaluation.  It all seems to be very student-centered, which is exactly where it should be.  Students need to be not only the basis of the assessment, but also be involved in the process of it.

Boots questions:
1.) It's confirmed the knowledge that assessment should be worked through with students.  If they're part of the assessment, it's incredibly beneficial.

I've learned the three general parts to classroom assessment

2.) I'd like to know when the line of "too much self assessment" is reached.

Learning Journey -- Week One's Class

As it stands right now, I'm very excited to jump into the world of assessment.  Within my ELANG 300 class of last semester, we had to make a 50 hour unit plan, and I found that assessment is what I struggled with the most.  I found myself cycling through the exit slips, questions boxes, observations, and discussions quite frequently.  One can only do that for so long before it becomes stale.  I'm mostly interested in how this e-portfolio is going to turn out -- this is one of four portfolios I have to make before the end of the semester, and one of the two that is online.

test1

This is a test.