Activity 2: What we Assess

This activity, and indeed the module thus far, have caused me to soberly reflect on my assessment methods, and techniques, and have challenged my beliefs about the role of assessment in my classroom. I have been guilty of adopting a rather traditional approach to assessment, despite having a fairly good head knowledge of what should obtain.  

The activity at hand required that I focused on what I assess in my classroom, and as one who is deeply concerned about the quality of teaching and learning that occurs there, I used the opportunity to carefully evaluate my practice.  One thing that stood out was the fact that much of my assessment data was collected through written tests and exercises, which do have their place, but are insufficient when used alone or when relied on too heavily.  The assessment of my students' analytic and critical thinking skills, their interactions with each other and ability to work in teams are among the areas that I concluded need improving. These I will definitely work on, not out of obligation, but as a result of my conviction that failure to do so is foolhardy and hinders progress within my classroom.  I was reminded of how crucial it is to engage in assessment of and for learning.  

As a literacy instructor, I must also comment on the value of the readings to my area of specialty.  The articles "Process Assessment for Writing" and "Product Assessment for Writing" are valuable resources on which I will draw in the very near future. They demonstrate in practical, logical steps how I can assess my learners' thinking processes, provide scaffolding for them as they work through the various stages of the writing process, and how I can assess their final product through the use of rubrics.  Excellent resources for teachers of the Language Arts!

My assessing future certainly looks bright and I do look forward to applying much of what I am learning when I return to the classroom in a few weeks' time.