Reflection #2
I believe that multiple choice tests close the minds of our students. It doesn't giving them the opportunity to explore new ideas or enrich their minds with deeper thinking. The poem is the perfect example because in the end of the story the student started to think more in depth by saying "I wonder" and "I wish", but then stopped his/her self because they didn't not need to know anymore for their test tomorrow. Most students will only do what they have to in order to get by. If you give them extended thinking questions, it helps open up their mind to not only think critical and increase academic achievement, but to imagination, wonder and curiosity for learning.
In my classroom, I use formative assessments by calling on someone in the class to help me work a math problem that involves the new technique we just learn. Also, after the lesson, I will give the class one or two problems off the homework to do in class so I can walk around and check on how each student is doing and address any mistakes I see. Then, of course, the students are given homework each night.
As for summative assessments, we give about three tests every six weeks to check if the material was learned correctly and we also give one accumulative six weeks test at the end of every six weeks.
It is important to have formative assessments so that the teacher can gauge how well the students are grasping the material. If the teacher finds in her formative assessments that the students are struggling then there would be no point to move on to the next section because that would only confuse them further. This is especially true in math since it is continually building on it's self. It is also important to have summative assessments to check and see how well the student learned the material in a setting that does just let them copy the steps out of their notes. We need summative assessments to make sure that each individual child learned the material presented.
I would really love to use exit slips for my classroom. Everyday, I could stand at the door and have the student tell me one thing they learned from that day's lesson. Also, homework is a must in math. When I grade the homework, it lets me know where my class is in the learning process and whether there is any areas of the lesson I need to hit again. Unit tests and projects are also assessments I'd like to use. Not only does the tests help me see where the class struggled, but it also lets me know what areas I may need to revamp in order to teach it better the next year.
It is important to have formative assessments so that the teacher can gauge how well the students are grasping the material. If the teacher finds in her formative assessments that the students are struggling then there would be no point to move on to the next section because that would only confuse them further. This is especially true in math since it is continually building on it's self. It is also important to have summative assessments to check and see how well the student learned the material in a setting that does just let them copy the steps out of their notes. We need summative assessments to make sure that each individual child learned the material presented.
I would really love to use exit slips for my classroom. Everyday, I could stand at the door and have the student tell me one thing they learned from that day's lesson. Also, homework is a must in math. When I grade the homework, it lets me know where my class is in the learning process and whether there is any areas of the lesson I need to hit again. Unit tests and projects are also assessments I'd like to use. Not only does the tests help me see where the class struggled, but it also lets me know what areas I may need to revamp in order to teach it better the next year.
