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.
Hi, Amy! I absolutely agree with you that multiple choice tests stop students from having open minds. I like the formative assessments you use in your classroom. I also walk around the class to monitor students’ understanding. I also like that you give an accumulative six weeks test. This will ensure that your students are learning the material and not merely memorizing it for one test. And I agree with you that both types of assessments allow teachers to see how well students are grasping the information being taught. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you as well about using multiple choice tests. My classes use them as well but occasionally we use a Analytical Response Question, the new Open-Ended Response. I agree that using formative assessments are used to gauge student performance and we need to be able to balance between formative and summative assessments. I also monitor my students to make sure they understand what is being asked of them. I want to implement exit slips as well to see what we as teachers need to improve on so we can be able to help students. Keep Up The Good Work!
ReplyDeleteAmy, I totally agree with you about students only do minimal work to get by, especially if they are only given multiple choice exams. Also you are right about how we need to have formative assessments in math, because if they don't understand it then they would only be more confuse when we move on. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree about multiple choice tests making students closed minded. Multiple choice tests make the students not think out of the box and use their imagination. Also I like how you have 6 weeks tests to cover everything to see if they actually learned the material. I want to have six week tests in my future classroom as well.
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