Part One
The Chapter 14 poem puts a giant spotlight on why teaching
is more than reading and comprehending a textbook. Any person can have a
student “read and regurgitate” any day, and it doesn’t require much effort. I’m
a math teacher so I’m going to use math examples, but most of you reading this
understand the concept of a quadratic equation. Many of our math students are
taught how to set up this kind of equation, and later on are taught how to “factor
out” certain parts to find intercepts on a graph. All of this is, of course,
tested on the infamous STARR test and Algebra 1 EOC. I wish my students could
see quadratics the way I do. I’ve seen how this simple equation can send rockets
to space, and build the tallest of skyscrapers, yet all the test asks for is a
right answer. It doesn’t apply any sense of real-world connection, which is why
I think we are starting to lose students with high drop-out rates and decreasing
standardized tests grades.
Part Two
1.
A common formal assessment in my classroom is
mainly class discussion. I know this is not the most effective way to assess my
students, but it is part of a routine that the students feel comfortable with. I
feel like I know which students might struggle with certain parts of a lesson,
and I work with them separately during class.
2.
We’ve had many different types of summative
assessments, ranging from a “normal” paper test to projects and also what we
call rotations. During rotations, the students work on different topics at
different times during class and how well they explain the concept to each
other is how we grade.
3.
I feel with formative assessments, you tend to
check and see if the students understand the concept that day. With a summative
assessment, you are testing their ability to recall all of the important topics
from the past few classes. I guess my main point is that you want to make sure
your students are able to recall what they need to know at the right moment.
4.
I would definitely incorporate portfolios,
especially for my algebra 1 students since they are moving on to algebra 2.
Also, I would like to use presentations. Any way that I can help a student
learn solid researching skills along with public speaking skills I’ll do it.
Lastly, quizzes. I feel like the more times they are tested over the little
things more periodically, the more comfortable they’ll feel when the summative
assessment comes around.
