Class Two Reflection
The symbol I have chosen for this reflection represents collaboration. Today I learned that assessment does not have to be solely the responsibility of one person in the classroom. An assessment can be conducted through collaboration between students, teachers, and other colleagues.
Logo made in Canva.
Class Two Reflection
Today was the second class of the semester, and I feel this class time gave me the opportunity to really begin to dive into what assessment really is rather than seeing it as simply an idea. Assessment for so long has seemed so daunting to me, but having the opportunity to work through my initial thoughts of assessment through the various activities in class as well as discussions with my colleagues allowed me to see learning about assessment as an opportunity to improve my teaching toolbox.
I am leaving today's class feeling more prepared and excited for my journey in understanding and conducting assessment.
The first activity that I took part in was the first week of Learning Circle discussions. I think this activity is what contributed most to my ability to see learning assessment as an exciting new chapter rather than a daunting experience. More about my groups discussion can be found under the "Classroom Activity" tab.
The first activity that really stuck out to me in this class was the beginning of creating S.M.A.R.T. goals. My goal is still currently being worked through and has not yet been determined. But, I did begin to talk with one of my classmates about areas of focus, to begin brainstorming our goals. During this brainstorming session I began to realize my main takeaway from this class, that assessment is collaborative. I could see that bouncing ideas of a colleague can greatly increase the flow of ideas. Similarly to how co-creating assessment criteria for students can lead to a much more beneficial experience for everyone involved.
I would like to share the answers we wrote down for the guiding questions.
List a few items that you know about assessment
Timing is everything.
Assessment does not always look the same.
List a few items that you don't know too much about assessment
How students of all grade levels can begin to self assess.
What assessments are appropriate at each grade level.
What is a practical assessment strategy for during a lesson?
I have always known that assessment is a key part of schooling, but I had never asked myself why. I found this activity very insightful. I found that I very strongly agreed with the right column for most of the questions, except for number one where I placed equal value and number 4 where the left was much higher. I am not entirely sure what my final results mean as of right now but I am very intrigued by this activity. I am looking forward to revisiting this activity when my assessment style becomes more solidified, as I would like to see if my beliefs have changed, or if I have gained a greater understanding of them.
As the second part of the activity I was asked to pair up with another student and try to settle on the same answer for each question. However, this did not quite go to plan. My partner and I had the exact same answers on every question, I thought this was very neat. So, we instead discussed why we got to the answers that we did. We discussed how we believe that assessment is a very individual process for each student and think that is why most of our answers came out to be the same.
Until I began this course I believed that assessment solely relied on the teacher in the classroom. But, in just two classes my view of this has changed quite a bit. I do still believe that many parts of the assessment process rely on the teacher, however, I now see that there are student roles in assessment that are just as important. I believe that students should feel that they are in control of their own learning, and I am learning that taking an active role in their own assessment is a great starting point for that. Growing up I always felt I lacked control in classroom situations leading to stress in the classroom. I feel that if I were to feel more in control in the area of assessment much of my stress would have disappeared. In the Responsibilities of assessment quiz I scored a 107. This means I have a good belief in shared responsibility between teachers and students. I am quite surprised at this result. If I were to take this quiz two weeks ago I think my score would have been much lower. I think now that I know where my beliefs around this topic are settled, I need to continue to create my S.M.A.R.T. goal to help bring these beliefs into actual practice.
