Competency 5: Evaluate learning

Pre-practicum definitions - January 2024

Assessment: 

• they are used to track learning by comparing various assessments with each other and through the comparison of what would be considered the standard/basic line

• you usually use them to assess classwork, materials, and more

Evaluation:

• they are used typically as a final assessment of a topic and count towards your overall mark in the targeted subject

• they typically conclude instruction on a certain topic

• they usually rely on a student's own memorization and understanding of subject material

Knowledge:

• it is the ability to back up your thinking and to comprehend the topic at hand

• it can also be a reason for motivation ("in pursuit of knowledge...")

Post-practicum definitions - April 2024

Assessment: 

• They can be used at any time and it doesn't have to be something that is written. Assessments can be done mentally to simply take note of where a student is struggling or where you as a teacher need to improve on in your own teaching. Any task can be assessed.

Evaluation:

• They are usually some type of assessment in which there ends up being written proof of a student's progress. Usually, an evaluation consists of work that will be used towards a student's grade but it is not necessary. Evaluations don't all have to be summative, they can be formative as long as there is written proof and the use of a rubric or something similar.

Knowledge:

• My definition of knowledge hasn't changed since before my practicum. I still believe my definition of it to be one's ability to back up their thinking and to comprehend the topic at hand. I also still believe knowledge to be a source of motivation as someone seeks to gain all the knowledge possible in an area of interest. 

My topic was on student self-evaluation or student self-assessment. In the end, I did not use this tool in the way that we talked about it or what we read about. I found that at grade 2, it can be difficult to ask students to assess their own work as they do not yet have to skills necessary to do so. However, I used it in other ways. Instead, I would ask students to check their work multiple times and would ask them, beofre they hand it in, if they were happy with their work. Students would then be able to think if their work was up to their satisfaction which, in a way, is assessing what they did. Other ways I practiced self-assessment was through reflecting. Reflecting is a dificult process that requires a lot fo practice so instead of reflecting on the work in front of them, I had my students practice reflecting on past experiences and past lessons in order to learn how to reflect.

The closest my students came to self-assessment was when I gave them a checklist to use for their final assessment in order to ensure they had all the elements they would need to do well on their project. This worked fairly well as students checked over their work, completed it to their own satisfaction and then check off all the elements they had to ensure they included.