Capture/Reflection 7 - 10/26/2010

This week captures and reflection evolve around what was taught in the classroom by fellow students. In class last tuesday and also today we were taught by peers. The subject matter in my reflection has no significance but rather the ways in which it was taught does. I found throughout many of the teaching moments that assessment was something rarely touched on. As teachers I feel that assessment can be easily overlooked on a day to day basis, yet it is something that is crucial in helping the students to stay focused and continually progressing. Now there are various ways of assessing student learning, before, during, and after teaching the subject matter. Pre-testing is often easy to do with students because rarely is a score or grade associated with such. Asking the students simple questions or even those you may have on a final exam should indefinitely happen because as a teacher this is an opportunity for you as a teacher to finding a starting point for the lesson, or rather if necessary take the opportunity to review on what they know. From here you lead into the opportunity to better scaffold on the material that the students already know. Another form of assessment should be that done while you are teaching, meaning follow questions or reflective, or review question to assess that the students are understanding and following the lesson. Too often we as teachers depending on the material just assume or rather don't feel that the time needed is worth it if there is a lot of material to cover. As a student I don't always like it when the teacher calls on me unless I'm confident in the subject matter. Pride tells me I don't want to say the wrong answer, that I care what other students might think, yet assessing during the lessons helps me stay on track and gives the teacher a better idea if what he/she is covering is being understood. Such assessment wasn't being used as much as needed in the teaching moments during class. Lastly is the final assessment, at the end of a unit or term, or the year. Now most students hate these assessments because it puts them on the spot, yet as a teacher they are necessary besides the fact that they are required often times by administration and such. These assessments are also for the teachers benefit because once again one can look at the test scores and gain an overall understanding of class understanding and whether or not your styles and method are affective in the classroom. I've gone on long enough on assessment so I won't continue on other thoughts, but if my reflection for the week was to be summed up it would be on the importance of assessing students for more than just the student but rather for the sake of becoming a better teacher.