I use several different strategies for assessing student learning. I do not believe that there is one correct method for assessment because all students are unique and one form of assessment may not accurately portray a student’s achievement.
One strategy that I use is observation and discussion. Just from listening to group conversations or conducting a whole-class discussion, you can learn a lot about what the students know. This will work for some students, but for those that are shy, this may not be the best form of assessment.
Another form of assessment that I have found to be beneficial is project-based assessments. For this type of assessment, students can show off their creativity and choose how they want to present what they understand. When assigning it, I also provide students with a rubric of what is expected on the final project; this way, I can give students the freedom of how they want to present the information in a way that appeals to them as long as they include all information required. Project-based assessments can also assess and help students learn skills such as teamwork, collaboration and time-management. When creating paper-and-pencil tests, I believe that it is necessary for the tests not to be a 1 out of 4 chance of choosing the correct letter but instead, require students to master a higher level of thinking than just memorizing an equation and require students to explain and argue their answers. Questions should relate to students’ lives so that students aren’t left there thinking when they will ever use this in their life.
One strategy that I use is observation and discussion. Just from listening to group conversations or conducting a whole-class discussion, you can learn a lot about what the students know. This will work for some students, but for those that are shy, this may not be the best form of assessment.
Another form of assessment that I have found to be beneficial is project-based assessments. For this type of assessment, students can show off their creativity and choose how they want to present what they understand. When assigning it, I also provide students with a rubric of what is expected on the final project; this way, I can give students the freedom of how they want to present the information in a way that appeals to them as long as they include all information required. Project-based assessments can also assess and help students learn skills such as teamwork, collaboration and time-management. When creating paper-and-pencil tests, I believe that it is necessary for the tests not to be a 1 out of 4 chance of choosing the correct letter but instead, require students to master a higher level of thinking than just memorizing an equation and require students to explain and argue their answers. Questions should relate to students’ lives so that students aren’t left there thinking when they will ever use this in their life.