AssessmentLet's face it, assessment is important! How we assess is the most important component though. Many of us are forced to assess in certain ways and yet that doesn't mean that we can not assess our students in a way that is more meaningful to both us and them. When we, as teachers, assess students as they are learning and modify what we do and how we assist their learning based on this we should be able to get them to a point where the mandatory assessments are easier for them and they have the skills to successfully complete them. This is authentic and the way that life works. It makes me think of all the athletes that have just competed in the Olympics; they learned and their coaches worked with them along the way... the long path! They didn't just show them once how to do it, leave them alone or show them other sports and then throw them into the 'ring' to compete with the others. They started with the basics, grew and developed and changed tactics along the way, competed in small assessments (competitions) to help them find their weaknesses, and then refined in preparation for the Olympic Games. Yes, we don't have our students for this long of a 'training' period, but we lead them, assess, redirect, fine-tune, assess, change tactics, and assess.
The problem that I see with assessment is the amount of time spent on the 'final' summative assessment. The process along the way is the most important and will lead to a successful final result. Too much focus on the end only leads to a lot of stress for students, teachers and parents. Focusing on the path that it takes to get there instead allows everyone to build the emotional strength needed as well as the mental/physical. Creating and Working with
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Taken from page 9, http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20140614115719/http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearning/digiassass_eada.pdf
Assessment Hangout
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