essay2_teachingforlearning6
- 1. How to make efficient tests and reporting? (Essay by VO Huyen) In this essay we will discuss about essential elements to pay attention for making assessment tests and performance reporting in line with curriculum objectives and clear for stakeholders (students, parents, colleagues, administrators) to understand. In the first part, we talk about the role of reporting and tests vis-à-vis teaching and learning process. In the second part, issue from the discussion of the first part, we consider important elements to take care when we plan assessment tests and make reporting. We have multiple ways to report (or to give the feedback about) the performance of students: retrospective, prospective or introspective view (Teaching for learning 6, week 3, lecture 1). But the essential role of reporting is to make reader know clearly where the student on the learning map (curriculum objectives) is and how far he or she is in rapport to the final destination (VO Huyen, essay 1, teaching for learning 6). Otherwise, reporting must bring out “… (1) needs to be taught … (2) next”. We can put “my child” or “this student” in the (1) and “fraction” or “spelling” or “decimal number” … in the (2). The more the reporting gives the performance of students in detail the more clear for reader to understand. For example, by just putting “fraction” in the (2), we can write “unit fraction” or “different representations of fraction” or “surface fraction” … Furthermore, the reporting comprehension depends on the way the stakeholders interpret reporting information concerning scores. So the reporting must give clear explanations about the scoring (e.g., 60% is considered pass), about how teacher determines merit of score (e.g., in rapport with the average of class or school or a district...) (Teaching for learning 6, week 3, lecture 3). To have a reporting that reports the real performance of students, we must have assessment tests that stick on curriculum objectives and make sure that students who get the answer right actually knows the material that we’re asking (Teaching for learning 6, week 4, lecture 1).
- 2. I am not a teacher yet. When I help my daughter to know deeply a concept or notion (fraction for example), I begin by give her a diagnostic test to know where is she on the map of fraction. This diagnostic test should be in line with the program objectives at her age. Information issue from this diagnostic test let me know what is the need of my daughter in fraction term and what I could do to help her go straight to the final destination (in fraction term). All assessments: diagnostic, formative or summative; all assessment test types: MCQ, binary choices, matching, sequencing or sorting should be in line with the teaching and learning content in particular subject and with the curriculum objectives in general program of each grade. There is no perfect method of collecting information (Teaching for learning 6, week 4). It depends on what teachers want to know about their student knowledge and know how deep this knowledge is. For some opinions, the MCQ couldn’t test the three high order thinking (i.e., analyzing, evaluating and creating) but only the low order thinking (i.e., recalling, recognizing, categorizing) (McCurry, D. 2008). For assuring the quality, assessment tests must also respond to the goal following “student who answer correctly did so because they know the material not because we wrote the questions (of the assessment test) badly”. In sum, the first and most essential element to pay attention for having a efficient reporting and testing is that must be in line with curriculum objectives. REFERENCES 1. Coursera, teaching for learning 6, week 3. 2. Coursera, teaching for learning 6, week 4. 3. McCurry, D. (2008). Proceedings from IAEA 08: A high degree of difficulty: Assessing Higher order thinking in Cross-curricular Tests with multiple choice items. Cambridge, UK: IAEA. 4. VO Huyen (2016), essay 1, teaching for learning 6 (See the essay below)
- 3. ASSESSMENT ROLE IN THE INTERACTIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN: CURRICULUM, TEACHING & LEARNING ACTIVITIES, AND ASSESSMENT PROCESS (ESSAY BY VO HUYEN) Firstly, we are showing why the relationship between the three elements is: curriculum, teaching & learning activities (happening in the classroom) and assessment process. Secondly, we will illustrate the role of assessment process in planning teaching & learning activities in line with the objectives, goals, targets fixed by curriculum. Before demonstrating the primordial element – feedback – of assessment validity, we would like to talk about how to have an effective assessment process by showing different assessment types that deep student learning. We may represent the relationship between curriculum, teaching & learning activities and assessment process in the figure bellowing. We can visualize the whole activities of teaching (teacher side) and of learning process (learner side) in the classroom during a year for a particular material as travelling from point A to point B. We must to know where are we going to (point B); where we are right now (between point A and B) and what we must do to reach the destination (point B). The point A represents learner’s previous knowledge and experience, it depend on each learner that point A is different. The point B represents the teaching and learning objectives or goals fixed by curriculum. To know about learner’s previous knowledge, teacher begins do a diagnostic assessment, based on the information issue from this diagnostic assessment teacher plans the teaching & learning activities to reach the learning objectives. During the travel from point A to B, teacher and learner must check to stay on track by doing assessment and do adjustment by changing teaching & learning activities if necessary. I’m not a teacher yet, to illustrate my representation above, I will talk about my own experience issue from sport activities. When I participated to become a ping pong animator, I had planned a training session for a young group. I must firstly to fix the session objectives (curriculum) and plan different activities for the session (teaching & learning activities). During the session, I observed (assessment) my young group and I seen (checking) there are some children who couldn’t do the gesture demanded so I made it easier and for who could do smoothly I made it harder (adjustment). The assessment process and teaching & learning process must be checked and
- 4. adjusted every time we, as an educator, see things not in line with teaching and learning objectives. Assessment process permits teacher to answer the question “who needs to be taught what next?” (Coursera, teaching for learning 6, week 1, lecture 2). We have two types of assessment mentioned in the course: formative and summative. The two assessments are useful for teaching and learning process when the information, issue from these assessments, used by teacher to let learners know how to improve their learning and get better performance. So the summative assessment in the end of period or of year can be formative assessment for the next period or year. The point here it’s not formative or summative but more than how to give an effective assessment. An effective assessment for learning (i.e., formative assessment) is nested in the way and the information content given to learner – the feedback (Coursera, teaching for learning 6, week 2). A feedback can have a powerful effect on learner in two dimensions: cognitive and motivational. A good feedback helps learner to find out what, where and how to learn to get the final destination (i.e., curriculum objectives) – cognitive factor. When learner understands deeply their learning, they have confidence and control over their own learning – motivational factor (Susan M. Brookhart, 2008). This helps teacher to control smoothly the classroom activities because learners engage in the teaching and learning process. There are a lot of things to pay attention to give an effective feedback. I list here certain points I think important. For me, feedback must be accurate, specific, actionable and on time (Coursera, Teaching for learning 6, Week 2, Lecture 3). In this essay, I have tried to make a clear picture of assessment role in rapport with curriculum and teaching & learning activities. I see there are interesting points to think out about the feedback, about how to give feedback that is accepted and used by learners for improving their learning. REFERENCES 1. Coursera, Teaching for learning 6, Week 1 2. Coursera, Teaching for learning 6, Week 2