"Innocent of understanding until convicted"
When we assess students they must be able to apply and explain.
If not, we have merely taught them and they have not learned.
When we assess students they must be able to apply and explain.
If not, we have merely taught them and they have not learned.
Assessment plays an important role in understanding how much a child knows. It is the second step in the backwards teaching process. First, we set goals. We decide what we want our students to learn. Next, we design assessments. This is the evidence that our students have reached the goals. Lastly, we lesson plan. We plan for activities that will help us to begin the process of collecting evidence, piece by piece. This is a different way of thinking for some. Usually we think of assessment as being the last thing that we do. By moving it up the list, teachers are able to better meet the needs of their students because they can see where they are going. They can observe and respond along the way. They will see what they need to instruct and when to modify. With this change in thinking, we also need to think of assessments differently. Assessments no longer have to be paper/pencil tests. Assessments can be any activity, big or small, that shows student understanding. Again, to understand means to be able to APPLY and EXPLAIN.
"Fun" Assessment Tools
http://www.toondoo.com/
http://www.exploratree.org.uk/
http://www.toondoo.com/
http://www.exploratree.org.uk/