Assessment Issues

I really liked the articles. They provided some different views on "testing" or evaluating our students. I too am tired of standardized tests. In my class on creativity we are constantly looking at how creativity is what we really need to get back into the classrooms. Students need to be able to solve problems and brainstorm instead of being expected to spit answers back for a test.

I liked the article about the students keeping track of their progress in written form. I have seen teachers have students keep track of their grades but that isn't really getting them to reflect on what they learned or what they feel they are struggling with. I would have liked so see more examples or prompts for how to do such a journal though. It would be time-consuming but maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it was something that was scheduled a few times a week. I really feel it is important for students to feel invested in what they are learning and to understand the purpose behind it.

I can understand why students get frustrated with school when they are simply expected to memorize facts for a test. It is more than that. Students need to be inspired to get involved in their learning. They need to use their interests to jump-start new ideas. I have trouble figuring out how to assess big projects because I like for students to explore and go with them instead of having to work towards something specific. I like to assign rubrics but that does sometimes put a box or limit what they can do. I am very interested in working with students to have them come up with how they want to be assessed.

There are still more questions that I have but I think that it will be something I will have to figure out as I go. I won't know what works best until I try it in my classroom. Now I just need to get my own classroom! Someone give me a job! (=