In the first week of class, we learned all about assessment and the many ways we can assess students. When defining assessment in my own words, it is a way for teachers to observe, track, and gather students' progress and learning in many different formats and then be able to use that information when teaching/planning. There are two types of assessment, formal and informal assessment. We spent time in class explaining these. Formal assessments are more like quizzes, exams, and standardized assessments. Informal assessments are more laid back and focused on the student. These can be anecdotal records, portfolios, and/or self-assessments. As a future teacher, I want to incorporate both types of assessments but focus more on informal so I can focus on the individual child's needs. I would use a diagnostic assessment before beginning a unit or lesson because it would show me what the child already knows before I teach a certain topic. When I say this, I mean that if I see that a bunch of my students didn't get a problem right then I know I need to visit that. This would help me plan my lessons day to day. Another way I would asses children would be through portfolios that are shown above. I feel like this is a great way to display the children's work and see how they progressed through the year. For example, I could see how their writing has gotten better, how they can spell different things, or their ability to write in sentences. Overall, assessment falls in a cycle, and without one thing you cannot really move to the next. In that case, that is why I would use diagnostic assessments at the beginning and many different other informal assessments to gather information. I would use formal assessment as well but mostly at the end of a unit.

I like that you said that you want to focus more on informal types of assessments in your class! i think that formal assessments such as tests and quizzes can be really stressful and anxious for most students. Some students are also not great test-takers and they may fully understand the material but not be able to show teachers that. It is super important to assess student's learning through multiple different types of assessments to see what areas students excel or fall behind in. Overall, great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Taylor I like your personal definition for assessment and how you would use different types of assessments. Great job!
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