Learning
to Love Assessment
This assessment will be a reflexion about the
reading “Learning to Love Assessment” written by the author Carol Ann
Tomlinson.
· Understanding 1: Informative assessment
isn't just about tests.
As teachers we need to know that the tests are not
the only way to assess our students, every student has a different rhythm of
learning and not always everyone react the same way to a test, that’s why the
teacher needs to be aware of the different needs of their students and taking
that into account prepare better plans and assess them using different
strategies and tools to assess the students learning and know the level of
knowledge of an specific theme or topic.
When I was a student I have all kind of teachers, those
who only use test to assess the final result of the learning and those who take
into account the process of learning and give feedback to the student using
variety of assessment strategies and tools I have to recognize that I remember
better the teachers who assess me using different ways of assess than those who
only use the test.
·
Understanding 2: Informative assessment
really isn't about the grade book.
I couldn´t agree more with this author´s thought, I
believe more in a good feedback of the process of the students learning than a
grade in a grade book, and also for me the grades book not always represent
what the student really know.
Must of the time parents are waiting for the grades
book to “know in a formal way" the development of their children in the school,
but in my opinion, as a teacher our duty is to inform students and parents more if they arre young children in several occasions during the learning process not only at the end
of a trimester with the grade book.
·
Understanding 3: Informative assessment
isn't always formal.
I have lived this as a preschool teacher, because
with young children more than with anyone the assessment is given by the
observation and from moments that are not related with the assessment in most
cases. The teacher needs to have an anecdotic notebook to write all those
important things that happened not only in the classroom also out of it, in the
playground, the cafeteria, etc., those moments and situations are full of these
learning.
·
Understanding 4: Informative assessment
isn't separate from the curriculum.
I think reading this statement that this is the most
common “mistake” or way to do things of the teachers in the world, first we
make the lesson or unit plans and then we think in the way to assess that plan.
It´s difficult realize this words “assessment is a part of - not apart from-
the curriculum”.
·
Understanding 5: Informative assessment
isn't about "after."
I think this is another common “mistake” at least in
teachers I know as a student and as colleagues, including me, the use of the
assessment at the end of the unit to check what the students know about the unit
is useless if you see that as feedback that helps teacher in order to make new
plans or help students improve their knowledge in the topics that they have
weaknesses, that´s why I agree with the pre-assessment or diagnostic assessment
used to improve the teaching and learning process.
·
Understanding 6: Informative assessment
isn't an end in itself.
Teachers thinking in assessment the most of the time
thinks in “the end of” a unit, a plan, a topic, and as the author says and I
agree the assessment is not an end in itself can be, but don’t need to be the
final part of something. This is hard to understand for a lot of teachers and
also a lot of students that are accustom to close the unit, plan or theme with
an assessment and sometimes the only assessment, teachers need to use the
assessment to know about the teaching and learning process, about the students’
needs and also about how to improve the art of teaching, among other things.
·
Understanding 7: Informative assessment
isn't separate from instruction.
This statement happens a lot and not all the teacher
can realize that as teachers with groups of more than one student we need to
know and work with the individual and group needs ALWAYS. That happened a lot
in preschool because not all the children have the same rhythm of learning and
the skills of everyone are different, so be careful with this statement VERY
IMPORTANT.
·
Understanding 8: Informative assessment
isn't just about student readiness.
In this statement the author talks about what we
were talking before the importance of knowing the needs and cares of the
students individually or as a group, because if you as teacher can attached what
you are teaching with your students’ needs and cares they are going to be motivated
and the learning is going to be more effective.
·
Understanding 9: Informative assessment
isn't just about finding weaknesses.
In my opinion some teacher use to do this always,
try to find what the student doesn’t know, can’t do, etc. always in negative,
if you use the assessment as a positive feedback or a positive reinforcement the
students for sure are going to think in the assessment in other way.
·
Understanding 10: Informative assessment
isn't just for the teacher.
The last statement for the author is to involve the
students in the assess process, because this is not a feedback important only
for the teacher to be a better teacher is also important for the students to be
better students and to be success in their learning processes.
