LEARNING TO LOVE ASSESSMENT

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.