My Thoughts on Assessment

My experiences with assessment

Growing up, the thought of the word "test" or "exam" used to really scare me. I was always the type to spend many hours studying for a test, thinking I'm prepared, and then completely blank out when it was time to write it. I disliked the pressure of having to answer right or wrong questions to test my knowledge and understanding of a subject. A lot of the time, I felt like I understood the material, but I couldn't always demonstrate my knowledge to the fullest capacity through these assessments.

One of my least favourite subjects in school was math. I always felt that I was forced to solve math problems one way, and one way only. The method that we were taught in class was the answer that the teacher expected on the test. In my math class at Brock, I have learned that there are many different techniques and ways students could use to answer questions, and still get the answer correct. I always wondered why these numerous strategies were never taught to me by my teachers growing up. My perspective on assessments has shifted since beginning my role as a Teacher Candidate.

 Rotas, E. (2011). [Digital image]. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://mentorsexpress.blogspot.ca/2015/09/assessment-key-tool-in-21st-century.html 

My current beliefs on assessment

I believe that there shouldn't always be a right or wrong answer, especially when it comes to open-ended assignments. As long as a student can demonstrate their understanding of a subject and back up what they know or provide reasonings for what they have answered, students should be praised for their work. It is important to encourage critical thinking and reflection within a student's work. 

When it comes to assessing elementary school students, I believe that we should be using a variety of assessments instead of relying on quizzes and tests. We should be encouraging students to demonstrate their understanding through experiments, using digital tools and resources for projects and tasks, drama or presentations etc. There are many different ways a teacher could evaluate a student's knowledge of the class material and we should be promoting the diversity of learning. It is important to remember that every student learns and retains information differently. We all possess different types of multiple intelligences that determine what ways we learn best. Educators should always keep this in mind when assessing their students.  

I also believe that providing feedback is important after having assessed students. If we do not provide clear and constructive comments on a student's work, they may not understand or know what the next steps are for improvement. Teachers should always write a detailed comment on a student's evaluation instead of comments such as "Great work" or "Good effort". Feedback gives students motivation to do better, gives a chance to develop their effort, and is a way for continuous learning. Teachers should also keep in mind that when providing feedback to a student, it is important to allow opportunities for improvement after having given the feedback.