Reflection and Blogging - a perfect marriage - Week 2

This week in class we looked at the use of blogging as an online assessment - and thus the birth of this blog! My first inclination was to say - that won't work for me and my students. We read an article by Luehmann and MacBride about how two high school teachers were using classroom blogs.  I realized that some of what they were using the blogs for: sharing resources and developing a classroom community, I was accomplishing using my classroom's Google plus community page.  (I linked my parent community page to the right!)  Some of the teachers' additional uses for their blogs (responding to teacher prompts, engaging in online conversation, and student sharing what they learned before a test) I was excited about, but they for the most part could also be accomplished on our community page.  If fact, I was so excited about the later that I immediately posted a similar prompt on my page.

The one aspect that I did not feel could be accomplished with our community page was true reflection, where students honestly thought about their own learning process, during and after a unit. This would likely be more private (not typically a blog use) so students could speak of weaknesses without sharing with their classmates.  This type of reflection is also a key to students ownership of their own learning.  Students would reflect on the process, content, and method of their learning. (from Mr. Thayers blog on reflection).  I will have the students record their reflection in their own blogs and share with me.  I will keep you "posted" on how that goes!

Assessment for Learning - Week 1

What is the purpose of assessment -to measure learning (end of unit test, finals – assessment of learning) or to promote learning (feedback on how learning is progressing – assessment for learning)? In examining my own practice, I admit that I have predominantly focused on measuring learning. These types of tests are, according to Buhagiar’s article on classroom assessment, learning unfriendly (narrow time and content), curriculum unfriendly (test taking strategies not content strategies), teacher unfriendly (basis for their evaluation), and student unfriendly (labeling).

 Ouch! So how can I switch to adding (can’t avoid the measuring) more assessments for learning? These have often also been called formative assessments.  These types of assessments are on-going and low stakes where students can see how they are doing so they can make adjustments and changes in order to learn more and where teachers can alter their instruction based on student outcomes.  I have started to incorporate more on-going and low stakes assessments in the form of online quizzes and individual check in.  While I check in student work, I comment on how well they did the assignment and if necessary ask them to repeat certain sections before I give credit.  This part I feel has caused students to adjust their methods. My online quizzes, although low stakes, have not achieved the true purpose to promote learning.  I think I need to have the feedback more instantaneous, with answers given immediately (which they weren't) and then responsibilities when answers were missed (which there wasn't).  If student missed a question on chemical properties – I should have had them do some more work to better understand the concept or add an supplementary activity(change my teaching).  Another additional key to formative assessments is to have students involved in the process, so that they can judge their own learning and take more ownership of it.  This too I have been lacking.  A lot to work on this year!

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Finally, I do love one type of assessment I do.  I give lab finals at the end of the semester, students need to use all they have learned to solve a new problem.  I suggest this is a new type of assessment – not an assessment of learning or an assessment for learning but the assessment is the learning!  My students often remark that they learned more doing the final itself! My favorite assessment!

Welcome to my Blog!

Flipping, mastery, online assessments and me!

Hello and welcome to my blog!  I am Lisa Backus and I teach Chemistry and Honors Chemistry at Deerfield High School. This blog is part of a class I am taking dealing with online assessments.  I became interested in the topic when I started flipping my classroom.  Flipping is where you take any predominantly 1 sided instruction (like lecture or reading) that used to be done in the classroom and turn them into homework assignments, sometimes through the use of videos.  The old homework part is now done in the classroom and can be transformed from worksheets to interactive activities.  The idea is that class time is for student involvement not passively sitting to a lecture (although I didn't lecture often before either). I made a video for my parents to explain the concept of flipped mastery and I attached it for those who are interested.  I also added a mastery component.  This is where students must successfully finish targets before taking an assessment.  This is what drove my interest in online assessments. Students are finishing targets at different times.  Assessments need to be flexible, given at different times, evaluated quickly and if predominantly 1 sided, able to be done at home.  Online assessments are the perfect match for the classroom.  I hope to learn a lot.  You are welcome to come along on my journey!