Most of you have already begun your classroom observation. The next few blog entries will be based upon what you see in the classroom in which you are observing. If you have not started your observation, answer the questions by observing the assessment practices of one or more of your Lindenwood professors. Please do not use names of teachers, professors or students.
How does the teacher assess the progression of the students’ learning? How does the teacher determine a need for further instruction? How does the teacher determine and document when a student reaches mastery of a learning objective?
I have posted a youtube presentation by Rick Stiggins about Assessment For Learning. Take 6 minutes and watch the youtube - it will help you know what to look for in your classroom.
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I have not started my observation hours, but from what I've experienced at Lindenwood, teachers assess student progression through quizzes. By administering quizzes, teachers can gather information as to which classes or students are understanding or not understanding the material. From there, the teacher can determine which areas need more review or clarifying. It is sometimes hard for teachers to get students to ask questions or admit to having problems. Quizzes allow teachers to see students' struggles without the students having to speak in front of the class. I think that mid-terms (coming soon!) and final exams are what teachers generally use to determine a student's mastery of the subject.
ReplyDeleteI began my student observation in September (I believe). What I've noticed about the teachers I've been observing, is that they appear to remain patient and encouraging to their students, which I noticed did assist the children in their learning. There wasn't a lot of pressure from the teacher to the child(ren). When a student was having difficulty with something, the teacher simply in a kind way sat down next to him or her and assisted the student. I also noticed that the teachers I observed weren't extremely young, so I think that some of that had a lot to do with it. Not that age is a huge factor in a situation like this one, but having raised children of their own, and now having to assist in their grandchildren's learning, they overlook small things that often at times "newer" teachers tend to discipline for. For example, a boy was playing with his pencil and a girl was playing with only her books. The teacher then calmly asked for the books and the eraser. Simple. And when she finished discussing with them their letters, numbers, etc....she handed them their books and pencil back.
ReplyDeleteAlso, while observing, I noticed that if a child is a fast learner, the teacher simply gives the child a little more challenging work as the child completes the already mastered material. The teacher also encourages the students to progress to higher curricula. The teacher always tells her students, "I know you can do it," and if the child hasn't tried but insists he doesn't know how to do the material, the teacher merely says, "You haven't tried it yet; here, let me help you."
ReplyDeleteIf the teacher sees that the student is having difficulty with a subject, the teacher sends home practice work and works close with the student at school to monitor his or her progress in the particular learning subject. Although this is a smaller school, so the teacher may be able to work more one-on-one with the students; however, in a larger classroom, this may be more difficult. But along with quizzes and tests, I think that working with the children a little bit (if a teacher can) one-on-one sometimes, can help the teacher see where the child stands in what subject.
At this particular school as well, the students learn at their own pace, being that it's so small in class size. So if a child has mastered certain material, the teacher simply works with him or her on more challenging material. I found that with these children this is beneficial to them (some having special needs and some having had neglagent living situations), because they're learning is monitored closely, and they appear to have more of a relationship with the teacher, which helps ( I think) if a child has a special need either mentally or at home. Even the students without these special needs appear to be learning at a rapid rate, some completeing 2 to 3 paces a week!
ReplyDeleteKnowing that your teacher cares helps as well, and the children see that in their teachers, and I believe that is a big help for them in learning.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThe observation you made about older teachers not being as quick to discipline as newer teachers is one I've seen too. Three summers ago I volunteered at an elementary summer school, and I helped 4th/5th graders with remedial reading and math. The teacher I assisted was actually my old fourth grade science teacher, so she had been teaching for a very long time. The teacher was very patient when working with students who needed the extra help. She allowed me to pull students out into the hall to read one-on-one and give them the extra attention they needed. She never raised her voice at the children or made a big deal about the little things children do, like fidget in their chairs or mess with their books. She was a kind teacher who knew from experience when to ignore and when to discipline the children's actions.
Liz, I am in the same place as you. I have not started my observation work in the elementary school classroom, however knowing that teaching is in my future, I observe my professors everyday. I even jot down little notes to myself of activities I like and dislike.
ReplyDeleteA little example... (that everyone in this class will know about) Not to mention any names! :) One of “my professors” had us take a quiz on a chapter we read and answered questions, about two weeks prior.
Before class, we're talking about the QUIZ, did you study, what quiz, I forgot all about it.
The quiz is about to begin; one of the students even tried to pull the, “I'm gonna throw up!” and “Can I go to the nurse?” LOL
Question 10, the quiz is over; by now “the professor” can't hardly keep a straight face. “No one EVER asked me if they could use their resources!”
Laughter and chatter broke out and we were back at the quiz, only this time using our neighbors, books, and even asking “the professor” questions.
I have recently considered teaching middle school Math and I can see how this would be a great way to start out the year with your students! So needless to say this is one of those activities that has made my list.
Where as in a World Geography class I am currently in, I have not noticed our professor using much of any forms of learning assessment. ONE (1) that is the number of learning assessments this professor has used all semester. ONE test; over THREE regions and ONE general chapter. That is a total of FOUR chapter form the book. Oh yeah! And 6 oral reports on different countries, each had a question based on the reports given by the students. Each class the professor stands at the front of the room and lectures the ENTIRE class period. No one really asks questions anymore, we have all learned that if you have a question you are coming across as the one, “in the wrong.” Okay I'm going on a tangent, but I feel this is the WRONG way to “assess” students!
P.S. -- Have a good weekend! I am ready for this rain to move on. :)
I have yet to start my obervations, because I have yet to get placed. So I have been doing my own observations in my regular classes. In many, but not all of my classes i notice how professors use different learning styles to teach us students.
ReplyDeleteSome of my professors use power point to teach, they use pictures and cues to keep students attetions.
Marybeth,
ReplyDeleteI think I'm in the same World Regional Geography class as you but a different time . I have professor Marsh, she really hasn't assesed our class very well. We have a take home asessment assignment due monday and it is two big questions that have to be almost 250 words long each. But its not a test and I would very much rather take a test than answer two big questions. We have had map quizes and a world atlas we are working on individually but not very good assesment in this class at all.
All we do in class is taker notes from a power point and she lectures as we take notes from the power point. it is boring and draining. Professor Marsh needs to asses our class better in my opinion.
With my observations, i have learned a lot. The teacher is a sweet lady who is also strict. She helps the students when needed. She gives hints to get the students on track but never the answers. As they learn the subject more, she goes less into details in notes to get the students thinking about how to do on their own. With one lesson, it was about the ends of the graph, and she calls it disco dancing because the ends can go different ways. She gets the students to interact. I am really enjoying my observation time.
ReplyDeletei had a teacher who instead of standing up and lecturing we had debates and discussions and we got to see it thru other peoples eyes. that really helped me learn!
ReplyDeleteI haven't started my observation either,but one of my professors tells the students aabout the quizzes ahead of time,and what to work on. If they don't do well on it she knows how to fix it because of her knowledge of the material.
ReplyDeleteShe closely observes the students one on one. If she sees that the student has something mastered she will move them on to the next level.
Marybeth,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you on everything, right down to the rain moving on...the God it has. LOL
I have been in classes like the second one you mentioned. I felt so bad when I asked a question that I would just go to one of the students that had already taken the class. I would be bothered as a professor if I knew the students weren't comprehending and I just talked the whole time.
On the other hand, I had a professor who made sure that his students were understanding,and made questions VERY welcomed.I learned so much in all of his classes. I walked out thinking," Hey I got this!"
I haven't started on my observations yet, but I do have a couple of comments about my ENG COMP II class that I am in.
ReplyDeleteThis is a required course to graduate here at Lindenwoood, but I have to say that I'm really disappointed by what I'm getting out of that course—especially since I'm paying for college out of my own pocket!
Although I really like my professor as a person (I think he could be a great person/friend to talk to as he is very knowledgeable/passionate about a wide range of topics and issues), I do not think he is a good educator. He spends the entire class talking about a HUGE range of topics (in one class period he went from talking about Anton Chekov to the Jedi Order to the Matrix to memorization to Darwinism vs Intelligent Design), but very little ENGLISH!!! He has assigned homework from time to time, but the homework seems to me to be rather pointless and we never go over it in class either! Another thing he does wrong in my opinion is that he's rather ambilivent about collecting work, allowing us to turn it in on either Friday or the next Monday as an example. Finally, he's assigned us two papers to write (one's already been turned in) but has spent at most 30-45 minutes going over what's expected in those papers and grammer and such. I, myself, am an excellent writer so it's not that big a problem for me, but if I wasn't then this class would not be helpful to me at all since I'm not learning anything! This is especially bad for some students since after COMP II we have to take and assessment essay and if we do poorly take another ENG class, which could play havoc on some student's four year plans.
Contrasting what my COMP II class is like it what Marybeth told me her class was doing. She said that her teacher was educating her class on grammar, having them turn in rough drafts of their essays/papers, and having the students do peer reviews. My teacher isn't doing any of these things, therefore (even though I haven't been in class with her teacher) I have to suggest that she's getting a lot more out of her COMP II clas than I am!
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about teachers meeting with students. It's a great idea because it will help students become more proficient and show them that you really care about their learning.
This reminds me about a couple of conversations I've had with a friend of mine (who's also in my COMP II class) about her old school. She's told me that one of her professors was insanely hard and demanding (such as assigning a 10-20 page paper), BUT would work with the students so that they would know not only what she expected but also HOW could could complete the assignment. She REQUIRED them to meet with her every week outside of class to go over their work and help them improve on a one-on-one basis. She was also willing to meet with them personally to help them review the material. Granted this is a college professor I'm talking about here so her methods aren't that applicable in High School, Middle School, and Elementary settings, but the idea is great in my opinion. It really highlights this teacher's dedication to ensuring her students success.
My COMP II teacher tried something similar recently, but I think he bungled it pretty badly. He dedicated an entire WEEK of class time (3 classes) to meeting with select students (we only had to meet with him on one day) to go over what they could improve on. My meeting with him was this past Friday. He spent the entire time talking about Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. And went on, and on, and on...It was a very interesting group discussion but it lasted over 30 minutes. Then he mentioned Brad Pitt and showed us a movie trailer for Pitt's movie 12 Monkeys! Seriously! I felt really bad for the 2 girls who came in for their assessment while he was talking to me and another student. They didn't know what the hell was going on and he practically ignored them to boot! The discussion ended when the next class came in and we (myself and the 3 other students) had gotten nothing of value relating to COMP II with that meeting. It makes me wonder what the other meetings were like.
teachers assess their childrens progress by doing quizes. they will then see how much the children know and what they still need to improve on. when they find out what they need to improve on, the teacher will go back to the subject and reteach it until the children get it. The teacher will also do quizes that the children do not even that they are being quized on. the teacher will ask questions and have the children write down answers and she them. this will also show the teacher what she needs to go back on.
ReplyDeleteMarybeth- i liked the quiz thing also! i think all professors should take in consideration of the open book quizes.
ReplyDeleteWell most all my teachers except my orientation to Ed. teacher, use the standard tell you what you need to know, then give you an exam over it, then foget about it untill the final method.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time they just look at the test scores and if everyone did good then they dont bother with further instruction, if alot of people fail or do poorly then they will go over some of the points but not much else is done.
Most teachers ive had determine mastery by your grade at the end of a semester. They look at your grade as a whole instead of breaking it down into sections to see what content you struggled on or what you succeeded in
I think the teacher Mica has sounds like a good one because they sit with each individual and determine whether they know the content or not
ReplyDeleteI haven't started observing yet but I have been watching one of my professors. This professor is awesome. The way this teacher progresses the students learning is by making learning fun. The professor emphasizes that we shouldn't freak out when it comes to test or stress out about assignments. The professor shares techniques that have helped her in the past. She finds a way to get the class involved and when she tries something new, she asks the class their opinion.
ReplyDeleteThey way this professor determines a need for further instruction is by asking the class if anyone needs help or if everyone understands the topic. The way this professor determines and documents when a student reaches mastery if a learning objective isn't by some test. She communicates with the students and really finds out if they understand it. I learn something new everyday with this teacher and I am glad that I have her as a professor.
I definitely LOVE the teacher that Marybeth is giving the example of in her post. I think she has amazing teaching techniques!
ReplyDeletei have not started my observation hours yet either but what i have noticed is the teachers i have this semester test the students' knowledge by way of quizzes, and even pop quizzes at that. in my sociology class the professor surprises us with a quiz about once or twice a week just to see if we are doing the reading, which the answer is probably no. so by her giving quizzes this teaches us to do the reading and eventually get the best grade possible
ReplyDeletei have also not started my observations, but i do notice how teachers across campus do things. i have a spanish professor who assigns homework every night. it is usually 2-3 exercises going over what we had learned in class. altough at first it seemed a bit "high school" i now realize that it takes practice and doing the homework is actually helping me. we have a test after every chapter which usually incorporates the homework. as long as you make an effort in the class it is almost impossible to not get a good grade. now, on the other hand i also have a professor that the only test we have had all semester was the midterm, and we also had a 10 point quiz. this is an art class, so it shouldnt be that hard. but with knowing there are no tests, i often forget or just dont do the readings because i know there will be no one to see if i did. it was a struggle when it came time to the midterm because i hadnt done alot of the readings. i dont think that it is fair to just have a midterm and final exam. many students have trouble testing and find it hard to get a decent grade on a test, therefore, doing bad in the entire class.
ReplyDeletebrian,
ReplyDeletei think the professor your friend had could be used in a setting besides college. it only takes a couple minutes to talk to a student and find out what help they need. whether students stop by in between or after classes, or come in early. i am hoping to be an effective enough teacher that i will have some sort of knowledge as to what students need help with. i know i am going to do everything i can to help kids succeed with what we are working on in class.
i already did my practicum last year but its amazing to see just how little a teacher can do to be in control of their class room, if a kid acts out or something like that just a stern look will usually take care of it. if more is needed just a simple talk after class will get everyones attention
ReplyDeleteI was also in a history classroom, and i was amazed how much the kids actually learned, because the teacher that was incharge got the kids involved, made them historical figures and made them act out the parts, put them in battle formations just so they understood how it worked, i thought that was extremely cool
ReplyDeleteI just had my first observation today. It was very interesting. One thing I did notice my teacher did what to develop a good raport with his students. Granted he was dealing with HS upperclassmen, but he was friendy, he joked a bit though it was always in a professional manner, and took an interest in his student's lives. However, when it came time to get work work he was serious. He presented his materaial in a professional and serious manner, but he also used a lot of real life examples and constantly asked his students questions and encouraged them to speak up.
ReplyDeletei agree with ian when he says a teacher can take control of a classroom by just looking at a student sternly. thats where the respect your elders saying comes in. even though the student may be a punk and acts out in class to act cool in front of his friends, eventually that individual will realize that they need to give respect to the uppper hand/elderly which in this case is the teacher.
ReplyDeleteThe way my 4th grade teacher assesses their progress is my tests and projects. for example, the class was learning about the planets, so she had they make paplets about the differnet planets. the child had to talk about the temperture, the colors the different planets have, and how many moon the planet has. well with the paplet i guess the way the teacher would decide if they need to go over the information again is how well they do on the project. the teacher would give the students test and for those students that master a skill the teacher would check it off in their folder and date it.
ReplyDeletei think that the history class that Ian Whitson observed would be great. i want to be a teacher like that. i am so that these student will never forget that history lesson. i wish i had a history teacher like that when i was in school!!!
ReplyDeleteDuring my observations, I have experienced examples of great classroom assessments that the teacher uses. For example, every friday my teacher sends home a white binder filled with classwork from the preceeding week, this is a kind of portfolio for the parents to observe what their children are doing during their time at school. Also the teacher uses group assessment for example when she is focusing on the letters of the day, she has the entire class write out things beginning with the letter of the day and also has them write out the letter
ReplyDeleteI have also noticed that some of my professors seem to be stuck on repeat. They use the same kind of assessment every class,. read and then the next class take a test over what you read. talk about monotony!
ReplyDelete