Unit_2_Discussion_-Observation_Assessment__Evaluation_of_Children

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Park University *

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220

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Philosophy

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Apr 3, 2024

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I. Traditional Methods of Assessment vs. Authentic Methods of Assessment Using the following resource, discuss the following questions. Q1. In what cases, do you want to use traditional methods of assessment to evaluate students' progress and what pros do you see in using them? Please share your rationales of using the traditional methods of assessment. Traditional methods of assessment, like exams and quizzes, can be handy when you need a quick snapshot of a student's understanding. They're structured, easy to grade, and provide a standardized way of evaluating knowledge. In subjects where there's a clear right or wrong answer, or when you want to assess memorization skills, traditional methods are quite effective. They also help students prepare for standardized tests they might encounter later in life. Q2. In what cases, do you want to use authentic methods of assessment to evaluate students' progress and what pros do you see in using them? Please share your rationales of using the authentic methods of assessment. Authentic assessment methods, on the other hand, are best when you want to see how well students can apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios. Projects, presentations, or hands-on activities allow students to demonstrate not just what they know but how they can use that knowledge in practical situations. This approach encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity—skills that are often more valuable in the long run than simply regurgitating facts. It mirrors the complexities of the actual world, preparing students for the challenges they might face beyond the classroom. II. Issues in Standardized Tests for Children Q3. Explain the main points of two perspectives, Kohn vs. Walberg. Alfie Kohn used a perfect metaphor to describe what standardized testing is doing to our schools. Kohn says “standardized testing has swelled and mutated, like a creature in one of those old horror movies, to the point that it now threatens to swallow our schools whole” (Kohn, 2000). Standardized tests are affecting the curriculum being taught in schools; how teachers educate their students; the amount of meaningful learning taking place in a classroom; and the negative impacts taking place (as in emotional impact or material impact) on students, teachers, and schools.I wonder each year should: Should tests be completely eliminated? The obvious answer is absolutely not, but we need to limit the amount of tests students are taking throughout the school year. Flaws that Alfie Kohn has pointed out in the application of these tests revolve around two central points. Kohn believes that tests using primarily multiple choice questions as well as timed tests do not measure students’ actual comprehension of a topic. Kohn also has trouble seeing how these exams prepare a student for the future.Multiple choice questions ensure that there is usually one right answer, and three wrong answers to a question. All the weight of the question is put on the solution, and not actually on what should be tested, the process. Tiny errors in the working of a problem are punished the same as a

complete misunderstanding of the concept. Based upon that reasoning, Kohn believes that there needs to be more emphasis placed on the process of problem solving, instead of on the final solution that is reached by the student Q4. You can elaborate on your own ideas on standardized tests after reading two articles. If you do not totally agree with either of scholars. Explain the rationale of your own standpoint. It believe that standardize testing encourage accountability in the public schools.Kohn says “ The tests are just the means by which this game is played. It is a game that a lot of kids—predominantly kids of color—simply cannot win” (Kohn, 2000). A teacher’s goal is to provide students with high-quality instruction. If we only focus on teaching test material, then the students are going to have gaps in their education and fall behind in school. Those gaps will eventually affect them in their college and professional career. The focus should always be the students, and what will benefit them for the future. Another claim made by Alfie Kohn is that standardized tests have been used more as a form of political propaganda than as a tool to determine the quality of our country’s educational system. A politician can call for “accountability,” “higher standards,” or spout any number of other possible campaign slogans instead of actually going in and improving the educational system. The politician can then make himself look good by merely drawing up a bill calling for the implementation of a test and calling that test his method of measuring the quality of education in government funded schools. Kohn believes that standardized tests not only do not measure the education that a student has received, but are also teaching students the wrong lesson. Standardized tests are conditioning the nation’s youth to not ask for help if they do not understand a problem, but instead to guess, and hope for the best. In general, Kohn believes that in order to really improve the public education system, both parents and teachers need to be more involved in the evaluation process. Children can be tested better by actually doing things rather than being asked questions. Putting students into a controlled situation and monitoring how they react can also test for the comprehension of an idea or concept. Q5. In your professional opinion, should standardized testing be used for children in early childhood or middle childhood? If so, in what cases, do you think that standardized tests need to be used for young and middle childhood children? If not, in what cases, do you think that standardized tests should not be used? I don’t believe that standardized testing should be in early childhood, it would be just another reason for schools to push academics too early and drop more playtime activities. Children who are in early childhood are not developmentally ready for this kind of "sit down, read the question or have a question read then answer" kind of test. They are still at the stage where experiential interaction is the greatest pathway to learning. These standardized tests are “unable to describe individual patterns of learning” in the way that teachers can be simply observing their students.Teacher have the ability to know what each child in their care need by simply observing them, with other children around them. Standardized tests have been created to assess if children are at the

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