Learning Objectives And Post-Graduate School Assessments

Haydn (2009 cited in Capel et al 2009 page 329) defines assessment as "all those activities which are undertaken by teachers, and others, to measure the effectiveness of teaching and learning".

As a tutor I will carry out various methods of assessment to maintain continuous improvement; I also involve my learners in the process.

When the teacher shares and explain the learning objective with the pupils they will be giving the pupils a clear understanding of what they are to learn, they can check the childs understanding by asking questions, the support learning practitioner will also need to be aware of the learning objective.

understand in this lesson. In the next session we go back to the board and re-cap on to check their understanding about what they said.

I praised the group as a whole and said something positive to each child eg: read with enthusiasm, great ability to break down the words, you didn’t give up, well done for reading so clearly and how confident he/she sounded. Always leaving the session on a very positive note!

Assessment, both formative and summative, plays a significant part in the learning experience as it determines progression and enables learners to demonstrate that they have achieved their desired learning outcomes.

Teaching is not just about drilling a subject into the minds of those students you adorn the plastic seats in front of you each year;

Evidence needs to be authentic and actually related to the performance of the learner being assessed and not that of another learner instead.

Additionally, I have also learned from the class discussion that there are other alternative assessments or assessment options in having students realize meaningful objectives about not only what they have learned from what is being taught, but also how they can investigate deeper into pursuing from the opportunities from what they have learned. One example was with the group that I participated in doing a test analysis of the Brigance Transition Skills Activities. From analyzing this set of materials, our group uncovered that this assessment (if one was to call it that) served not so much in having students demonstrate what they have learned in translating to various measurements academic achievement or status of learning comprehension so much as to have available for the instructor an organized curriculum designed to help

Through encouraging learners or athletes to act out a strategic activity or skill, the learner learns the drill in an informal manner. This also helps aid memory retention and muscle memory retention, especially for improving motor skills or conditioned behaviour.

Assessment is carried out to ensure that learning has taken place. This is used to measures the learner’s knowledge and skills in their chosen area of learning. Assessment can be used to encourage learners to ask questions on anything they have not understood, learners at some point will have to know that they will have to prove their knowledge and understanding to the standards of the awarding body.

From the research they conducted, the Assessment Reform Group (2002) has identified ten key principles in relation to assessment for learning. The two that stood out when looking at assessment to meet the learners’ needs are:

The next assignment I would like to showcase is my performance and portfolio assessments from Using Assessment Data to Drive Instructional Decisions. The performance assessment focused on a Pizza Party assignment. Students were required to add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals using pictorial models and algorithms in order to calculate the cost the cost of pizza and drinks at each pizza parlor. They used their calculations to determine which restaurant had the best price. Students were scored on a performance rubric regarding their ability to add and subtract rationals, represent and solve for products of decimals, and represent and solve for quotients of decimals. My portfolio assessment covered the same skills; however, students were required to submit six artifacts they completed over the course of the year. All of the assignments involved decimal computation. Students were scored on a rubric based on their demonstration of mathematical concepts and reasoning, errors, terminology, organization, peer assessment, and reflection.

Students in eleventh grade are required to take an end of course assessment in social studies. Students take United States History in eleventh grade and are required to pass at least one social studies end of course assessment in order to graduate. The Standards of Learning Blueprint that lays out the structure of the end of course assessment divulges thirteen out of sixty questions on the test are based on the standards related to World War I (Virginia Department of Education, 2009). Being that this portion of the assessment is heavily weighted on the test, it is crucial that students understand concepts, but also master content and connections in regards to World War I. In order to ensure all students are able to grasp content, and make connections, it is crucial to differentiate instruction. According to Tomlinson (2008), differentiation is based upon creating a classroom in which all students are able to reach their full potential, because students work and show mastery in the learning context in which they learn best.

The goal of educational assessment is to record, evaluate and enable improved student learning. The monitoring of student work, through developing understanding of key subject concepts and their achievement of syllabus objectives requires comparison against outcomes and standards. These outcomes and standards help define the criteria which is considered essential and relevant for assessment. Through correct implementation, integration, and reliability and validity, all forms of assessment should enable improved student learning when teaching is targeted towards syllabus outcomes, objectives and through highlighting gaps in student knowledge.