Measuring My Development As A Bachelor Of Dementia Care Student

2.2 The strengths and limitations of a range of assessment methods in relation to the individual learner needs:

Currently I am studying for my psychology degree and planning on finishing with my bachelors’ degree in 2014, I have faced

In order to assess pupil’s achievements the teacher will take the main lead in doing so and the learning support practitioner will take guidance from the teacher’s assessments in order to support the pupil’s progress. In order to have a clear vision of the students ability and how they are progressing, the class teacher will monitor and assess students achievements, conduct reports of the achievements found for the department; other staff including year learning co-ordinators; and for the parents, they will also have meetings to share examples of pupil’s progress and discuss why they

In my previous profession I was continuously required to assess how well my own knowledge, skills and understanding meet professional standards by reflecting on my own practices and the achievement of the students in my care. I reflected on my work activities and any notable incidents, discussing any identified issues with the Head.

1.1 Compare and contrast the roles of the teacher and the learning support practitioner in assessment of learners’ achievements.

Initially in this assignment, I intend to describe and evaluate two different assessment methods, which I use to assess the progress of my learners.

Assessments are the process of evaluating an individual’s learning. They involve generating and collecting evidence of a learner’s attainment of knowledge and skills and judging that evidence against defined standards. Formative Assessments (quizzes and practical tests) are used to

1.1 Assessment measures the learner’s progress towards or the completion of, the learning aim and criteria, and can be used at any point during the learning cycle. It can provide information to adapt the delivery to suit the learner’s needs and abilities; a learner may need more help or time on some aspects, or has progressed quicker than planned and requires additional goals. By standardising the assessment process this creates uniformity for all learners.

It has been thirty years since I completed by Higher School Certificate, receiving a mark measuring my ability to recall prior years of secondary study. So, as I commence university to attain my degree, how will I manage study, work and family commitments? Do I have the skills to undertake this so late in my life? (Vivekananda & Shores, 1996, p.10). Overwhelmed and anxious about what I had committed myself to, the initial exhilaration of enrolling as a university student was replaced with anxiety. Scanning through discussion boards provided affirmation of the anxieties I experienced. The Feedback I received from one participant responded “I feel that self-doubt too” (M. Bancroft, personal communication, March 3, 2016) (Appendix A) this alerted me to an opportunity to abate my anxiety, but also provided me with a tool to test my strategies and ideas.

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.

Perhaps the biggest contributor to my anxiety in this issue is my financial situation. If money were no object and my classes, books, and credits were free, I would be one of the grey-haired, life-long students in the front row. I would accumulate over fifteen degrees ranging from poetry prowess to molecular biology, and I would take my sweet time in doing so. Heck, I might even live in the dorms for a few years. As my bank account will clearly state, along with the decisions of our "not-so-benevolant" governor, my university education is not so idyllic. Because I am being propelled by financial aid and a scholarship, I feel a painful itch that I must sort through my college education in four or five years or plan to take out a twenty-year loan.

Taking the plunge and advancing skills in graduate studies later in life, leads to some challenges in balancing work, studies, and life activities. Students participating in a course that allows for a reflection back on past actions while evaluating how to define and balance tomorrow’s efforts can present a total scheme of what is needed for success. Understanding tasks and dealing with life’s challenges as a graduate student is a positive step towards accomplishing goals. A self-management course can allow students to reflect on past efforts, revealing opportunities to align current and future efforts, overcome some of life’s hurdles and achieve a balance.

The article that I have selected to be critique is “The Experience of Living with Dementia in Residential Care: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis” by Linda Clare, Julia Rowlands, Errollyn Bruce, Claire Surr, and Murna Downs.

This course like my entire first semester of university have provided me with both many challenges as well as taught me many lessons not only for my university career, but for the rest of my life. As I reflect back on the semester, I recall telling myself at least once a week that I wanted to drop out of school, followed by many breakdowns, crying fits and calling defeat. The past few months, haven’t been at all easy for me, I have thought many times I wasn’t intelligent enough to be in university, I was disappointed with some of the grades I received and I was constantly engulfed in a swarm of stress. Despite all these tough times, I have had many good one’s as well, I have made new friends which are now integral to my everyday life and I have enhanced my knowledge to a new degree. Some of the many lessons that I’ve already learned in my short university experience include how to manage my time, the importance of meeting deadlines as well as the continuous struggle of balancing the various different facets of life.

When I look back in the past, I would see those days I was working restlessly while studying eagerly at school. I call my father a hero for his encouragement to pursue my studies. I would also remember he kept telling me, “Do not worry about the expenses, and just move forward to accomplish your studies at any cost!” So when I had a problem, I would share it with my father and nothing could defeat me to reach my goals. My father taught me that education is the ultimate goal to succeed while leaving the desperation behind. With the help of my father, I devoted most of my time studying English language and attending computer classes when I was about fifteen. I could hardly