Assessing Student Learning and Grading - Assignment Example

Assessing Learning and Grading Q1.Is it true that most educational psychology books stress the importance of formative and upgraded assessment of student learning and that most students can only recall assessments that are `graded`? What are some ways that you currently use informal assessment in your own classroom, and or what are some ways you think it could be used effectively in classes you either currently teaching or would like to teach. There is evident of massive support from various authors and publications on upgraded assessment of students because of their reliability and validity (Moskal 2000). Informal assessments refer to those assessments which can be graded. Some of there ways in which informal assessments are used in classrooms include, students writing samples on specific topics, handling home works alone and individual students writing journals. A student’s performance can be assessed through use of writing samples in the use of newspapers or newsletters, collages, performing scripts or plays and test on language experience through story telling. Any written work given to students to do alone can be used as a good basis for assessment. The teachers can be able to diagnose the capabilities and skills of students and in return give them the feedback on the necessary correction required. Teachers can test the capability of the students to generate ideas by giving them some assignments on formal writing such as journals. Other ways include, use of games, brain storming and debates. These could be better means of assessing a student’s performance. This improves student’s skills in spelling, oral presentation skills and they feel free to participate because there is no criticism or judgment. Use of rating scales and questionnaires are other alternative means of students’ assessment. In rating scales, the behavior of a student is based on level or dimension of interest. Questionnaires too provide to the teacher on the students area of their interest and their writing skills (Beth, 2005). There is a general assumption that students can grasp ideas without prior training on the work they are to handle. As a result, students are at times given tests which are quite tough and they cannot make out what is expected of them. It would be better if the strengths and weaknesses of the students are evaluated; give feed back to the students and advice them on how to improve. Tests should be administered to check on the understanding of concepts. 2. What are the conditions under which it is a sound educational decision to use multiple choice tests? Often times you will hear students remark that they are "bad at multiple choice tests." Do you think this is the case, or that these students simply prefer formats where there is more subjectivity in grading? If the time for completing tests is little, then multiple questions should be considered as they help in saving time. For students who claim to be bad at multiple choice tests, this could be simply because they need more elaboration to support their answers. All the same, multiple questions are better than formats with more subjectivity in grading because with multiple questions, a guess answer can turn out to be correct. Grades may be used to provide descriptive feedback but there is no single way of accomplishing this. Teachers have to find ways on how to report student’s performance that fit into their system comfortably (Cheolil, 2002), 3. Some argue that students should not be graded on communication (spelling, grammar, sentence clarity, etc.) when the assignment is not a "communication assignment?" What is your response to that? Is appropriate communication a reasonable objective in any course? This argument is incorrect since all assignments need to be put in well constructed English sentences. As such, the assignments should be checked for any errors on communication. Appropriate communication is a reasonable objective for it has to be applied in all areas be it in social or applied sciences. In any assignment, lack of appropriate communication will render the information meaningless. The wording to be used in any assignment is very critical to enhance consistency in the interpretations (Cheolil, 2002). 4. In computing students ‘final grades, do you think it is appropriate to record a "0" for missed work, when, from a validity standpoint, "0" means they have not learned anything? If so, how else would you handle missed work? It is not appropriate to record “0” for missed work because it generally implies that the individual has done nothing and perhaps the missing work was due to an unavoidable circumstance. It would be better to arrange a later date for the same assignment. However, this should only be the case only if the reason behind the missed assignment is genuine. Otherwise, an “x” grade would be better (Christophel, 1990). 5. Find an empirical journal articles that reports on a study that examines the effects of some type of assessment strategy on student learning, motivation, or satisfaction. Analyze the article in light of what you have read about student learning, motivation, and assessment. Describe one or two questions this article raises for you that you could answer with empirical research (what is a "next step" question here?). A study on effective demonstrated that there are three types of interaction; learning, satisfaction and training (Webb, 1982). These interactions can be academic, collaborative or social. Academic interaction entails interaction between learners and resources from which they get the information as well between the learners and the instructors. Collaborative interaction is when a group of learners work together on a particular topic, share out ideas and materials to solve any given problem. When instructors develop strategies that enhance interpersonal encouragement or social togetherness, it is referred to as social interaction. From the results, it was found out that the social interaction group worked better than other groups; those in the collaborative group experienced the highest level of utility with their experience in learning; the collaborative and social groups were more into posting their opinions as opposed to the academic interaction group (Webb, 1982). I t is evident that for grown up learners, interacting socially with instructors and collaborative interaction with teenagers are important in enhancing learning as well as any form of discussion. According to Webb (1982), learning in small groups has increased in the recent past as well as improvement in the interaction processes in these groups. Students gain some experience in their interactions in these groups. There is a positive relationship between interaction and achievement. One could perform better in group situation that when alone. This from the fact that idea generation from various individuals allows for criticism. One feels challenged and is eager to get more and as a result deliver tangible information. There is usually a cognitive process and social psychological mechanisms that bridge interaction and achievement. If the desired result is achieved from interaction, there is usually an urge to improve on the effectiveness and efficiency of the interaction process so as to produce better results (Webb, 1982). The reward structure in place and individual or group characteristics predict the interactions in small groups. If the reward structure is motivating more groups with strong interactions will be in existence, otherwise the small groups would die out. Individuals should be outgoing, open minded and with the will to cooperate so as to ensure improved group performance. From researches conducted, it is clear that the individual’s role in the way they interact in groups largely influences teach (Webb, 1982). Prediction of the interaction is determined by individual, group or the setting characteristic. Teacher or instructor immediacy modifies motivation and as a result increased learning. Two questions that this article raises are: How well can academic group interactions be improved to ensure more learning? How can instructor immediacy be improved to enhance motivation? References Beth Critchley Charlton (2005), Informal Assessments Strategies, p. 6. Cheolil L., Junghoon L., Jung I. and Seonghee C. (2002) “Effects of Different Types of Interaction on Learning Achievement, Satisfaction and Participation in Web-Based Instruction”, Innovations in Education and Teaching International Vol 39 No. 2 pp 153-162. Retrieved 5 July, 2010 http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ649257&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ649257 The entity from which ERIC acquires the content, including journal, organization, and conference names, or by means of online submission from the author. Christophel D. M. (1990) “The relationships among teacher immediacy behaviors, student motivation, and learning”, Communication Education, 39 (4): 323 Moskal, B. M. (2000). “Scoring rubrics: what, when and how?”. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 7(3). Retrieved July 7, 2010 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=3 . Webb N. M. (1982) “Students Interaction and Learning in Small Groups”, Review Of Educational Research, University of California, Los Angeles. 52(3): 421-445. Read More