Any time I can incorporate a Sound of Music reference, don't doubt that I will take that opportunity.
But really, I know the first time I heard about formative assessment, it was almost like a "So? It's just how we teach, right? Like when we walk around the room, right?" moment for me. But I can tell you that in further researching and discussing the concepts and practices behind it, I have come to realize the responsibility we have to students to make these ideals a part of our daily routines.
I have come to really enjoy and appreciate the NCTE articles we read. I think they are realistic and clear, yet not oversimplified and obvious. For example, I know that when I read this week's article, I found myself relating to the visual they used on pp. 2-3. I like having some foundation-type reading before diving into texts that foster more critical analysis on my part.
I guess I need my own scaffolding and formative assessment, eh?
And therein lies the point.
Isn't the idea of formative assessment just so real-world and true-to-life? There are sometimes those "life" days that inhabit many struggles...many instances that cause me to wonder if the day will ever come to a close. But in order to maintain a full-steam-ahead mindset, we must compartmentalize and focus on the "baby steps" so that we might eventually find ourselves content and complete.
So I find that we must also think this way in teaching our students. Yes, they're all going to be able to write a research paper and annotated bibliography by April 30, 2014, but my goodness, doesn't this seem so daunting to them to hear on the first day of class? I know I feel similarly about course objectives. They actually cause me to take a deep breath and say, "I can do this." In that regard, I find it so helpful to incorporate my own experiences in creating useful and kind lessons so that students can take their own deep breaths as the class carries on. They might feel overwhelmed at first, but our job is to break the task down into smaller goals, even as small as minute-by-minute, to help them feel a sense of accomplishment, or even feel a sense of failure, so that it is apparent and we are aware enough to do something about it.
In the end, I want my own students to eye up a task, large or small, and say, "I can do this." And formative assessment can get us there.
I really appreciate how you are able to reflect on how different learning situations FEEL to you and use that to be a more empathetic teacher. I wonder what would happen if we asked students to keep a journal of how they feel during different activities and assignments. I wonder if positive feelings would correlate with FA and more support or if this would differ across students.
ReplyDeleteI just had to say that I really like the journaling idea! The teacher can reply to them in their journal, too....either a quick answer to a question or a more developed response to their overall emotional state toward what is going on in class....just yet another form of communication and formative assessment!
DeleteSometimes I have them write reflections after assignments, but you're right, Katie, how interesting would it be to have real-time reflection of classwork and activities?? I agree--what a great correlation to FA when they're responding with how they felt about the learning almost as an exit ticket from class. (Although doing this daily would make me quite nervous to receive potentially negative feedback...even though constructive criticism can help us adapt and improve in the long run, it's still not fun to hear how much they didn't like doing something, right??! Eek!)
Delete“We must compartmentalize and focus on the "baby steps" so that we might eventually find ourselves content and complete.”
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, sometimes my days are so hectic that I need to create a mental list and stick to it in order to reach my goal of relaxation. This is especially so when it comes to school work. I have to remind myself that I cannot respond to everyone.
I think breaking tasks down are essential in a classroom. Even if a student does not reach the goal of the lesson, having them accomplish smaller goals (formative assessments) is a big step in the right direction. Completing formative assessments, as well, will motivate students to not give up on a task. I think long term Unit goals are good for students to know, but can be overwhelming. Therefore, I tended to not emphasize them in the classroom until the major summative assessment assignment was handed out. Is this a completely bad thing?
You got it right: baby steps are key. Students are human, just like us, and, as you suggest, you, at times, feel panicked when given an end goal, like course objectives. As Katie suggested in her post reply, teachers need to be empathetic towards their students- pay attention to their anxiety or boredom (ha!) and adjust our teaching strategies accordingly. Formative assessment is so valuable in evaluating our students progress, emotions, etc. I like how you suggest that formative assessment is much more than just walking around the classroom observing. While that is one way of assessing, it can be so much more, too.
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