Philosophy of Assessing Student Learning
As a teacher I am going to need to continually assess my students' learning. This does not mean that I am going to be giving out a lot of written tests but that I need to continually assess students with both formative and summative testing.
As a formative testing tool I would like to use the teaching test. I've always believed that once a person learns something, a great way to distill it in his/her mind is to teach it to someone else; doing this is a perfect way to prove that the knowledge is present. For example, I would have the students get in small groups and have each group teach the other how to conjugate certain verbs and the rules that go with certain types of verbs. Another testing tool I would like to use is handing out worksheets and then having each student write one answer on the board. Students do not look at activities like this as a test but it really is a good way to see what types of problems the students may be having and address them before the grade based test.
Summative testing is necessary because it creates the desire in students to study up on subjects in order to get a good grade whereas many of the formative tests might not. Also summative testing helps with statistical and financial results. I like the idea of chapter tests because ideally they do not cover an overload of information and yet it is enough information to need to study. Chapter tests are building blocks and will show me if my students are ready for the next chapter. Knowing this early will still give me time to go back over material if needed before moving on to the next chapter.
Formative and summative testing are needed together. Formative tests can be inaccurate because some students will not try at all if trying doesn't result in a grade. On the other hand summative tests can be inaccurate as many students freeze up when doing tests. Therefore it is important that I know and understand my students and how each one tests. It will be important for me to use formative testing so that I can be sure most if not all of my students understand the material before they dive in to a summative test. The idea of testing raises students' blood pressure. My plan is to help students feel completely prepared and comfortable to take my tests as this produces more accurate results. If I use enough formative tests as a teaching tool beforehand I will accomplish this goal.
