{"id":411,"date":"2006-03-16T09:32:50","date_gmt":"2006-03-16T09:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/34.95.25.178\/maggie\/2006\/03\/16\/reflections_on_readings\/"},"modified":"2006-03-16T09:32:50","modified_gmt":"2006-03-16T09:32:50","slug":"reflections_on_readings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.golding.ca\/maggie\/2006\/03\/16\/reflections_on_readings\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on Readings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Third journal entry, ‘Assessment as Learning’<\/i>
\nOne of the recurring themes in our class\u2019s responses to the mid-term assessment was \u201clet\u2019s get back to the readings!\u201d As one of the people who contributed to the hew and cry, I now feel an obligation to go back to the readings and think about my reactions to them (also, Dianne asked us to ). I went back to my reading notes, marginalia and apparently random slashes of highlighter, and tried to come up with at least one idea that I found important, impressive or illuminating from each article.
\nIf you’re interested in the article titles, let me know.<\/i><\/p>\n


\nAdmittedly, some of the readings proved denser than others, and some seemed merely to reiterate the litany of \u201cClear objectives! Learner-centred! Feedback!\u201d, which we\u2019ve been reading, and discussing, since Day 1 of Course 1. This is not to say that the concepts don\u2019t bear repeating, simply that rereading them confirmed their importance without adding a lot to the mix.
\nHaving said that, once I went back to my notes and gleaned the kernels from each article, I was able to find something of value in each one. In Cross and Angelo\u2019s discussion of CATs, the two most important concepts for me were that (1) we\u2019re already always assessing, albeit not always consciously, and (2) that we need to become conscious of assessment, and use it effectively. I love the idea of establishing a feedback loop, and I am already incorporating the concept into the Writing Workshop I\u2019m leading this term. In fact, in this week\u2019s session, I performed two CATs \u2013 a round-table discussion of each student\u2019s \u2018Big 3\u2019, including immediate feedback, and a minute paper at the end of the session. I\u2019ll use the feedback from both CATs to help determine the content of the next few sessions, and I\u2019ve already told the students that this is my plan.
\nI got a lot out of the Crooks article. I think the most important idea is that we need to help students redefine assessment as an opportunity for practice, and an indicator of what to focus on. Crooks also stresses the idea of corrective feedback that focuses on progress, which I think is particularly important. What it boils down to is that students should be shown that assessment is not a big, scary, life-determining, now-or-never monster, but rather an ongoing process through which they can practice their new skills and get constructive feedback on how they\u2019re doing. Unfortunately, in many cases, students are still faced with a mid-term and a final exam, nothing else counts, pass or be doomed scenario. Presumably, though, one could apply Crooks\u2019 concept of ongoing assessment throughout the term, using a series of unmarked assessments with feedback as a means of preparing students for the EXAMS they have to write.
\nKnight, who is one of the writers who reiterates the importance of clear objectives and frequent reminders thereof, does make at least one important point: the complexity of the assessment task determines the complexity of student learning. If we employ the ongoing assessment strategy, we can incorporate this idea and make the series of assessments of varying complexity, thus demanding a range of cognitive skills from our students. Shephard, whose article also revisits some familiar themes, approaches assessment in much the same way, pointing out that a good assessment task is by definition a good learning task. Shephard echoes Vigotsky\u2019s idea of the zone of proximal development, and proposes that assessment is an opportunity to stretch our students\u2019 abilities by providing the necessary scaffolding but still asking them to go beyond their current learning. As she points out, this conception of assessment is quite different from the historical model of assessment as a measure of mastery which determines whether or not a student can move on.
\nWho could ask for a better segue? Walvoord also addresses the idea of assessment as a measure of mastery, referring to teachers as gatekeepers. I got a lot out of the Walvoord articles. Her discussion of our role as judges was a revelatory as the idea that it\u2019s OK to \u201cteach to the test!\u201d After all, as she points out, we are professionals \u2013 we know our subject, we know the objectives and the standards, and we know (or we should) that our students need assessment and feedback. On the other hand, as Walvoord says, our role as gatekeeper \u2013 determining whether or not a student can move on \u2013 should be the very last step.
\nInitially, I struggled with the term \u2018judge.\u2019 As we discussed in one of our earliest sessions, the term carries with it some negative baggage. No one wants to be labeled \u2018judgmental.\u2019 But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the metaphor fits. A judge \u2013 as in a bona fide member of the judiciary \u2013 must (1) assume innocence, (2) evaluate evidence, and (3) render judgment. A teacher, then, must (1) assume ability, (2) evaluate performance, and (3) render judgment. In other words, we must assume from the beginning of the course that all the students are capable of performing all the tasks required to the standards set, help them get there (through ongoing assessment, naturally), and finally determine, based on their performances, whether or not they have proved their ability.
\nThis brings me to Wiggins and his idea of backward design, to which I have latched on completely. If, as discussed, we are to pass judgment on our students at the end of the course based on their ability to perform certain tasks to specific standards, then it makes perfect sense that we can use those tasks and standards to determine the path along which we take the students. As I discussed in an earlier journal, this is the strategy I am now using to create the framework for my courses. I have to admit this is easier to do with 101 than it is with a genre or theme course, at least so far. Of course, when it comes to genre and theme courses, I tend to approach them in terms of the kind of material I like to work with, rather than the course objectives. I\u2019m now trying to find a happy compromise \u2013 I\u2019m thinking of 102\/103 courses in terms of what I want to teach generally, then looking at the objectives, and working backward to determine the specifics such as actual materials and assessment tasks.
\nOur readings so far have given me much food for thought. I look forward to our discussions as a group \u2013 goodness knows, if any group can milk a reading for all it\u2019s worth, we\u2019re the group!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Third journal entry, ‘Assessment as Learning’ One of the recurring themes in our class\u2019s responses to the mid-term assessment was \u201clet\u2019s get back to the readings!\u201d As one of the people who contributed to the hew and cry, I now feel an obligation to go back to the readings and think about my reactions to … <\/p>\n

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