Unit 2- Research and Perspectives on Classroom Assessments
In the past two weeks, I have learned about different perspectives and models of assessment that helps me shape my view on how to best use different kinds of assessment to facilitate better learning outcome. As Dr. William mentioned, most important instructional decisions in classrooms are not taken by teachers, but taken by students. We should put learners at the heart of the process. Formative assessment is not a process that's done by teachers to students, but it's led by teachers and done with students to engage students and their own learning.
What I also find very inspiring is the comparison between traditional assessment and future assessment. Assessment is thought of as a separate event traditionally like the end of term grading, yet assessment is critical for our instruction in search of improving teaching and student learning. So the current features of assessment are more embedded, on-going, personalized, and student-centered over the course of their learning.
It is also very beneficial to learn about different models of assessments, to know their advantages and disadvantages, their characteristics, history, how to identify and further utilize those different types of assessment. We used to talk about formative and summative assessment, or other times norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment.
Learning about other assessment types including evidence-based, competence-based, performance-based, standard-based assessment, as well as the new emerging assessment models make me think about with why we learn about different assessments in the first place. In China, we have a proverb, "no matter it is the black cat or the white cat, whichever catches the mouse is the good cat". So, in my point of view, I am not 100% against traditional assessment, because it does has its own advantages, but I do think with the knowledge of other alternative assessment methods, it empowers educators to make best judgement on how and what kind of assessment to use in where so as to help students achieve best learning outcome.
What I also find very inspiring is the comparison between traditional assessment and future assessment. Assessment is thought of as a separate event traditionally like the end of term grading, yet assessment is critical for our instruction in search of improving teaching and student learning. So the current features of assessment are more embedded, on-going, personalized, and student-centered over the course of their learning.
It is also very beneficial to learn about different models of assessments, to know their advantages and disadvantages, their characteristics, history, how to identify and further utilize those different types of assessment. We used to talk about formative and summative assessment, or other times norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment.
With the comparison between traditional assessment and authentic assessment, it is clear that they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Traditional assessment has long existed because the less complexity to prepare while being relatively objective, economical, and reliable. Anderson discussed the need to shift from traditional assessment to alternative assessment due to the overuse of lecture as a primary teaching method and objective tests as a primary assessment measure, the increasingly diverse student population, as well as the constructivist learning theory.
Learning about other assessment types including evidence-based, competence-based, performance-based, standard-based assessment, as well as the new emerging assessment models make me think about with why we learn about different assessments in the first place. In China, we have a proverb, "no matter it is the black cat or the white cat, whichever catches the mouse is the good cat". So, in my point of view, I am not 100% against traditional assessment, because it does has its own advantages, but I do think with the knowledge of other alternative assessment methods, it empowers educators to make best judgement on how and what kind of assessment to use in where so as to help students achieve best learning outcome.
Great reflection!! I found that your understanding of assessment is very much like what I have, which gives me a clear evidence showing that you clearly understood the complexity of assessment that I want you to know from our learning so far. More importantly, I am able to see that you now have your own assessment literacies/discourse, which is the goal of our learning so far. Now that you have a strong understanding of what it assessment, the next step would to make things visible, trying to find the good cat in your context!!
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