Both required readings this week emphasize that assessment is a primary driver of student motivation and engagement (Bates, 2014; Gibbs & Simpson 2005). However, they also point out the importance of a learning community and motivating student learning through other means such as interactive simulations or games, peer review and discussion, and consistent formative assessment and feedback.
One of my primary foci with assessment is creating a community of learning between my student peers. Student feedback and reinforcement is a major aspect of my classroom community. For example, when students are writing weekly blog posts for their blogs (which act as digital portfolios), they give feedback on each other’s posts and make edits in advance of submitting them to me for feedback. In providing weekly peer and instructor feedback through digital means, I have seen writing abilities shift dramatically in my Grade 3 and 4 students.
Another way that I try to incorporate self-assessment practices is through metacognitive reflection after recording student read-alouds. With young students, it is especially important that they can hear themselves read in order to make improvements. I use Explain Everything on the iPad to have students record their reading and listen to the playback. I equate this to “game film for learning” – as a former athlete, watching myself play was a powerful method by which I could improve. Students use their own recordings to improve attention to punctuation, expression, fluency, and to review texts for comprehension purposes.
However, just as the speed of ongoing, formative assessments like these can be powerful and easy to create, and therefore, the volume of assessments can pile up. A teacher cannot possibly review recordings of daily readings for every student, every day. Likewise, my students are constantly writing over and above – sometimes two or more posts a week – and it’s not plausible to give feedback on every single piece of writing. I have found the need to pick and choose the things I need to assess and allow students to develop and improve the rest of their work on their own. Despite being young, most of them absolutely take advantage of this time and the peer reinforcement helps to keep them on track, too.
As we develop our introductory modules, I realized how fluid my own assessment practices are and how different the requirements for online courses really are. Access to a blended model allows you to change the components of assessment that you’re aiming to include in your teaching depending on what students know. In contrast, online courses need to lay that all out for students in the beginning of the course and seem less flexible in catering to a group or a student’s specific needs.
References
Bates. T. (2014). Teaching in a digital age. Appendix 1. A8. Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/5-8-assessment-of-learning/
Gibbs, G., & Simpson, C. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 3-31. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/fast/pdfs/Gibbs%20and%20Simpson%202004-05.pdf