A quote that stuck with me from one of my Professor’s was: The purpose of assessment is not to measure but to enrich and enhance learning.
A guiding question that I will be connecting back to throughout this course is how can students play a role in the development of assessment or the assessment process? If students help create the assessment and have a deeper understanding of what is expected of them, will they take appropriate measures to ensure better achievement? In my professional opinion, students will have a better understanding of what teachers expect them to know, understand or be able to do which will consequently allow them to take greater accountability for their learning.
Coming August will be the third year that I have moved to Ontario and I have yet to grasp all of which the curriculum has to offer as well as recognized assessment tools, frameworks and strategies that are being utilized. I would like to delve more deeply into the implementation of technology as an effective assessment tool in the classroom. How can technology assist in understanding the minds of the children? We are currently living in a society where students know what technology is before they even begin school, therefore, can technology provide another way to assess what students are learning and understanding? My goal is to deepen my knowledge of assessment and proficiently incorporate it into my teaching to meet the needs of all learners.
At the end of the day, we are striving to build hearts not just minds in our students so that they can function and work collectively to create a better society. My understanding is that every student is unique and special in their own way. Every child learns differently, communicates differently and portrays their understanding differently therefore it’s important to adapt your assessments to fit the needs of all your students. This may seem impossible at first, but it gets easier once positive relationships are built and we know more about each student. I have high expectations from my students but that’s only because I have high expectations for myself. As an advocate for executing Social and Emotional Learning in my classroom, I strongly believe that students cannot flourish academically if they are not supported socially and emotionally.