"Children have more need of models than of critics."
-Joseph Joubert
Finally, I would like to thank all of my colleagues in EDUC 6160-6 for your insightful posts!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Final Thoughts
I have been influenced greatly by the work of Lev Vygotsky throughout this course. I believe that the development of a child relies upon social interaction. When adults provide scaffolds and opportunities for modeling, children become skilled and independent. A quote that represents this theory is:
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Assessment
Assessment in the United States
In the United States, it is common for students to be assessed in the core subjects (language arts, math, science, and history). These assessments are usually in the form of standardized tests. Students simply write responses to a long list of questions. The questions only test one aspect of the students' development. When viewing children holistically, there should be a range of developments that are assessed in various ways. One way to start is by looking at Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory. The multiple intelligences include linguistic, musical, logical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic (Parkway & Standford, 2004). Children may have a high IQ in one area and a low IQ in another area. By assessing according to the intelligences, one can see areas of development in each of the domains. Additionally, educators should consider different learning styles and should use various forms of assessment. Not all students are successful with pencil and paper tests. Performance- based and project- based assessments are great ways to assess knowledge and development. In the first assessment, teachers observe the children while completing a task. The task could require certain biosocial and cognitive developments that can be assessed during the observation. The other assessment involves the students working in teams to produce a final product. This type of assessment allows for psychosocial development to be assessed. Assessments should reflect the diversity among children. All children are not the same therefore, alternative methods must be used to assess areas in all of the developmental domains.
Assessment in China
In china, educators are putting much effort into school-based assessments. There has been a major reform over the past couple of years issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The goal of the reform is to make the assessments more student centered. The first way they hope to achieve this is by expanding the curriculum to include practical knowledge. Students are taught how to solve real-life problems, and teachers were given the freedom to create unique assessments. Traditional tests were limited and assessments are now focused on the students' progress. Portfolio assessment is strongly encouraged. The MOE also stopped ranking students by percentages to eliminate competition (Lingbiao, 2007). Furthermore, the amount of assessments that are given has been reduced. All of these changes in assessment is due to one goal: viewing the children holistically.
Personal Experience with Assessment
From my personal experiences with standardized tests, I would strongly suggest that educators use a variety of assessments. My scores on standardized test never reflected how well I did in school. My school grades were much higher than my test scores. I believe this is because my teachers used various forms of assessment in the classroom. The state assessments were timed pencil and paper tests. The timing aspect of the tests would cause me to have anxiety, and then I would not be able to perform at my best. Educators should consider the amount of pressure they put on students when they require them to finish a test in a certain amount of time. For this reason, I believe that time limits for standardized tests should be eliminated.
References
Lingbiao, G. (2007, January 6). Assessment reform in China: A respond to the international trend in the new century. Retrieved from http://xypj.cersp.com/GLB/LUNWEN/200701/3223.html
In the United States, it is common for students to be assessed in the core subjects (language arts, math, science, and history). These assessments are usually in the form of standardized tests. Students simply write responses to a long list of questions. The questions only test one aspect of the students' development. When viewing children holistically, there should be a range of developments that are assessed in various ways. One way to start is by looking at Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory. The multiple intelligences include linguistic, musical, logical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic (Parkway & Standford, 2004). Children may have a high IQ in one area and a low IQ in another area. By assessing according to the intelligences, one can see areas of development in each of the domains. Additionally, educators should consider different learning styles and should use various forms of assessment. Not all students are successful with pencil and paper tests. Performance- based and project- based assessments are great ways to assess knowledge and development. In the first assessment, teachers observe the children while completing a task. The task could require certain biosocial and cognitive developments that can be assessed during the observation. The other assessment involves the students working in teams to produce a final product. This type of assessment allows for psychosocial development to be assessed. Assessments should reflect the diversity among children. All children are not the same therefore, alternative methods must be used to assess areas in all of the developmental domains.
Assessment in China
In china, educators are putting much effort into school-based assessments. There has been a major reform over the past couple of years issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The goal of the reform is to make the assessments more student centered. The first way they hope to achieve this is by expanding the curriculum to include practical knowledge. Students are taught how to solve real-life problems, and teachers were given the freedom to create unique assessments. Traditional tests were limited and assessments are now focused on the students' progress. Portfolio assessment is strongly encouraged. The MOE also stopped ranking students by percentages to eliminate competition (Lingbiao, 2007). Furthermore, the amount of assessments that are given has been reduced. All of these changes in assessment is due to one goal: viewing the children holistically.
Personal Experience with Assessment
From my personal experiences with standardized tests, I would strongly suggest that educators use a variety of assessments. My scores on standardized test never reflected how well I did in school. My school grades were much higher than my test scores. I believe this is because my teachers used various forms of assessment in the classroom. The state assessments were timed pencil and paper tests. The timing aspect of the tests would cause me to have anxiety, and then I would not be able to perform at my best. Educators should consider the amount of pressure they put on students when they require them to finish a test in a certain amount of time. For this reason, I believe that time limits for standardized tests should be eliminated.
References
Lingbiao, G. (2007, January 6). Assessment reform in China: A respond to the international trend in the new century. Retrieved from http://xypj.cersp.com/GLB/LUNWEN/200701/3223.html
Parkway, F. W. & Stanford, B. H. (2004). Becoming a teacher (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
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