Thankfully, I am not the same teacher I was 9 ½ years ago. I am amazed at how teaching strategies have changed throughout the years. Thank goodness it has. Interestingly, I have made a connection with the author’s statement that “the teacher must actively inquire into students’ thinking, creating classroom tasks and conditions under which students thinking can be revealed.” I can clearly remember the very first time I announced to my Chorus class that I will administer its first test of the quarter. They were shocked! “A test? I thought Chorus was supposed to be fun,” ‘Mary’ said. I now understand (nine years later) that a test really made her think twice about why she chose to be in my class. My reply, “I need to make sure that you memorize all the music terms” may have been suffice to make her want to stay in Chorus; however, when I think about that statement now, I did not make her completely understand my reason for that particular assessment. She was my “empty vessel” whom I felt compelled to fill…immediately. Yes, “the roles for assessment must be expanded beyond the traditional concept of testing (19).”
2 comments:
Hmmm, this made me think. What sort of a teacher was I 15 years ago? Then I was so focused on pencil-and-paper kind of testing. Everything that I taught, the student had to regurgitate out.
Thankfully, I learned that there are many other ways of assessment. I learned to let go of my "papers", of my end-of-chapter tests, etc. Which does not mean that there is something wrong with them, in and of themselves. I still use them now and then, but now I incorporate many other ways of assessment: portfolios, project-based-learning, technology-based assessments, etc.
Maybe my style of teaching may change again 15 years from now. Who knows? Maybe research/science will find a better way to help students learn. What will not change is that teachers should always have the best interest of the students at heart --- then everything else will follow.
How is Chorus graded at Notre Dame? We have different grading systems for the Special subect classes at St. John's. In the Lower School the students earn a V or S, I believe, while in the Upper School they'll receive a letter grade dependant upon contact hours.
If you read my post, I wrote about how we are compelled to give a score for students' accomplishments. So now after reading your post I'm wondering if one of your reasons to give a test was so that you had a number to justify a grade? Did you feel that way? Parents, administrators, and the community expect grading data. But whether it is Chorus or History - is that always needed?
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