Week 6 Summative Post

Weekly Blog 6

Assessment of Learning and Math as a Whole

            Welcome back everyone to our last and final week of my math blog. This weeks focus we were looking at assessment of learning where are four main focuses looked at:

•        purpose and principals of assessment
•       focus on assessment of learning
•       triangulation to report progress
•        descriptive feedback

       Assessment is an essential aspect of ay work done. The primary focus of an assessment is to improve student learning. The summary of assessment is used to make judgements about the quality of student learning and to communicate information about achievement. In order to assess students, we use the achievement chart as a framework which is displayed below:

Link to Curriculum

     When we assess, we use the 4 levels of achievement whether it if for a rubric, comment or descriptive feedback. The 4 levels are:

Level 1- Limited

Level 2- Some

Level 3- Considerable

Level 4- A High Degree or Thorough

Below is a video that goes through what assessment for learning is for mathematics. 

      When we are collecting evidence for assessment, we are doing so through three different sources. Those sources are:

• observation
• conversations, and
• student products

      By using multiple sources of evidence to be able to assess, we are ensuring that we are increasing the reliability and validity of the evaluation of learning.

In my opinion at this stage in my learning, I feel that descriptive feedback is the most beneficial assessment for students. Descriptive feedback allows for specific information to be talked about that will help the learner understand what she or he needs to do in order to improve. The EduGAINS site had a great video that talks about feedback for assessment. 

    Descriptive feedback should be given during when leaning is occurring so that students are able to practice and have time to improve. Feedback enables students the material to learn how to learn. They are able to discover areas that they need t work on and be able to find tools to help them with it. It provides a higher order of thinking and moves students one step further. Providing descriptive feedback can promote positive learning and shows students that they are capable of doing the work in a positive manner. They can indeed be ‘math people’ with the help and assistance of the teacher. Below is a vide that provides examples of formative assessment in the classroom. 

 

     Throughout this term I have learned a lot of skills and strategies that I can implement in my own classroom. I want to be able to leave my students with the impression that math is fun and useful. I have to make math meaningful and a subject that students will find useful and not dread having to do.  By providing material that students can see themselves using outside of the classroom, we can make math real for them. We can engage our students with real work problems and concepts that are important to them. We have to remind students that math is fun, that math is for everyone, and that we can all do math.