2nd week reflection: tests and testing

Ideally students should be able to do well on a test without studying.  They should not be learning the information when they study, but simply refreshing their memory.  They should have learned the material in class.  Unfortunately, that is not how the world of testing seems to work.  When I was a student there were certain classes that I had to study for in order to do well.   Others I could do well if I just paid attention in class, read, and did the assignments.  Aside from practicing problems, I never studied for math tests.  It was a process, so if I had learned the process I could handle the test questions.  In literature classes, I would review characters, setting, and vocabulary, but I wouldn't necessarily study.  History, however, was always something for which I had to study.  If I studied, I would do well on the test.  Over time, however,  some of the historical information seemed to seep out of my ears and the rest would become blended with all the other pieces of information in my head.   I found history fascinating and, when presented well, quite engaging, but I never felt confident about my chronological memory in regards to history.  Even today I wish I could find a way to get dates, names and events better stuck in my head.  My husband can discuss the finer details of just about any aspect of history and politics- I have come to accept that I do not have that gift.  I wonder if or when students begin feeling that they don't have the "gift" for learning- either a subject area or in general.  I wonder how many give up too early.  Changing the way we assess students could help.  
Standardized testing is done for the same reason that teachers rely on tests rather than other forms of assessment.  It is efficient and objective.  It can be given quickly, graded quickly and assigned a numerical score which can be compared to other numerical scores.  I understand the purpose of standardized testing. It is a good way to see trends, particularly in groups.  Gaps in learning can be exposed, weaknesses and strengths in understanding can be identified.  This is only true, however, if the standardized test is not the focus of learning.  More than with any other test, students should be able to take a standardized test and do well because they have learned the curriculum.  The test should not be the focus of learning.  Students should take it seriously, but it should not stress them out.  The other trouble with standardized tests is that for the most part, they only test math, reading and vocabulary.   Math, reading and vocabulary may not be a strength for a student, but she may have an amazing understanding of science, history, music, or geography.  If a test is to be given to students to see how well they are learning, it should cover everything that they are learning.  The tests should be based on the curriculum, not the other way around.

Assessment and Testing

Sorry, I published this blog under someone's blog as a comment.

The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book. ~Author Unknown

Testing and assessment go hand in hand with each other in order to evaluate the overall ability of our students. I only hope that teachers don’t put too much stress on a test when it comes to the assessment of the student. I believe testing is not the only means of determining understanding. I think teachers should not put too much weight on testing. The students understanding can be measured by other means than placing it on a written test.

In class discussions as well as one-on-one interaction can easily tell a teacher if students are learning. Testing and retesting leads to students memorizing information instead of “learning” it. Discussions and reflecting will produce a better understanding of the material you want students to learn. Learning about testing and assessment cemented the idea that you should use both together. I just hope teachers don’t weigh the test as the means to check for understanding the students learning.

Chapter 1 Reflection

For the second week of class, we learned about assessments and testing and how they are different. When I began reading the chapter, I finally learned the difference between assessments and tests. I finally understand that assessments are an ongoing process of "appraising" a person's ability. In my class we have to observe and test each kindergartner on certain skills such as fine motor skills and personal information. This assessment carries on from 1st quarter to the 4th quarter.

The chapter not only talks about tests and assignments, but also the fear of taking tests and the reasons why certain tests may be difficult especially for ESL students. Based on what I am seeing in my classroom, several students in the primary grade levels do not understand the reasons for tests and then there are those set of students who do know about tests. For those who know about tests, I learned that these set of students try to miss school so they wont be tested. I have one student who gets very nervous when it comes to tests and his mother told me that he tried to stay home on the day I was conducting a test. According to his mother, "he said he was not feeling well and that he is scared about the test because he did not practice during the weekend." I Ended up talking to the students and reminded him that he has nothing to worry about and all he has to do is try his best.

Learning everyday from my students, I try not to use the word test and now I say we are going to play a game. For assessments, I also make it a game for them so I could observe and mark which student needs help is certain areas.

Overall, I learned a great deal from this chapter and I look forward to reading more.

Assessment and Testing Reflection

As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools. -- Unknown

 
As long as I can remember in regards to assessment and tests, there will always be the question in my mind asking, "How did I do?"  I am sure it is the same even for students. 

It is automatic when I do an assessment.  I want to know if I have engaged my students with what needs to be learned.  I feel a sense of accomplishment when the answers that I get in return during Q & A time hit target.  The excitement you see on most of the students' faces to keep on questioning tells you that learning is at hand.

The very mention of "Study for the test" brings on the groans and moans.  Even students in the primary level feel a bit of nervousness and anxiety.  Everyone wants to do their best.  It is what is expected of them.  On the other hand, some may not feel that way.  It is probably due to the fact that the scores are not properly explained. 

The way Language testing is done on students will be somewhat new to me.  As I trudge on through this Master's program, I will learn more on what the TESOL Program is all about. 

Second Week Reflection

"Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers." - Josef Albers

This week we talked about assessment and tests. Though I believe in the benefits of assessment, I do not always agree that tests are a reliable way of determining how much someone knows or has learned. The first chapter in our book discusses how the thought of taking a test makes a lot of people nervous. For me, this is not necessarily the case but for others it is. I know a lot of people who knew the information that they were being tested on pretty well, but due to test anxiety did not pass the same test many times. On the other hand, some people are just good at taking tests or can make very good educated guesses. There have been some tests where I thought I did very bad on but did very good on just because I guessed well. I have also taken tests that I did not do so good on but I also do not think that it proved how little I knew about the subject matter. For the most part, I have not performed well on standardized college admission tests though I do well in my college courses. I suppose if I studied more for these tests I would do better, but I have never applied to a college where these scores were a major determinant of whether or not I got accepted.

At work we have to administer the SAT-10 every year. A lot of our students do not score well on this test but I also think a lot of the students do not take the test seriously. This does not mean that the students did not learn anything throughout the school year. So overall, I think that such high stakes should not be placed on one standardized test.

Reflection

Graduating with my Bachelors degree in Elementary Education was the biggest achievement I ever completed. After graduation, I wanted to focus on my first year of teaching, however, being under the MLI grant, I had to continue my education to be certified in ESL. After completing 12 credits in my graduate studies, I decided to take that extra leap and push myself to pursue my masters in TESOL.
I am very excited and confident that I will be able to achieve this goal, being that this is my first year teaching and having a full time job, I am afraid I will fall behind on my assignments. However, because my classes are mostly online I am at ease knowing that I can still attend classes and have more time to complete these assignments at home. I will work hard and do my best not to procrastinate and submit all my assignments in a timely manner.
Due to only meeting every first Friday of the month, I will use that time to listen and learn from my colleagues as well as my professor. I will also participate in class discussions and help my colleagues in any way possible. I believe I work well with others and I am a great team player. I am not afraid to challenge myself, in fact I am very open minded and willing to try anything new to help better myself as an educator.

"To have another language is to possess a second soul."  -Charlemagne


I had originally planned on taking an elective over the summer, but the class I was going to take will not be offered this summer.   I did not register for this class until the last drop/add day.  I am sorry to have missed the first class meeting and not been able to meet my professor and classmates, especially now that I know we will only be meeting once a month.
I am currently in administration and supervision track for my masters at UoG.  This class interested me because most of my teaching experience has been related to teaching foreign language (French) or English to immigrant students.  I have also taught science which is, in some ways, much like teaching another language.  Second language instruction is something that I am passionate about and very much enjoy.  I am currently taking a break from teaching to stay at home with my son (he will be two next month) and to work on my masters.  In this class I am hoping to learn more assessment strategies and techniques and to refresh my teaching skills in terms of assessment.  I would also like to also gain some insight about assessment from an administrative perspective, particularly in regards to standardized testing and language level placement for English language learners.  I am also certain that I will learn things I could not even anticipate.  I am looking forward to meeting everyone in a few weeks and learning from and with you.

First Day of ED662

Hello Everyone,

This is quite funny, I created a blog the Saturday after class and I just realized that I created my own blog page. I just copied and pasted what I had typed up that evening at the bottom.

Class was very interesting yesterday. I met my new professor and my new classmates. In class, we read through the syllabus "round robin" style to understand what is expected of us. We learned that we are to shoot for Target. We also went through our course calendar and I am very happy it was very well organized and contained little boxes for me to check off an assignment. I am excited to learn from my new professor and my new classmates and I cannot wait to begin learning new and exciting information that will help me with my first year teaching.

First Day Reflection

Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.

Plato


When I signed up for this class there was only one other person that was enrolled. Dr. Stoicovy then informed me that there was a good chance that the class would be cancelled due to the low enrollment. Thankfully, we have the minimum of five students to keep the class open. I was afraid that the cancellation of this class would set me back another semester, now I am one step closer to completing my Masters in TESOL. I certainly have my plate full this semester with three classes, a full-time educator and mother. It was a great first day of class and I look forward to learning and sharing with my fellow classmates for we have a good mix of educators. This is my first class with Dr. Rivera and I look forward to learning from her and what it takes to be an exceptional ESL teacher.

“Learning is ongoing” ~ Author unknown

Another semester of classes and I am closer towards my goal of completing my Master’s Degree in TESOL. I really look forward to understanding on how better to assess students
of other languages. It’s always exciting to begin another semester of classes. The interaction with other instructors is what I like best. I am starting to realize how much is learned and absorbed from our discussions and ideas in class. The Language Assessment and Linguistics class I have will keep me fairly busy for the next 5 months. Looking forward to the first Friday of every month.

First Day Reflection

It was nice to meet everyone on the first day of class. I was worried that not enough people would sign up for the class and that it would be cancelled. For my degree program I need to take two electives and since I am the ESL Coordinator at my school, I wanted to take a class that is relative to my current position. I look forward to reading the book for this class. I used one of the author's other books during my methods class for teaching a second language. Though our group is small, it seems like we have a good mixture of people coming from different backgrounds who are teaching different subjects at different grade levels. I look forward to learning more about my classmates and professor and finding out what their thoughts are about assessing English Language Learners.

First Day Reflection

❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞
‒Nelson Mandela



Skimming through the first chapter of our text brought back unpleasant memories of my undergrad Evaluation and Assessment class with a professor who should have taught graduate level courses.  As a grad student who experienced the graduate Reading program already, I am feeling even more confident now with having to assess ELLs.  This Language Assessment class along with the Linguistics class which I am also taking this semester will open a new door to understanding second language learners.  I am looking forward to gaining new knowledge on this highly demanding field.  Let's have a fun semester!


Photo source:  sjusd.org