After reading through Grant Wiggins interview responses, I find myself agreeing with a lot of his thoughts/answers: testing is a part of assessment, looking at the end goal (assessment) helps to build lessons within the unit, and yes, SAT’s are aptitude tests that measure general knowledge and do not measure effort students put forth to reaching their goals/objectives. However, I don’t how to agree with performance assessment because for the past 19 years I have taught courses linked to state exams. I have never given much thought to project-based learning (or authentic assessment) because the days on a school calendar and the number of days needed to get through curriculum are almost equivalent. I love the idea of creativity and showcasing knowledge with real-world context, but I have never experienced this type of performance assessment.
When asked, “What distinctions do you make between ‘testing’ and ‘assessment’,” Grant Wiggins explained that testing is only a piece of assessment. I agree with his response. In a typical unit of study, I assess my students on a daily basis with anticipatory sets, student participation, closing activities, mini-quizzes, etc. Given another question, “How can technology support and enhance assessment,” Wiggins says that “…assessment is more than just quizzes and tests.” My students have used IXL and THiNKtech, and hopefully more apps like Quizlet this year, to answer questions and check their vocabulary understanding. What I love about technology is the instant feedback they get while I’m helping a student across the room.
To help a new teacher with quick, daily assessments, I would introduce them to THiNKtech. It’s a powerful app because on the educator backend you can see how every student is responding. Are a majority of the students selecting the right answer or are most getting caught up with a particular step in the problem. It also allows them to match vocabulary terms, sort cards into categories, answer true/false statements and more. Without having to sort through paper copies of an opening activity or exit ticket, this app can provide the teacher with instant information about this students in his/her classroom.
When asked, “What distinctions do you make between ‘testing’ and ‘assessment’,” Grant Wiggins explained that testing is only a piece of assessment. I agree with his response. In a typical unit of study, I assess my students on a daily basis with anticipatory sets, student participation, closing activities, mini-quizzes, etc. Given another question, “How can technology support and enhance assessment,” Wiggins says that “…assessment is more than just quizzes and tests.” My students have used IXL and THiNKtech, and hopefully more apps like Quizlet this year, to answer questions and check their vocabulary understanding. What I love about technology is the instant feedback they get while I’m helping a student across the room.
To help a new teacher with quick, daily assessments, I would introduce them to THiNKtech. It’s a powerful app because on the educator backend you can see how every student is responding. Are a majority of the students selecting the right answer or are most getting caught up with a particular step in the problem. It also allows them to match vocabulary terms, sort cards into categories, answer true/false statements and more. Without having to sort through paper copies of an opening activity or exit ticket, this app can provide the teacher with instant information about this students in his/her classroom.